Tour of Pahang - Cameron Highlands

Our tour of Pahang was made possible thanks to the kind and generous gesture of my niece, Lyanna Tew, who offered us the use of her Honda Freed. Besides my wife and me, we were also joined by my mother-in-law and sister-in-law (my wife’s eldest brother’s wife), who asked to be included in the journey.

Our first stop after leaving Kuala Lumpur was the Cameron Highlands. On the way, we made a lunch stop at Bidor, a town well known for its delicious local fare. After spending two nights in Cameron Highlands, we continued our journey to Mentakab, stopping briefly at Chenor near Raub for afternoon tea. While based in Mentakab, we also took the opportunity to visit Temerloh. The last two days of our trip were spent in Sungai Lembing, and before heading back to KL, we made brief stops at both Kuantan and Bentong. In total, our road trip covered approximately 1,060 Km.

********************************************************

Before flying to West Malaysia, we were warned that visiting Cameron Highlands during weekends or school holidays could be a traffic nightmare. We heard stories of cars crawling along the winding roads, taking over an hour just to cover 5 Km due to the sheer volume of vehicles converging on such a compact area.

Thankfully, we planned our trip after the weekend rush, and traffic flow was smooth throughout our time there. No frustrating jams - just cool air and scenic views.

We stayed in a budget hotel located near the Brinchang night market. Unfortunately, since our visit didn’t coincide with the weekend, there was no night market activity. The weather during our stay was persistently wet - either raining or drizzling most of the time - but that didn't dampen our spirits too much.

Despite the gloomy weather, we managed to visit most of the places on our list and dined at several highly recommended outlets we had seen promoted online.

One of the must-try experiences in Cameron Highlands is the steamboat dinner, especially comforting in the cool climate. We chose a restaurant called Cameron Organic Produce, conveniently located near our hotel. Though the prices were on the higher side - RM20 per set - the restaurant claims to be certified for serving only organic vegetables. While big eaters typically order one set per person, our group found that three sets for four people were more than sufficient, making it a satisfying and healthy meal.