Touring the Cameron Highlands, Part 1

Today, Anna, Sally and I joined a 9-hour tour through the Cameron Highlands.
9 people plus our driver in a Land Rover - not much space, unfortunately.

Our first stop was the a tea plantation. Great views, for sure.

But then the photo session of 7 Instagram-obsessed ladies commenced. Selfie here, another over there, several “Can you take a picture of me here?”, a few poses later “Maybe another one over there?” “Maybe back there with that in the background?”
The amount of time we lost taking countless photos for other people’s Instagram accounts was astronomical.

To each their own, of course. But it baffles me - because people only go to places to post them on Instagram without actually experiencing their surroundings.

Now, you’re probably thinking: “But isn’t that exactly what you do?”
Well. I beg to differ. Of course I do… 😄

I’m not a fan of selfies - at least not with the frequency and lack of direction I’ve seen other people apply to them. Judgy, judgy, I know.

I love nature, peace and quiet, and good photography. Not to show off, but because I take genuine pleasure in the activity. Taking photos while navigating the treacherous waters that are other people - without them in the shot even though they’re everywhere like vultures with their selfies - is a hard-won skill.

Let’s take a look at the next stop: Mossy Forest.

If you might recall, I LOVE moss. It’s great. So soft and pretty.

What actually happened: we were dropped off to hike for about 10 minutes up to the hilltop where the boardwalk was.

The road up was ugly concrete. In some places trash was lying about. One of the reasons forests are relaxing is the lovely smell. Well, what I smelled was exhaust fumes. Car after car after car made their way up the mountain - noisy blighters, and stinky. The black clouds they left behind made the little hike truly unpleasant.

It’s impressive, really - people come into nature for pleasant smells, sounds, tranquility, beautiful sights - and then ruin all of that by their mere presence. Mass tourism at its finest.

The boardwalk itself was more of the same. So crowded it was stop-and-go all the way, especially around the tower with the viewing platform. On the tower at any given moment: 35 people.

On the big red sign in plain sight at the entrance: “No more than 8 people at a time.“ And: “Waiting in line on tower is prohibited.“ I definitely laughed out loud upon reading that. 😄Read more