#Highlifeinthehighlands

Early in the morning, I was picked up by a minibus to start my tour of the Cameron Highlands. Our little bus zoomed along the country roads and pulled up outside the first tea plantation. The plants grew tall so all you could see through them were little human heads dotted around. Some blossomed with great, blue flowers. The sun flooded the lush green with light, it was beautiful.

On the tour, I met a really lovely woman called Nicole. A fellow teacher (but she is brave enough to educate teenagers) originally from America. On our next stop in an ancient forest, we chatted

effortlessly. Despite being told sightings were rare, I kept an eye out for monkeys hoping to see one hidden in the trees. The forest was called a moss forest, probably because of all the moss. It was cold beneath the trees but the air was crisp and fresh and felt amazing to actually breathe.

Our main stop was at a large tea plantation. It was a chance to sample the produce and we wasted no time ordering tea and cake. I took my tea cup and artistically photographed it with the leaves in the background. The plantation spread for miles, you could almost see the mist rising from the plants. A small museum explained how the crops were harvested. An enormous machine, operated by two strong men (because woman are too weak! Their words) is dragged through the fields. Feminism aside, I'd rather be making the tea and cake, it looks like effort!

Finally we reached the end of our tour. It was a strawberry farm- the very same strawberry farm that Sean and Katy has visited when they were there. It felt comforting to know that I was posing with the same strawberries they had posed with a few years before. I spent most of the time looking for the same strawberry Sean had been photographed with looking sad and defeated but to no avail.

It was a short walk back to the hostel and I managed to not get lost. I also had swapped numbers with Nicole and we had dinner plans.