Blog update from December 2007- Part 1

It has been rather long since I last blogged (21^st November to be exact) but things have been rather crazy since then, and a blog update is long overdue. As you all know, I have finished my STPM on the 3^rd of December and from then my holidays begin. This is the first part of an account of my adventures since then.

5^th to 8^th December – Cameron Highlands

I have always been fascinated by the idea to travel with all my possessions strapped to my back, but here in Malaysia that seems to be a silly thing to do. Anyway, I needed a break from exams, and was feeling a little adventurous, therefore I decided to travel to Cameron Highlands alone, because I could not find anyone to travel with me.

I booked a hostel room a month in advance, and I checked in on the 5^th, 2 days after my exams. The journey there was bleak, because it was starting to become rainy, and the usually rolling green landscape was completely obscured by cloud and mist. The room I originally booked was an attic room, but I was given a single room instead. To paint you a picture of how small the room actually is, i could stretch out my hands and my fingertips could touch the two sides of the wall. 5 ft by 7 ft. Just big enough for a single bed. I couldn't even take a picture of it ( it was too small) Still, I was only paying RM15 per night so no complaints there.

It rained three out of four days I was there. The first night, I met with this group of backpackers who had come from all over the world and they have been backpacking all over South East Asia. They come from Canada, Slovakia, Greece, Holland, the UK etc. I played Scrabble with some of them that night. It was fun and I managed to play the word QUAY. The weather was particularly cold because it had rained all day. The people who stayed there for quite long said the rain just started, and the weather was fair the past week. Also, the rain meant that there was no bonfire. Tough luck....

On the second day, I paid about RM20 to go on a sightseeing tour, which was a total waste of time and money. It was raining early in the morning and I was alone in a bus full of strangers, taken to places I have been to before. The only attraction on the tour I have not been to was the Sungai Palas Tea Factory.

Later that night, the other backpackers made plans to climb Gunung Brinchang. We also chatted a little about various tourist destinations in Malaysia like Pulau Perhentian and Taman Negara (I have been to neither). They plan to wake up and leave at 7 30 am. I planned to stay indoors to read (again).

On the third day, I woke up around 9 am. I found that the group hasn't left yet (some of them were still asleep). It was still raining. “To hell with the rain”, I thought. I asked if it was okay for me to join them. They didn't mind. We left around 10 30 am It took me almost two hours to reach the summit and I was muddy and soaked through but it was all worth it!

We then made our way down to the Sungai Palas Tea Factory to have some tea. We didn't want to take a cab back to Tanah Rata form the factory (RM30!!) so we hitchhiked to Brinchang and took a cab from there (RM5) my legs were so cramped by the time i reached the hostel I had to apply counterpain. Anyway, I made the owner promise to light the bonfire as the rain stopped a few hours ago. I then went out to buy a kilo of sweet potatoes to roast with the bonfire. We could even see the stars that night.

On the last day, the rain finally stopped, and the friendly group of backpackers were making plans to hit the beaches next. Since the east coast is closed due to monsoon, they made plans to go to Pangkor instead. They invited me along, since it was near my place, but with my leg's condition I had to decline. I returned home to catch a breather, and to start cleaning the house, as I had another trip to catch in less than a week.