Our alarm went off at 7:45am and we struggled to get out of bed, as is always the case when we set an alarm. We went straight for breakfast and I got porridge with banana to keep me going as the trip we were going on didn't finish until 2pm. We had a bit of a rush to get ready before walking to the 'Tour Agency' where we were getting picked up at 9:00am. I looked ridiculous in a pair of stripy socks and sandals as nearly everyone else had hiking boots or at least trainers, except Andrew! We were given the outline of the tour by our guide and then got into a cream Land Rover. We climbed in the back along with a Singaporean couple, but the ceiling was quite low so they climbed out and got into the front after laughing hysterically! We set off towards Brinchang, the next town to Tanah Rata, and our first stop was the Sungai Palas Tea Plantation. The roads were extremely narrow but there was a stopping place so we could get out and take some photos of the plantation, which was huge. Our guide gave us an overview of how the tea leaves were harvested by machinery alongside human labour. The workers were mainly from Burma and India and although it was back-breaking work he claimed that they were well looked after by the owner of the plantation. We were also told that three minutes is the optimum time to allow tea to brew, as after this time you will ruin the taste. This is because over-brewing causes more tannins to release into the water and tannins cause the bitterness to overpower the taste. So, if you like a stronger tasting tea without bitterness you should use more tea not more time!
 
Our next stop was Gunung Brinchang at 6,666 feet above sea level . Luckily, there was a road that led to the summit so we didn't have to walk otherwise I probably wouldn't have reached the top. There was a watchtower that we climbed which gave us a 360 degree view. It was rather misty and cloudy but the scenery was still beautiful. After climbing back down the steep tower steps we had a short drive to the Mossy Forest. Our guide pointed out all kinds of plants lining the road next to the forest that apparently had medicinal properties, but he seemed very informed. We crushed up one plant leaf and it had exactly the same smell as our insect repellent. We then entered the Mossy Forest, a natural environment that grows only at the highest elevations of the Cameron Highlands and other mountain ranges across Malaysia. At such heights, low-level clouds in the sky blanket the forest with constant mist and moisture, creating an ideal environment for moss, ferns, orchids and lichen. We had to tread carefully as it was quite muddy and a rather strange environment once you got inside the forest. It soon became apparent why it was called the "Mossy Forest" as rich layers of moss covered entire tree trunks and branches making them look soft and lush green . It was deadly silent inside the forest as pitcher plants and vines had formed a canopy. The forest floor felt like a trampoline as it was so moist and had a peat-like texture so that each step left a water-filled imprint on the ground. It was the wrong time of year for orchids to be growing in the forest, but we did see quite a few tropical pitcher plants, also known as 'Monkey Cups' as monkeys occasionally drink the fluid from inside the pitchers. Insects are attracted to the pitcher plants because of nectar secretions and the slippery rim and inner walls of the pitcher encourage insects to fall into the digestive fluid at the bottom of the trap. The pitcher plant then absorbs the nutrients from the "insect soup" that is formed. Andrew was becoming more and more desperate for the toilet as we were walking out of the forest. He reached a point where he could no longer hold it in, so we hung back from the rest our group and I pretended to take photos as he crouched amongst the trees and excreted his faeces on the forest floor! He did cover it over with a leaf in the hope that the next lot of people who were waiting to enter the forest wouldn't immediately see human faeces in the forest, though they may have stood in it! We left the forest and saw a very well camouflaged gamit lizard on a tree by the roadside and luckily whilst in the Land Rover a highly poisonous centipede crossing the road . Unfortunately, the Land Rover behind didn't see it as it drove straight over the thing.
 
We then headed to the the 'Sungai Palas Boh Tea Centre' which was perched on top of a small hill. John Archibald Russell founded the 'Boh Tea Garden' in 1929, realising that the Cameron Highlands had the perfect agricultural properties necessary for growing tea plants and so he then created two other tea plantations, one being the Sungai Palas. We got to look around the old factory to observe first hand the whole tea making process. The tea aroma hit you straight away as you entered and the machinery used was extremely old. In fact, the rolling machines dated back to 1935 and were still in use in the factory. The tea centre itself was quite spacious and had a modern architectural design. It housed an exhibition gallery providing some history about Boh Tea and a shop. The cafe at the far end of the centre had an overhanging platform balcony for viewing the surrounding plantation. In the cafe I chose an 'Early Grey & Tangerine' tea, whilst Andrew had a 'Cameronian Gold Blend' tea . Unfortunately, there were no seats outside on the balcony but it wasn't the end of the world as the cafe had floor to ceiling glass panels so you could still admire the surrounding green scenery. Andrew tucked into his warm coconut tart and I ate a whole packet of home-made shortbread biscuits, except for the one Andrew stole from me as they were so nice! It really did feel like we were in a country garden in England or Scotland.
 
Our next stop was the 'Butterfly Farm' which was essentially a garden enclosure built along a hill slope, filled with free-flying butterflies and a variety of strange insects. The butterflies were huge, but unfortunately it looked like a few were dead on the ground! I wasn't too keen on walking past a man holding a bright green snake even though he kept reassuring me it was completely harmless. We spent a long time looking in one enclosure searching for a leaf insect along with a lot of other people. We gave up but later a lady pointed one out. There were huge stick insects, geckos, a tortoise pen, a scorpion pond and some domestic animals, including a rabbit and a chicken! It was apparently good luck to throw a coin in the scorpion pond so we had a go and both miraculously got our coin in the sea shell! I wonder what form of good luck is heading our way! There were also a number of different flower species dotted around the garden . The whole place was actually fairly random! Our final stop was at a 'Strawberry Farm' where we were told about the new method of growing the fruit in Malaysia that was introduced in the year 2000. The plants are not grown in a field but in compost bags and sensors detected whether they required more water or fertiliser. We then sampled a strawberry milkshake, which was far superior to the one I had at the Indian restaurant. This was the end of our trip so we returned to Tanah Rata and were really thankful as the guide was extremely knowledgeable and quite funny, which made the trip a really worthwhile experience.  
 
We chilled out in our room for a while, as we were fairly tired, before deciding to go out for something to eat as we hadn't had anything proper since breakfast. However, we couldn't find our room key anywhere. I had just packed my bag ready for traveling to Penang tomorrow, but since I found the key we lost in Phuket in my bag a few days later I thought I had better take everything out so Andrew couldn't blame me! It wasn't in my bag, so we looked under the bed sheets, under the bed itself, in the bin and pretty much turned the room upside down for the next thirty five minutes, until I spotted it on the bed under a crease in the sheet. I actually shed a tear as I got so agitated and it was right in front of our face the whole time! We finally got to the 'Mayflower' restaurant and ordered a Chinese steamboat. This consisted of a large dish of chicken stock placed on a gas stove in the middle of our table. We then got a plate of raw ingredients to place into the boiling stock to cook to our liking. We got chicken, beef, fish, prawns, crab sticks, fish balls, fish dumplings, cuttle fish, jelly fish, eggs, rice noodles, egg noodles, tofu, mushrooms, chilli sauce and green vegetables. I wasn't all that keen as everything just tasted of chicken stock! Andrew even ate a jelly fish which nearly made me vomit in my own mouth! As I was so disappointed I went and bought a Boost chocolate bar which made my night! We returned to our room and packed our stuff ready for an early start in the morning.