Getting off the beaten track

The Cameron Highlands is Malaysia's most extensive hill station, located about 1500 metres above sea level; it is a vast area of rolling green hills, tea plantations, farms and forests. After googling images of the area I was so knocked out by the beautiful scenery, and so excited about the outdoors activities available that I decided I had to go!

When researching the highlands I got the impression that the forest trails were difficult to navigate alone and dangerous if you got lost, so when I got to my guesthouse I was easily seduced by the organised tours they advertised which seemed to cover all the highlights without any of the difficulty. I opted for the 'countryside tour' and joined a group of other backpackers for a jam-packed morning of activities. The 'countryside tour' includes a visit to a rose garden with views of the highlands, a strawberry farm, Boh tea plantation, a bee farm, a butterfly farm and a Buddhist temple- all in one morning!! Needless to say it was very whistle-stop, and although the sights were fantastic it was too touristy for my liking and left me feeling quite unsatisfied by the whole Cameron Highlands experience. That evening I decided that i had seen enough, and was ready to get the bus to Penang the next day.

After a good nights sleep I decided that I wouldn't catch the first bus to Penang and would have another stab at the highlands experience, but without a tour guide this time. I managed to rope a fellow backpacker, Sam, into my plans, and after consulting the maps we decided to tackle 'trail 9' which passes Thompson Waterfalls and has some beautiful views of the countryside. The trail was a 3km hike through the forest and got very narrow and muddy at points, it involved quite a bit of clambering over trees and falling over in my case, but it was SO SO much fun!!! The trail went around the edge of the mountains and would occasionally provide beautiful panoramic views of the surrounding farmlands. Sam is a professional photographer, so he more than understood my wish to photograph it ALL!! I really enjoyed seeing the highlands this way, I felt I was observing life as it would be regardless of tourism; a 'real' snapshot of the area. The trail spat us out in the middle of a small group of farms, roughly 7km from our guesthouse. Neither Sam nor I wanted to hike 7km up hill so we walked to the main road and hitched a ride up the mountain. We decided to hitch half way up the mountain and get out at a tea plantation to take in the views and have a well deserved tea break, and then hitch a second ride all the way to our guesthouse. We were picked up immediately both times (which is so reflective of how friendly and amenable Malaysian people are) by really lovely guys, the second man to give us a lift was so excited to learn that we were from the UK, and launched into a speech about how great the British are and how many positive things we brought to Malaysia during our rule... how refreshing!

After such a fantastic morning I decided I would spend one more night in my guesthouse, and embrace the chilled out vibe that follows a satisfying day of activities! That evening Sam and I joined a group of English backpackers for a raucous game of scrabble and hot chocolate.. perfect!

The next day I bid farewell to my new friends, farewell to the fabulous 'Fathers Guesthouse', and farewell to the absolutely beautiful scenery.. I was back on the road again, headed to the food capital of Malaysia- Penang!!