Posted on Wednesday, 30 March 2016

Penang, a large island off Malaysia's west coast, reminded me that there's a limit to how much heat I can take. As much as I love the sunshine, just twenty minutes out in the afternoon heat of Georgetown, the island's main city, I found myself yearning for a cool, drizzly spring day in England.

Thankfully, I wouldn't have to go to such lengths to find relief from the flaring sun, which was pushing the mercury towards 40 degrees.

I had befriended a Spaniard who was also exhausted from the heat.

And so we found ourselves on a bus to the Cameron Highlands, about four hours to the east of Penang. This trekking mecca promised daytime temperatures of about 24 degrees and cool, cool nights.

Rising into the thick jungle, our coach negotiated the snaking roads en-route to the town of Tanah Rata. We soon realised that thousands of other people had the same idea: the roads were snarled up with Malaysians escaping the heatwaves of Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

Tanah Rata

Someone on the bus said it was also a national holiday, adding to the area's sudden popularity.

Given the scores of shiny Protons and Toyotas blocking the roads, we wondered if there would be any vacancies left in Tanah Rata. Thankfully, Malaysians don't go in for hostels, and we were greeted by a Malay brandishing a flyer that promised affordable accommodation.

Finding somewhere to stay was a relief, but it was nothing compared to escaping the fierce heat of Penang. The pleasant breeze and warm sun was reminiscent of a perfect British summer's day.

My Spanish friend took a dorm room while I paid a little more for the quiet of a private room.

Acclimatising

We took a day or two to relax and get used to the higher altitude; after several months spent at sea level we were now at 1,440 metres. We spent this time sampling spicy Indian and Malay food, along with the occasional pizza.

Minibus Tour

But soon we were ready to explore. We booked a half day minibus tour which included a visit to the ‘Boh' tea plantation and a visit to the must-see ‘Mossy Forest', located near the top of Mount Batu Brinchang. At 2,032m, this is the Cameron Highlands' tallest peak.Tea Plantation

Driven and guided by an affable Indian-Malaysian who once worked on the tea plantation himself, we ascended the foothills, where thousands of rows of verdant tea trees clung to the undulating landscape like a blanket of deep-green corduroy. Early morning mist shrouded distant tea-covered knolls. Pickers wearing conical straw hats might have completed the bucolic scene, but alas, according to our guide, most of the picking was now done by machines.

Mossy Forest

The minibus then rose higher, before parking at the top of Mount Batu Brinchang which bristled with radio masts. Our little group got out and clambered up a rusty viewing tower, which afforded wonderful views over the tea plantations and dense jungle. After the obligatory selfies, we drove a little way down the mountain to the famed Mossy Forest, a patch of jungle with wooden walkways from which we could inspect gnarled, moss-cosseted trees. Our guide pointed out a pitcher plant that had rooted itself to a trunk. It waited silently for unwitting insects to fall into its trough and be digested slowly in sticky acid.

Strawberries and Butterflies

While we were impressed by the tea plantation and the Mossy Forest, later visits to a strawberry farm and butterfly farm both seemed designed to boost local coffers, rather than enhance the tour. But for a grand total of 50 ringgit (£9) we could hardly complain.

Into the Jungle

As much as I enjoyed the tour, I wanted to get out and experience the jungle unguided. Two days later, the Spaniard and I decided to hike from Tanah Rata to Mount Brinchang, potentially a 30km (19mi) round trip.

However, my Iberian companion suffered a bout of back-ache before our trek was to begin, so I found myself facing Mount Batu Brinchang and acres of jungle alone.

Luckily I had Google Maps.

The Jungle is … Massive

Yet despite this incredible invention, I actually managed to enter the rainforest at the wrong point, which resulted in me ascending Mount Jasar (1,696m) first, before exiting the jungle near an electrical substation.

Canine Conundrum

Here I encountered a kennel with several dogs tethered outside, blocking my route. Wary of being bitten by one of these hounds, I decided to wait for a party of hikers I had past earlier on. If they arrived, we might pass the dogs en masse. Their appearance would also dispel my growing suspicion that I had gone the wrong way.

Bare-Chested Mexican

But instead of the hikers, what emerged from the jungle was a bare-chested young Mexican. We exchanged pleasantries and squinted in the sunlight at the maps on our smartphones. We decided we were on the right path. At this point I introduced the Mexican to the dogs outside the kennel. Unfazed by the canines, the Mexican gingerly edged past them; their chains were not long enough to reach us and besides, on closer inspection, these hounds – tails wagging – were clearly not dangerous.

How embarrassing.

Give Up and Take an Early Lunch?

As we neared a road north of Tanah Rata, I toyed with the idea of abandoning the ‘big one' – Mount Batu Brinchang – and having an early lunch. However, the Mexican said he was intent on ascending the Cameron Highlands' loftiest peak, with an enthusiasm that prompted me to change my mind. Climbing the mountain with a companion seemed much more palatable than doing so alone.

Having spent the previous few weeks lazing on the Thai island of Koh Chang, I was a long way from my physical peak, but to my surprise I kept apace with the younger man easily.

Batu Brinchang

Despite the area's hiking fame, we didn't see a single other hiker on the final ascent of Batu Brinchang. The Malaysians who arrived in their Protons and Toyotas clearly didn't come for the mountains – at least not in the hiking sense.

The final scramble was the most challenging. Scores of twisting tree roots obstructed us like nests of writhing brown snakes. Luckily we didn't see any of the real thing, although we did spot some beautiful butterflies and tiny black birds.

Nearing the steep summit we paused to photograph the dense jungle that cloaked the valley below.

Alone on the Summit

Darkening cloud wreathed the summit's radio masts. Beside these was the same rusty viewing tower I had ascended on the minibus tour. With the Mexican I climbed up it once again, hiking boots ringing out on the old steel steps, their edges worn shiny by decades of use.

At the top, passing clouds offered fleeting glimpses of smaller mountains and vast dark-green valleys.

It was very quiet. This being the late afternoon, all the tours had concluded. We had the cool, misty summit to ourselves.

Tired but satisfied, we began the long trudge down the broken road which led to Brinchang town and then to Tanah Rata.

Thumbs Up for the Mexican

However, unimpressed by the idea of walking back to town, the Mexican thrust out an opportunistic thumb at an old Land Rover pickup. To our surprise it halted and we heaved our exhausted selves into the roofless back. Bouncing and twisting down the mountain, buffeted by the Land Rover's steel sides, we took in the dizzying views of the jungle and tea plantations, just as it began raining.

Pulling out an old shirt from my rucksack and holding it over my head to prevent a complete soaking, I clung to the bars of the twisting four-by-four as it negotiated the sharp mountainous bends.

Despite the achievement of climbing Mount Batu Brinchang, my mood was faltering: I was getting progressively wetter and colder in the back of the old Land Rover.

To my surprise and slight annoyance, I found myself hankering after the sweltering heat of Georgetown, Penang.

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