The Cameroon Highlands

We've spent the last week hiking through the rainforest of the Cameroon Highlands, in the central part of peninsular Malaysia. The days here have given me an appreciation for why the British, sweltering in the heat of colonial capitals along the coast, decided to start spending their weekends much higher up. At 4,500 to 6,500 feet of elevation, the highs here never get much above 80 - a merciful improvement on the weather we had in southern Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand.

The scenery is beautiful - reminiscent of the Appalachians in West Virginia but covered in dense jungle - and the lifestyle very British. We're staying in Tanah Rata, a small town of several thousand people, and can hike up and over some nearby peaks to Brinching, a nearby town, from which, if we're tired, we can catch a taxi back. Numerous vegetable, tea and strawberry farms have been cut into the rainforest that covers the mountains, meaning that we can enjoy scones and tea while we hide out from the rain that moves in at about 3 most afternoons.

We've been hiking every day since we arrived, and, after tomorrow (April 15), will have exhausted the network of trails. Yesterday was our roughest day, a grueling 8 hour hike up the two highest peaks in the region; most days have been somewhat milder, 4 to 6 hour hikes up smaller mountains. I'll post details on the highlights of our hikes (along with more photos! We have internet access for our computer here at the hotel!) soon.

Malaysia seems much more prosperous than anywhere else we've been since Hong Kong. Most people seem to get around by car (we haven't seen a bicycle in days, though part of that may be the mountainous terrain), and many of the tourists here are Malay. I've also been struck by the diversity of the country - about half Malay and a quarter each Chinese and Indian. But more on that later.

We expect to leave here on the 16th, heading to Taman Negera national park, where we may or may not have internet access. After three or four days in the park we think we'll head to Redang, an island off the east coast, to do some diving.