Week of April 16th, 2023
There’s a reason the song goes “easy as a Sunday morning” – that’s how every Sunday morning should be and this Sunday was no different. The day started out beautifully with the sun peeking out from the clouds that have covered Kuala Lumpur since my arrival in the city. For the first time in a very long time, I woke up full of energy and ready to go. I was in such a good mood that I foolishly headed out without eating breakfast but I had plans and I was excited to get my day started. I took a Grab (an Uber alternative) over to The Stories of Taman Tunku in the Bukit Tunku/Kenny Hills neighborhood of Kuala Lumpur for my nails and brows appointment and brunch.
Posh Nail Spa is a highly recommended nail salon – this is where the “whose who” of Kuala Lumpur gets their nails done. The salon itself is perfectly described by its name – cute, posh, clean, and my favorite part…it doesn’t smell like acetone and nail polish! The only thing missing was massage chairs – like most upscale nail salons, they went for a cute polished aesthetic in favor of the massage chairs that you often see in your neighborhood nail salon. This was definitely one of the best nail salon experiences I’ve ever had and the price was exceptional – thank you Nitir, Rachel, and Bella for a lovely experience!
I love trying out local snacks and candies, so I headed to the grocery store next door, QRA, to see what I could find. QRA is an upscale grocery store that reminds me a lot of Whole Foods or Erewon in LA. There I discover my favorite new Asian candy called Kororo grape candy which looks and tastes just like a peeled muscat grape. Yum! Before heading to get some real food, I explored the rest of the complex. It has a really cute book/stories theme to it that I adore – they really lean into the theme with murals of books stacked on shelves, book-related statues, and other library-esque gems.
I wanted to try Kenny Hill Bakers since I heard great things about their brunch menu. I knew I wasn’t going to feel like cooking for the rest of the day, so I grabbed several items to go – the savoury fried chicken waffle, a ginger lime cooler, a loaf of sourdough bread, a chicken sausage roll, and a Nutella brownie (in lieu of the Nutella croissant I wanted but was out of stock). While I did thoroughly enjoy their baked goods, I found that the fried chicken and waffles lacked flavor which was so disappointing since I waited an hour to get my food!
I was thankful to enjoy a nice sunny Sunday morning and afternoon because I spent to following few days feeling horrible due to a bad Endometriosis flare-up. The worst thing about having my particular chronic health problem is although I can usually tell when I’ll feel the worst, I can’t predict the severity of it. This does make traveling difficult, tiring, unpredictable, and honestly quite upsetting at times. I take great effort not to plan anything at all for a week each month, so that does limit me far more than I’d like. Unfortunately, it’s just my lot in life and it’s something I just have to do my best to deal with.
By Thursday I was feeling mostly human again, so I packed up my little suitcase for my weekend getaway to the Cameron Highlands the following day. The first time I visited S.E. Asia in 2020, a friend, L, and I went to Singapore for my 30th birthday. Afterward, we parted ways – she headed to Cameron Highlands while I headed to Bali (later Kuantan) for a week. Prior to her visit, I had never heard of the Cameron Highlands, but I quickly added it to my bucket list when I saw her pictures and started reading up on the region. So while Kuala Lumpur was coming alive with Hari Raya (Eid Al Fitr) activities, I took the bus from KL to the peace and serenity of the mountains.
Just four hours outside of Kuala Lumpur, the Cameron Highlands is tucked away in the cool mountain region of Pahang. Imagine a small ski town but instead of crisp snowcapped mountains you’re surrounded by the jungle and tea plantations as far as the eye can see. Being the highest point in Malaysia, there was a time when the mountains were capped in snow, but the only things that remain from yesteryear are the colonial-era mansions turned hotels, the government and military buildings, and the Cameron Highlands golf course. There is, however, talk about introducing a ski theme park to the region which may be unwise with considerable traffic planning.
One of those mansions turned hotels that I mentioned is the 5-star Cameron Highlands Resort where I spent a glorious long weekend. The hotel and the service are both steeped in colonial-era formal luxury without being too pretentious. I truly can’t say enough about the staff at this hotel, especially Yao and Chen who were both so attentive and accommodating while I was there. Honestly, the only complaint I could possibly have is that the hotel does not offer room service and the TVs need to reflect the decade that we’re currently in.
After a long and windy bus trip up the mountains, I was definitely ready to rest and relax. While the bus driver did an excellent job of getting us up the mountain, the hairpin turns were dizzying. I arrived at the hotel around 3 pm on Friday and was lucky enough to get a 6 pm appointment for a Malay massage at the hotel spa, Spa Village. Having not slept the night before, thanks to fireworks going off until 4 am, I decided to take an ill-fated nap that caused me to miss out on afternoon tea and almost miss my massage.
I arrived at the spa and was immediately greeted by my masseuse, Nasir. After I changed into my spa garb, she led me to a luxurious tea bath that was the precursor for my massage. This was my first ever tea bath and I thoroughly enjoyed marinating in tea leaves and doing my sugar scrub while I listened to nature sounds. She also gave me this delicious honey lime-y drink that I wish I remembered the name of. So good. I hate to sound like a broken record, but this was definitely one of the best massages that I’ve ever received and I get a lot of massages. The Malay massage itself actually reminded me a lot of the traditional massage I received at Masajes Nativo Spa in Oaxaca several months prior. They both involve a stomach massage and more time spent massaging the hands and feet than Swedish massages tend to. By the end, I was literally floating on a cloud of serenity and ready to profess my love for my masseuse.
My plan for this day had always been to get a massage then head back to my room, put on my robe, and order room service. It has become somewhat of a tradition for me to do so on travel days because I know my energy level is low and my desire to treat myself is going to be high. If I couldn’t get room service, which the hotel, unfortunately, does not offer, I planned to just order some food from Grab (an Uber Eats alternative). Try as I might, I simply couldn’t get food delivered – my orders kept getting canceled. Later on in the weekend, I realized why Grab drivers were so hesitant to accept my order (hint: horrible traffic). My dinner that night was the least luxurious option possible…hotel minibar ramen noodles which ironically, were really good.
Against my better judgment, still riding the post-massage high, I signed up for the hotel’s 9 am “Jim Thompson Mystery” hike for the following morning. I am not at all a morning person and I’m not an outdoorsy person, so I guess the fresh mountain air and massage really tricked me into doing things I wouldn’t normally do. I was absolutely dragging the next morning, so I skipped the hotel’s 8:30 am Koi Fish feeding to quickly feed myself instead. Much to the chagrin of the waiters, I only had fruit and a bowl of porridge instead of trying all of the options on the unlimited breakfast menu as they urged me to do! Madi, the hotel’s Naturist, greeted me and the hikers in the lobby before we drove to the nearby hiking location. The other hikers were a lovely couple traveling with their daughter and the wife’s mother.
What I thought would be an easy quick hike around the area where American businessman Jim Thompson disappeared in 1967, ended up being a pretty adventurous trek through the jungle. This was the first hike I’ve ever been on, at least in my adult life – I have some foggy recollection of hiking with my 5th-grade class at the Blue Hills Reservation in Boston 20 years prior. Nevertheless, Madi did a great job of guiding us, and me specifically, through the hike – at some points, he had to literally give me a hand to get through the tough spots. I’ve never been on a hike solo or otherwise, but having him there to point out the different species of flora and to give us the area’s history and preservation efforts really made it a memorable experience.
After our hike, we walked back towards the hotel which wasn’t all that far it away. It was during our walk back that we were let privy to how bad littering in the area was becoming, we even came across an area where someone had decided to simply set up a junkyard. We’re not certain if they’re living there as well but there were two puppies and possibly some other animals locked up in a cage. While I’m fairly unbothered by the atrocity that has become human behavior, the little girl that was part of my group ended up crying because she wanted to rescue the puppies but couldn’t.
On our way back I ended up having a nice chat with the family, the father, R, and I have a similar career background and “talked shop” for a little bit. I loved hearing about the adventures the family had been on since he took a career break. When we arrived at the hotel I got his information so we could connect on LinkedIn. They actually ended up inviting me to their outing the next day since all the things they had planned were what I had wanted to do as well. This isn’t the first time I’ve gone on an outing with strangers I met on a tour. Ha. Although I didn’t want to intrude on their family time, I did, ultimately, decide to join them the next day.
After the hike, I quickly showered and changed before heading to the tea room to get a quick bite. While I was not loving the English tea cheese sandwiches, the mojito mocktail and service were both impeccable. On my walk, I was joined by a really nice Scottish couple. The wife’s grandfather grew up in the Cameron Highlands in the 50s and she wanted to retrace his footsteps. It was a really interesting experience to have someone on the tour that could ask questions that are relevant to times past – had the couple not been there, I think Madi would have just done his regular spiel.
The walk around the golf course with Madi really gave me a lot of perspective into what things were like in the Cameron Highlands 50+ years ago. It also gave a lot of insight into the personality that he has developed. Madi is hilarious, blunt, and definitely an interesting product of his childhood – he was born, raised and continues to live in the Cameron Highlands area which is quite uncommon as most people there are either the native orang asli or moved to the area for work at the BOH plantations, the hotels or other parts of the tourism industry. Let’s just say the effects of colonization in Malaysia have definitely left their mark on Cameron Highlands in more ways than just the architecture.
After such a busy and long day, I just wanted to wrap myself up in a robe and lounge on the couch with some afternoon tea and scones. Although they don’t have room service, I was able to coerce the staff into delivering some scones to my room because I did not want to sit in the tea room and “exist” in public. I think they just took pity on me because I looked so tired after being out all day. Thanks to these kind, considerate people, I was able to watch the world go by while sitting on my balcony, sipping tea, and eating delicious scones.
Later that night I dragged myself 20 feet from my room to the hotel’s Asian restaurant, Gonbei, to enjoy a local specialty called Steamboat. Steamboat is similar to Hot Pot but it uses a milder broth instead of the spicy broth that is expected from Hot Pot. I’ve never tried either of the two, so this was definitely a new experience for me! I fully leaned into my new soft way of living and let the hostess, Chen, help me out – more or less, she did it all the cooking for me. Ha! Although I’m not a soup fan, I really enjoy the Tom Yum broth in Steamboat and I will definitely try it again (and Hot Pot too)!
The next morning, I once again got up early but this time I was able to actually sit for a while and enjoy my breakfast. I decided on the Roti Canai and the Pancakes since I couldn’t sit there for hours and try everything like the waiters once again insisted that I do. The Roti Canai was definitely top notch and the pancakes were surprisingly perfect and moist instead of dry like most pancakes. I honestly can’t recommend this hotel enough – aside from the rather basic English cheese sandwiches from the day before, all of the food was excellent and well made.
Somewhat renewed, the “P Family” and I headed out for our Sunday Funday in a classic Range Rover Land Rover. Our plan for the day was to go to The Mossy Forest, look at the tea plantations, visit the BOH Tea Centre, and go strawberry picking before heading back to the hotel. On the way up the mountain to the forest, we stopped for pictures at this gorgeous spot that overlooks all of the tea plantations below. Our guide gave us a brief overview of how the tea is grown and harvested, which is actually quite an interesting and long process. As a tea lover, I left the stop with a newfound appreciation for the workers who harvest the tea day in and day out.
The beautiful views continued as we drove higher up toward The Mossy Forest. Although the forest was “closed” for the holiday weekend it was still possible for us to go to the viewing point at the top and explore the immediate area surrounding the entrance. The Mossy Forest is exactly as the name describes, it’s a “cloud forest” in the Cameron Highlands that’s so high up that you feel like you’re in the clouds and all of the trees and vegetation are completely covered by moss. Being there is a sight to behold with its ethereal, misty, and dark vibe on one side and clouds on the other. Fun fact: The Cloud Forest at Gardens by The Bay in Singapore is indoor emulation of The Mossy Forest.
Although we couldn’t do a hike through the forest, I think everyone really enjoyed themselves more than they thought they would. We saw such interesting flora and learned a lot of interesting tidbits. N, the couple’s daughter, especially enjoyed herself when our tour guide showed her the trumpet flower and how to blow into it to make the trumpet sound. She also had a blast using a plant identification app to identify all of the flora that we passed on our walk back to the vehicle. Hopefully, this started a new appreciation and excitement of the outdoors for her – sometimes it’s enriching to enjoy new experiences from a child’s point of view.
Next, we headed to the BOH Tea Centre which houses a cafe, gift shop, and small museum, and has a scenic view of the tea plantations. I think a visit to the BOH Tea Centre would be best when you’re able to do a factory tour and/or tea tasting. As of April 2023, the tours are not in operation so you can only eat at the cafe, lookout on the tea plantations, and purchase souvenirs/tea from the gift ship. I couldn’t decide on what tea I wanted so I ended up just getting some matcha tea latte – leave it to me to get the one thing in the gift shop that was made from imported, not local, tea. Ha!
In an effort to save time and avoid traffic, we skipped strawberry picking and did a very quick stop at the local market before heading back to the hotel. One thing that needs to be noted is how horrible the traffic in Cameron Highlands gets on the weekend. I now understand why I could not get Grab to deliver my food 2 nights prior – the drivers simply couldn’t get to my food and back in a reasonable time. As we drove from BOH to Cameron Highlands Resort, we were lucky enough t go against the traffic so we quickly cruised by the roughly 5-mile backup of traffic on the single-lane road. Unfortunately, there’s only one road that really goes through Cameron Highlands, so there’s no way to get around traffic. So with that knowledge, if you ever go to Cameron Highlands, I recommend that you do not go on the weekend and/or holiday and if you do, get out and about as early as possible.
All in all, I had a great time in the Cameron Highlands and I was quite sad to head back to KL at that point. I enjoyed the fresh air, the beautiful surroundings, my comfortable bed, and just the laid-back chill vibe. I think I’m a reformed city girl – I feel like I’m rapidly moving into a more relaxed and slow-paced phase of my life. I’ll always love the city, but I also feel a renewed sense of being when I’m out in the mountains or by a beach. Maybe it’s not the city life, maybe it’s just where the city is located that matters the most. Who knows. All I know is that I had a great time!