Buzz
From the vibrant city of Kuala Lumpur, a 4-hour bus ride transports you to a refreshing high plateau adorned with expansive green tea hills; alternatively, just 2 hours take you to the charming ancient city with numerous cultural treasures.
Traveling in Malaysia: Highland Tea Hills and Ancient Streets Illuminated with Lanterns
Malaysia, comparable in size to Vietnam but with only one-third of the population, consistently ranks among the top 10 countries globally in attracting the highest number of international tourists, welcoming around 20-25 million visitors annually.
Tourism services in Malaysia are well-developed, offering diverse destinations from bustling urban areas to charming ancient towns, from coastal cities to vibrant green highlands. After several visits to Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and the Langkawi island, this time I chose the Cameron Highlands tea plateau and the historic city of Melaka for a week-long holiday.
The Green Tea Highlands
Approximately 300km north of Kuala Lumpur (KL), Cameron Highlands stands as a lush plateau in Malaysia, sitting at an altitude of around 1,500m above sea level. Discovered by the British explorer Sr. William Cameron in 1885, Malaysians later named this land in his memory.
Differing from Genting Highlands, about 50km from KL and known for entertainment activities, often dubbed Malaysia's Las Vegas, Cameron Highlands is farther from the capital, becoming a popular resort for KL residents and international tourists due to its cool year-round climate (around 15-25 degrees Celsius) and the green tea-covered hills across the valley. During my two days here, I visited two different tea hills: Cameron Valley Tea House in Tanah Rata and Boh Tea Estate near Brinchang – the two most renowned tourist spots in Cameron Highlands.
The green hues of the tea hills vary significantly in the morning light and the evening sunset. The morning scene under the bright sunlight reveals a green valley that somewhat reminds me of the Tuscany region in Italy, with a deep blue sky, fluffy white clouds, and a solitary path running through the tea valley; while the sunset, especially before the rain, unveils a slightly melancholic beauty of the evening.
The tea gardens here are quite different from Moc Chau or Dalat as they cultivate terraced tea fields along the hillsides, covering the entire valley. After strolling along the trails through the tea valley for sightseeing and photography, which can be quite uphill and tiring, you can rest at the glasshouse on top, protruding into the tea gardens. A steaming hot pot of green tea and a delicious sweet treat provide moments of comfortable relaxation.
Certainly, Cameron Highlands is not just about beautiful tea valleys. Depending on a 2 or 3-day trip, you can book a day-long mountain climbing tour or trek into the Mossy Forest. Alternatively, you can choose a half-day Jeep tour to visit the tea valley and on the way back, stop by strawberry farms, butterfly farms, bee farms, lavender gardens, etc., to see how the local people ingeniously combine tourism and agriculture.
With the refreshing cool climate, the evening is the ideal time for a leisurely stroll through the town center. The hotels and guesthouses here are designed in a beautiful English architectural style. The night market offers grilled dishes and smoking hot pots, creating an ideal atmosphere for a chilly evening.
“Don't underestimate Melaka”
After returning to KL for a day of rest, I took a bus to Melaka, the ancient city once recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage a decade ago. Due to the hot season, the international tourist crowd was not as dense, allowing me to 'benefit' from booking a longstanding 4-star hotel at a surprisingly low price.
From the 17th floor of the Imperial Heritage Hotel, centrally located, you can admire Melaka from all sides and even the distant sea, thanks to the views from both the front and the back.
In the evening, just a stroll through the old town provides plenty to do, shop, and dine. Handicrafts and essential oils are both inexpensive and beautiful. Melaka may not be large, but it's not lacking in experiences. You can buy a ticket for a river cruise or hop on a rickshaw (a type of pedicab) adorned with fake flowers, colorful stuffed animals, and blasting trendy pop music – a characteristic seemingly unique to this historic city.
Melaka is a historic city blending many different cultures due to its unique history. On one street in the old town, you can find the legacies of the Portuguese, Dutch, English, Indian, and Chinese.
Catholic churches, mosques, Hindu temples, Buddhist temples are situated in close proximity in the old town; the A’Famosa fortress from the Portuguese, Dutch Square, Islamic Museum, Maritime Museum, and many heritage sites from the 15th, 16th centuries still exist here, transforming this small city into a fascinating and visit-worthy destination.
In addition to the historical, architectural, and cultural heritage, what captivates me in Melaka are the tranquil coffee shops hidden in its alleys. One of the most impressive is The Baboon House, where you have to ring a bell to enter. The coffee shop, shaped like a long tube extending across two streets, features coffee tables amidst a garden overflowing with flowers and leaves, next to an ancient well, or with sunbeams dancing on the old and worn dark walls.
Despite the considerable number of tourists in Melaka, it remains serene and clean. In a corner under a large ancient tree, I noticed a sign that reads 'Don’t mess with Melaka.'
This is an environmental cleanup and anti-littering campaign initiated by the city government, 'borrowed' from a similarly named campaign in the city of Las Vegas, USA.
According to Lâm Lê/Tuổi trẻ
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Reference: Travel guide from Mytour
MytourMarch 7, 2018
