the fondest memory in Cameron Highlands

Pagi tadi... Driving to office and stuck dalam jem. There're 4 hot radio channels yang aku duk dengar. Sudah pasti channel-hopping between them lah kannn. Pagi ni topik kat redfm was.. 'what is your fondest memory in Cameron Highlands'. They got this topic because of this article which published on Tuesday.

Cameron Highlands farmers face off with authorities over road project 

By SYLVIA LOOI and IVAN LOH

CAMERON HIGHLANDS: About 400 farmers in Bertam Valley here blocked the main road for three hours Tuesday to prevent enforcement officers from tearing down their farms to make way for a road project.

The farmers used their vehicles to block the road, causing a 2km traffic jam. The standoff lasted from 8.30am to about 11.30am.

Several enforcement officers managed to enter the farms during the standoff, and removed flower pots and destroyed vegetables by the side of the road, although no fights broke out.

Health Minister and MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, who is also the Pahang MCA chief, and state executive council member Datuk Hoh Khai Mun arrived at the scene to defuse the situation, and asked the enforcement officers to stop their operations.

"Liow said he will meet Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob to discuss the matter," Bertam Valley Village Development and Security Committee chairman Tung Cheok Nam said.

Tanah Rata state assemblyman Ho Yip Kap said about 110 farms were located on a piece of land in Bertam Valley earmarked for the construction of a 79km federal road to Kuala Lipis.

District officer Datuk Mohamad Noor Abdul Rani could not be reached for comments.

At a separate function, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said the problem faced by the Bertam Valley farmers would be discussed in Wednesday's presidential council meeting.

"Both the farmers and authorities should cooperate to solve the problem of illegal farming," he told reporters after opening the Cameron Highlands MCA division service centre in Tanah Rata here.

He said the party would prepare a paper on the matter and give it to representatives in Pahang to be brought up at the state exco meeting.

Liow, who was also present at the opening, said the farmers had encroached into road reserves meant for the project.

He said Adnan had agreed to stop all enforcement pending discussions with the farmers.

Hmmm... maleh aku nak komen about the article. FYI, DUN Cameron Highlands adalah BEBAS. Parlimen plak MIC - BN. Aku tak pasti lah jalan baru mana yang diprotes nih. Setau aku jalan baru menghubungkan Kuala Lipis - Lembah Bertam mmg dah lama ongoing construction. Dah nak siap pun. Setelah siapnya jalan baru tu maka Cameron Highlands akan ada 4 akses utama menghubungkan Tapah, Simpang Pulai, Lojing dan Kuala Lipis. Anyway... seperti yang aku cakap tadi... aku tak pasti lah jalan yang mana di maksudkan oleh penulis artikel tersebut. Mungkin ada jalan baru yang lain agaknya.

Kalau cerita pasal illegal farming pulak mmg letih wooo.. orang di PTD (Pejabat Tanah dan Daerah ye bukan Pegawai Tadbir dan Diplomatik tau) mungkin lebih tau duduk perkara terutama my former boss YH Dato' lah. Aku ni dah takde kena mengena dgn CH. sob sob.. tapi gatai juga nak tulis.. huhu

So coming back to tajuk. It's been 6 months I am officially moved back to KL after work and living at Cameron Highlands for almost 3 years. Takde la lama sangat kannn. Tapi.... berapa lama sangat masa diambil untuk jelajah Cameron Highlands anyway? Pekan Tanah Rata tu... ujung sini sampai hujung sana... 15 minit dah settle. Hahaha.. Brinchang? Pusing 1 round abis kuat sengah jam kalau stuck dalam jem. Kea Farm? Kalau jalan saja... sengah jam pun dah settle unless ko singgah setiap gerai dan bargain setiap kali singgah.

Pokoknya... tak lama pun masa di ambil untuk melawat Cameron Highlands. Yang lama adalah... stuck dalam traffic jammed tambah masa yang di ambil untuk tolak selimut ke tepi bila bangun pagi. Haahhaha..

Ok.. in three years of observations.. takkan takde my own fondest memory kan. Check it out :-

The weather - Many people said CH panas and not cold anymore. Sadly.. it's half true. Especially on weekend and peak seasons. Local people (used to be me) mmg seronok dapat panas time weekend sbb kain jemuran kering di ampaian. Kalau idak... amik masa 3-4 hari gak kain baju tu 'lepak' kat ampaian tak kering-kering.. haha.. Tourist pulak menyumpah sbb they expect the cold weather la kan.. tiba2 dapat panas mcm kat lowland pulak.. sure la hangin kan. Hehehe.. kesian. Actually the best timing to go to CH is not on school break or any long weekend and try visit between July - Sept. From my own observation.. masa ni cuaca lagi sejuk berbanding end of year, dan tak yah tunggu lepas hujan nak tengok kabus turun. Time ni la nak jakun kuar asap masa bercakap... huhuhu takyah duk luaq negeri woo to experience it.. 

 read full entry here

Strawberry - One of killer product of Cameron Highlands. Seronok gak lepak2 kat Strawberry Farm. Petik strawberry 2-3 bakul. Lepas tu order strawberry ice cream or pancake. Fuhhh nikmat dunia. Dulu.. time lunch hour.. aku suka la ajak staff pi lepak makan ice cream. Hahaha.. kalau weekend mmg tobat la nak pergi. But weekdays? Heaven!!! My recommended location utk makan ice cream yang best adalah; Raju Strawberry Farm (Kea Farm), Big Red Strawberry Farm (Brinchang) & Kasimanis Strawberry Farm (Tanah Rata).

 read full entry here

Strawberry ice cream kat Raju's Strawberry Farm

 Strawberry ice cream kat Big Red Strawberry Farm

Masing-masing ada keistimewaan tersendiri. Kalau taknak strawberry ice cream.. bleh try home made cone ice cream. Ada macam-macam flavour.. salah satu yg aku suka - passion fruit ice cream. Pi cari kat Time Tunnel Strawberry Farm (between Brinchang and Kea Farm).

Tea Plantation - Ada 2 tea plantation beso kat sini. Satu Boh Tea Plantation dan satu lagi Bharat Tea Plantation. Eh.. Boh Tea Plantation tu ada dua tau. Tapi yang famous adalah yang kat Sg.Palas. Alaaaaaa yang iklan Malaysia Truly Asia kat tv tuuu. Bharat Tea plak mmg betul2 kat tepi jalan. Sebelah kiri kalau korang daripada Tapah. Kalau terjumpa Hummer kat Tanah Rata. Tu kete owner dia la. Aku bangga lah sbb dia Malaysian dan aku kenal dia. huhu statement ape ni? Boh tu plak lain cite lah.. dia multinational company. Anyway.. mana-mana pun best utk lepak2 sambil ngeteh sambil jamu mata sambil makan pie.. auww... heaven!!

Fresh veggie - Before and while stayed at CH, I'm not really appreciate fresh veggie. Nama pun sayur.. sama je la kan. But since I moved back to KL.. wallaaahh susah rupanya nak cari fresh veggie kat KL ni (or aku yg mmg susah nak pergi pasar? kah kah kah). Kalau dulu tiap2 hari makan salad. Now terasa 'mahal' pulak nak beli organic veggie. Ko boleh dapat 3 pokok salad yang rimbun nak mampus for only RM5. Dekat sini.. sepokok tu berharga RM4.99 ;) Hmm.. its your choice. Kuar duit dari poket sendiri. Masuk pun kat tekak sendiri. Sesungguhnya shopping fresh veggie di CH adalah amat menyeronokkan.

Bunga - Sebelum jejak kaki kat CH untuk bertugas.. dah beberapa kali aku pi sana. Masa pergi tahun 2003 with my family ada banyak wild flowers kat tepi jalan. Especially yellow lily. Then aku pegi lagi on 2005 dgn Faze & Yan. Tapi frust sket sbb dah takde bunga kat tepi-tepi jalan. Then 2007 aku pi keje plak kat sana. Masih frust sbb CH got poor town landscape among tourist city kat Malaysia. Ape guna kalau berupaya export bunga sampai luar negara tapi tempat sendiri togel *sigh* sampai la aku bertukar.. mcm gitu juga lah rupabumi CH. Agak kecewa lah walaupun seronok dapat beli fresh flower murah2 kat sana. Sempat la walimatulurus 2 orang my best friend melaram dgn fresh flower specially brought from CH. Hehehe..

So.. which one is the fondest memory of CH? Of course lah dapat cakap-cakap kuar asap kan. Jakunnnn I tell you!!!!

p/s: malas nak tepek gambar... nanti rajin aku buat ek... hehe ada baaaaaanyak lagi gambar sebenarnya... yang buh dalam entry tu sket je.. kedekut gambar betul budak sorang nih.. ;) semoga aku mendapat petunjuk dan hidayah utk mengupload beberapa keping gambar lg.. aminnnnnnnn