Cameron Highlands Day Two

 The backpackers here say the thing to do is hiking. I set off for a trailhead and some breakfast. Malaysia has a fun nonalcoholic drink culture unlike any other place I’ve seen. Just about every place you go has a page or two of drink options listed. Granted, some of these are redundant such as listing coffee and coffee with sugar as two separate drinks. Still, the list is long.

Motorcycling on the left is turning out to be easier than I thought. Figuring the instinct to ride American started out tough and got easy. With a motorcycle specifically, I found myself second guessing my lane position a lot. Lots of little motos on the wrong side here. Just enough to make you doubt yourself.

I got to the trailhead and checked online after to see what I was in for. Three hours of crawling up a mountain though the jungle. Hmmmm, that’s not what I want right now. I guess it was my mistake to take a trail recommendation from a German backpacker. They’re notorious for calling a few dozen kilometers a kurz waldwander. A bit more googling and I switched my target to trail four. All the trails here are numbered. Since that’s unique to me, I’m finding it charming. I supposed a more completions Teutonic tourist might strive to do them all from one to twelve.

Yes this is a trailhead. No I didn’t bother.

I pulled in to what was supposed to be the trailhead for four and saw a small market. I stretched, wandered, and searched. After a half hour or so I still hadn’t see the trailhead or any hikers nearby. Screw it, I’ll just drink tea. There are two plantations in the area and I’ve only seen half of them. Today we close the gap.

Another half hour scooting down the mountain until I get to Cameron Valley tea room number three. Maybe this numbering thing is just everywhere. Tea rooms one and two are flooded with tourists, I’d like to avoid that. Besides, going farther gives me an excuse to see more on this bike. Cameron Valley’s black teas are about as okay as Boh’s. Meh. On a positive note both plantations produce a great product for teh tarik. For those not familiar, tarik is black tea mixed with condensed milk and frothed by pouring repeatedly. The punchier CTC leaves grown here are perfect for it and produce a better drink than something more expensive might yield.

Planted

After getting my buzz on and walking their gardens, I scooted (scote?) back up the mountain. It’s going to rain today and I want to be back before it starts. On the way, I stopped at a fruit market and picked up an orange and a strawberry tart. Being away from California has made me miss these crops. The navel is good enough but the strawberries are just electric. It’s a local crop and the freshness shows. Just like being back in Oxnard.

Marquette

I took it easy this afternoon. People traditionally have come here to stretch their lags and cool off, I’m doing the same. With it being so slow my mind is starting to wander. In about three weeks, this will all be over. When this ends, I’ll be back at my parent’s house, looking for work. Man that sucks. Oh well, reality has to be confronted at some point. I’m looking forward to seeing my friends and my family again. Having to constantly fight to be social is exhausting. I’m looking forward to taking a break from that and appreciating the people in my life who already know me. What at luxury. Getting into a project or two sounds fun. The Zorki will obviously need a tune-up. I’ll get to cook again! Having a kitchen I can rely on sounds absolutely de luxe.

After a beer and some socializing at the hostel bar, I walked off for supper. The locals here eat dinner and supper. This is great, it means that there are plentiful options open late and any Malay food valuable after midnight is going to be worth eating and cheap. Locals only here. Tanah Ratah, the town I’m in, is the sole hangout for European travelers in the region. You’d be hard pressed to find a white face in Ringlet or Brinchang, towns ten minutes out on the main road. This means the food here is uniquely spotty and expensive. I’ve got to stop eating in Tanah Ratah during the day, what’s the point of this motorcycle?

Another weird Tudor apartment building