Cameron Highlands

At ' Fathers'
see all photos »

On the way here I was trying to decide where to stay . I finally decided on  ' Father's Guest House '  and what a good decision that was. It's really well organised , spotlessly clean with the bonus of a little cafe , internet , and a big screen telly showing films nightly.

It's a lovely spot set on a hill at the end of town . Apparantly it used to be an army base which explains why I'm sleeping in a nissen hut. Unfortunatly the soldiers are long gone.

The Cameron Highlands  is a popular tourist spot ; a mountain retreat with cool weather where you can visit one of the tea plantations in the area. Other than that it's best attraction is all the hikes in the area of which there are many.

A more tranquil scene
see all photos »

Because of it's very British weather , it's the area that grows most of the salads and veg for south Malaysia . Strawberries are another big crop and there are shops selling all things strawberry from drinks to cakes.

I knew it was cooler here than I'd been used to , but i didn't realise how cold it gets at night.I ended up wearing half my clothes in bed.This morning with the sun out it feels like an Autumn day. I can hear birds twittering and crows 'cawing' in the distance as i look over the green fields to the forest beyond .It's easy to believe for a while that i'm back in blighty.

A view from a bridge
see all photos »

It's pure luck I'm here for one of the big events in the Hindu calander, Thaipusam. In the next town Ringlet , the festival was due to take place and I knew I didn't want to miss it.

Devotees pierce themselves with hooks and skewers, before parading through the town. I'd seen it on tv but never thought I'd get the chance to see it first hand.

I'd met Anthony a couple of nights before , and we decided to get there early. Initial signs weren't good - just a quiet little town not used to tourists. After some enquiries we made our way to where it was to start . Again , it was very quiet with just a few people standing around a building site just out of town.

10 minutes walk from town
see all photos »

After a while , however , the crowd grew and the sense of anticipation was palpable. Prayers and offerings were made and then one of the most extroidanary spectacles I've ever seen began.

With a constant backgound of  drum and horn the piercings  began. Nothing I write can convey the electric atmosphere but the sights and sounds of the next couple of hours will remain with me for a long time. There were very few of us foreigners and we were largely ignored. Native on-lookers were taking pictures and no one objected to us doing the same.

More exotic blooms
see all photos »

It's quite hard to believe your eyes as someone is skewered through the cheeks with a 7 foot pole or slices their tongue open with a sword.Some  women fell fitting onto the ground as this was going on and I wasn't  feeling too good myself!

After all that the rest of the day seemed very boring!

Saw 'The Devil Wears Prada' and after many games of cards said goodbye to new friends Anthony And Kim , who I will miss as we got on so well .

The next day i did a 'Countryside Tour' . For a few quid you get taken round all the tourist spots for whistle-stop visits. Frankly , the Strawberry farm and Bee Farm were just a waste of time if you didn't want to buy.

Nissen hut digs
see all photos »

The Butterfly Farm was much better as they had a large collection of reptiles and amphibians that kept me happy. The Tea plantation was really interesting too. We visited the factory which seemed very small scale and old fashioned with 1930's machinery still in use. The fields of tea plants was a sight to see - kept thinking of the PG Tips label.

I've really enjoyed my time in Tanah Rata which is why I've spent a week here, but time to move on...