My recent holidays to the Cameron Highlands

[catttan]

My wife and I recently went up to our holiday apartment in the Cameron Highlands for a week. I have mentioned elsewhere about the Cameron Highlands and also posted pictures of the Arundina graminifolia found here.

The Cameron Highlands was developed by the British colonialists in the beginning of the 20th century for tea growing, a very valuable commodity in those days.The British following their tradition in India also established this place as a 'hill station' for R & R. And to add to the nostalgia of good old England erected buildings in pseudo-Tudor style - many of which survive to this day - notably the two well-known hotels 'Ye Olde Smokehouse' and the 'Lakehouse Hotel'. Believe it or not they even have the old red British public telephone booth made famous in the first 'Dr Who' outside the 'Ye Olde Smokehouse'. One of the highlights of many Caucasian tourists is to have tea and scones with strawberry jam in the gardens of the Olde Smokehouse.

Indian workers were brought in especially from Ceylon ( Sri Lanka) to work in the tea plantations and Chinese immigrants soon followed setting up their vegetable and flower farms. Today tea, vegetables, fruits especially strawberries, and flowers are produced both for the local Malaysian market and export. In spite of all the agricultural activities going on it still retains its unique charms and attracts a lot of tourists, both local and foreign.

Local tourists come here to escape the lowland heat and to buy fresh veges and fruits. Retired Brits come here for the nostalgia, young Western backpackers come to enjoy the jungle treks and white-water rafting and Japanese retirees come here to escape their cold winters and to enjoy cheap golfing. Recently we see a lot of Middle eastern tourists during their hot summers.The temperature here seldom goes below 12 C or over 25 C.

Pix #1 - Our apartment blocks - misty evening,quite common.
Pix #2- The Heritage Hotel in the background - in 'traditional' pseudo-Tudor architecture
Pix #3- Old type colonial house perched on the hill-side
Pix #4- Almost mandatory tea in the tea-house overlooking the tea estates