The Cameron Highlands and Ipoh - Malaysia

After four days in Kuala Lumpur I was ready for a smaller regional change of pace. I’d already researched the options to get to the Cameron Highlands and Ipoh by train/bus in northwest Malaysia which was on my list and conveniently on route to Penang further north on the coast. The four-hour journey to the Cameron Highlands was a great opportunity to observe local Malaysia on the way. This is as close a mode of transport I could use If I wanted to see the country as I’m normally on the bicycle being intimately involved with the surroundings.

The Cameron Highlands area is apparently the oldest tourist and most popular nature retreat destination in Malaysia. I love bicycle touring but also love what we term in Australia as ‘bushwalking’, NZ and UK call it ‘tramping’ and in Germany ‘valking in za natur’. I can vouch for the latter expression from my German friends. The altitude varies from about 800m to almost 2000m with plenty of trails to navigate. I found the climate to be quite moderate despite the high humidity but the high altitude meant the temperature is only around low 20’s which is OK for light trekking. Despite taking Malaria tablets for the journey I did not encounter any mosquitos but I would not recommend the absence of medication. Malaria has taken many lives during the colonial/development/war years. The low temperatures also allow many fruit and vegetable crops can be grown here. I enjoyed feasting on fresh locally-grown fruit while hiking through numerous trails alongside tea plantations.

Don’t come looking for clubing or nightlife activity here as it’s not Bali or Byron Bay. If you’re looking for a retreat then this is just the space. I loved the wholesomeness of the stay and even found a very tasty vegetarian crispy noodles dish with a divine mango smoothie.

After a good night’s sleep I travelled to Ipoh which is located in the north-west Malaysian state of Perak. Perak has been a source of tin for the people for may centuries long before the Portuguese, Dutch and British arrived. The British arrived in the late 19th century and due to their own superior industrial-strength methods of extraction underground instead of just the surface were able to turn it into a huge industry. It accounted for 1/3 of the world’s production at the time.

The British left their mark on the place with examples of quite distinctive

colonial architecture like the Ipoh train station and Town Hall across the road.

I didn’t have to walk far around the western district of the Old City to find more examples of this and smeander along back lanes to explore what people were up to.

After a typical day walking around and taking images I was ready for a pre-dinner sleep back at the hotel before heading off to my next street food indulgence. After my zzz’s and a quick shower my first choice was curry and thanks to the internet I found a genuine place near the Indian mosque. Funny how you crave something particular which in this case was a good hot chicken tikka with rice and roti bread to soak up the left over juice. The best Tikka I’ve ever tasted so I passed on the compliment with a tip but they kindly refused the tip and the lovely mature-in-age Muslim woman said it was a pleasure to cook for me as they could tell I loved my hot curries.

Indian mosque