We arrived in Kuala Lumpur and were relieved to find the driver waiting for us.  That’s always a worry as we’ve had several experiences where that wasn’t the case.  So, we hopped in the taxi for the long but beautiful drive to the Cameron Highlands, located about 120 miles from Kuala Lumpur at an elevation of 4,720 feet.  During the last hour or so of the drive, the switchbacks were constant and the lush vegetation that we drove through was stunning.  The drive was even longer than expected as it was the last weekend of holiday for many young people and, once we got into the town, the traffic was horrible The town itself, is not exactly what I would consider charming or quaint.  It is a haven for young backpackers and, in order to accommodate them, huge complexes of homestays have popped up everywhere.   All of these structures have an Alpine feel to the facades that, to me, looked a little cheesy and not of very good quality.   We finally arrived at Will’s home early evening and received a warm welcome from both Will and his two pups.

After we settled into the guestroom, Will took us to a wonderful Indian restaurant owned by a good friend of his, Babal, and treated us to a delicious family style Indian meal.  Afterwards, we went to his favorite bar, complete with a pool table, where we hung out for several hours.  Will is quite the accomplished pool player but Bill was certainly a formidable match and it was fun watching them play, with the loser of each game required to throw down two shots of Jaegermeister Schnapps.  Bill and Will played as a team against two of the locals and won those games.  Then, Bill and Will played against each other and, as Bill won most of those games, Will was pretty well lit when we finally left.

Will had the next day off and was invited, by one of his Indian friends, to a Hindu celebration in town, at noon.  So after a little something to eat at his house, we headed into town to check out the celebration.  Not quite sure what they were celebrating but there was quite a crowd and they were preparing huge quantities of food in enormous pots to feed the congregation.   There were a few musicians playing instruments and chanting while one of the elders, who appeared to be someone important, was blessing people.  Of course, Bill jumped right in as he firmly believes that, if he can receive blessings from all the religions (he does this in all the countries we've visited, when the opportunity presents itself) he'll have a better chance of getting to the big playground in the sky.  So, after giving a small donation, he emerged with a ribbon tied around his head  and colored ash markings on his forehead.  He was loving it!!! 

  

We really wanted to try the food, as it smelled and looked delicious, but we felt that we should wait until all the congregation had been served.  However, we were all really hungry so, decided to go to another restaurant in town where Will knew the owner.  Having been in the Cameron Highlands for a couple of years, and being one of the few foreigners living there as a resident, it felt like Will knew everyone in town. The meal was great and afterwards, we went back to the house to relax and hang out.  We had some really good Lebanese food delivered for dinner and the guys watched soccer while I worked on the blog.

Will had to go back to work the next day but had arranged, through another friend, to get us tickets for an all day tour of the popular tourist sites in the Cameron Highlands.  So, the next morning, he dropped us off at the tourist office on his way to work. 

Be sure and check out the two videos of the Hindu event at the bottom of the photo section.  For some reason, I can't put them in the body of the blog. To be continued……..