The Road Warriors: The Cameron Highlands are cool.

Hey, sorry if the last update put anyone to sleep. I haven't been very witty or motivated lately and the last few days have been packed. I haven't hiked this much in my life! As some of you may know, Adam is somewhat of an experienced hiker, so by following him around, I've given my calf muscles a pretty good workout .

So aside from Bromo, we hadn't done much trekking on this trip. It was mostly beaches and cities. However, we knew that there were some good opportunities when we arrived in the Cameron Highlands. The Highlands, for those who don't know, are a region in Malaysia, about 1500 or so meters above sea level, therefore they have a nice cool climate to grow stuff like tea, strawberries and other temperate flora. The highlands themselves are quite expansive and cover a good stretch of land. Tourist accommodation is liberally dispersed in the area's three towns.

Our bus ride was decent enough and we befriended a European couple along the way. We rolled in late afternoon and landed a pretty decent place. A charming fog lingered in the rolling hills around us and the climate was very very pleasant. Our rooms were inside these circular tin huts. It kind of looked like we were staying in some kind of agrarian polygamist commune actually. After hanging our mosquito nets, we decided to seek out some cheap and decent Indian food for dinner with our new European friends. The place we found did not let us down in either requirement. During dinner we met two girls from England who showed an interest in trekking so we made plans to go with them tomorrow up to the tallest peak in the highlands.

That night we drank at a bar that was attached to a different hostel. It had a bonfire and a pool table so it suited the backpacker crowd quite nicely. At one point a Swedish girl decided to join us. Never a problem, however she quickly dominated the conversation with insipid anecdotes about herself and her unhealthy lifestyle. One such anecdote:

"I was in Vang Vieng and some guy knocked himself unconscious. They wanted to take him to see a doctor so I shouted 'I'm a nurse!' Everyone believed me. I don't know why I said that. I'm not a nurse!"

"Great story! Anyways I'll continue mine..."

Yeah, worth mentioning for it's sheer lunacy. But on a brighter note, it was probably the only negative experience I've had with another backpacker. Everyone for the most part has been super nice.

Next morn, we met up with the girls and caught a taxi to the entrance of one of the trails. I brought only my camera and a small bottle of water. I have no idea what the hell I was thinking. Everyone else in the party was far more experienced than I was, and I quickly found myself wheezing and feigning the fact that I was doing alright. We reached the top to find a handful of elderly and out of shape people checking out the view. I had no idea there was a road that lead up there! I felt like it kind of took away from the accomplishment, but if anything, I would probably feel like even more of an out of shape boob if I elected to take a minibus to the top.

We walked along the road to get back down again. Along the way we passed a tea plantation. In fact, there was tea planted all over the hills, stretching out across the highlands. Some of the crops were on hills so steep, I have no idea how it is humanly possible to harvest them. The scene was quite nice, and when we reached the main compound, we found a restaurant with a lovely vista to sit, drink tea and admire. I'm inclined to admit that it was downright delightful.

We planned on walking another hour to the main road, but some domestic tourists pulled up beside us in a pickup truck and told us to hop in the back for a ride back to town. My dogs were barking something fierce, so I had no problem accepting their offer. Back at the hostel I mellowed out on the internerd and grabbed a quick nap followed by some dinner. Then back for round 2 at the bar with our group of friends. This time, we squeezed in a game of pool, sat around the campfire and enjoyed their company without the crazy girl.

The next morning we boarded a bus for the rollicking jungles of Taman Negara.

Addendum: The morning before we left KL for the highlands, Adam and I decided to try a durian to see what all the fuss was about. The fuss, I should tell you, is not so much over the taste, but the pungent smell emitted by the fruit as you eat it. As Adam's brother-in-law describes, it's like eating ice cream out of a toilet bowl. Of course we had to try it. Funny thing about durians, is that they are not sold with any other fruit, only by a dedicated vendor. We picked one and had the dude cut it up for us. The fruit itself looked like a big spiky ball just smaller than the size of your head. Inside, there were four spleen-like sacks each in their own chamber. He handed each of us one and packaged the rest up.

Impression: The spleen sack actually contained a pulpy mush that encased a massive seed. This was to be the edible part. As we ate around the seed, the odor of the mush became more and more pungent. The mush had a custard-like consistency and tasted at times like a sweet desert and at others like an soggy onion. The odor was unquestionably foul and could be placed anywhere between B.O. on a sick man and dirty laundry steeped in dirty bathwater. When we were out of the vendor's view, we tossed the rest in a garbage can. Verdict: BAD. It's no wonder respectable establishments post "no durian" signs.

Here's your pictures:

Our room complete with mosquito nets. Mine's on the right, and would prove to be the only time I've been able to hang the damn thing properly so it didn't look like Adam's on the left.