The Cameron Highlands

After two days of sticky heat and western life in Kuala Lumpur, I swapped the metropolis' busy streets for lush green hills and never-ending tea plantations. I am in Tanah Rata, a small friendly town in the heart of the Cameron Highlands. Weather here is unpredictable. Without warning, clear blue skies can turn into heavy gray clouds, leaving you completely drenched in a matter of seconds — I've never experienced rain like this.

The Cameron Highlands are extremely rich in flora; trees and flowers I never dreamed of existing are everywhere to be seen, touched, and smelled. Flowers bloom in all sorts of colours and shapes, spreading delightful scents that follow you all around. Vegetables and fruits, especially strawberries, grow along the mountain hillsides.

Malay vegetarian food is not only delicious here but also ridiculously cheap. For tea lovers, there is also a lot to offer. Tea plantations occupy several hectares of the mountains, shaping them with countless rows of small tea-leaf squares. Each farm usually sits on top of a hill, giving visitors breathtaking views of the plantations. The views can be enjoyed in the company of freshly brewed Cameron Highlands tea and some British scones with jam and cream to go along with it — ahhhh… if only these words made justice to its beauty. I can't recall a better place to linger…