Malaysia — Hill Top Travel and Tour — Summary

Exploring the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

August 2015

I had a fun day with Hill Top Travel and Tour.

The transport wasn’t particularly comfortable, and bouncing around in the back (especially in the first hour en route to the plant — Rafflesia) was painful. The noise from the engine was deafening (take earplugs), but it got us where we wanted to go.

The vehicle was an interesting beast that had undoubtedly seen a lot of hard work.

I was glad I only looked into the front at the end of the day, as the lack of maintenance was alarming.

And I had to admire the ingenuity of replacing a broken spring on the accelerator peddle with a collection of rubber bands. Although it did make me wonder what else on the vehicle had been replaced with something that seemed to do the job but might not have been appropriate. Had the brake pads been replaced with slices of cheese?

The view from the back of the truck wasn’t great.

And the view out of the front of the truck, when sitting in the back, wasn’t that particularly good either.

Our driver and guide, Joe, did a good job. He was a little quiet on the hike to see the Rafflesia, but as the day went on, he became more talkative.

Below is a photo of our lunch stop.

My recommendations for the trip would be to wear good shoes, no flip-flops or sandals, but trainers would be OK, and walking boots preferred, as the hike to see the Rafflesia was tough. I would also suggest taking double the amount of water suggested by the guides, and if you are tall, wear a hat to protect your head from overhanging materials on the Rafflesia hike. The rest of the day, you could do in flip-flops or sandals, except the Mossy Forest.

I enjoyed my time with Hill Top Travel and Tour and saw parts of the Cameron Highlands that I would not have otherwise seen.