Cameron Highland: Kea Rose Garden

Rise and shine strawberry girl, don't you look charming today?

Wakie wakie, rise and shiny Strawberry girl my little Nana. Holiday's coming to an end and we're going home today. Before that though we need to feed you some breakfast, and later maybe drop by somewhere worth sightseeing. We don't know where is that yet but 1 thing papa knows for sure, we're having strawberry waffle for breakfast (yes, again).

Papa tend to venture around for different food, or sometimes for the same one until he finds which place sells the best variation. And so after feeding Nana her Mamex Gold, checked out our shoplot turned boutique hotel, we stopped by another strawberry farm.

Yum yum, English strawberry waffle for breakfast never gets old.

This time they served the strawberry waffle with chocolate syrup instead of strawberry, and we loved every mouth of it. Which left me thinking: we could get ourselves a waffle maker at home, obtain Hershey chocolate or strawberry sauce, whipped cream, and "fresh" strawberries from the local hypermart, and voila, have home-made strawberry waffle anytime we want. Should be easy to prepare.

Bunga Raya aka Hibiscus rosa-sinensis.

Behold, the national flower of Malaysia, the Hibiscus, known locally as Bunga Raya (translated as the grand flower). Hibiscus rosa-sinensis was introduced into the Malay Peninsula in the 12th century, before being declared on July 28th 1960 as its national flower.

The red of the petals symbolizes the courage, life, and rapid growth of the Malaysian, and the five petals represent the five Rukun Negara (national oath) of Malaysia. Did you know: hibiscus is edible in salads in the Pacific Islands, besides being used as hair care product. Certain parts of India apply it to shine shoes. The irony of its use...

My eternal flowers planted in the firm soil of my heart.

 Anyway, why's a guy like me discussing about flowers. Because we're at a Rose Farm. Which rose farm you ask, its the one where you turn in from the entrance of the Brinchang vegetable market. Drive in for just few hundred meters and you'll be greeted with a rose farm. Simply known as the Kea Farm "Rose Centre", its larger than it looks and quite worth the visit.

Mommy mommy, where are the butterflies?

Rose~ rose~ I love you~~

Since it was still early morning, air was fresh and the temperature was chilly. The sun was up but not scorching. The flower petals were still embellished with morning dew they are full-bloomed as if glad to greet us visitors. The most striking type of flower and of course the main attraction of this farm is the rose.

We were mesmerized by the rainbow colour variations seen among the roses. Roses as a gift would certainly light up a women's heart, what more being surrounded by trees of different colour roses. I couldn't help snapping away, never saw so many fresh roses before, except in flower boutiques on valentine's day. They looked so picture perfect they could be mistaken as artificial. But nope, in their perfect presentation they are fragile, delicate and radiant all rolled into 1 flora being. 

They come in yellow too? Which reminds me of a certain some1 whose fav color is neon.

Cupid found his other half and decided to retire here. And he had turned jaundice.

More about the Kea Rose Center. Formerly a vegetable farm built on 10 layered terraces, it was established into a rose farm and opened to public in 1989. Just 5km away from Brinchang town, I would say its the biggest tourist attraction after the BOH tea farms. Besides priding itself in roses in every imaginable colours available, it boost other species of flowers and stone sculptures that blends in well with natural surroundings.

Adult has to pay Rm5 while children Rm3 each for entrance fee. Open from 8am-6pm, a romantic place for couple and an exciting, fun, educational excursion for families. One could benefit from a good workout climbing the slopes leading to the peak of the rose centre.

The dawn of a beautiful life cycle.

God please teach me to appreciate the love ones in front of my eyes, better still, do slow down time.

Looking at all the striking beautiful roses, i wished i had an eternal rose garden in a compound surrounding a bungalow of my own.Maybe a veranda with orchids and fence spiraling with morning glories. My children and their couzzies would run in the garden chasing one another while their parents and grannies sip tea with fresh bake strawberry muffins. And the young ones would grow up to be healthy athletic outdoor person who prefers the adrenaline rush of an adventure rather than the chill of an air-conditioned room facing their electronics.

I'm day-dreaming here, but i grew up in a house with compound and carpet grass, so naturally would like to see the kids growing up the same way. Worst come to worst, I will bring them to a grassy playground everyday, to sweat it out while flying kites.

I supposed it was an eye-opener to both me and Nana (since this wasn't Karling's 1st visit), looking at all the colourful flowers, stony sculptures and some mural paintings. Not something you would see everyday, and it didn't have to be 1 of the 7 wonders of the world, this place and all its creation was  itself a wonder to behold. I could think of my mum that she would love it here too and be greatly inspired to run her own garden make over.

Majority of the plants here are for exhibition purpose only. They do however own a shop in the rose center which sells flower seeds of various kinds and provide sound advice on how to cultivate them. So owning a rose farm at home close to sea level may be a possibility with meticulous management and care, better still if equipped with some botanical knowledge and not to mention the servoce of a gardener...phew~

Snow white and her 7 dwarfs traveled far and wide to see the world beyond their castle.

Daddy promise one day, we'll travel the world together.

...before we depart from here to go a better place where He beckon us.

After passing through the 1st exhibit beyond the entrance which is the rose garden, one would find the path gradually ascending into slopes, alternating with stairs in between. Along the way visitors feast their eyes on delicate flowers protected by awnings. Since this rose center was built on former vegetable terraces, all paths would eventually joint and lead to an open space near the peak of the hill.

...a place flowing with milk and honey, high above the vanilla sky.

Daddy, what are grandpa grandma doing here?

Like I said, by the time we ascended past the awning covered stairs into a wider open space nearly at the top, we were huffing and puffing. Nana turned out to be the additional weight which provided me an enhanced cardio and muscular work-out. I would remind anyone not to forget their drinking water to constantly stay hydrated and a hat/cap just in case it gets hot on the hill.

And what we experienced at the hill was breathtaking.

Vanilla sky

My daughter loving the feel of her new shoes.

Even in the face of despair there's still hope for salvation.

The wind was cool and refreshing as it brushes our faces. The sun was bright but not scorching, just nice. Overall the sky was greyish-white cloudy with silver linings. It was the perfect oxygen therapy as we inhale the ample unpolluted air into our lungs. No sound of busy traffic or the buzz of city but only peace and serenity on a highland close to heavenly bliss. The only thing holding me down to earth is my worldly concerns of duties and obligations.

The view down the hill was the beautiful landscape of vegetable terraces and wooden houses with curves of greenish hills covered with fogs decorating the distant horizon. The roads crawl like snakes among mother nature's creation and human structures while vehicles blend in like ants walking in single file. Traces of development leaves a cynical impression of a cancer spreading across the land until all is consumed.

Oh master my Sun, where art thou?

The abandoned shoe house.

Wild flowers on the hill.

We came across a stony sculpture of a house made of giant boot, as featured in the story of the mother with her many children living in a shoe house. The house looks abandoned with no occupants inside. Plants were spiraling from its wall up to the roof while the paint was peeling in patches. Looked like the children had all grown up and spread their wings to leave this small cozy hut behind.

The higher we climbed, we observed the pattern of flowers changed according to geographical height. Multiple large petals gave way to finer nevertheless pretty and demure floras. They pervade the hills with their striking colourful petals which blended well with the variable green of leaves.  

Up and up we go.

Its a beautiful world.

Life is beautiful when I cherish my blessings.

Karling was too tired to climb and probably felt the air getting thinner. Nana and I made the way up a little more until the rest of plantations was unkempt and there was nothing much to see beyond that. We had a very sociable foreign laborer who worked there as one of the planters keen as our tour guide. He enlightened us with names of some flowers and help us take pictures.

At such a tender age, we observed that Christiana appreciated flowers as she appear engrossed when handed one. She would hold and flip it between both her little thumbs and index fingers without tearing the flowers. Nana would then flap her arms signalling that she somehow relate butterflies with flowers.

Daddy, do we need to climb any further? Lets go down and find mommy.

Until next time, thanks for your unwavering support.

 After "detoxifying" our lungs with fresh unpolluted mountain air, we made our way down the hill. It was pure awesomeness soaking in the sight of all the beautiful flowers we came across on our way up. Kea Farm Rose Centre was our last tour destination in Cameron, before we descended the beautiful highland via tortuous Tanah Rata- Tapah road.

On our way down we made a stop at the Lata Iskandar waterfall, situated in the Lata Iskandar recreational forest. The waterfall cascade into a huge natural bathing pool before cascading further into a stream under the main road. Worth visiting if you have children who likes to play water.

Hutan Lipur Lata Iskandar.

The main waterfall cascade.

Just makes me wanna stand under and let it wash my worries away.

These days it seem more and more people i know are choosing Cameron Highland as a local holiday destination. Which is good, since its kinder to the pocket and closer to nature. It made me realize the benefit of inner peace and health that an untainted beautiful nature can bring, therefore how important it is to preserve a pollution free environment.

If you're planning a trip to Cameron Highland, best time is on a weekday, certainly avoiding public and school holidays. Then again, all holiday destinations in Malaysia are best enjoyed without the massive crowd around, if you get what i mean.

Here's a link you might find helpful. Work hard, play harder.
  http://www.cameronhighland.net

Cameron Highland: Strawberry,Tea or Me

Its cold outside,better put on extra layers.

Good morning Christiana, rise and shine in the highland of Cameron, where the temperature is chill and the air is fresh. We all had a rejuvenating sleep. Nana woke up cheerful and enliven our room with her excited squeal. We came down from the hotel and had light Malay breakfast, no colonial English breakfast with tea or whatsoever.

Peter Jackson's next film location

Sungai Palas BOH Tea plantation

However, we visited a tea farm nearby, its called the Sungai Palas BOH Tea plantation. Situated at Brinchang district, Sungai Palas BOH Tea plantation is one of the 3 tea plantations owned by the BOH company, the others are HAbu and Fairlie Tea Garden. All 3 combine to form a total of 8000 acres of tea planted land, making BOH the largest tea plantation in Southeast Asia. 

Route to the tea centre brought us through narrow winding tar road along the hill slopes. The view of lush green rolling hills with neat organized rows of tea plants is a wonder to behold. It looks from far like an extensive field of carpet grass, just feel like jumping out of the car and running into it. The splendid sight was nothing we've ever seen before, as if a scene taken from Shire, the Hobbit's land. Therefore we highly recommend Cameron Highland tea estate as one of the must see places when visiting Malaysia.  

A clear stream running through the vast hill of tea plants.

When I'm on papa's shoulder, I believe I can fly

Mummy, do you prefer coffee, tea or me?

BOH Plantations was founded in 1929 by J.A. Russel, a British businessman during the British colonial era in Malaya. He was optimistic of the tea plantation business due to huge demands despite of the world-wide Great Depression at that time. As a result of the potential, he applied for and was granted a concession of land for his first tea garden in Habu, Cameron Highlands.

Today, BOH owns 3 tea gardens - Habu, Fairlie Tea Garden and Sungai Palas Tea Garden. To ensure the freshness of its tea products, BOH Plantations set up a packaging factory near its main garden. Its  tea products are then distributed both in domestic and international markets.

Behold, the BOH tea cafe on a balcony overlooking the panoramic hills.

Dad's gonna squeeze me if I don't keep quiet, better pose nicely (gulp..)

The scenic drive along the extensive tea plantation lead us to the Sungai Palas Tea Centre, a manufacturing factory cum tea shop and cafe. The cafe has a balcony that overlooks the enchanting grand mountainous view of greeneries, clear blue sky with misty clouds hovering over the horizon. Its the sight of mother nature well groomed and well taken care of, non-violated and unpolluted, an example of human appreciating the treasure entrusted to them for their future generations. 

The balcony is the perfect place to sip refreshing tea, taste croissants and cakes while enjoying the cool ambiance and paranomic view this highland brings. At the back of my head i envy the people here who lives a healthier lifestyle, care-free, slower pace of life, with unpolluted air and fresh food. Far away from the buzz of KL city which makes it an ideal holiday retreat, Cameron Highland is a paradise on earth.    

This is an unadulterated image capture of Cameron Highland (impressive isn't it).

Why are you cranky Nana? Tummy ache, hungry, tired, needa poop, or all of the above?

I don't want to be carried, I know how to walk myself..

The Sungai Palas 'ummph!' BOH TEA Plantation offers a free guided factory tour of how tea leaves are processed. Judging from the old machinery probably dating back to decades old, I think BOH partly still applies conventional tea processing techniques. A visit to the BOH shop shows refined exquisite tea products with quality that varies. Since this caffeine-rich drink has other medicinal value as well, it makes a good gift to both young and old. 

Inside the BOH souvenir shop.

Nana wants to hold the camera for a selfie shot.

Good thing they weren't both wearing green too.

We strolled down the tea estate by foot. Given the enormous tea plantation project being carried out, we failed to detect any plantation workers in sight. We were picturing estate workers carrying huge rattan baskets pacing around the land plucking tea leaves but that was not the case. Perhaps the leaves are not ready to be harvested? They certainly look ripe to me.

The plants were just leafy without any flowers. The morning dew descended on the leaves like it had just rained. The surrounding air was fresh as of an unchartered new world, as how one would imagine a land flowing with milk and honey. The soil below our feet was soft and certainly fertile, promising anyone they would reap what they sow on it.  

Never occurred to be strawberries are planted like orchids.

The strawberry "wildlife" reserve.

The big local celebrity of Cameron Highland.

Here we go again, Strawberry farm! A different one this time, because there were just so many of them mushrooming around the highland. Here's what a strawberry cultivation site really looks like. Strawberries grow down from flower pots that hang in the air, turning from green to red as they ripen. To maximize limited space, hydroponic vegetables are planted in the same area just below the strawberry plants.

We paid Rm40 to pick our own strawberries, as much as a styrofoam board can fit, as long as it didn't exceed 3kg (I think). Later we found out it was much cheaper being sold at the market. Upon entry, it was understood no one is allowed to indulge in any free flow strawberry buffet! Not being a sour grape, but local strawberries are hardly sweet and most of the time sour like citrus fruit. Which makes plucking strawberries a lil' overrated for an adult. 

More strawberry waffles with whipped cream, relished together with fresh pure strawberry milk shake.

A local nursery stall.

Dry market at Brinchang adjacent to trunk road. Traffic could be heavy and parking difficult. 

I know, I just couldn't resist another round of strawberry waffle and its fresh milk shake. Besides, how often would one drive up 1000m above sea level to enjoy the experience a highland retreat could bring. So anyway, on our way back from the Sungai Palas Tea Plant to Brinchang we stopped by the Brinchang day market. There we bought a bunch of corns the locals named "Pearl Corns" aka Jagung Mutiara. They even demonstrated to us it could be eaten raw. (What??).

We walked around seeking souvenirs, of which one of them would look good on our fridge. You guessed it, magnet! We came across few souvenir shops and got Nana's winter ear cover from there, and you guessed it, it was strawberry shape. Otherwise, the market was a typical vegan paradise, with extensive selection of fresh vegetables to choose from. There were simply enough plants and sun to fight zombies (what am I talking about?).

Other items tourist could find from the market are fruits stalls and flower plants for sale. The types of flowers being grown in Cameron are quite an eye-opener. Like I said earlier, some are climate-sensitive and a little research ought to be done before adopting the flower plant home.

A bee farm that wasn't quite what i expected.

Nice cozy miniature huts for the bees.

There was an isolated bee farm along the way. It looked quite mediocre from the outside. Knowing that honey is widely sold in Cameron which means bees are breed here for commercial purpose, we randomly stopped by this bee farm expecting to see bee hives hanging from trees. However, we were greeted with small huts which were their man-made habitat. I suppose these friendly small species didn't sting, therefore their conservation were left exposed in open space.

A place not to be missed by the avid plant lovers.

A feast of visual sensation for the little infant.

Evening approaches, on our way back to Brinchang, we came across this place with a very big banner which reads "Cactus Point". From the sound of it, I deduced it was another nursery, probably one which pride itself in variety of cactus. As we stepped in, the place appears to be a wide cultivation centre of colourful plants in flower pots. The overlying roof is made up of netting which screen the amount of sunlight and rainwater the plants receive in order to optimize their growing condition.

It was quite impressive how much dedication and manpower needed to produce this vast array of colourful exhibit, what more when it involved nurturing plants. Must be rewarding for the planters to see their product of such hardwork blooming so healthily, even more so when visitors throng this retail nursery to purchase the plants. As much as i love to admire these flower plants, i couldn't possibly have what it takes to attend to my own garden.   

An ancient token toy car easily as old as me.

Mummy, are you resting me on top of your baby bump?

I supposed cost price of sought after flowers like roses are very cheap, what more when they blossom easily in Cameron Highland. To think of the same roses being sold for exorbitant price on Valentine's Day is totally absurd. I disagree with forking out extra for the marked price hike on roses that cost only Rm7 per flower on any other day. But if I don't, Karling would kill me and make me suffer a hundred death. Truth is, she likes flower but appreciate the chivalry more.

And that I can say with confidence, apply to all women. Just to help out all the Romeos wannabe out there, be very certain of the meaning in regards to the numbers and colours the flower bring. You don't wanna regret sending to that wonderful girl the wrong message that can't be retracted back.

Flowers being sold at the night market..

Different colour roses. 

Vegetables can be obtained at a good deal.

I supposed one could live in Cameron Highland and easily be a vegetarian for life. I have known people who claim they were vegan (do not consume egg and their by-products) since childhood and have grown to be healthy (happy?) young adults with no signs of malnourishment or stunted growth. Can a child be strictly vegan and rely on second class proteins from plant products to sufficiently meet his dietary requirement for growth? There are people who can't take meat (and fish) simply because they are allergic to it who still grow up pretty healthily.

A visit to the night market in Brinchang brought us to a vegetarian haven, an eye-opener to the many types of healthy vegetables one could survive on. One doesn't have to be a good cook to enjoy delicious vegetables. Easy to prepare, Chinese love to stir fry it, otherwise steam, stew, or eat it raw ala Western style.

The hybrid orange and Pearl corn (jagung Mutiara).

A vegan paradise.

I particularly love Cameron's hybrid orange. Its big, juicy and sweet, taste even better than the Chinese Lokam which only arrive on Chinese New Year. We love the baked corn (Jagung bakar) too, would taste even superb with butter and salt.

Every food taste nice when we're hungry, and when the weather is chilly, we get hungry easily. The popular dish in a cold Cameron Highland is the charcoal steamboat, though we didn't have the priviledge of trying it. Nana at this tender age is not suitable for much of solid food yet, but we made do with some dishes at a local Chinese restaurant, subsequently fed Nana more milk after that.

My strawberry girl dictating the dinner menu.

Me and Karling enjoyed Nana's company very much, such a thrill to take turns carrying her in our arms as we explore Cameron together. This trip almost felt like it was meant for Nana. When I was younger i would cross out Cameron Highland in a heartbeat as a holiday destination thinking it would be boring. This time though, i relished the adventure with my cuddly little daughter whom like me, walked the highland of Cameron for the 1st time.. And we shall have more of it tomorrow.