Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

On our free day at the World Universities Peace Invitational Debates being held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, our wonderful host Dr. Omar Salahuddin bin Abdullah offered to take some of us (Bojana, Piyanart, his wife Inie and myself) out in to the country, up off of the humid and hot lowlands of Malaysia, and into the cool and breezy Cameron Highlands section of Malaysia. I was anxious to go, because this would probably be one of my last chances to enjoy a cool climate during my visit here.

We drive out of Kuala Lumpur and through the incredible traffic and onto the broad and modern motorway leading out of the city. There was god conversation and good company. Omar, a refugee from Cornwall who converted to Islam and came to Malaysia many years ago, has a car he calls the "Blue Meanie" that has huge tires, custom-made bumpers (he designed them himself) and other custom elements (huge natural wood gearshift handle). He is seen as the "father" of debate in Asia and has become a close friend through the years. His wife, Inie, is knowledgeable and entertaining in her discussion of events and Malaysia. Pinayart is a professor and debate promoter from Thailand, and she has been a lot of fun to get to know. Bojana, of course, is always insightful and an incredible debate organizer. We joked and talked and mused and commented all through the day, going from serious to silly, as befits a day off.

We drive beyond the Cameron highlands, actually, so that we can enter it from one side, traverse its length, and then come out the other side. It is a large a interesting highlands, with steep mountains often with huge granite outcrops rising high in the air. We passed a huge waterfall on the way in that popped out of a mighty mountainside. We bean to climb, and we saw considerable evidence of the original people of this land (that is what they call themselves, the "Original People" and their settlements. As we arrived at the top we began to see wide arrays of greenhouses, as apparently this is the vegetable garden of Malaysia, with good temperature, rich soil and lots of natural moisture.

Near a large golf course in one of the valleys we came to a place called the Old Smokehouse, and old Tudor style house that has become a swanky country inn and a wonderful place to stop for tea and scones. It us surrounded by a lovely garden with a great mix of European and Asian plants and flowers. The tea and scones were tasty and the company continued to be jolly.

We drove down into a valley and went through a small town (the name means "flat ground") and stopped at a small set of shops. Even though it was a Tuesday there seemed to be a lot of activity and some interesting products (rock melons, bee pollen, flowers and plants, fresh vegetables and a lot more) and it was fun to browse. I even bought a small rubber toy for my living room table at home.

From there we went on to a lovely garden center that featured strawberries (very good) and a vast array of lovely plants. they had a wonderful collection of exotic cacti, and Omar and Inie had a lot of fun picking out 18 little fellows to start their cactus garden. Bojana bought some fresh and dried strawberries (I liked the dried ones best) and then we were back on the road.

We drove high into the mountains to the Boh Tea Plantation, located on a saddleback between two mountains. The tea covers the hillsides in a lush covering that looks like a strange sort of moss. It is cool but very moist. When we get to the top we can see that clouds moving from one side of the mountain to the other. Tea and scones are once again tasty and fresh. It is a wonderful vista as we can see the sun coming out on one side of the mountain.

We finish our topographical appreciation and head down the mountain. We drive through small villages with many shops. There are a lot of Land Rovers here, many of them quite old but in excellent condition.

We stop along the road to try some fresh durrian. Durrian is a fruit that is loved by Malaysians but can be a problem for tourists. The problem is that it stinks. I mean, it does. However, the tale is that the fruit itself is quite delicious. Omar encourages us to give it a try. He tells us that Oscar Wilde described durrian as like eating "custard in a toilet." It does have a remarkable flavor, very much like creamy custard, and it does have a bad smell. However, once the flavor hits the smell dopes not seem to be much of a problem. I liked it. Bojana especially liked it, and we all agreed that it was good. We got a good washing up when it was over and hit the road again.

We drove down the mountain and back in the traffic of Kuala Lumpur. We all felt very lucky that we were able to share this most delightful day trip.