Malaysia's cool secret ~ high above the humid coastline

Mention Malaysia and, after the food (always a hot topic!) what do people remember most?

That's right, the heat. Peninsular Malaysia is located just north of the equator: it lies between 3-6 degrees of latitude, north, to be exact. This means the temperature rarely wavers more than a few degrees either way. With averages around 30C year-round, and up to 90 percent humidity, for those who don't like that sort of climate (me!) it can spoil the enjoyment of an otherwise great place.

However - on a recent trip to the 'cool' part of the country, we found relief - and a LOT to love. Over 80 years ago this is where the colonial British came to escape the heat, building hill-stations high in the Titiwangsa Mountains, the rocky spine of the Malay peninsula. They had learned that trick in India and continued the habit here, constructing colonial mansions, playing golf and growing lush cool-climate gardens.

While the climate is still the same, and shreds of colonialism remain, today's independent Malaysia is very different. Notice that even traffic signs are in Bahasa Malaysia, the official language. Can you guess what the red sign, above, means?

And while that large sign to Genting (pronounced as in Gents) seems straightforward, we had become almost inextricably lost, self-driving from Johor Bahru, and taken hours longer than expected to reach Gohtong Jaya, the small town which was to be our base for our first mountain experience.

Finally we reached the DZH Health Resort just a minute or so walk from the town's thriving strip of Chinese restaurants and cafes, 168 shops (equivalent of our 24/7s - work it out!), food carts and, inexplicably, a Vietnamese bakery (Backerei under the Your Hotel) where we indulged in superb pastries and authentic drip coffee each morning of our stay.

 

Next day we headed up the escarpment towards Resorts World Genting, the mistily magnificent mass of buildings just visible on the horizon. Yet, even with this prize awaiting, twenty minutes up the winding road, the sight of a huge pagoda was an invitation for us to take time out and explore.

The huge Jin Swee Caves Temple opened in 1994, and is yet another aspect of the vision of Dr Lim Goh Tong, the founder of Genting's many attractions. 

Spiritual below, secular far above.

The temple and its grounds have everything from sobering caves depicting the Ten Chambers of Hell, complete with graphically suffering figurines and symbols, to places which are fun for children too.

 

Here is the man behind it all, Dr Lim Goh Tong. Born in 1918 in China's Fujian province, he arrived in Malaya in 1937, learned the language, became a builder, then moved on to huge construction projects. In 1969 he began plans for what has become today a major tourist venue, just 55 kilometres from the capital, Kuala Lumpur.  

No expense was spared in creating the finest temple possible and the project took 18 years to complete. This giant Buddha presides at the end of the Journey to Enlightenment, reached by a path passing those caves of hell.

But, surely, as the founder wanted and expected, once the faithful visitors have prayed for good fortune at the temple, the only place to head for is the top of the mountain, a ten-minute drive away.

Over the past decades the various accommodation and entertainment options in the Genting Highlands have morphed into the giant Resorts World Genting. Here, Malaysia's first and only casino, five top resort hotels with upmarket cafes, restaurants, bars and shops, cinemas and theatres, attempt to offer something for everyone. There is no 'town' as such; the complex has become the centre.

The hotels are beyond grand; many seem larger than life, and even the sight of the mythic kingdom from far below, a constellation of lights on the night skyline, it is jaw-dropping.

But for me, this was the best thing of all. Just look at that temperature on the billboard! In KL, almost visible in the mists of the coast far off below, it would be fifteen degrees hotter. Here, at an altitude of 1740 metres, there is a ski-village feel - underlined by a cable-car connection from Gohtong Jaya to the metropolis of high-rise buildings

Back at Gohtong Jaya, we find the reason many other people love this cooler climate: the chance to enjoy freshly-grown strawberries.

And if you grow them, you can then turn them into a tourist attraction too - one that all ages will enjoy.

By nightfall, though, the unmistakable odour of durian wafts over the town's one main street. Not just any durian, though. This is the finest of the 'king of fruits' - the king of kings.

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The good thing about the Malaysian highlands is the mix of cool-climate and tropical. On the road to the Cameron Highlands, several hours' drive north next day, we pass this weird offering. We could see it was the remains of jackfruit, the world's largest fruit, but who or what would want to pull off to the side of the road and buy this?

As we talked to the woman who was extracting the globes of flesh from these jackfruit, we found our answer. The fibrous dried pith is used as fodder for animals.

But there were more surprises in store for us on this journey. Over twenty kilometres south of the town where we were to stay, unexpectedly the hillsides came packaged in plastic. We had seen the white splashes on the hills from a distance, but on coming closer we discovered hectares of plants of all kinds, growing undercover. 

For several kilometres we passed these tunnels, hothouses for flowers, greens, vegetables and berries: a market garden of gargantuan proportions.

Plainly, the cool climate that lured the overheated British is now being employed for a different result.

If the Genting Highlands are 'cool' in a chic, extravagant, glitzy way, then the Cameron Highlands, at an elevation of 1524 metres, are cool in temperature. This is where tea thrives, and has done so for many years at this roadside plantation just outside of Tanah Rata, one of the region's two major towns.

The vista, over the carpet of tea bushes that yield 70,000 kilograms of green tea leaves, plucked each week, is calming and extremely photogenic. Many visitors choose to linger a while in the tearooms - and of course have a cup of tea!

The Cameron Valley Tea plantation, one of several plantations with tearooms in the area, began in 1933. The Cameron Highlands opened up when, in 1885 following British colonization, British researcher Sir William Cameron was commissioned to explore parts of hitherto unmapped Malaysia.

Cameron reached Ipoh and tracked the River Kinta to its source. Upon arrival at the top of nearby Mount Chabang the group noted mild temperatures, ranging from 8C to 20C and, tantalisingly, were able to glimpse a number of plateaus with heights ranging from 1340 to 1800 meters above sea level.

Our room for the two nights we had in Tanah Rata was at Century Pines Resort. It is one of the earlier buildings in town and later we were to see old black and white photographs of it, dating from when it was new.

The highlands lie in the state of Pahang, Malaysia's third-largest state. While the British colonialists may have originally come to this area for the climate and a good cuppa, we found the town alive with people of all ages wearing backpacks and sturdy boots. Jungle trekking is the attraction now, and they come to hike the jungle trails, photograph the wildlife, and maybe sight a civet cat, a mongoose, or monkeys. Some  take the two-hour trail to the summit of Mount Brinchang (2032m) or on another four hours to Mount Irau, even higher.

History is cool here too. The Cameron Highlands Resort is built as a long extension from an existing 1930s cottage with architecture dating from the 1870s.

Channelling another age, the nostalgic interiors hark back to its grand colonial heritage with tall French doors, timber-beamed ceilings and plantation shutters combined with heritage colours.

The resort overlooks the 18-hole golf course, as green and as much in favour as it would have been eighty years ago. Originally created to suit the ex-pat demographic who made this area their bolthole decades ago, it began with a six-hole golf course in 1935. In the early days, the club was patronised by the wealthy, and back then, it was common to find tiger paw prints in the bunkers. Certainly that would be an incentive to keep moving!

For those who might remember the era, or just love a good dose of history, the Time Tunnel in the larger centre of Brinchang a couple of kilometres further north of Tanah Rata, is the place to come. Here, for just a few ringgit entry fee, you can be transported back to the beginnings of life in this area, zoom past the British era and into the events surrounding Merdeka (Malaysian Independence) and then the present day.

Allow some time to spend here as it is crammed with photographs, models, memorabilia and displays, and it has to be one of the best and most comprehensive local displays you will ever find.

Even Australia gets a mention.

If you thought that Gohtong Jaya was strawberry-centric, then the Cameron Highlands does it bigger and better.

There is even strawberry coffee to try. It is unusual, and unusually good....

... and nothing makes a better selfie than having a giant strawberry in the background.

Behind the Time Tunnel there is a strawberry farm - but not just any old one....

... this is a 'self plucking' one. I guess others would call it 'pick your own'.

While the two towns have moved on to become contemporary Malaysian centres, still some grand old places remain. The 1939-built smokehouse is one, and there are others that reprise the era of British colonialism. At Ye Olde Smokehouse you can sit down and crook your little finger as you sip on fine locally grown tea accompanied by scones and jam and cream.

Meanwhile just a couple of blocks away the townscape features high-rise apartments and hotels, bustling street markets and, of course.... those ubiquitous strawberries!

The whole area is a green-thumb's paradise. Bee farms, orchids, flowers, fruit are available to see, buy, learn about, or simply admire.

At Cactus Point, heading northwards towards the road to Ipoh, there is every type of prickly plant as well as succulents - and yes, you guessed it - more strawberries!

In the town of Tanah Rata, the dining seems slanted towards the itinerant visitors, with everything from chicken and chips to Turkish, Malay and Chinese restaurants. We fell for Restoran Kumar, the name suggesting the Indian offerings available. Tandoor, dosa, murtabak, rice dishes: the standard was good, the food tasty, service speedy and friendly. We looked twice, though, at the bill, as it all seemed so cheap.

Returning along the highland road, we stopped to see another relic of the past, overlooking a jade green lake. The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands is built in Mock Tudor style as so many of the original buildings in the region were. It dates from 1966, and was built by Colonel Foster, a retired British Army man who wanted to run his own bed and breakfast. The Lakehouse now operates as a boutique hotel.

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(credit: Veera)

Our final destination in the highlands was south again, about an hour north of Genting. Fraser's Hill is cool in yet another way. This is the place you come to chill out and relax. It's a place for getting close to nature, and is the venue for a major annual bird spotting event. Despite the name, no birds are raced. It is, instead, a contest between twitchers to see how many species they can identify in a given time. Teams can spot as many as 75 species in this event.

The highlands are still yielding hauls of timber as these huge trunks show, and some people are concerned about its effect on the environment.

On the way south we stopped at this place in the town of Raub, which despite the name is no secret. Secret Recipe is in the top 10 of Malaysia's franchises, and is best known for its decadent cakes.

I am fairly sure that this fellow, who we met shortly afterwards on the way to Fraser's Hill, was not a cake lover, but he was tearing into fruit which someone must have shared with him. He was a big heavy fellow and we felt it best to keep the window up for this photograph.

Fraser's Hill (Bukit Fraser, in the local language) is reached by a narrow, winding one-way road. Giant bamboo sways over the road, and there's the occasional landslip and uprooted trees. Fraser's Hill derives its name from a Scottish trader, Louis James Fraser, whose tin-ore trading post in the 1890s was of interest to the British army who had not explored the area, and felt that he could help them. Fraser and his guides prospected for gold or other valuable metals on the ridges and, at the top almost totally in clouds, he discovered an ancient forest of moss-draped trees and ferns. On finding rich tin deposits, he opened a mine in the area.

Today the tiny town of Fraser's Hill is manicured and tidy, its clock tower the focus.

This photo from 1970 shows the town centre before it was built. (credit: Veera)

To show the dual language of the clock tower's background, one side displays Fraser's Hill, and the other Bukit Fraser, here appropriately being used by local young ladies for a selfie.

With no casino, only a couple of very small shops, no nightlife, markets, (or even strawberry farms) just why do people come here, and what is there to do? This signpost proves the area's popularity, and the many visitors generally are simply looking for peace and quiet and a chance to get closer to nature, walking (watching out for the occasional tiger!) bird watching and taking pictures.

There are many comfortable lodges and resorts in Fraser's Hill as well as houses using the colonial term of 'bungalow', where the food is good, comfort is paramount, and tea and scones in the afternoon wouldn't be entirely out of the question.

We found such a place at the aptly-named Buona Vista, meaning 'beautiful view', which is tucked into the jungle up another winding one-way road. Many know this as Stephen's Place as owner Stephen Hogg has created quite a fan club from those who have stayed here. Stephen is himself an accomplished wildlife photographer with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the local flora, fauna, snakes and insects.

Understandably the four well-appointed bedrooms in his property are in great demand from scientists, camera enthusiasts, birdwatchers and lovers of wildlife. 

The trees are alive with birdsong on the property, and there are other creatures too. We were told that tiny squirrels have been photographed drinking water from these flowers that hung just a few metres from our bedroom door.

Stephen and his wife Salmiah are passionate about feeding their family and guests on healthy food, much of it made with ingredients grown or raised on the property. This breakfast spread features homemade bread, eggs from the hens in the back yard, and homemade sausages - and it was, of course, delicious.

After dark, the lawns are set up with cameras to capture images of visiting nocturnal animals. Luckily for us a civet cat was polite enough to amble out of the bushes while we were there. Watch for its appearance on the video! It was exciting and we had the faint feeling of being in the midst of a research project.

Stephen has a particular interest in moths and butterflies, and this fist-sized beauty obligingly posed nearby on a branch to be photographed.

Back in town again, we discover another Smokehouse, a relic of the colonial age too. This one has been offering 'traditional English country house hospitality since 1937'.

And once again a golf course - of course! Malaysia's earliest highland golf course was constructed in 1925, the original nine-hole course built on Fraser's former tin mines. In the 1970s, an 18-hole course was added.

In the small souvenir shop adjoining the Post Office in the centre of town, this top says it all, even though it is over fifty years after the British left Malaysia. Of course it's made with long sleeves to suit the chill of the highlands. 

Malaysia's highlands have something for everyone: respite from the heat, sweeping panoramas, places to play, shop and hike, and plenty of space to relax and recalibrate the senses in the beauty of nature.

All come away winners from this little-known but very special region.

More information on Malaysia.....

Pahang tourism information....

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Text and photos: ©Sally Hammond

Video: ©Gordon Hammond

Sally and Gordon Hammond travelled to this region independently.

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