We took an overnight coach bus from Singapore to Cameron Highland. Journey itself wasn’t really comfortable per se and we didn’t get much desired sleep as the coach bus had to make several rest stops along the way where the lights were turned on. Finally, after a 10 hours bus ride, we arrived at our destination and promptly went to freshen up at a nearby restroom, had breakfast and hopped on board a land rover to begin our first tour with Titiwangsa - Amazing Rafflesia @ RM120 per pax.
Checking out the surrounding to ensure there’s no one peeping at us as we took turn to answer the call of nature in the bushes.
Bushes where we went to just now (refer to above)
Our land rover
Our tour guide informed us as it had rained last night, it wasn’t safe for us to take the land rover up the mountain to the starting point of the forest trail and we had to trek for about an hour to two on muddy road instead. Gals still looking good after a 10min trek starting from our parked vehicle on the expressway and up a very steep grass slope and onto the muddy road where our ‘horror’ began…
Road was super muddy and we had to look around for not-so-muddy-spots to step on in order to avoid getting our shoes dirty or stuck.
Poor Fiona was the first person to have her whole sneakers stuck in mud… Argh! The helpful native guide managed to ‘rescue’ her sneakers while the gals looked on from the other ride of the road.
Our muddy and dirty shoes!!
Where’s the Rafflesia Flower??!! We were tired and hungry, just check out our faces. Luckily we had ginger-walking-stick (the native guide chopped them for us as he deemed us to be weakling… I agreed with him, hahaha.) and it had definitely helped us to survive the trek.
Fake beard made from mossy. Interesting.
We crossed gushing rivers, climbed over fallen tree trucks…
… braved through the rain-soaked ferns, damp wood, stems, and green leaves which came our way to find ourselves at…
… Rafflesia Flower!! Yeah, finally!! The Rafflesia has no specific flowering season. It has no roots, stem or leaves and starts life as a small, dark brown bud attached to its host, the stem or root of a jungle vine. After taking approximately nine months to mature into a cabbage-sized bud, the plant opens. The petals, usually five, sometimes six, are red in colour and covered with lighter coloured spots. When in full bloom the flower emits a foul odour which attracts flies and other insects. The Rafflesia only flowers for 5 to 6 days, before the petals blacken and the flower withers.
Us and Rafflesia Flower – This flower had flowered for 4 days and we were lucky enough to see it vs a Day 6 flower which the guide had initially wanted to show us. Phew, we made it in time!
A black lily flower which the guide claimed is super rare and never seen before in Cameron Highlands.
Emi – Gold panning at a good spot in the river. Bk – Taking a well-deserved break.
Anson and Siewyean climbing up a pretty steep slope.
What a gigantic millipede!! The millipede in Singapore pales in comparison. BK looking hungrily at the millipede…
A blow-pipe demonstration in a traditional Natives' Village. Frankly speaking, we were totally exhausted and terribly hungry (no food since breakfast at 9am and it’s almost 4.30pm when we got here) to pay attention to this demonstration, oops!
