We had a nice breakfast with many, many choices on the buffet. There were Japanese options, Indian options, Western options, as well as Asian selections. We met Rahman at 10:00 and started the drive to Cameron Highlands. Before we got out of town we drove by the King’s Palace for a photo stop, then got on the expressway and headed north.

The Hotel Majestic, Kuala Lumpur

These eggs look a little different.

The King’s Palace

A few hours out of town we stopped at the Malaysian version of a rest area, before starting the climb up the mountain. The road was very narrow with so many curves (127 curves, I asked and he had an answer). He talked about the Orang Asli, the native people of Malaysia. We stopped at a village and saw how they built their bamboo huts. Farther up the road was a scenic waterfall setting and local market. Later, we stopped and had a blowgun demonstration from a native. I even tried it. My first attempt was terrible and didn’t make it halfway to the target. My next two attempts, I hit the board, but didn’t quite hit the target.

That’s the target at the far left of the picture

Orang Asli village, bamboo huts

Waterfall area

A tea plantation.

Much of the architecture in the Cameron Highlands area is British Colonial, dating from the late 1800’s. Our hotel, Cameron Highlands Resort, is a classic example of that style and period. Before going to the hotel, we stopped and had some Malaysian dishes at a local restaurant for lunch. As we finished eating, it began to rain, so we opted out of the planned afternoon activities and shifted them to tomorrow morning. We checked into the hotel, and spent the afternoon relaxing.

View from our balcony, looking up the street

Rahman met us at 7:00pm for dinner. He was very excited to be taking us to a “steamboat” meal. It’s the Malaysian version of Chinese hotpot. There’s a burner on the table with a metal pot. The pot is divided into two sides, one side spicy, the other side, not spicy. After the soups in the pot start boiling, we added the chicken, beef, vegetables, and noodles, letting them cook. It didn’t take long before it was ready. After dinner, Rahman insisted we get some cheesecake (darn). Whatcha gonna do?

Malaysian “Steamboat”.

As we walked around the town, and later at hotel, the setting was reminiscent of a summer evening in the mountains of New Mexico or Colorado. It was cool and misty, with a little hint of fog, and a light jacket or sweater felt great.