Blue Noodle for the Soul: Self-Plucked Point: Cameron Highlands

Paglalakbay ni Pansit Bughaw - Sa Maganda at Dukhang Mundo

Personal photos using "tira lang ng tira" style

Self-Plucked Point: Cameron Highlands

It just hits us.

We wanted a break.

We need a quick out-of-country holiday without charging VL days.
Chili F, got a good idea: Cameron.

Based from hearsays, it’s akin to Baguio…cool climate (which is a welcome change as we were starting to look like prunes from heat and humidity), strawberries (uhmmm yummy!) and perhaps some cuties (yummier!)

Anyhoo, the trip was a 2 days stint. We left our beloved host country at 10PM fri night.
I think all of us were shivering from the relentless blast of air conditioner…except for one, who as described by Chili A as a ‘smartypants’ bringing a malong and sleeping peacefully all the way to the la-la land.

When we woke up,this was the first thing that caught our attention

And yes, we were trying to suppress our giggles to no avail. Alas, we forgot to take a pic along with it.
Surprise, surprise the package that we took was in partnership with the Titiwangsa Tours…. Oh well, universe has a peculiar sense of humor.

First, we got dropped off to our hotel.

Thanks to chili F, we got this hotel. The lobby looks like going for a united nations theme with all the flags draping from the banisters.

So, how was the climate there? Here you go:

‘Umph’ #1: Boh Tea Tree plantation
Cameron Highlands named after William Cameron, a British colonial government surveyor who discovered the plateau on an expedition. The place became a hit after realization of the fertility of the lands. Currently, it is one of the biggest tea , vegetable producing area
In my opinion, the first stop would have been more impressive without the pathetic ‘i-am-so-sick’ tour guide. This guide makes getting traffic in edsa more like a trip to heaven.
Anyhoo, we were surrounded by a picturesque landscape so the innate shutterbugs in all of us were busy taking pictures and taking turn in posing.
Check out Chili A and Chili F’s blog for better pictures here and here

Tidbit info: Tea like us also takes a break, after being pruned for 1 season it will rest for 1 reason before it will be pruned for harvesting again.Also, only the top of tea trees are harvested

‘Umph’ #2: Tea Factory
Remember the sardine commercial by cesar montano, to assure the freshness of the product is that a factory was set beside the shore? Same idea with the tea folks, to assure the quality of the tea, they set up the factory near the farm,’to pick and pack’ on the same day.
My 5kb memory is failing me now, the 2nd guide (a very good guide) gave us a rundown on the process. If I remember it correctly, it was drying, selecting and cooking.

‘Umph’ #3: Moss Forest
Intriguing huh? It is actually ecologically informative on how mosses, yes the green icky ones, helps in conserving the rainforests. We were then asked if we wanted to go for the short trek to take a glimpse on the big pitcher plant. Three of us decided to be the trekker wannabes. Housemate L declined due to her asthma problem, another one declined as well saying he will accompany L (lamey excuse :P).
Well, the trek may be a short one, but for someone whose idea of exercise is yawing 10 times a day, is not a picnic. The mud takes a lot of energy, it was stressful to concentrate not to slip or else get a muddy pants . Looking at this log

already makes you wonder how can you step on it without getting a mud pack.

The climax of the trek was to snap a shot of this wondrous plant:

Sirit? Le Pitcher Plant

Chili F was a real hustler err I mean she breeze through the trek and assisted the whale-coordinated me on the walk. Chili A also gracefully finished the trek while talking on the phone, beat that! The result was three with muddy trainers and 2 with squeaky clean trainers.

‘Umph’ #3: Chrysanthemum Farm
Uhmm ..farm of chrysanthemums? Ah heck, the place is a good background for pictures, which we exactly did.

‘Umph’ #4: Water Cress Farm
First this is the pic of our 2nd guide. I rate him one big smiley.

Ok we never really went to the farm itself, but we just got a bird’s eyeview of it.
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Interesting enough, since farms are way down in a valley like landscape, a special cablecart is used to transport the produce from the farm to the main road. Too bad I can’t try it.

‘Umph’ #5: Self-Plucking Strawberry Farm
Yes you read it correctly, that’s how they call farms wherein you can pick your strawberries.
The only thing that impressed me here is that one Chili uses her charm on one of the tour staff, and it was rewarded with a jam ... blooming! Sino etetch!

‘Umph’ #6: Veggie/Flower Farm
Totally forgot what exactly the farming process employed for these veggies, but the gist of it is that instead of planting them directly to the land, veggies are planted on this cushion like tube filled with sawdust and water is supplied in a controlled continuous way.