Malaysia (Cameron Highland)

Malaysia
Cameron Highland
31 Dec 98 - 3 Jan 99

The green from Velvia is so bright and vibrant that my 24 bit slide scanner can hardly pick up. These are the closest match (at least on my screen) that I could adjust from the scan.
Photos of Woon are, however, taken with negative films.

I kept checking the CNN site on the weather forecast for Malaysia days before my trip. It had been raining for days here in Singapore and the rest of the region. The monsoon was at its peak and it was unlikely for the sky to clear. Suddenly, it seemed that I had made a right choice to book an expensive hotel instead staying in a backpacker's motel - at least there are some entertainment facilities in the hotel for me to pass time while it pours outside.

We took a night coach from Golden Mile on the new year's eve. Crossing the new causeway was a breeze and the Super VIP coach was spacious and comfortable enough for a good night sleep.

We reached our destination the next year (9 hours later) on a gloomy morning with light drizzle. The winding road up the mountain had gotten me feeling a little dizzy and a bloated gastric. The fresh air didn't help much to clear the motion sickness and I left it all to my wife to do the checking-in at the hotel.

Though there was no heavy down pour the weather was bad enough to restrict our visits to places near the hotel. I switched to macro photography instead of the usual travel shots. Even so, the winds were strong at times and we resorted to bring flowers back to the hotel room.

I'm no stranger to Cameron. This was my 3rd trip since I first visited the beautiful place in 1990 with Sheh Lin and her friend. Five years later, it became my first overseas photography trip destination. It was 2 months after I bought my camera and had taken up photography. That trip was my most enjoyable though there's hardly any keeper shots. David's relative stayed and opened a coffeeshop at Ringlet. We borrowed 2 cars from his relative and drove around to see the place. I drove one of the car, followed closely behind David on those dangerous winding roads. It was really a good training for me but putting the lives of others at jeopardy.

It is a popular holiday retreat destination with cool weather providing a good escape from the tropic heat. Though the summit is 2000m the average height is only around 1500m. There are 3 main towns with many holiday chalets and resorts in between.

No visit is complete without a tour to the tea plantation. There are several tea estates but the most beautiful is the one at Sungei Palas. Free tours are conducted and visitors can find out how the tea leaves are being processed.

Besides the tea plantation, other attractions include butterfly/rose/strawberry gardens, waterfalls and vegetable farms.

A popular dish in Cameron is the steam boat buffet. With the cool weather and sometimes cold evening, nothing beats gathering around the warm gas cooker with hot soup and a wide spread of ingredients for the dinner.