A 2 hour winding bus journey brings us up to the hill town of Tana Rata, in the Cameron Highlands. In the early 1900’s it was a weekend getaway for the British living on the Peninsula, now a tourist hot-spot for those looking to escape the heat for a few days.

We’re here for a couple of days to sample what’s on offer, with the promise of tea plantations, trekking through the forest & enjoying the stunning scenery. Opting for an organised tour, our small group is picked up on our first morning by a battered Land Rover, this is to be our mode of transport for the day.As we make our way up into the hills we’re treated to stunning, but misty, views of the tea plantations that dominate this area. The only blots on the landscape are the vast poly tunnels housing the many strawberry farms, & the multitude of Land Rovers transporting the plethora of tourists!

We continue our assent to 2000 metres where the Mossy Forest greets us with it’s towering moss covered trees & giant ferns. Walking through the trees on a raised platform we’re amongst the low cloud, adding to the mystical surroundings.

There’s not much info regarding our surroundings, a few QR codes to scan & identify what you’re seeing. OK if you’ve got data, we don’t! We’ve seen better in Thailand, so a little disappointed.The rest of the day takes us to an underwhelming tea factory, strawberry farm, butterfly farm, bee farm (are you sensing a theme) & Cactus Point (a garden centre specialising in Cacti).Probably the best stop of the day was the Time Tunnel museum, giving a glimpse of the area through the years. Unfortunately we were only given 20 minutes to experience it!We stop at the obligatory temple before the final destination of a small waterfall, unfortunately blighted by vast amounts of litter. Makes your blood boil as it wouldn’t take more than a couple of hours to clean it up.

Probably the high point of the day was when the back door of the Land Rover flew open whilst we’re ascending a steep hill, luckily nobody was harmed. Unfortunately the clutch of the vehicle didn’t fare so well when trying to hill start 😂😂.Safely back at base, at best it was an ok day. Our final day is fairly leisurely, a late breakfast followed by some light trekking through the jungle. There are more taxing treks but we chose the easier option, still tricky in places though with ropes to aid the climb. After 3 hours of various trails we emerge back into Tanah Rata, unscathed. It was these very parts where Jim Thompson, (him of the house in Bangkok, look him up), the American silk magnate disappeared never to be seen again. To celebrate our success we reward ourselves with a much deserved afternoon tea, delicious!