Jolley-Jarvis: The World Tour

We got up early this morning so as to make a full day of the walking we had planned. We had enjoyed ourselves so much yesterday that we decided to stay an extra couple of nights so that we could have another day exploring the highlands and then a second day on an organised trip to see all the key sights: there was nowhere to hire even a bicycle from let alone a scooter. Needless to say we went to the same place again for breakfast and ate the same things, although this time I added a banana and honey pancake to my order so that I didn’t go hungry, Martin kept his order the same (a bowl of porridge, two slices of fried egg on toast and a coffee) and we were soon ready to go.

Stopping off at our usual shop: a stationary come food come household item shop which could give Tesco’s a run for its money on the diversity of products, we bought some more peanuts and water before starting off on the same path as yesterday, walking past where we turned off yesterday as we had expected the stone flags soon came to an abrupt end but the path was still very good, with the exception of the odd fallen tree, that was up until a tight bend where the route had been blocked by fallen trees / a small landslide. As with many obstacles, it had been there for some time so walkers before us had trampled an alternative path, we followed after making what we thought would be a suitable amount of noise to scare away any unwanted wildlife. We clambered over and on the fallen trees and branches before once again re-joining the path. We were soon on our way again and just before the path met the road there was a notice advising that the route ahead got very difficult and to take the alternative it was pointing to, we did as the notice said and found ourselves on the top tier of a stepped vegetable farm, we slowly picked our way down the stairs, got barked at by the farms dog, that was luckily chained up, and the said hello to the farmer before heading out onto the road. It’s surprising here how friendly and laidback the people are, I half expected to get told off, despite following the alternative route but he seemed not in the least bothered or concerned by our presence.

We figure out where we were on the map and spent the next hour walking up to our first stop of the day: one of the tea plantations. We were in fact more interested in the walk than our final destination; the road wound its way through acres and acres of vegetable farms, growing chives, parsley, cabbage, peppers and a plant which uses a tiered aquaphonic system (well apparently that’s what it is according to google). The views were fabulous, especially when the sun formed a spotlight on the ever changing shades of green which carpeted the hillside in one form or another, a couple of vehicles slowed as they passed to offer us lifts, these weren’t taxi’s touting for business, just locals wanting to help, we declined, thanking them for the offer; the pleasure was in the journey and the sights, sounds and the odd smell along the way. The stepped / tiered system of the vegetable farms eventually gave way to rows of tea trees as the road climbed. We eventually reached the entrance booth, positioned about 2 km into the plantation only to be told that the shop and factory, located another km further along the road where closed on a Monday.

Our disappointment was short lived as we retraced our steps once again absorbing the views, we again turning down numerous offers of a lift as we made our way down to the main road. From here it was a windy five or so kilometres to our next destination: another tea plantation with equally spectacular views positioned in a valley just off the main road that climbed back up towards Tanah Rata. The climb was a little taxing to say the least on our now tiring limbs, we made it to the plantation 30 seconds after the impending clouds released their watery wrath. Thankfully the tea shop (café) was open. We were prepared for the elevated prices, we were already able to snatch a peek at the magnificent view that the seating area had to offer, a pot of tea between us and a cake each we sat staring out at the most magnificent view I have ever had the pleasure to see whilst sipping tea! The rows of trees took on a softer outline than the military precision I had expected, they covered every scrap, minus the small track and river, of the valley, stretching as far as the eye could see. The shades of green were mesmerising and the moody clouds looming on the peaks added to the scene. As if to complete the picture the rumble of thunder started up in the distance as the downpour strengthened once again.

I would have loved to have seen it basking in the sunshine we had enjoyed all morning but the unexpected scene of clouds, rain and plantation made me want to pinch myself to check I was definitely not dreaming. This turned out to be unnecessary; with our substitute lunch devoured it was time to get walking, there was 3 km and a sky full of rain between us and “home”, it was clear there was going to be no break in the weather anytime soon so we braved it, the rain lashing down almost horizontally as we marched up the exposed mountain road was enough of a reality check for anyone! The rain got increasingly heavy, it was so cold and nasty that I couldn’t stop giggling, like a crazy mad woman. At one point it was so heavy I asked Martin if it was possible to drown in the rain! We were muttering whilst looking straight down at the floor in order to protect our faces, about how nobody will offer us a lift now we look like drowned rats and then we heard a bus, it pulled alongside us just before a bend and the driver pointed ahead and then drove on a little. To our relief he stopped just after the bend: he was waiting for us, we ran up the road, again I was squealing like a pig (but this time I could put it down to excitement) we climbed aboard and into the shelter of the smokiest bus I have ever sat on, but I didn’t care, we checked it was going to Tanah Rata, not that we would have got off, back into the heavy rain if it hadn’t been. The driver nodded, yes Tanah Rata, and then said “you’re a bit wet”, he was right we were both soaked, we sat on the seats dripping wet as the bus chugged up the rest of the mountain, in no time at all we were in town and we got off, Martin got out some money to pay the driver and he shook his head and his hands and just pointed for us to get off. We thanked him profusely and made our way back to the hostel.

We both managed to get a hot shower out of the temperamental hot water system and then headed out for tea…to you guessed it our normal restaurant, then it was back to the hostel to write up a very memorable day.

We had a lye-in (this is becoming a bit of a habit when we are in a nice hotel) packed up and then headed for the restaurant we had eaten at last night with bags in hand ( I think the café owner had been worried when she saw the bags that her new best customers were leaving town already!). After a nice breakfast of porridge, which was really tasty and properly cooked, we checked into our new room (which was less than a third of the price of the one we had just left) we paid for one night, in case despite our checks the room turned out to have bed bugs. We had to wait outside as we were a little early and they still needed to mop the floor (which was a comfort that hygiene standards were high, until he mopped 3 rooms in the time it would have taken me to mop our downstairs toilet at home!).

With the bags secured we headed off to explore what the highlands had to offer: jungle treks. Having done some trekking with a guide in Vietnam we felt fairly confident about doing a short (3 hours or so) on our own, particularly as the routes were supposed to be well sign posted and we could use our garmins to track our route in the event we got lost. With loads of water, additional clothing, a bag of peanuts our first aid kit and Martins mobile phone we headed off using the new map of the area (and walking routes) that we had bought that morning, and of course the lonely planet. The going was good to start with: well the path was obvious as it was made of large flag stones which were a little slippy under foot but a nice and easy going change to some of the paths we had followed during our trekking in Vietnam. As we turned off the main track onto our path the underfoot conditions soon changed and we were faced with a steep scramble up the first section.

At first we were both aware of the absence of a guide to act as our leader and safety blanket: the unknown and potential hazards that immediately sprung to mind were of course snakes! This resulted in the first half an hour or so of the climb up to the top of the second largest peak in the area; Gunung Berembun being made in almost silence as we concentrated on our surroundings and where or what our feet were stepping on. As we continued to climb, we began to relax. We stepped over and under fallen trees, rocks, roots and mounds, using the root systems underfoot as welcome staircases, stopping to catch a glimpse of any views through the trees, gulp down a bit of water or decant a handful of peanuts, we had got ourselves into a bit of a system which enabled us, along with watching our step, to hold the odd conversation too.

Descending a short section Martin shouted (I won’t repeat the exact words) drawing my attention to a clump of grasses under some low branches; it was a good spot as right there in front of us was a large, hairy tarantula looking spider as big as the palm of my hand. Straight away Martin turned into a snap happy tourist capturing the moment, giving me a David Atinborough account of the action. It turned out that the spider was having a fight with a sort of cross between a wasp and a cricket which was orange in colour and appeared to be winning! The climax to the even came when the spider leaned back and showed the wasp thing its fangs…I’m not sure if the wasp got the idea but I certainly did, I wasn’t keen to stick around to have an encounter with an insect that wants to attack a spider three times its size so we carried on. This encounter did leave me checking and double checking my step which seemed strange particularly as the damp conditions underfoot were reminiscent of walking through the Scottish highlands: even if the plants were a little more exotic, I would never be so nervous of encounters with the wildlife, although I guess despite it being highly unlikely that we should meet a dangerous creepy crawly, you imagination is always at its best in these situations!

We reached the top which was at 1812 meters (above sea level), the views were beautiful, with the town visible, yet more picturesque stretching out in the valley below us, the other tree wrapped mountains acting as backdrops behind. Unfortunately we were aware of the time ticking on and so wasted no time in making our descent (we wanted to be back way before nightfall). Luckily the route down had a gentler incline, it was still however quite wet and in some cases even boggy, the canopy above us was so thick that the strong sunshine that the highlands enjoy was unable to get through to do its job of drying up the ground. The going was slow in order that we didn’t slip but the views were marvellous, we took photo’s but they in no way did the scene justice.

Three and a half hours after we started it was just after five and we headed, starving despite our large bag of peanuts, to our usual restaurant for an early tea and then it was back to the hotel / hostel to catch up with friends and family on skype, check up on the job application emails (of which there were none) and then watch a couple of episodes of Glee: I’m sure Martin is secretly warming to it!

We got up early to get some breakfast before our pick up at 8. We left the hotel and walked to the main street expecting it to be a hive of activity (7 am in Vietnam the market stalls were packing up after morning trading) here the streets were empty, all the shop shutters were down with the exception of the 7-11 and another competing convenience shop, even our “usual” convenience shop was shut. With little choice we settled for an Oreo breakfast.

We then waited with our bags on the comfy sofas in the entrance for our pick up bus. We were pleasantly surprised when it arrived: it was a proper bus, complete with reclining seats and leg room! The journey was on totally tarmacked roads: a novelty! With a brief stop to interrupt our snoozing we arrived on time and directly to the door of our hotel which again was an enjoyable bonus.

Arriving at the hotel we were informed that the booking amount on hotelbookers.com didn’t include local taxes resulting in us having to spend almost our entire daily budget on the room, we debated this a while, especially when they told me that I had only secured the booking, not paid for it on my credit card, eventually our dilemma about whether to take the room or not was solved when they told us we were paying for it regardless if we wanted it at that price or not…decision made we were staying. We were directed up to our room: the lift smelt like a wet mop and we didn’t hold out much hope for the room. It wasn’t too bad, it had a strange layout and damp patches and looked out over the noisy road but apart from that we would have been pleased if an extra 16% hadn’t been added to the bill. We sorted the bags out and closed the door on our way out to find some food and it wouldn’t lock. In the end Martin had to slam it so hard that the wall shook; it locked but still made strange alarm noises (in Malaysia they have cards with microchips which you hold against the door pad like an oyster card in order to get in your room) on the way down to reception we decided we just wanted to move rooms (another thing they seem to do in Malaysia is leave the doors open to the hotel rooms that are vacant – we think in the highlands this might be because the rooms get damp, whatever the reason this had given us the opportunity to check out what else was available) we had figured out which room we preferred and told reception so, surprisingly they agreed. It has to be said that although the standard of budget accommodation is poorer in Malaysia the people really are nice and friendly.

We changed rooms, after getting assistance from a chamber maid to get into our first room because this time it wouldn’t unlock! Once moved we were happy with our slightly smaller but much more modern and quieter room, complete with wooden floors and flat screen TV! We went in search of a restaurant that was supposed to be reasonably priced and good quality (according to the Lonely Planet: we have complained about the various guides on our travels so much and yet we still use it) we ended up in what we thought was the recommended one; it turned out as we were leaving that it was in fact the restaurant upstairs that was recommended but the food was still fabulous, the service friendly and the price reasonable: happy days!

Next job on the list was to have a look around the town and figure out where to book in for the next 4 nights. As we walked around we both felt disappointed at the town and its surroundings: we had heard rave reviews of the beautiful highlands, this town was comparable to the undesirable areas of Kendal in relation to the Lake District: a bit of a scare on the landscape. With this view in mind we decided, unless swayed by our trekking adventures tomorrow to limit our stay to two and then move on earlier than the 5 days we had originally planned. With this in mind we checkout out a place that we had looked at on the internet the previous night: it had been fully booked for tonight according to its website but it might have availability for tomorrow. Sure enough it did, in fact it did have a room available tonight too…so much for booking ahead! We booked the room, looked round town a bit more and then returned to the restaurant we had eaten lunch at for an early tea.

I think because we are moving around so much, always having to find somewhere to eat gets a bit boring ( I never thought I would say that) particularly on a budget so when we find somewhere good we tend to just stick with it, saving us the effort and potential disappointment, of finding other places to eat. We both seem to crave routine at the moment too (it is very strange what you miss) so I think sticking with the same place could probably be attributed to that too.

After tea we used the wifi in the restaurant and then returned to our room to watch the next series we have on the laptop which much to martins delight is season 2 of Glee (certainly different from Homeland!).

We managed to wake up more diligent hour of 9am, but spent the whole morning in the hotel sorting out more job applications and chores from the evening before. It was 12 before we headed out in the midday heat, prepared for the now statuary lonely planet walking tour. But first stop more chicken and rice to fuel the way and then booked our onward journey to the Cameron Highlands for tomorrow.

We headed off on the walking tour, going past the galleries and famous sights of the town, including the Town Hall and City Hall, beautiful 19th Century municipal buildings, which during the colonial days was called Ang Moh Kong Kuan by the locals, which means White Mans Club.

Next on the stop was Pinang Peranakan Mansion, which is the previous home now museum of Georgetowns wealthy merchant barons. We went inside and it was like an Aladdin’s cave of extravagantly carved furniture, stunning shaped pottery and classy ceramics, unbelievable table decorations and jewellery as well as some specialist items imported from the UK even, such as flower holders. We explored this marvellous mansion with a keen eye, enjoying in particular the amazingly small beds and furniture. This was in between dodging the wedding photographers who were taking photos of two independent couples using the mansion as an eloquent backdrop for their photos. Making us think of our friends in the UK who would be just waking up for their wedding… Congratulations Mr and Mrs Barnes!

We continued on the tour again through Little India and past the Khoo Kongsi, the most impressive Chinese assembly hall in the city and also the Acheen street Mosque. Before finally settling back at the Padang and repeating the park ritual from the previous evening. Finally heading back early for more noodles and chicken satay.

Having been more sleepy and relaxed than we had been in a long time, we slept in till a strangely obscure hour and finally forced ourselves awake. Looking at the clock we were somewhat amazed to find it was 11.30! Washing and sorting later and we were out exploring Georgetown. Trying some fine chicken and rice for lunch/breakfast, again being a very cheap bill of 11RM (£2).

Georgetown is an eclectic mixture of English and Portuguese influenced architecture, with the main populations being Chinese and Indian, each with their own respective ‘areas’. Walking through some street and they are awash with Chinese symbols, people and stalls, then you walk into the aptly named Little India and it is just like India, smells of curry, sweat and spices, the latest Bollywood musicals blasting from speakers and an array of shops selling Saris and jewellers (fortunately it was minus the huge amount of rubbish).

We wandered around for a few hours and then finished at the local Green Padang, which is a very well presented park, like bowling green only much larger. Here we sat on the swings for a good few hours with a coke in hand taking the world to pieces and enjoying the fine weather.
Only when the sun started to lower did we return home via the street food stalls. Tonight’s menu was Hokkein Noodles and chicken Satay. We finished the night chatting to friends and family on skype and more job hunting in the big Aus.