Cameron Highlands, Pahang

Cameron Highlands is a sleepy valley in the state of Pahang, Malaysia. Before you reach the little towns, you will first be required to conquer the long winding road up to the hill. Road upgrades are now ongoing and let's hope that the work progress is fast, else you will seriously suffer from a stretch of bumpy roads. Not an uncommon sight in Malaysia but it is not appreciated when the road is so narrow!

There are a lot of local stores along the way, selling petai, duku, other local fruits and handicrafts. That's like a good 65km of travel before you reach Tanah Rata. I have been to Cameron before this but I still fidget like a small child in the car. The journey seems like Forever...and I didn't know Forever stretches that far...hmmm...when can I see the silhouette of the hotel??

Anyways, we reached at long last and we had tea at Lord's Cafe upon strong recommendation from my friend. I was told that this place has got the best scones in the whole Cameron. It only then that I realized that Cameron is famous for scones. I never knew and I thought steamboat was what the place was well-known for.

Scones and hot chocolate..and oh, hello to vanilla ice cream and pie too!

The cute kids of the owner of the shop

After lunch, we drove ahead further and FINALLY! The hotel! We spent the night at Equatorial Hotel - though there are more charming ones along the way such as Cameron Highland's Resort, well, Equatorial has a better price for a weekend getaway. The hotel comes with a tiny pool, a less than inviting size but it is huge for a 2 years old (that said, it's good for a family's short vacation). The room is not new but it is clean (Rating of 8 in 10) and it has got a few channels to choose from - which is good because we have been to Cameron for several times throughout our adulthood and after dinner, we retreated back to the hotel for a quiet and relaxing time watching the TV. 

Steamboat dinner (review and address: http://www.happycow.net/reviews.php?id=36113)*

*There are a few restaurants that cater to vegetarian and most of them are located in Brinchang. A lot of us, locals, enjoy renting an apartment unit and prepare our own dinner when we are in Cameron especially if we went in a big group.

Other highlights of Cameron are Mossy Forest and the many tea farms. I have not been to the Mossy Forest before but my friend gave a good rating for that one. This time round, we went to the Boh Tea Plantation instead; we went there for our breakfast and enjoy the calm scenery with coffee/tea and pastries.  This is one place to avoid during festive seasons though because it is located 2 km from the main road and the road leading towards the tea house is winding and narrow. It can hardly fit 2 cars - let alone if you are driving a 7-seaters. It took us quite a while to drive out due to the in-coming cars. Anyways, after we bought our supplies of fresh corns, vegetables and flowers, we head back to Kuala Lumpur...our beloved congested city...