Escape to Cameron Highlands to de-stress

By Sharen Kaur

It has been a while since I travelled to Cameron Highlands and after much persuasion from a friend, I decided to make my way up, also to de-stress myself as I have been under a lot of pressure. I needed cool days and cooler nights!

Having recently bought myself a Peugeot 308 Turbo, I decided what better time also to test its performance.

When I was ready, off packing I went for a lovely weekend getaway. Having stayed at the Strawberry Park Resort almost 10 years ago, choosing accommodation was easy for me.

Strawberry Park Resort is certainly one of the prettiest resorts in Malaysia, surrounded by virgin jungle with lovely mountain views. The breath taking natural surrounding offer comfort, peace and quiet, a distance from the hustle and bustle of daily city life.

Strawberry Park Resort (Source:Strawberry Park Resort)

The resort is one of the first few holiday homes that came up in Cameron Highlands. It was built in 1983, and did undergo several rounds of upgrading after the opening in 1985. It is ideally located amidst a 7-acre hill between the hamlets of Tanah Rata and Brinchang. The cool temperature of between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius makes it an ideal retreat for holiday makers.

With a "Resort Above All" tagline, Strawberry Park is the highest holiday home in Cameron Highlands. And in almost any direction you look, there is a picturesque mass of soothing green, sometimes punctuated by hints of mist.

The resort has eight blocks of walk-up studio rooms and apartments with 148 units, all tastefully furnished. The rooms are averagely about 65 per cent occupied through out the year and majority of the guests are from Europe and the Middle East. Peak season is usually between May and September, and year-end.

The room rates are currently doing between RM320 and RM480 per room a night. While it may seem a bit expensive if compared to the rest of the resorts in Cameron Highlands, in return you get a peaceful and tranquil locale which money can't buy and other places can't offer as much. The environment is just right to recharge your batteries and rejuvenate your soul before heading downhill again back to daily life!

The last time I stayed over at the resort I booked myself a studio room, which was more than sufficient for two. This time, after hearing so much about the newly refurbished units, I decided for a change to take the one bedroom apartment. The apartment was spacious. And, in comparison with a regular hotel room, it is more than double the size. The apartment had a small living room, good enough to comfortably enjoy movies on the big screen. The balcony outside the living room gave an amazing view of the virgin forest. And when it rains, the view does get better.

View from the balcony

View from the balcony

The apartment has no air-conditioning or fan. But worry not as the unit is cooling almost anytime of the day thanks to its proper ventilation. For those not use to cold weather, you could shiver during the night hours.

Since I wasn't up to driving anywhere except to visit the Boh Tea and Bharat Tea Plantations for a hot cuppa, I stayed most of the time in the apartment. The bed was comfortable and sleep was peaceful as there was no noise from traffic.

Strawberry Park Resort has numerous food and beverage outlets such as the Jim Thompson Terrace, Tudor Grill and Strawberry Court, which offer an all-day dining experience, serving a wide selection of delectable local, Thai and Western cuisine. If you are not up to driving out then the restaurants are good to go and the food reasonably priced.

Smoked Salmon

If you are up to a few rounds of drinks, there is the Tudor Lounge to relax and unwind. And to add to your delight, the resort even houses the Strawberry Club, where you could party till the wee hours in the morning.

History of Cameron Highlands

The history of Cameron Highlands goes back to 1885 when a British colonial government surveyor, William Cameron, discovered it during a mapping expedition of the Titiwangsa Range. At that time Cameron and his companion, Kulop Riau were travelling using elephants to carry them to explore the Titiwangsa Range. They started their journey from Tanjung Rambutan in Perak and headed towards the south-east direction. A few months into travelling they reached the summit of Mount Pondok Challi. It was from the summit that Cameron saw a plateau, of an elevation of 4,400 to 4,500 ft, at an altitude of 6000 ft (1,800 metres) above sea-level.

The location of the plateau was confirmed by a consensus of reports in the 1920s from subsequent expeditions. Forty years after Cameron had sung the beauty of Cameron Highlands to the world; it received its first step towards the resplendent glory that we see today. Cameron Highlands was proposed by Sir George Maxwell as a hill resort in 1925.

The highlands become more popular for health, pleasure, gardening and farming purposes. Over the years roads were constructed, cottages, hotels and holiday apartments built, recreational areas and parks planned, vegetable and fruit farms tilled and tea plantations were established.

At the Tea House

It is said that the highlands' first holiday-makers were wealthy Chinese businessman who sought the solitude of the hills by building a mansion for seasonal visits. With the building of rest-houses and hotels, numerous British civil servants stationed in Malaya flocked to the highlands, taking to the cool weather as if they were back home in England.

When the Second World War broke out, the highlands saw no more visitors except for holidaying Japanese officials at various rest houses and bungalows during the Japanese Occupation of Malaya. When the war was over, holiday-makers and nature enthusiasts returned to the highlands.

Tours

Strawberry Park Resort offers several tour packages, saving you the hassle of going through the brochures and wasting hours deciding what to do, and where to go.

There is the half-day country side Tour, taking visitors to the famous Boh and Bharat Tea Plantations, local fruit and vegetable markets, the butterfly garden, the Sampo Chinese Buddhist Temple, the Cactus and Flower Garden and the all time popular Strawberry Farm.

Other activities at the highlands that you could partake in include visiting the countryside, the hill forest, mossy forest and survival village walks, Orang Asli village tour, Jim Thompson walk, Kampung Attap walk, Rafflesia tour and the Gunung Brinchang tour.

Orang Asli Village (Source:Strawberry Park Resort)

I have been on some of these tours when I first visited Cameron Highlands about 10 years ago so gave it a skip to focus on my stay at the resort.

Location

There are few routes that you could take to Cameron Highlands and up to the resort. The highlands is accessible via the North South Highway. You could exit at Tapah or Simpang Pulai to get to the resort.

If you are coming from Penang, it is recommended that you use the Simpang Pulai (Ipoh) access road. This route will take you a total of approximately 3 hours. And if you are coming from Kuala Lumpur, you may use either the Tapah Road or Simpang Pulai road. Both routes will take you approximately 3 to 3.5 hours.

Just for your information, it would take you about 1.5 hours from Kuala Lumpur to reach the foothill of Tapah via the North-South Highway. And from the foothill to Cameron Highlands, it would take another 1.5 hours. If you want to come through Simpang Pulai, it would take you about 30 minutes to reach the foothill from Tapah, and an additional one hour to hit Cameron Highlands.

Alternatively, you could travel by rail from Kuala Lumpur to Tapah, which would take about 2.5 hours, or by air from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh, which would also take approximately 2.5 hours.

Strawberry Park Resort does arrange transfers to and from the railway station. And if you want, special arrangements can be made to pick you up from the airport in Ipoh.

Fresh air on the highlands

Story and photos by Sharen Kaur
Published in NST in April 2008

SHAREN KAUR talks to Krishna Badhur and learns how he built his career from scratch, hit rock bottom and finally became manager of one of Malaysia's oldest and most cherished highland hideaways.

This pleasant, dynamic man landed his first job as a front office receptionist at Regent Hotel Kuala Lumpur (now Parkroyal) when it was located at the intersection of Jln Sultan Ismail and Jln Imbi, after completing a hotel management course. He soon became a tour manager and then got promoted to duty manager.

Lots of hard work, dedication and sheer perseverance later, he was made assistant front office manager, before finally assuming the post of front office manager, all in 12 years.

"When Parkroyal took over after the Regent relocated to Jalan Bukit Bintang, the company retained me in the same position," Krishna said. "After a year, I ventured into the food business but things didn't work out well."

"A year later, I joined Crown Princess Hotel and then moved on to Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur, which is under HPL Hotels and Resorts," he added. "Within the HPL Group, I had an opportunity and experience to

manage Casa Del Mar in Langkawi for two years and also worked in more challenging countries like Myanmar and Bhutan."

Relax by the fire place

But that's history. For the last five years, Krishna has been managing The Lakehouse in Cameron Highlands and is quite happy to stay in these cool climes for a while.

He admitted there were challenging times during his various stints, working irregular hours and having to balance his time between work and family. The hardest was when he hit rock bottom when he ventured into the food business.

"I've learnt many things, understanding people's needs and being able to fulfill their expectations, and I find this is the most satisfying," said Krishna.

"I had the opportunity to learn and understand the laws of nature when I had failed in my food business," he recollects, and is emphatic when he says: "When you hit rock bottom, the only course is to move up."

"I've also learnt that failure is only a passing tide and that there is ample opportunity to derive from this."

So, what is Krishna Badhur doing for the 18-room Lakehouse in Cameron Highlands, which was acquired by the HPL Group, helmed by tycoon Ong Beng Seng, in 1989?

"I want to position the brand as one of the most reputable destinations around and ensure that guests go home with a memorable experience," he said.

The Lakehouse is located about 1,000 metres above sea level between Ringlet and Tanah Rata in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia's popular hill resort, about 200km north of Kuala Lumpur.

It was built by Colonel Stanley Jack Forster, of the British Army in 1970, and is a splendid Tudor-styled boutique resort complete with artifacts from Europe.

Set in an area dubbed `The Valley of Eternal Spring', this idyllic country house rests on a hill, surrounded by beautifully manicured gardens, overlooking rolling hills, verdant woodlands and a tranquil, albeit man-made, lake.

The nicest feeling about being at The Lakehouse is the calm, serene ambience within, and lush greenery and soothing sounds of insects from the nearby jungle, birds chirping all day, running water, and a nice little Hindu temple sitting on a hillslope within the compound.

Beauty!

The temple is owned by The Lakehouse and built in 1992 after a passing monk visited the place to relate that an elephant deity had wanted to sit up there. Krishna says that the management decided to build a small

shrine to keep the harmony of the place.

Forster passed away in 1984 at a time when the HPL Group was scouting for a property and came across The Lakehouse by coincidence. It was up for sale, and HPL bought it lock, stock and barrel.

The interior was refurbished in 2005 when bathroom tiles and ware, fabrics and carpets were replaced and paint work done.

"It used to be plain Tudor-style black and white inside, but now there's pink and cream so it doesn't exude a dull, monotonous character," Krishna said.

Well, if you're a writer or a retired couple longing for peace and quiet, The Lakehouse is just the place. It does not offer television sets or a pool to laze in to begin with.

There are other things you could do; spend time at the Reading Room where you could sit by the log fireplace and enjoy some quiet time, or play Scrabble or other board games over a glass of wine at the Highlander Lounge, also a lovely, romantic place to snuggle up in the chilly evenings.

Or simply just sip on English tea and scoff warm scones at the al fresco Lakeview Terrace. The scones are warm and the nicest I've had, and they go very well with the rich, pure strawberry jam and perfect whipped

cream.

Otherwise, you could just relax in your room if you want all day and order room service.

The Restaurant, the resort's most popular dining area, offers some good local and western dishes, courtesy of Chef Edmund Ling, who has been mannning the kitchen for 17 years.

Whilst you are there, don't forget to pick your favourite wine from the display table at the entrance, where vintages from around the world are arranged neatly and attractive, too. Each bottle costs RM150 and above.

All rooms and suites are comfortably and elegantly decorated in the style of a bygone era. Lush and quaint furnishings form a wonderful backdrop at The Lakehouse where four-poster beds, winged chairs, antique

cupboards, table fans and fresh flowers from the garden complete its old world charm.

There are 11 deluxe rooms (RM582 nett each), three junior suites (RM679), three family suites (RM800) and even a honeymoon suite (RM922), all inclusive of breakfast.

You also breathe fresh air because none of the rooms are air-conditioned. There's netting on the windows to keep pesky mosquities out.

Finally, when you do go to The Lakehouse, get it to book you some tours to the Boh Tea plantation and factory, strawberry farm, vegetable farm, bufferfly garden, Orang Asli village and to the highest peak at Mount Brinchang.

"We offer some good packages which cover meals, accomodation and tours, but at the end of the day, it's the service level that makes everyone feel at home," added Krishna.

Call             05-495-6152                   05-495-6152       or log on to www.lakehouse-cameron.com.

Pulau Banding Meet to Promote Belum-Temengor Biodiversity

By Sharen Kaur Published in NST on July 10, 2008 MALAYSIA'S 130 million-year-old Belum-Temengor rainforest complex in northern Perak, located 330km north of Kuala Lumpur, is one of the world's oldest tropical rainforests that needs protection as it is rich with biodiversity. The Belum-Temenggor complex, four times the size of Singapore, comprises the Royal Belum State Park (117,500ha), Gerik Forest Reserve (34,995ha), Temengor forest reserve (147,505ha) and 45000ha of waterbodies, managed by Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB). It is the largest area under forest cover in Peninsular Malaysia after Taman Negara. However, its proximity to the border of Thailand and the presence of guerrillas in its jungles after the Second World War made it a security area right up to the mid-80s. After the Communist Party of Malaya laid down their weapons in 1989, Belum started opening up to fishing and trekking enthusiasts. The Royal Belum, which is still protected by police and military, has a good combination of virgin rainforests, a wealth of wildlife and cultural heritage of the indigenous community to apply for World Heritage. In the last decade, Malaysia Nature Society (MNS) has been proposing to the Perak state government to declare the Belum- Temengor complex as a national park. Royal Belum was gazetted as a state park in 2005. In the age of dwindling natural forest, a group of local authorities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), such as Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM), WWF and MNS with Tan Sri Mustapha Kamal's Emkay Group, are planning to put together a proper integrated management plan (IMP) to promote sustainable development of the Belum-Temengor rainforest ecosystem. The objective of the IMP is to get all related organisations and authorities who are stakeholders in the area to observe standard procedures related to the activities to be conducted in the forest for sustainability. In pushing for the adoption of the IMP, a consultative IMP symposium, led by Pulau Banding Foundation (PBF), will be held at the Belum Rainforest Resort in Pulau Banding, Perak, in October. PBF's founding members are Mustapha Kamal and professor Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Mohamad, chairman of WWF. Its board of trustees include MNS vice-president Datuk Dr Hashim Abd Wahab, WWF chief executive officer Dr Dionysius Sharma, Prof Mashhor Mansor from School of Biological Sciences (USM), former director-general of FRIM Abdul Razak Mohd A. Kadir and Dr D. Baskaran of FRIM. Emkay Group, which owns Pulau Banding, situated on Temengor Lake, will use the island as the catalyst to promote the IMP. Some 119.07ha of the island was acquired from Fima Group for RM15.8 million last year. More than 121.5ha was awarded to Emkay by the Perak state government to transform the island into a premier destination gateway of international eco-tourism into Malaysia in the spirit of maintaining conservation. Pulau Banding now houses the resort, an Orang Asli cultural village, and Pulau Banding Rainforest Research Centre used by researchers, scientists, botanists and forest lovers, also serving as the nucleus for information on the wonders of the Belum-Temengor forest reserve. Mustapha Kamal said the idea of the symposium is to get all the stakeholders of the Belum-Temengor rainforest complex to come forward and put the IMP document in place for presentation to the state government for consideration of the implementation. He said seven papers will be deliberated at the symposium, which is expected to be attended by the Perak state government, state and federal tourism representatives, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, TNB, the NGOs, the wildlife, forestry and fisheries departments. Researchers, university professors, military, marine and police departments, Orang Asli welfare department, Department of Irrigation and Drainage and Perak Water Board are also expected to attend. Mustapha Kamal said the papers presented would cover tourism products, community development projects, infrastructure development, protection of the water bodies, forestry and wildlife and information technology. "The IMP would follow the concept of who does what, when, how, where and who reports to whom. The resources to be provided are timeline, information, budget, personnel and authority," Mustapha Kamal said. "The main idea is to get everybody to work together in synergising the various activities undertaken by the stakeholders," he added. The consultative process with the respective stakeholders is important for the plan as the IMP will control the manner the forest is managed, Mustapha Kamal said. "We want to promote Belum rainforest, which is older than the Amazon and Congo rainforest, as a new eco-tourism destination while caring for the environment," Mustapha Kamal said. Abdul Latiff said it is crucial to implement the IMP to safeguard Belum-Temengor's culture, nature and history. "If we have the IMP in place, management of the Belum-Temengor rainforest will be smooth and efficient while the area will be protected for generations to enjoy its natural habitats," he said. In preparing the IMP, some RM750,000 will be needed. PBF may call upon the state government to take the lead in realising the greatly needed intergrated management plan. PBF is planning to collaborate with multinational companies, corporate firms, research institutes and international bodies to come forward and explore the nature trove of Belum-Temengor rainforest, find and formulate substances to create pharmaceutical products to cure illnesses. Since Emkay took over Pulau Banding, it has helped the local Orang Asli community with additional income by creating jobs for them. Emkay, through Educate To Learn (E2L) Sdn Bhd, has also set up three toy libraries for RM375,000 in three Orang Asli villages within the rainforest complex to stimulate the minds of the children for a better future. The toy libraries are run by the community themselves. Emkay is also working with Mercy Malaysia and Malaysia Medical Association Foundation to provide medical aid, such as dental services for the Orang Asli community.

Escape to the hills to de-stress

Story and pictures by Sharen Kaur

Source :Travel Times, New Straits Times,14 April 2009

1 of 5 Colmar Square and its popular water fountain

There is something about having a vacation in the highlands that helps the mind to relax and the body to rejuvenate, writes SHAREN KAUR

IT had been a long time since my girl pals and I had fun at a hill resort. I can vaguely remember the resort now but it was in Cameron Highlands and there was never a dull moment as there was so much to do.


While shopping wasn´t on the list, there was adventure and learning and a few other things I loved, like having cosy meals and chit-chatting way into the night.

Now, after more than 15 years, I made a trip to Berjaya Hills in Pahang with a bunch of girls. The experience was a little reminiscent of that holiday in Camerons except that this time, I travelled with former Miss Malaysia/Universe Elaine Daly, her girlfriends talent manager Geetha Anandarajan and executive Diana Lian and two other female journalists.

We were going to explore the beauty of the hills. There was such a blast to begin with! We dined under the moonlight, rode horses, treated ourselves to the spa and toured a garden full of flowers.

As we were all looking to de-stress, the 32-yearold Elaine from her hectic life as a model, actress and host, and we, from our hectic assignments or otherwise a routine lifestyle, the moments spent together were full of laughter and joy. And tears sometimes, too, as we laughed ourselves silly.

Elaine, host of television programme Malaysian Dreamgirl, is very fond of Berjaya Hills which is set within a 150-million-year-old tropical rainforest. As it is only 45 minutes by car from Kuala Lumpur, we didn´t spend a lot of time travelling.

While the beauty of the lush hills drew Elaine and many other visitors, the main attraction remained Colmar Tropicale, the French-themed resort in Colmar Square.

The castle-like resort is set in the fairytale environment of a French village and is an enchanting and refreshing haven for a quick getaway and a perfect place to de-stress.

Berjaya Hills also has a Japanese Village, the first of its kind outside Japan. It features a Japanese garden and attractions such as a Japanese tea house, Tatami Spa and botanical garden.

So you can find a little bit of France and Japan perched on a hill in the Malaysian rainforest.

Japanese Experience

We arrived at Colmar Square at 1.30pm. After checking in, we settled down to lunch, a tantalising spread of piping hot pastas and pizzas fresh from the oven.

Then without wasting much time, we decided to visit the Japanese Village. We started with a 45-minute walk at the botanical garden with towering trees, ferns, orchids and some rarely seen plants.

The walk took us through a rustic gateway and a winding Japanese footpath to a beautiful garden and waterfall and over a bridge spanning a koi pond.

Botanical Garden

From the chumon (entrance gate) to stone lanterns, from wood roofing shingles to tatami mats, and countless other artefacts, we took a liking to the Japanese Garden immediately and immersed ourselves in its aesthetic beauty.

Then we entered the tea house, where we sipped warm Japanese tea before going to the Tatami Spa, located deep within the rainforest. Tired from walking for over an hour, we couldn´t wait to indulge in a range of body treatments, from scrubs to aromatherapy massages, which we could do either in the calming indoors or the invigorating outdoors.

For the sake of privacy, we opted for the indoors and for the next two hours, surrendered to the sensual Sabuko Na (simplicity) and Amayakashi (pamper) spa treatment.

Mixed Flavours

By 7pm, we were done and hunger pangs hit us. So after a quick shower, we met at La Orient for some really nice Indo-Chinese and French cuisine.

La Orient is across from Le Vin Wine & Cigar Bar, where we would adjourn to later for some fine French wine and to reminisce about the beautiful things that had happened in our lives. But we decided to end it early so that we could get enough sleep and be ready for the next day´s adventure a half-day picnic ride on the horse trail.

Horses And Picnic

After an early breakfast, we met equestrian manager Lorraine Bottreau, a qualified rider, trainer, coach and judge from Argentina.

She gave us a few minutes of briefing on horse riding. The resort offers customised riding for one to see and experience the splendour of the resort area. The customised packages depend on whether you are a novice or an experienced rider.

Horse Riding at the hills

Since it was a first experience for all of us, we started with 30 minutes in paddock before heading off on the road and countryside.

An hour into the journey, we stopped at a scenic picnic spot for lunch. We fed the horses with hay and apples, which was fun despite the scorching heat. The three-hour trip left us exhausted but we had an amazing time.

Bottreau said horse riding was a very specific activity that de-stressed the mind and built one´s confidence. “It is a progressive form of therapy,” she added.

We certainly came away totally rejuvenated. Stress and worries of work simply melted away and leaving was simply hard to do.