Monday, March 12, 2007

Road Trip!

DFS is off the freezer and on the frying pan again. What a relief. For a moment I thought there was no hope but then things do have a way of working out init?

Sadly enough, I have had to cast on for another project. A baby bonnet. I realized I prefer one project on the needles at one time. All my WIPs are consequences of not sticking to this simple rule. But this was a special case where time was of the essence.

But I haven’t really got much knitting done. What with the new semester starting and my brother visiting me =)
We’ve been exploring Malaysia. Next stop Genting.
Here are some pictures of the places we’ve (bro, Mira, a classmate and my ----) been to.

The Petronas Twin Towers



Lata Iskandar - a little waterfall with clear cool water, on the way to Cameron Highlands.



Vast expanses of tea plantations that smattered the hills on the way up



A rather steep climb by foot brought us here (pretty darn high up in the mountains I tell you). Veggies don't get any fresher than this!



Now this is a story I have to tell...

On the way up the mountain, by car, there was a middle aged man going home after work. He was carrying a little pink bag full of groceries. The typical homely farmer going home for dinner after a long day at work.

We all had a major itch to get up to the mountain to see the highest peak in peninsular Malaysia and he obliged us willingly and told us how to get up there. Mind you, we had to leave the car and walk.

So following his directions, we took the car up the hill and parked it when the road got too narrow. As we rounded the bends, we met him again and this time he was carrying a chicken (can you see it?). Dinner. Cruelty? Well if you think so, then you better stop eating chicken aiite? Where do you think your meat comes from eh?

It was rather heartening to see people who lived life much simpler than us complicated folks. No cellulars, no MP3s, no computers, PDAs and what not. It was really nice to chat with him to find out what life was like way up there. His little house was situated up high in the mountains and everday he walked up and down (a forty minute walk) to work and back. By the time we reached halfway, we were beat, huffing and puffing like the sky had fallen on our heads. We couldn't take it anymore.

You may see, how simple their life is and how advanced we are. But despite all that, he was nice enough to invite us to his part of the town so that we could get the freshest vegetables for free. How humbling is that? How many of us would extend such courtesy to complete strangers? I was truely touched by this simple man.

Moving on...


The view from the Hotel where we stayed the night.

Budget stuff but not so bad except for the fact that the TV channels kept changing whenever we got to the best part of a movie.

But anyways, I enjoyed the stay. Good fun, good food. FAR away from the heat of the city.


A little strawberry plant. Cameron Highlands' source of sweetness hee hee.

And of course the Cameronian tradition...

Tea and scones

For those of you who are visiting, I know I don't have to tell you this but do visit the Tcafe. A homely restaurant in Tanah Rata selling homemade hot piping scones with creamy butter, whipped cream and jam. Oh mama. I would go back just for that. BUT do note, it's closed on Sundays.

Anyhoo... the weekend is over. Time to get back to life.

Happy Knitting everyone!

13 comments:

Kat said...

Looks liek youy had a fantastic trip, such a shame to come back to reality!

Anonymous said...

what a fun vacation! it's always nice to get away and experience something different. we were at the twin towers a couple years ago too. =)

Jennifer said...

Looks like you had a lot of fun on your trip!

Laura.Y said...

Now I feel like I need another holiday, even if it is just to have those scones. :)

Anonymous said...

Scones! oh those yummy scones!! You just made me really hungry!
So when's the next vacation???

Anonymous said...

Hi hun, please email me your postal address (GYK stitch markers).

Sally said...

And now that you're back to the lowlands and the usual 'grind' don't forget that yummy skein of yarn with me?? :)

bluey said...

i love visiting Cameron highlands. It is so relaxing there. The air is fresher too.

somebunnysloveDOTcom said...

What an awesome getaway! Glad to see you back.
=:8

Jackie said...

Nice looking at these photos, bring back fond memories while we were there 2 yrs ago. It was the first time my DD (city kid) see a plantations, forest, waterfall (country scene).

alltangledup said...

what a great trip. I love the tea slopes.

So you think you end up with too many UFO's when you start a lot of projects? I find that the case too but it doesn't stop me from starting more projects ;-)

Anonymous said...

Sometimes, I think the simpler life with No cellulars, no MP3s, no computers, PDAs would be nice. (Maybe, more knitting time);o) I love seeing your photos of the Tea Plantations and fresh veggies.Thanks for sharing!

Courtney said...

Hey, thanks for the compliment on my daughter! She's fabulous. Also: totally jealous of the Malaysia bit. I've been really enjoying spring here where it actually hit 60 degrees F a few days ago. I hear it is much warmer out your way!