Monday 8 October 2018

Riding Around Cameron Highlands

Today was the first time I seriously appreciated having a motorbike while traveling. Seeing the long weekend holiday and the way the whole of Cameron Highlands road was jammed up by traffic I was zipping through everywhere with the bike witha breeze. 

Riding Around Cameron Highlands 
I started off with no plans other than to just ride around exploring but before I knew it I visited most of the touristic place without much thought. 

First stop was the temple ... pay my respects and a little ride in and out of the local housing estates where not a soul peep out the window. 

Chinese Temple at Tanah Rata - Cameron Highlands 
Cactus Valley

Riding up towards Brinchang, there was such a massive traffic jam that I saw an empty road to the left and immediately veered off to explore only to end up at Cactus Valley. 

Cactus Valley - Cameron Highlands 

It looked similar and the more I explored it the more I remember back many many years ago when I was still a kid and visited Cameron Highlands with family and friends, this was the place where the mom’s went crazy buying seed, potted plants and loads of cactus.

It was lovely place seeing all the plants with flowers bloom and all the hydroponic farm for all the fresh vegetables produce. 







Old Brinchang Town

It was exactly how I remembered it .... even the hotels and the mamak stall was still the same without a change after so many years. In a way it was nostalgic but I could understand now, that the small town of Brinchang or rather the center of it was really unappealing and it was just where we went as a kid as the adults needed to stop there for the 4D lottery shops .... but since i am an adult now, I participated in the 4D punting :) 

Brinchang - Cameron Highlands 
Water Cress Valley

This stop was purely coincidental since i was actually looking for lunch and saw a signboard saying Water Cress Valley Restaurant and Farm ... so i decided to pick one and this was the one ... lunch .... they served traditional charcoal steamboat ... bummer ... 

Water Cress Valley Restaurant & the Traditional Charcoal Steamboat

Menu - Traditional Charcoal Steamboat - Cameron Highlands 

So I was stuck eating some kinds stir fried noodle since there was no chance I could get a traditional charcoal steamboat on my own. The very few times I felt the downside of traveling alone is when you need a group of friends to attact that local delicacy dish. Still it was a nice place to chill for lunch and watch the water crest farm. 

Stir Fried Noodle ... no steamboat for una solo 

View from the Water Cress Valley Restaurant - Cameron Highlands 

Sweet Like Honey

After lunch I somehow ended up Honey hunting .... saw a bee farm so I stopped to check it out and with a few message to mom and back I was not hunting for some good honey at a cheap price. Once I bought the Honey it was a headache thinking how I was going to continue traveling without cracking the glass bottle honey. 
 Bee Farm - Cameron Highlands 
The Small Colorful Boxes are the Bee Hives 

Honey ... - Cameron Highlands 
Rose Farm

I also stumbled upon the rose farm ... for I was looking for the pokemon gym ... Yep, when we travel long term sometimes its not just about the sightseeing but also the mundane pleasure of playing games. Rose farm was nice ... but seeing all the couple couple smooching around at every hidden corner told me it was time to go after conquering that pokemon gym. 

Rose Farm - Cameron Highlands 

Many Interesting Sculpture in the Rose Farm 
Roses are Red ..... Roses are white .... 


Bunga Raya 

Best part about riding around Cameron Highlands .... everything above was free ... just rock up and walk around ... most tourist go on a shopping spree but for me it was nice to do things without having to spend a single cent.

Time Tunnel Museum of Cameron Highlands 


Surprisingly the most memorable time was spent at the Time Tunnel Museum of Cameron Highlands. I stopped nearby to look at a honey shop, and before I knew it, it started raining and I was stuck so I paid the RM6 entrance fee to kill time and see the museum. 

Initially it felt mundane but i knew I had to kill time so I read everything I could, and slowly exzamine the little stuff there was there along the 1st level ... mostly WW2 stuff so kinda bland but as I headed down to the lowest level it was really a time tunnel having all old pictures of Cameron Highlands and the items from old times such as tools and things that was used during grandparents generations. 

Photo of Singapore Prime Minister When Young at Cameron Highlands 
Trinkets from the old days 
More local tourist started appearing as well and most was lost on what all these item was. I couldn't help by smile when there was this little girl going around pointing and examining every item she saw asking her grandma loads of questions

Little Girl: Whats this ?

Grandma: Its an oven

Little Girl: And this

Grandmy: Thats a school table ... last time tables at school were like this, and the basket on the table are our school bags.

Little Girl: Whats this ?

Grandma: Weighing Scale

Little Girl: Whats this ?

Grandma: ... errr ( it was actually an old well pump ) 

Curious Little Girl at the Time Tunnel Museum 

I find it entertaining observing the older and younger generation of the local tourist in the time tunnel museum ... I lingered quite a while seeing many groups with the same kind of atmosphere all trying to dechipher each antique item that was on display. Kinda feel antique myself since I knew most of the item that was there ...

I saw a old school money tin where shop keeper use to keep their money when customer paid which had a pully system and a weight on the other side ...

I pulled it down to see if there was money inside and sure enaugh a few coins were there ... the younger kids looked at me and started guessing what it was. Money tin I told them, ... crap i feel ancient already ...

Traveled on : Sep 2018

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