Cass
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Bussing up, winding down - 2006/10/01 17:06
This is the account of my trip to CH from 16-17 September 2006. I am happy to report that the flies have made their exit for the year. As descriptions of most of the tourist attractions have been addressed by the other contributors, I will focus on the weather there this time of year, travelling to CH by bus, accommodation- primarily Century Pines Hotel and Equatorial Hotel, and pigging out on berries.
The Bus
I travelled up to CH via bus i.e. the Kurnia Bistari from Pudu station. Cost of a ticket is RM17.30 one way. My partner and I had intended to try the VIP coach run by Kurnia Bistari up there but the earliest VIP coach was only available at 12.00 pm. Hence we took the normal bus. We wanted to try the new bus service, i.e. Unititi but we could not locate the counter at Pudu.
The busses don’t always leave punctually, so I have learnt to arrive on time but not to make plans. One will get to CH when one gets there. Generally the journey from Pudu to Tanah Rata town in CH takes approximately 4 hours. The busses will stop at Tapah to pick up/drop off passengers. In our case, we had to change busses there. Perhaps the other bus was less able to climb the terrain – maybe.
Upon arriving we bought our tickets back immediately. It was hasty of us as a five minute walk down the road brought us to the new bus station where there lo and behold, was the Unititi bus. The new bus station looks promising as the old one is a bit dingy with oil puddles and a lack of a waiting area, unless diesel fumes is your cup of tea.
Our journey back was a terrible experience. Seating numbers were not observed so quite a few passengers were disgruntled. When we boarded the bus, the floor was wet and muddy. So that ruled out putting any of our luggages on the floor. The overhead compartment provided ample space until we realised that there was no way of shutting it. Our journey down, bags and even a helmet, placed there by a careless passenger, flew down from the compartments. Good thing nobody was hurt.
It was not the most pleasant of journeys as it took us 5 and ˝ hours to get back! Busses should refuel and should ensure that the busses are of good condition BEFORE the journey. Our bus driver of course had no sense of urgency in him naturally. We had to stop to refuel TWICE, stopped at Tapah bus station despite not having any passengers getting on or disembarking, a slow change of busses at the bus depot due to an existing air-conditioning malfunction and when you factor in two additional breaks, it is no wonder that passengers were more stressed coming back from their holidays than before. I will definitely be choosing their competitor the next time I travel to CH.
Century Pines Hotel
A pleasant modern hotel located in Tanah Rata, it is a short walk away from the bus station. We followed the signs. A night stay is RM190 nett inclusive of breakfast for 2. This is their internet rate, mind you. Their normal published rate is higher so it is worth to book online.
The deluxe room comes with the basic amenities i.e fridge, kettle, TV with terrestrial channels and even a DVD player so you may want to bring your favourite movies with you. We decided to change rooms as there were what appeared to be blood stains/ chocolate on the white quilt cover. We explained our reasons to the staff and we were promptly given another room without fuss.
There was ample parking and the shops are a convenient walk away. Since it is in town, the hotel does not boast a fantastic view. My room actually faced a huge water tank, people’s houses and a cliff edge. While we had a tiny balcony, it was strewed with leaves, what looked like droppings, and cobwebs. So if you are looking for something romantic, you are better off at Strawberry Park Resort. But if you will be out exploring a lot and just looking for a comfortable place to crash, this may be a good site although it may be a good idea to ask for a room with a better view. Anyway the bathrooms have great showers and ample hot water.
Equatorial Hotel
Ok I admit, I have always liked EQ. At RM188 with an F&B voucher of RM88 it is not really expensive to stay in plus you get to enjoy all the amenities of a top hotel. Although EQ boasts a pool, it is quite small by normal standards. But no loss. If we really wanted to swim we would have picked a beach resort.
The Phoenix restaurant is nice although it is pricey. The coffee house also serves the standard hotel fare at hotel prices of course. The chicken chop was done just nice – crispy but not soaking of oil. And the Mushroom soup was yummy.
The best thing about EQ is that one is so close to Kea Farm market. Along the road heading to the rose centre, there are many stalls peddling fresh farm produce and wholesome snacks. The hot sweet potatoes were a pleasure to hold and the corn is so plump and juicy compared to their comrades at the lowlands. Had I driven to CH, I would have carted a carful of the gorgeous greens.
Nevertheless be warned that the fresh mushrooms, despite being packed in air tight plastic, is so pungent that despite a gazillion layers of newspaper and 2 plastic bags, them lovely mushrooms still managed to stink up our hotel room. We had no alternative but to give them away as bringing them up the bus would guarantee us getting booted out.
We bought plenty of strawberries. As we bought wagon loads, we managed to bargain the price down plus persuaded the seller to give us extra strawberries. The generosity was most probably due to the impending storm rather than our rather bargaining skills. Nevertheless I recommend everyone to at least give bargaining a shot.
Armed with our experience of gorging on strawberries on our last trip, we bought our own whipped cream and honey with us – a magical combination at a fraction of the cost that the stores would charge for the same.
Kiasu? Maybe a little bit.
Raju’s strawberry farm is an uphill walk from EQ and when we were there, they were out of strawberries. And the strawberry ice cream is not worth the price. It was just plain vanilla with strawberry slices.
I wish I brought my brolly
When we were there, it poured. Rather than let the rain dampen our spirits, we use it as a great excuse to have a good steamboat lunch. We dropped by Mayflower at Tanah Rata for the steamboat which comes in both tomyam and plain soup base. At RM13 per person, it was quite delicious with an abundance of vegetables. Is it me or are vegetables in Cameron Highlands extra sweet?
The rain cooled the surroundings wonderfully but navigating through the pasar malam was a challenge as we ran the risk of having eyes getting poked in by numerous passing umbrellas. The pasar malam (night market) at Brinchang Town is on every Saturday. We did have a spot of trouble getting a cab back from the pasar malam to Tanah Rata due to the rain.
Not much food was on sale at the night market which disappointed me somewhat. Yet I got my piping hot Cendawan Goreng (Fried Mushrooms). Not to be missed, mon ami. Worth braving the rain for, anytime.
Other thoughts
Cameron Highlands is still imbued with the small town charm I remembered and while I do not care much for the hustle and bustle of town, the temperate (or rather wet) weather made it perfect for a sloth like me to steal gloriously long hours of good reads, pots of hot tea and strawberries drenched in cream. Things certainly move at a slow pace here and it is still possible to get away from the tourist crowds. Cameron Highlands remains my favourite hideaway. But next time, I am taking a different bus service.
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