Once In A Blue Moon...TRAVEL IT IS

Family trip…a very unusual word for me…a very unfamiliar word for me. I am not kidding though. For this memory of mine, I do not even recall the last family trip I ever went, as simple as that. Not even 1 in the last 10 years. I am not grumbling but simply stress that it had been ages since I last went for a family trip. But just as I sounded so desperate and hopeless, suddenly a chance popped in front of me. I was surprised when my dad eventually agreed for a short family given that he usually does not take leave during working as he is a first class employee in the company.

Where to? Cameron Highlands. We did not have any planning when we went there. All we did before going was to settle on our accommodation, which was at the Carnation Park at Tanah Rata. The trip fell on last Saturday and Sunday. We drove ourselves there and my dad, my sis and I myself settled as the driver while my mum got full rest during the whole journey. Seberang Jaya, Juru, Jawi, Bandar Baharu, Bukit Merah, Taiping, Cangkat Jering, Kuala Kangsar, Jelapang, Ipoh, Simpang Pulai, Cameron Highlands. Over 200km of journey, 4 states and I set foot on this cold place.

Our first stop was the bee farm. We did not go there to see the bees though. All we went was to buy some souvenirs and honey for relatives. Then, we went down the hill. Kampung Raja, Kuala Terla, Tringkap, and finally we reached Brinchang, arguably the largest town in Cameron Highlands. We went for lunch at ‘OK德’ and we waited so long that when we finished our lunch the time was already 4pm. Even finding the parking was a problem as we went at least 5 rounds before getting a place to park the car.

Next stop was Cactus Valley. What an unbelievable place, not only the cacti were there, there were also lots of other plants, including apple trees, tomato plants, various species of flowers, varieties of fish, etc. The place was so big and it seemed like a complex maze. There were stairs anywhere and you wont recall which area you had not covered while you walked inside the place. Only my father and I explored more on the place as my mother was not suited to the cold weather. And what a let down as rain fell so heavily during that day.

Then, we went to the Carnation Park. A friend of my sister had already booked us the accommodation and so we went to her house to get the keys. We talked for quite some time before settling ourselves in our own apartment. By night time, we went to Brinchang again for dinner. This time it was a restaurant beside ‘OK德’. That summed up our day as we were tired when we reached back the Carnation Park. We did not come here to travel but simply to rest ourselves in the wonderful environment. Our only entertainment would be watching TV.

The next day, we went for a simply breakfast at Mamak stall in Tanah Rata. Then we began our journey again, this time into the past. Well, not really the past, but it was a museum with a very unique concept. The museum is called ‘Time Tunnel’. The museum did not really display the old fashioned things. The owner of the museum bought and collected all the items in the museum all over Malaysia through the open market. Most of the things inside were quite interesting, especially a story about Thai Silk King, a sarcastic politic story and some famous and funny quotes between women and men.

Next up was the Bharat tea farm. From there, the nice view of the tea farm could be seen as the farm stretched through the hills until beyond our eyesight. We did not get to explore much there as the tea farm was built on a slope that was quite dangerous if we tried to walk down the slope. We eventually bought some tea there before we went for lunch together with the family of my sister’s friend. That was the last part of this short but satisfying journey. After the lunch, we went downhill again, tracing the path we travelled yesterday back. We did not go back empty handed as we got a lot of vegetables from people.

On the way back, something was boggling in my mind. When will be our next family trip? Next month? Next Year? A decade away? I do believe that this trip will never be the last family trip. Whatever, it is not the time to think about this. I can only say that the trip is pleasant, short and simple but enjoyable.