This started off as a simple idea. Landies with kids will make better travel mates. And so we rounded up Tim/Yvette and Jack/Eng Chin for a short easy trip to Cameron. This is with the assumption that we will all be more understanding of needs like: diaper change, feedings stops, toilet breaks etc.
We meet up at Tuas Drive West at 0530 hrs, just outside the entrance to Raffles Marina. Crossing over via the lorry lane was hassle free this time and soon we were on our way after an obligatory last minute stop at the Gelang Patah.
One new encounter was the need to purchase a Touch 'n' Go card from the first toll booth. While I did not like the idea of a stored value card, not knowing when it will be replaced or expire, it turned out to be quite a useful item as it did smooth out the journey, cutting down on the time wasted at toll booths.
The drive up was generally uneventful. The only real excitement occurred during our run up Cameron via the old road from Tapah. At one bend, before reaching the Lata Iskandar waterfall, we caught a glimpse of a while pick up tip over the end of the cliff and disappear from sight. We stopped to assist only to find the pick up at least 20m down a steep ravine. However, the 2 passengers were fortunately uninjured.
We stayed at the Casa del la Rosa, someway between Tanah Rata and Brinchang. Rooms were clean and adequate with a nice but small garden at the rear for a nice morning stroll the next day.
The 2 days were spent exploring the myriad of sights available on Cameron. However, due to the weekend and school holidays, we spent some time on the roads fighting traffic, usually against our favour. However, the best 2 activities was the visit to the Sungai Palas Tea Centre where we spent a lazy afternoon sipping tea and allowing the kids to play together. The views of the surrounding slopes of the tea garden was gorgeous.
We also had the fortune of visiting Jack's uncle's farm. This was a non-tourist visit to a farm, involving a short route of travel of narrow steep tracks to a couple of vegetable plots high above the main tourist route. We were thrilled by the off-road experience and also pleasantly surprised with the opportunity to pick and eat ripe tomatoes and strawberries right off the vine. It was an unforgettable experience especially for the kids. I am glad we shared the same philosophy that our singaporean children need to be exposed to the outdoors and other experiences far from the urban landscape. The drizzle made the experience so much more surreal. Jack's uncle was very generous and offered us vegetables from his plot. With the landies loaded with vegetables and pots of plants, we headed down the wet slippery slopes back to Brinchang.
Will follow on with another post on trip facts and figures
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