Me n hB went to Cameron on 11-13th February 10, basically to have some good rest and enjoying our goodself of the cold in the Highland there. Departed on 10am and enjoying our
un-busy road traffic coz it's still Thursday, ppl will only go balik kampung on Friday to celebrate CNY eve, yet we have to drive slowly (
x larat byr speed trap daaa...)
CH is accessible by 3 main route - Simpang Pulai & Tapah, Perak or Gua Musang, Kelantan (so far I only know this route, care to share if u guys have another). From Kedah-Simpang Pulai, it takes about +-2 hrs and about 1-1.5hrs to reach at the peak. So far, not so many vehicles passed by and we're really enjoying the beauty nature besides native neighbourhood along the road. (They also sell
petai n
rebung along the road!soo cute...).
Quote this for further ref:
Getting there
Directions by road - from the south:
To drive up Cameron Highlands from the south, take the North-South Expressway and head up north.
You will pass the following towns along the North-South Expressway: Rawang - Tanjung Malim - Slim River - Sungkai - Bikam - Bidor - Tapah - Gopeng - Simpang Pulai.
There are two roads leading up to Cameron Highlands. One is the old road from Tapah town and another from Simpang Pulai, which is the new route.
Tapah Exit - Exit the Tapah Interchange (Exit 132) on the North-South Expressway after passing Bidor town. At the traffic lights right after the toll booth, turn left and follow the road all the way up to Cameron Highlands. There are some narrow and sharp turns that you have to be careful of if you are taking this route from Tapah. Heavy vehicles going up and down this road, so be careful when overtaking. There is mobile phone coverage for most the way up Cameron Highlands and you will find interesting stalls along the road where the Orang Asli display their handicraft and forest products for sale.
Simpang Pulai Exit - From the North-South Expressway, exit at the Simpang Pulai interchange (Exit 137). Turn right and follow the road signs up Cameron Highlands. You will pass by Kampung Raja, Kuala Terla, Tringkap and Brinchang before reaching Tanah Rata.The new route from Simpang Pulai is less winding and the road is wider. There is no mobile phone coverage along this new route up Cameron Highlands. However, the driving time is shorter compared to the route from Tapah even though the distance is further.
Directions by road - from the north:
If you are coming from the states up north of Peninsula Malaysia, head down south towards Kuala Lumpur via the North-South Expressway.
Exit the Simpang Pulai interchange (Exit 137). Turn right and follow the road signs up Cameron Highlands. You will pass by Kampung Raja, Kuala Terla, Tringkap and Brinchang before reaching Tanah Rata.
Locations Distances Approx. driving time
Kuala Lumpur 220 km 3 hours 30 minutes
Lumut 160 km 3 hours
Kuala Terenggganu 369 km 6 hours
Penang (Butterworth) 283 km 4 hours 30 minutes
Ipoh 119 km 2 hours
Singapore 612 km 7 hours 30 minutes
Check-in at about 2pm at Country Lodge Hotel, a not-so-called-budget-hotel,cosy n very comfortable hotel at Brinchang. I paid the room already so we just pick the key and go straight to room, and have a good rest
(tidola,pe lagik!hehe)
We go
Jalan2 Cari Makan @ Tanah Rata (TR) as we're starving for food at the evening. FYI, TR is only about 1.8km from Brinchang if you drive thru Kg Taman Sedia, compared to 5km on usual road. So, nk jimat petrol n nak cepat, it's better to use this road. ::victory::
OK,cek dis out kalau nak p jalan2 kat CH
Brinchang:
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- ade food court (makanan bole tahan, Gerai no 1 is recommended) kat blakang taxi station, opposite to
Guardian pharmacy.
- ada 1 supermarket (x ignat name pe...something like
Jimat kot??). Kalau nk beli groceries, toilettries or whutever bolela singgah kat sini. Interesting pada aku sbb dorang pack 3-in-1 milo,nescafe,ali cafe,boh n wutever kecik2 (4-5 in pax), so amat sesuaila utk we all yg travel ni, x payah beli yg besar tu...
- ade banyak jugak hotel kat tgh2 Brinchang nih from budget to medium line, cam Jasmine Hotel,Rosa Pasadena & wutever wutever...tp yg ttp best is Country Lodge!hehe...very recommended!!!Yieeha~~!!
- Night market (on Friday - Sunday) -
owh, this one is soooo tempting...ade beraneka jualan dpd segala souveniers (
fridge magnet,pencil,cap,mafela,key-chain,snow cap, slippers,umbrella,bantal - yg segalanya berbentuk strawberry (trademark)) to strawberry products (
jam,syrup, dried fruits n even strawberry chocolate (my fav!)) , clothing, veggies (
potato n keturunannya, the famous Jagung Cameron n sooo many fresh veggies) and last but not least, of course the
FooD!! That day kami makan Nasi Kukus n Ayam Berempah served with sambal belacan n kari ayam...
owh,Melt ;P
Tanah Rata:
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- byk tempat makan - for breakfast try Roti Canai @ Zainab Sam, located at TR food court (hjg skali belah kanan) - sgt sedap occay! Then utk western food bole try Restoran Buluh Perindu, located sderet ngan Agrobank tingkat atas (ade steamboat tp agak mahal). Kalau nak mkn steamboat try Emida Restoran, kat TR food court tingkat atas (open 6pm-12am daily).
- kat depan sket food-sie ni ade gak tempat jual2 souviner. n ada tmpat utk dinner gak - Fauzi Tomyam, gerai jagung n Nasi Lemak Ayam Berempah.
- since hB left his jacket (purposely kan dear???hehehe), so he bought a Quicksilver sweater here (cap ayam pon layan jelah). And he bought me a Pashmina..Great!hehe
- x cukup duet?? Bank/ATM ada disini. So far I noted ada Maybank, AgroBank n blablabla... (x ingat). ade jgk fast food - Marrybrown & Starbucks (tp org x layan ni kat CH weh...heheh)
-
Cameron Valley tea shop sgt best
occay! Located kat TR, tp atas sket lebih kurang 10-15min menuruni n mendaki bukit disamping jalan berliku. Got 2 tea shops here, but I prefer the 2nd one (kalau dr TR town). Amat mendamaikan kalau dpt makan
strawberry cheesecake n secawan
hot-tea. N kalau nak trn bawah kat tea plantation pon bole -subject to kaki korang kuat n bertenaga la, sbb very the curam n jauh ok - (
but pls pls pls jgn pluck the tea-leaves ok!kesian dorg tau...tu la rezeki dorang...)
Kea Farm:-
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- Shopping heaven - tempat yg paling masyuk n murah menjual segala2 produk CH! Open daily day-to-night.
-Segala vegetables, strawberries, potatoes (ubi madu best!), corn, mushrooms - semua ada n dijual pada harga yg amat berpatutan. Kalau sayur tu byk yg dorang pack kecik2 n jual 16 packet for RM10. Berbaloi-baloi! Ada juga yg jarang dijumpai di luar CH spt kimchan, asparagus (kat sini mahal weh!), etc.
-Flowers, esp roses and daisies are cheaply sold. Kaler ape seme ade - pink, peach, lavender, blue, yellow - u name it! hB bought me a bouquet of flower (tp 3 kuntum jela since aku mmg x suka bunga...haha)
(cuaca sejuk telah mencantikkan kulit sy!hehe)
- Tak minat bunga? Jgn risau,pokok pon ade jual...Chillies -ade kaler ungu,putih,hijau n merah, pokok landscape (tak tau ape name die), pokok halau nyamuk (nice!tp smelly sikit), n sooo many more. So, sape2 yg suke gardening tuh, this is the best place. Harga? Around RM4-12 bergantung kpd size and rupa.
- Harga barangan disini juga bole ditawar! Menarik! (Saya telah berjaya membeli strawberry pack besar RM20 utk 5 pek / berbanding 4 pack utk harga tersebut).
Butterfly Farm:-
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- Located at Jalan Kea Farm, Butterfly Farm is located about 5km from Brinchang. Entrance Fee is RM5 per adult. It served u beautiful varities of butterfly (and also ulat kepompong!Nice!). Open daily 8am to 5pm. Other than butterfly, they also have some exotic insects/mammalias/reptiles/amfibias i.e. Toad, Lizard & iguana families, snakes, scorpions, and many more to say. Hurm...so enchanting!
Other interesting places:-
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- Actually ade byk lg tempat2 menarik utk dilawati i.e. Time Tunnel gallery, Rose Farm, Cactus Point, Sg Palas Tea Plantation (Boh), mossy rainforest, etc. Since kami dtg utk berehat, kami skip hectic travelling nih!hehe. Cuaca pd waktu siang agak panas (wpon x sepanas sini) dan malam amat sejuk dan mendamaikan...Uhhh...Sy amat merindui detik itu...
Can't wait for our next vacation...Singapore!Here we come~~!!!!
