Laid-back Retreat

Tuning myself for a slower-paced holiday, I retreated to Cameron Highlands for a laid-back excursion. It was a 2D1N short trip there. I had nothing much in mind, except to bring my parents to enjoy some common and widely-known specialties of Cameron Highlands.

We met up at the famous morning market in Cameron Highlands. We headed to the popular Sungai Palas Boh Tea plantation in Brinchang. The road leading into this tea plantation is very hidden. You really have to pay attention to sign boards in the surrounding area so as not to miss it. One prominent land mark would be the Bee Farm opposite the junction to the tea plantation. Anyway, Cameron Highlands has only 1 road running through it. If you miss it just do a U-turn and try to look for it again.

I always enjoy the drive into the tea plantation due to the vastness of the tea plantation. Seas of tea plants blanket the slopes and valleys. From afar, it looks like the whole mountain is covered by green carpets. The only risk while driving is bumping into the oncoming cars as the road is extremely narrow and winding. At the winding corners, you cannot even see the oncoming cars. Therefore, as you drive along with your windows screened down, you can hear blares of car honks here and there. And, if you hear one close enough to you, it means you have got to slow down and "negotiate" your way through. If given the chance, I would enjoy walking along this winding road rather than driving. With the cool chilled wind and fresh air, it will be a joy to do so. However, not many would be up for it as it is quite a distant from the junction to the tea plantation. For those who has plenty of time to spare, do take it slow and walk in while enjoying the scenery along the way. You definitely cannot miss 2 English Colonial style houses perched on the mountain slope facing the tea plantations. If you are walking, perhaps you can even find a way to get there and share with me more stories about that place. I have no idea if it is private property or an inn or some sort of attraction.



Sungai Palas Boh Tea Plantation lives up to its name. 6 years ago when I visited, there were tables and chairs placed on the plains right beside tea plants for us to sip tea and enjoy scones. Back then, it was very pristine, quiet, relaxing and calm. Even though there were other patrons but the fact that we were practically enveloped by tea plants all around made us lower our tone and respect nature. It was paradise. Fast forward to 6 years after, Boh company has built a glass-surrounded platform extended out from the edge of a slope. This platform allows you to fall into the arms of valleys and hills of tea plantations.



Since we were visiting a tea plantation, it would only be reasonable if we ordered tea. We had the earl grey with tangerine and scone, banana carrot cake, sandwiches, butter lemon cake to go with the tea. The scone didn't taste that wonderful. I have tried better scone elsewhere in Cameron Highlands, ie in Bala's Holiday Chalet in Brinchang. However, the butter lemon cake and sandwiches were tasty. If you are interested in finding out how tea leaves are produced, you can have a quick tour at the factory. The noise can be a tad deafening though.



Accommodation in Cameron Highlands is aplenty. You never run out of choices but they do run out of rooms during peak season like school holidays, public holidays. If you are planning a trip to Cameron Highlads, do plan well. For my family of 6, we rented a bungalow that is pet-friendly. It turned out to be a huge bungalow that has been renovated to accommodate more guests for business purpose. Imagine a large bungalow sub-divided into rooms so that these rooms can be rented out. But, i do not have complaints overall. Toilets are clean, so are the rooms.

Our next stop was MARDI short for Malaysian Agriculture Research and Development Institute, i think. MARDI is situated opposite the bungalow we rented. It is so near that we could just walk there without breaking into a sweat even though the bungalow is situated on a hill top. This park demands RM3 entrance fee for adults but students get to go in for free. The attraction over here is the beautiful landscape and also the vegetable, flower and fruit plantation. It did not awe me since I have visited my friend's own vegetable and flower plantation. The one in MARDI is very small scale since they concentrate more on research. We had a wonderful time snapping photos of the beautiful landscape though whereas my parents were so fascinated with all the flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables planted there.




Not to be missed out is the Smokehouse Hotel. We weren't the patrons of this hotel but I just have to show my parents this colonial style hotel with perfect landscaping.


Our last destination was one of the best Strawberry Farms that i have been to. It is called Big Red Strawberry Farm located very near Brinchang town. This strawberry farm has hydroponic vegetables too and they sell a wide variety of strawberry snacks like strawberry sundae, strawberry with whipped cream, strawberry with honey and yoghurt etc. Besides that, you get to purchase 3 huge lettuces for RM5, a combination of green coral and butterhead. When you're done filling your tummies, you can take a peek at the cactus valley below the strawberry farm.

We have come to an end to my Cameron Highlands excursion. The trip didn't spell lots of excitement or adventure. It was more towards enjoying the chilled and fresh air up there.

End of Chapter

After the eye-opening attempt to the peak under harsh condition, I was out of breath. Even though the trek wasn't steep but I put in a lot of attention as I didn't want to lose any footing along this treacherous stretch. However exhausted we were, there was no chance to rest as it was advisable to head down after breakfast.

When everyone had make it down to the hut, we packed our stuffs and went for a highly anticipated buffet breakfast (due to the hunger). We did not linger too long and left Laban Rata Restaurant at approximately 9.45am.


Surprisingly, I didn't feel heavy-hearted as I departed. That made me wonder, do I really dislike this place? It can't be, I enjoyed myself thoroughly, every single step I made, even though I went through lots of hardship. Perhaps it was a sense of accomplishment even though I didn't make it to the top.
Basically, this is the end of my Mount Kinabalu adventure. I will definitely return a second time to really make it to the peak. My dad has shown interest. It will be an honour to hike with my dad. I guess it is going to be the best and most awesome experience to be able to enjoy sunrise with my dad at the peak! Let me share some photos with you that I took on my way down. Of course, the trek down using Timbohon route (which is a few km shorter) is way faster. But, I suffered from muscle pain when I came back to KL. The steps along Timbohon are wide apart. I utilized a lot of my thigh muscle to cushion my feet. Perhaps running down without stopping would have been a better option but I have a weak heart and my heart is not up for adrenaline rush like that. I admit that I fare better going up hill than going down.





When we arrived at Timbohon gate, we had to take a bus to Kinabalu Park for our lunch. Well, anyone could have walked there, it's just another 4km away. Our lunch was served in Balsam Cafe in Kinabalu Park. I ate to my heart's content. Balsam Cafe is a quaint cottage with colourful flowers planted around it.

Summit, here I come

There are few options for accommodation at Laban Rata, the most comfortable one being Laban Rata Hut. The only place for food will be at Laban Rata Restaurant. After finished sipping my pot of hot milo in Laban Rata Restaurant, I headed to Gunting Lagadan. It seemed pretty far away due to our lethargy. The route to Gunting Lagadan is quite steep too.

Seeing the entrance to Gunting Lagadan had me scurrying along the slope into Gunting Lagadan Hut. I couldn't wait to keep myself warm and to rest. Gunting Lagadan is pretty comfortable and cosy. You cannot expect much from a hostel at this height. What they offer is seriously satisfying enough. All 8 of s fitted into 1 hostel room with 8 bunk beds. At the moment, the bed looked extremely inviting. The toilets and bathrooms left me with no complaints too. It is definitely not 5-star 4-star rate but trust me, it is sufficient to fill your hearts' contend.

Dinner was served at 5.00pm. We had to walk all the way down to Laban Rata Restaurant, that is the only setback of Gunting Lagadan. It was buffet style dinner where rice, fried noodles, eggs, salad, chicken, beef, soup and fruits are served. Somehow, the food tasted just finger-licking good. It must be the weather, the environment and my tired body. Dinner over here is always early so that climbers get to retire earlier to bed to be fully prepared for the ascend to summit at 2.00am.

We arose at 1.30am. It was one of the hardest thing to do, to lift up your eye lids. I was so very reluctant to do so. Give me a break, I just completed a 6-hour hike non stop and now you want me to drag myself out of bed at the wee hours? Which human can do so. Irregardless of all the internal conflicts, grumbles and conflicts I had in me, I managed to wake up, so did the rest. However, there were some who opted not to attempt the ascend to the summit because of the fatigue from the hike the day before. Furthermore, the hike to the summit is known to be treacherous, scaling up steep rocky terrain. Any slip of foot will result to death!

The whole Hut was hustling and bustling with activities and noises. Everyone was very busy getting prepared for the final charge. All were dressed for the occasion with thick wind breaker and jackets, long comfortable pants, snow caps and shawls. Most had their ponchos and raincoats on too. The guide briefed us on how the track and trail would be. I was raring to go, how different from the sleepy head half an hour ago. We departed at 2.30am.

It was pitch black outside with the only light source coming from our headlamps. The leader went slow. I believe that is very crucial because the guide had warned us about dizzy spells and nausea feeling due to the lack of oxygen and probably altitude sickness. I really wanted to make sure that i went on a steady pace so that there was sufficient oxygen for my body to adapt to. The trail started off with rocky steps. Eventually, we came to the risky part of the trek.

It was foggy and misty. With our headlamps we could see drizzles of water spattering all around us. It is highly advisable to wear water-resistant or water-proof windbreaker as that will keep you dry. Those short-sighted will seriously have to consider wearing contact lense of if your power is not too high, just go without glasses since you only need to look at the next step ahead of you to ensure you can get going. I removed my glasses and it turned out better as the mist fogged my glasses till i could barely see a thing!

Away with rocky steps now came the rocky terrain. It became more like low level rock climbing. It was fairly easy. You only have to keep yourself low then you could scramble away like spider man. Some parts, it was necessary to hold onto the rope but most of the time, I merely bent myself lower and treaded across. It is a good thing that I couldn't see how high I was. Really, if anyone has phobia for heights, this is one great challenge to overcome your fear. On the journey up, it was still acceptable due to the darkness enveloping the whole mountain. But, after reaching the peak and enjoying the sun rise, you'd be down for a fear ride if you are afraid of heights.

Without realizing, we were ahead of the crowd as we went on a steady pace. The wind was getting stronger. Rain drops seemed to get heavier and bigger. I could never have withstood harsh weather, bleak surrounding and total darkness all by myself. It was comforting to know there was a leader and guides assisting us. However, in total darkness like that, I couldn't tell who's who. I only knew who was ahead of me and who was behind me. I only made sure I knew that I was following closely the person in front of me. What made it worse was the headlamp that gave up on me. It ran out of battery.

We made lots of stops and rests as we didn't want to reach the peak too early. Sitting still in the cold for 1 hour or so waiting for the sunrise sounded scary to me. Our guides had even advised us not to remain too long at the peak as the biting wind would penetrate our bones. Once that happened, we would find it extremely hard to descend due to the weak legs.

Seemed like God wasn't on our side and Lady luck didn't shine on us. The drizzle turned into a heavy downpour! Instantaneously, my toes went numb as my socks got soaking wet. My water-proof jacket could still keep my body dry but my hands were gone too. Rain water gushed into my gloves and with the embrace of the wind, my fingers "passed out" and lost consciousness. Wind got more and more vicious and rain didnt' just want to stop. It all looked so bleak and discouraging. I lost all my enthusiasm and zest. I had high hopes of enjoying sunrise at Low's Peak after hearing so much about it. Now, the rain washed away my hopes, and all my optimism flowed out of me with the rain.

We still continued a little bit more and at 1 km away from the peak, two guys actually came down with bad news : it's raining at the peak and they're heading down. It came as a blow to me. What? All this way and nothing to view at the peak? It was a tormenting moment for me. I was dying to view the sunrise but apparently under weather conditions like this, definitely no beautiful sun rise, probably just a smear of orange across grey sky. But, I was only 1km away from the peak. Should I just turn back? Wind wasn't forgiving, nor was the rain. I couldn't move my fingers, I couldn't feel my toes. In the end, I decided to go back to get some warmth. The only motivation for me was no longer there to entice me, encourage me. I didn't have the energy nor the drive to continue.

With teeth clattering and hands trembling, I could even feel my internal organs shivering, sending my whole body into shivers, I headed back down. Along our way down, we bumped into many others who were still groping in the dark, struggling to find their way to the peak. They seemed unperturbed by the somewhat less heavier rain. It was a great challenge descending. I had my poncho on, and with every blow of the wind, it practically blinded me from looking at the rocky terrain. I had to find ways to suppress it all the time. My advice: try your best to get water-proof or water-resistant wind breaker as poncho is really a nuisance. Besides that, my headlamp was already out but the fact that there were more people now as we descended, it got a bit brighter somehow. Not only that, now with my snow cap no longer on my head, I had hair strewn across my face, posing as such a irritation to me. So, to those who are interested, do take note of all these. Of course the hair part only applies to those who have long hair.

Frankly, I had no eyes for anything else on my way down but the steps. I couldn't wait to get back to the hut, to keep myself warm. However, as the sun began to rise and the rain began to stop, the journey became more bearable. I could actually enjoy the blurry scenery a little bit. Too bad that my hands were still numb so I was very reluctant to remove my gloves to grab my camera. The sky was bright even though it was after a shower. It was very cloudy and I could only see a smudge of orange surrounding the clouds at the horizon. According to those who had made it to the peak, that would be what I would see if I made it to the peak. It wasn't stunning. I want to see a fiery red ball rising slowly, extending its sun rays as though they are reaching for me. It was very peaceful, cool and fresh. I believe those who live here for long have found the elixir for eternal youth. Who would grow old with weather and surrounding like this. It's really a perfect spot for retirement.

When I saw signs of civilization (the roof of Gunting Lagadan hut), it was the most welcoming sight I have ever seen. Surprisingly, I didn't feel any ounce of regret even though i was only 1km away from the peak. I guess it's because my main and only objective is to enjoy sunrise view at Low's Peak. Without that, making it to the top just doesn't mean anything. It's the same concept in life. We work aimlessly trying to earn big bucks without knowing what our objectives are. By the time we reach the top, we feel lost, not knowing what we have achieved so far.

Laban Rata Charge

"Cock-a-doodle-doo, Cock-a-doodle-doo...." We were awaken by the crowing of a rooster. Wow, they even have rooster at such altitude and it actually woke us up on time! Little did we realize that it was the alarm tone set by my friend! And we were so awestruck by the service provided by Mesilau Resort. After a quick rinse and a final round of packing, we headed to the restaurant for our buffet breakfast.

It was such a crowd! You would never feel that everyone there was about to set out on a quest to hike Mount Kinabalu. Everyone was attacking the food as though it is his last breakfast. Next task was to hand over the luggage bags to be transferred to Timbohon gate with a charge of RM10 per bag as there is where we would descend to. The final gathering point will be with the guide who briefed us on some tips and crucial information that we should know. Those bags to be carried by porters were weighed too and i could proudly state that the shared bag by all 9 of us was lighter than the rest, talk about traveling light. We're the practical travelers!

Without further delay, we departed from the gate of Mesilau into heaven haha, of course not literally but you know what i mean. We weren't the first group to depart, hence there were many others ahead of us. I remained the first few to lead the group because of the lesson learnt: to enjoy better privileges, you always have to stay ahead, remember, early bird gets the worm. I have heard of horror stories whereby you don't get to shower with hot water if you arrive late, i definitely don't want to suffer that fate!

The hike was fairly easy. We took our own sweet time as I was advised to snap as many photos as possible along the way. Mesilau route is famed for its scenic beauty hence there are more and more climbers opting this route instead of Timbohon route that is way much shorter, 3km in fact.


Along the way, I stole glances at the many peaks surrounding Low's Peak. It was a very cool day and thin blankets of mist surrounded the peaks.


Even the plants and trees are different. They reminded me of giant bonsai plants magnified 10-50 times. For every 1km, there is an RnR stop for climbers to take a breather, fill up their dwindling water supply and to rest their aching legs. Hence, it was a great milestone achievement when we hit our first km. Everyone was cheering to give confidence to each other. It's amazing how people unite under harsh circumstances, that is the beauty of mankind.

As we gained more altitude, the air turned cooler and the wind got stronger. In fact, from time to time, we could hear the wind howling phase by phase, sounded exactly like waves crashing onto the shore and retreating back into the sea. At times, it sounded as though the rain was traveling towards us from afar, which turned out into false alarm. Imagine, being in the forest at such an altitude but you have beautiful lullaby that sounded like sea waves, how calming it is. Slowly, we were able to catch glimpses of Low's Peak and the barren, bleak stone wall.


The mountain peaks didn't look friendly and inviting at all. They seemed to exude this arrogance, challenging us to conquer them. They seemed ever so stony, grand and cold. We felt extremely minute and insignificant being surrounded by ruthless stony stares. The higher we got, the less shelter there was. This means the wind mercilessly attacked us, trying its very best to blow our enthusiasm, zest away. It even seemed as though the wind was coercing, persuading us to go back to where we came from.



You would tend to forget that you're still in Malaysia when you look at your surrounding. There are trees with brown reddish leaves, yellowish leaves and different shades of green. The trees are unique too, unlike the tropical, huge trees that we see normally in jungles in Malaysia. Some trees even arched above the trail as though they were saluting us to have reached so far.



Everywhere I turned, I was greeted with scatters of clouds and plains of green, red and yellow. I really felt out of the world. I was so immersed in the beauty. The absolute quiet made me hear the wind and the rustling of the leaves. They were singing a symphony, a symphony that sang the greatness of us arriving this far. For a moment, I stood there, engulfed by nature, soaked in the beauty so overwhelming.




After the stretch of bowing, saluting trees, we were greeted by steep steps. These steps went up and up and up and up. How encouraging!



We climbed, dragged our tired legs, pushed our heavy buttocks and panted profusely. The only encouragement is the peaks that started to look bigger. From a far spot to something discern.


After KM5, there is this most scenic RnR, perched very near the edge of the cliff overlooking the whole Sabah state. Wind was howling like mad. I had my hair all over my face. I turned 360 degrees and I was greeted by picturesque scenery. It would be heavenly to have a coffee shop serving hot brewed coffee here. Yumieeee, I dreamt on.




We were inching closer and closer to our destination. "Ain't no mountain high enough.." that song ran through my head. More and more steps, never ending steps, exhausting fleet of steps, when would the steps finally end?





After plowing across boring stretch of steps, I spotted the first sight of civilization! It appeared in the form of a roof! My heart skipped a beat, my eyes lit up and my steps turned lighter. This is it, after suffering for 6 hours plus, we were going to make it there soon!

Somehow, those last few meters seemed so dreadful, far and long. I wanted to speed up my pace but my legs just wasn't co-operating. They were very stubborn, plunged deep into the soil and every step I took I had to use great force to pull them out. After much determination and mental strength, we saw Laban Rata Restaurant. I could wait no more, barged into the restaurant and plopped onto the chair closest to the windows to enjoy a bird's eye view. I ordered a pot of hot Milo.