krista
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Re: Just got back from CH - 2001/05/10 05:37
Hi all, I just got back from CH too..last weekend (5-7 May) was packed. First, CH is not as cold as you expect -- and eating red dust from the amount of development going is supposedly normal. The mornings are cool, afternoons hot and towards evenings, (when it is about to mist heavily and rain) it gets cold. The flies are still there though, i'd recommend bringing one's own cup cover (you know the cheap plastic ones to cover your drinks).
basically i would not recommend one to go during long weekends but what to do? the rest of us working plebiens can only get a long break during weekends which run into public holidays. (sigh). everything seems extra expensive but here's my recommendation.
1. if you are not driving up to CH, stay in Brinchang! it's the best place for food and lodging - unless you want total peace and quiet you can opt for the Smokehouse and all that. if you don't mind cheapie hotels that are basically bed and bathroom and TV. plus Brinchang's got tonnes of makan places - the Malay food centre has got some scrumptious satay (at 35 sen per stick, it's really value for money)...you can't miss this makan place, it's right smack in the town of Brinchang. and it's a 5-min stroll to the Cactus Valley. try the chinese steamboats, usu. RM12-RM14 per person.
2. a good place to get all your nec supplies is the Kedai Jimat, which faces the Malay food centre. very complete. anything you want, you can buy it there - and the prices are reasonable. I could get a 1.5 lit bottle of mineral water for RM1.80 when the rest of CH were selling at RM2.20 or RM2.50! the shop even has fresh vege and fish and god knows what else. much like your normal supermarket.
3. the only places worth visiting (maybe my expectations were high) are the beatiful CActus Valley and the Sg Palas Boh plantation. leave the rest out -- too commercialised! the worst was the Rose Centre in Kea Farm. the roses and all could not compare to Cactus valley plus they charged RM4 per person per entry! and i suppose they think it's cute to put a few chickens and ducks in an enclosure (aka zoo) for entertainment. heck, the poor cockerel was bullied by the turkey - the turkey kept pecking the cockerel's almost bald head!!!
The Bee Farm was so-so. The strawberry farm even worst! People looked like they had never seen strawberries before the way they were scrambling for it.
4. my last grouse: Bala's Chalet. from the photos, I was enchanted. in real? let's just say I did not think it fair to throw a BOH tea bag into a cup of hot water and charge me RM6.50 for it! and the room which i paid RM100plus? Looked like a gardener's old tool shed to me. I was terribly disappointed - esp since the night before i stayed in those cheapie hotels in Brinchang which seemed even better than this..this ramshackle hut they call a room!
i enjoyed the cool air, the lovely scenic views and the food - but the CH people should try better, esp when they're cutting our throats during festivals and long hols.
Shahrom wrote:
>
> Hi folks,
>
> I just got back from CH recently and as promised, I’ll
> give you a brief account of the trip so that those that are
> about to go may benefit.
>
> Firstly, not realizing that the Friday that I went was
> actually leading to a long weekend, I could not confirm my
> earlier reservations and had to hunt for alternative lodging
> at the very last minute. Finally I managed to get a 3-bedroom
> unit at Ole’s apartment. For less than half of the 5
> star apartments. It was OK, clean, comfortable and fully
> furnished. No fantastic views though, only parking lot and
> small garden!
>
> Started out on Friday morning and the traffic was very light
> after passing the Sg Buloh exit. It took us 2 hours to reach
> Tapah rest area from home in Klang going at an easy pace.
> Picked up a Highlands & Hill Resorts map at one of the stalls
> before continuing. The road going up was as winding as it was
> before. It took us about 1½ hours to get to Tanah Rata from
> Tapah, enjoying the sceneries along the way. Got stuck behind
> some lorries a couple of times. Driving up at night alone or
> a single car might not be a good idea unless you don’t
> have a choice.
>
> We got to the apartment by 1:00 pm and organized lunch
> immediately so that we can start off in the afternoon. First
> stop was at the Cactus Valley. It was worth the 2 hours we
> spent there. Besides the wide varieties of cactuses, there
> were so many plants with flowers in bloom that there were so
> much vibrant colours everywhere. Simply amazing! Bring extra
> film.
>
> Next was the vegetable market near Equatorial Hill. There was
> quite a large choice of flowers, vegetables and fruits
> available. Time was running out on us for the day. We made a
> quick dash up the road to see what’s available before
> turning back to Tanah Rata. It started to drizzle on our way
> back. Basically what you see on the map is where you want to
> go. If it’s not highlighted then its not a main feature
> and it might not be worth stopping by.
>
> By nine the next morning we were out on the road again, first
> stop was the Aboriginal Village. We drove by slowly looking
> for a visitors or handicrafts center but could not find any.
> We made our way out as we felt that we were intruding the
> people on their morning activities. I felt it was such a
> shame as I’m sure that they have quite a lot to offer
> to visitors in terms of handicrafts or cultural heritage to
> say the least. A good model for them to follow is the
> Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii.
>
> Leaving the disappointment behind, we went to the Rose
> Center. There was a choice of Rose Center, Rose Valley or
> Rose Garden. We just picked out one at random. There were so
> many different types of roses grown here. From the fragrant
> to the largest and the rarest ones. If you’re the
> gardening type, you’re going to enjoy this place.
>
> Coming out of the Rose Center we stopped at one of the
> vegetable farms displaying the sign ‘fresh vegetables
> for sale’. This was another fun place as you actually
> get the chance to select what you want and pluck or pick it
> yourself! Of course the price would be a fraction of what you
> pay in KL!
>
> After lunch we went to the Butterfly Farm. If you have never
> had a chance to be close to butterflies this is the place.
> There are so many of them that some would actually settle on
> your body. Good for a photo session. If you were to venture
> into the next area, which is the insects’ section, try
> to get the caretaker to show you around. You’ll be
> pleasantly surprised I promise.
>
> We headed towards the Sungai Palas BOH Tea Estate which was
> the nearest for us from where we were. Locating the slip road
> was a problem as there was some roadwork going on at the
> junction and there were no signs. We had to ask around before
> we got on our way. The drive in was quite a memorable one.
> The road was very narrow and winding with a lot of blind
> corners. You’d have to sound your horn to warn others
> of your approach. It was fun at first but it became serious
> after we actually came face to face with oncoming traffic.
> All this was going on beside some very steep slopes dropping
> to sometimes more than a hundred feet below! Some of the
> views were breathtaking. Neat rows of tea shrubs lined the
> slopes making a huge green horizon. By the time we got to the
> factory it was closing time, about 4:30 pm if I remember
> correctly. We made the best of it anyway by what else, taking
> photographs of the beautiful scenery. It was getting late
> after that and we called it a day.
>
> The next day was or last at CH as we were leaving in the
> afternoon. The shopping stepped up a few notches as we were
> souvenir hunting and time was limited. We started with the
> Strawberry farms and revisited some of the places we went,
> this time with a mission! I noticed that like all the other
> farms, they don’t let mother nature run away with the
> end results anymore. Everywhere conditions are being
> controlled using modern farming techniques to give better
> agricultural products.
>
> Final stop was the Wild Orchid Farm before we made our way
> home. If you were looking for a photo shoot you’d have
> to be lucky. This is probably one place where they
> don’t control the environment very much. Only about 5 %
> of the plants are in bloom. The choice however if you are
> interested in buying, is bewildering. There were so much of
> them. Easiest way out is to choose from the photo album, the
> wall where they have pinned up more photographs of the plants
> with their flowers in bloom or the ones on display up front.
> Prices can be quite expensive.
>
> If you are trying to fill up your garden, try buying cuttings
> of plants instead. You save on space in you car and
> it’s cheaper. The only setback is that you’d
> probably be spending so much time watching for the signs of
> growth in your cuttings mornings and afternoons that you
> could be neglecting other more important things to do around
> the house!
>
> It was a touristy kind of trip for us and our activities were
> also limited by the age of the youngest at 2 and the eldest
> at 74 years old. A comeback is a sure thing in future. Maybe
> this time we’ll spend more time and probably try going
> off the beaten track.
>
> Personally for me CH has changed from what it was before. It
> has changed for the better in a sense that it has matured in
> what it can offer to the visitor. There are more facilities
> and more things to see or do now. Judging by the number of
> banks, offices and foreign workers, business is blooming,
> just like the flowers. However there is a concern by a lot of
> people when they ask you the ever so common question
> “ Is it still cold? ” Subconsciously they are
> asking if CH is still well after all these years. With the
> amount of development going on, REACH’s concern is well
> founded. There should be some control over future
> developments to stop the rampant irreversible destruction of
> the hills.
>
> I would like to one day have my children and my grandchildren
> take me up to the hills for the weekend and see that the
> hills are as cool and green and the water as clear as I had
> seen them before.
>
> Regards/Shahrom.
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