Life's Simple Pleasures: April 2011

Friday, April 22, 2011

Cameron trip (Day 2)

Unable to drag ourself out of the warm cosy blanket in the cold weather, we skipped the idea of watching sunrise at the tea plantation. Had a quick breakfast at one of the shop in Tanah Rata town. The roti canai was cold, bland and rubbery, the kuah wasn't any better. Never imagined roti canai can taste this bad. Headed off to Boh Tea Centre hoping to get a better breakfast only to find another disapointment..... It's closed on Mondays! Oh well, life's got it's ups and downs. We moved on to the next destination on our itinerary, also the highlight of this trip....the.....MOSSY FOREST!!

After a wrong branch off, the already winding road took a 45% steep up and the road condition got bad to worse. With holes here and there and tar broken off revealing the soil below, we knew we must be on the wrong track. Heading back to the way we came, we noticed there was a branch to our right with a Strawberry Farm signboard. Since it was the only junction along they way we figured it must be the right path and after 10-15 minutes of driving we reached the mossy forest. See below on how to get there.

How to get to Mossy Forest:

Mossy Forest is on the same route as Sungai Palas Boh Tea station. Drive along the trunk road to tea station. There's a left turn before the guardhouse of Boh Tea station, turn left. Make another left turn when you see a Strawberry Farm signboard. You'll see a cement shelter and wooden staircase on your right at the entrance of mossy forest.

*spectacular view along the way

Mossy forest

It was raining lightly when we reach the entrace. The rain was so small we can barely feel it, it was just like walking amidst the fog covered with cold water vapor. Climbing up the flight of stairs, the forest started to appear before us. In the rain, the forest looks like it was covered under a thin veil. There were no other visitors that day. It was pure silence, with only sounds of water drops dripping from leaves. We walked slowly, careful because the stairs were slippery, also because we do not want to break the peace. It was like a dream. We were in a different world. Mosses covered the ground and trees like a thick green carpet, the trees were not the dense leafy type but with branches and twigs that twists and stretch to the sky. We didn't complete the trail because midway the staircase were pretty worn out, stairs were broken or missing, and we didn't want to take the risk with no other people around. But it's a truly enchanting experience. Hoping to check this place out in a different weather.

* Top of Gunung Brinchang 2032m, highest peak accessible by road in Peninsular Malaysia.

Just because we overshot the Mossy Forest. heh :p

T cafe (upstairs of Mary Brown)

After the cold, we were craving for a nice warm meal. So we decided to try out T Cafe that many blogged about. We ordered a main course each and a serving of scones which is not so commonly available in Malaysia yet (also one of the shop's signature dish). The price was reasonable and at RM2.50, you get a scone served hot with butter, homemade strawberry jam (with chunky bits of strawberry) and whipped cream. NICE~! I can't say it's the best scone I've tasted, best I had was in New Zealand, but it's enjoyable. The place was cosy and with friendly staff, no wonder it's gotten such good reviews.

No. 4, 1st Floor,
Main Road
3900 Tanah Rata

http://t-cafe.biz/

*A humourous quote on the cafe wall. Dedicated to all you travellers :D

Cameron trip (Day 1)

2010 Oct 31 - 1 Nov

Being a lover of succulents and plants, strawberries and steamboat, I have all the reasons to go to Cameron Highlands. :) So, on an October weekend J and I had a short getaway to Cameron.

Lata Iskandar waterfall http://www.waterfallsofmalaysia.com/27iskandar.php

We stopped by Lata Iskandar Waterfall on our way from Tapah to Cameron Highlands. Once you spotted stalls on the roadside, pay attention to your left. You'll be able to see a signboard and the waterfall, it's impossible to overlook. This is a good place to stop by and unwind from your journey. Further up the waterfall, there's staircase leading to the second cascade where you can get "up close and personal" with the waterfall. It's so close that you can feel the splashes from the waterfall on your face. Apparently this is not all, after the trip, I got to know there's another mini waterfall nearby with a natural pool to swim in. AWWWWW, missed that!~ till the next trip then. * A word of caution if you're going up the second cascade. The rocks are slippery with mosses, so DO be careful and watch your steps.

Cameron Bharat tea plantation

Along the way up, still not there yet, :p there's the Cameron Bharat tea plantation, producer of Cameron Valley tea. We stopped by for some refreshments (YAY!!) and a stroll around the plantation. I wonder if it's the surrounding, but sitting there in the lush greenery surrounding you and cooling atmosphere, everything just taste better~ We had a strawberry cheesecake and tea, which is a match from heaven combination. (ok la, abit exagerated :p) but the sweet n soury taste of the cake and the fragrance and smoothness from the tea blends real well. Then you can walk around the plantation and watch people taking pictures or better still, take some pictures of yourself, and try if you can smell the scent of tea sipping from the tea leaves. * I thought I did.

*ever notice the tea flower?

Organic produce steamboat

For lunch, we went for steamboat at organic produce restaurant. (Yeap. The name IS "Cameron Organic Produce Sdn Bhd"). The idea of all vege steamboat doesn't really sound appealing to us, so we ordered mix steamboat, which still has alot of vegetables in it (aprox. 10 types of vege). To me there's nothing much special about the steamboat except that the vegetables tastes really fresh, sweet and crunchy! We couldn't finish the vege, so we tapao home. By the time my mom cooked them which was 2 days later, they still taste fresh and sweet, and she's really impressed (LOL). So, healthy food lovers, I recommend you try this. The meal costs RM18 per person.

Cameron Organic Produce Sdn Bhd
MDCH 10, Bandar Baru, 39100 Brinchang,
Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia.

Map: http://www.cameron-highland-destination.com/map-cameron-organic-produce-brinchang.html

Cactus valley

Went to cactus valley for sight seeing and see if I can find some new plants for my garden. The area is very big and divided into many sections with wide variety of plants. Cactus, succulents, flowers, fruits and vegetables, it's like a plant museum. This is one place where you can find them all. J said it's not as well maintained as before, so some parts of the garden looks kinda dark and gloomy. Recommend to go earlier in the day, should be better :)

PEKAN LAMA, 39100 BRINCHANG,
CAMERON HIGHLANDS
PAHANG DARUL MAKMUR
MALAYSIA

Entrance fee: RM4

The brinchang night market wasn't open on Sunday night (*see special note), so we headed back to our accomodation after a quick dinner. But if you manage to go to the market, I heard the fried mushroom and sweet potato is good. (still wanna recommend although I couldn't try it out myself. Try it and let me know. :p )

Hillview inn

We stayed at the HillView Inn at Tanah Rata. The place itself has a beautiful garden, rooms are clean and tidy. We got a room overlooking the garden (Lucky! and lucky for us the heater is working fine too. Check out TripAdvisor for other user's review) There's also a TV lounge if you just want to relax and enjoy the cooling weather in Cameron. The only setback is that the lady owner isn't friendly nor helpful, so if hospitality is important to you, then you might want to consider other options.

Special Note (to avoid disappointment):

- Brinchang famous night market (pasar malam) only available on Friday and Saturday night

- Boh Tea Centre open daily EXCEPT Monday 9am - 4.30pm

Monday, April 18, 2011

Trip to Melaka

11 September 2010

Had a short trip to Melaka, just to look at how things change since Uni and checkout some of the "HOT" spots.

First stop was Limau Limau Cafe. It's pretty secluded. The cafe's decor is unique and had a vintage feel to it. (I just can't resist places with these kind of atmosphere!! *_*)

*love this white antique chair

*little corner featuring travel spots

What impressed me the most is the food. They offer a WIDE variety of food and beverages, and as far as what we tried out, all taste awesome. (drooling!!)

*Plenty to choose from

*mini portrait session while waiting for food

They're very generous with the portion/ fillings and the ingredients are really fresh. All the food feels very healthy, not too much seasoning, which encouraged me to eat more without realising it......OMG!!! >O<

*fresh orange juice, fruity yoghurt drink, sandwhich with plenty of vege and generous filling....what more can you ask for??

*limau-limau cafe. Looking forward to visit it again

Limau-Limau Cafe (NOT just a nice place~ food is superb as well!!): No49 Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Street), Melaka

After that, we took a stroll around Jonker street. It's changed quite abit from the time I was studying Uni here. Besides souvenirs, there's more shops selling aparrels, accessories, antiques and home decor stuff.

Skipped Jonker 88 "dai bou sai bou" due to the crazy queue. (despite the midday heat, people were queuing under the burning sun with umbrellas).

*Looong queue outside Jonker88

Went to another shop which J recommended sells just as nice Chendol which is frequented by the locals. The shop was packed as well!! So we "tumpang" table with another couple n wolfed down our chendol and Nyonya bihun in seconds.

* Chendol and ngonya bihun. Bihun so so only.

Next stop is Nadeje, famous for it's mille crepes. *The Mille crêpe is a French cake made of many crêpe layers. "Mille" ("mil") means "a thousand", implying the many layers of crêpe.

We went to the branch located at Plaza Mahkota. All cakes were sold out, and the staff have no idea when the new cakes will arrive. So they suggested us to try out the Dataran Pahlawan branch. Since we've came all the way, I'm definitely not gonna give up so easily!! So we went on to the Dataran Pahlawan branch AND........to my HORROR faced the same fate!! The cakes were sold out too. Since we've gone sooo far, we decided to wait. Luckily, it was worth it. The cake had a soft and creamy texture, and feels like it just melts in your mouth. Even with all those layers of cream, it's not too sweet nor heavy, so even people who dun fancy sweet stuff would still enjoy it. Nothing like any cake I've tried before. Simply *dreamy*! If you never had one, I recommend you to try it out :)

(And just a personal advice, never EVER go on public holidays. Took us 3 hrs of waiting. I CERTAINLY will never go to those famous spots on public holidays anymore)

Nadeje Patisserrie Cafe:

Taman Melaka Raya, Melaka

At Plaza Mahkota.
G-23 & 25, Jln PM4,
Plaza Mahkota,
75000 Melaka.

*After dinner, we just hang out and had a drink at Ringo~ one of the pubs with live band in Jonker

Second day lunch we decided to try our luck at Jonker88 again. We ordered laksa and chendol. It was so good (or maybe it was the queue that makes us hungry?!) that both of us didn't rememeber to take pictures until we're half way through the laksa. By then the chendol was already finished. :p

Side story: While queuing we met this interesting traveller. Since he travels alone and at Jonker88 you had to do everything yourself (order, find table, bring your food there), he kept queueing up again and again to try out different food. After we finish our food and went out, he was queuing for the 3rd time. Looking at him, I've witnessed determination. lol.

*Half eaten laksa. yumyum!~

Unlike the typical melacca food trip I used to have (chicken rice balls, satay celup), J had something else planned out. So, coming up next is ikan bakar for dinner. If you're up for a change, try out the ikan bakar @ Krystal Bay. We ordered scallop kunyit as well.

*Scallop kunyit

We went to GoGo cafe at the jetty beside Mahkota Hotel to have a drink. Despite the name, the atmosphere is laid back and relaxing. With not much of a crowd, we just sit there, enjoying the music and sea breeze.