For 2 glorious hours, I enjoyed
the ultimate picnic in the great outdoors of Cameron Highlands and being pampered
like a precious pooch by Siva my personal butler who looked after me as if I
was to the manor born.
The sky was outrageously and scandalously
blue with wisps of white, cottony clouds. The weather was as perfect as only
Buddha and Jesus could make it---not too cold or blazingly hot but just right.
Having a picnic in the heat of
the tropics is no joke and we could have passed out if the picnic was held in
Kuala Lumpur at noon when the sun was at its peak. But here in Cameron
Highlands, it was pleasantly cool and dry without the enervating humidity that
drains the sweat out of us in the lowlands!
By tradition, a picnic must be
held outdoors and more importantly, on the ground, with a cloth spread over the
grass so we don't sit on cow dung or ants' hill!
Folding table and chairs should
not be used or else you might as well dine in aircond restaurants like The
Dining Room in Cameron Highlands Resort!
Ideally the person serving us (in
this case Siva) should be in uniform and wear white gloves and so it was!
Everything was perfection and
there was nothing to wish for!
No wonder it cost RM 800 for 2
persons (if you come alone it also costs RM 800!) but this includes the
services of Siva who had to come to this patch of paradise nearly 2 hours
earlier to lay the picnic accoutrements and lay out the picnic and ensure the
food and drinks are all ready for my imperial arrival!
Siva also had to wait for the van
to send us back to Cameron Highlands Resort and then return to fetch him!
In addition, this picnic area is
restricted ONLY to guests of Cameron Highlands Resort and the grassy knoll must
be booked in advance. The land is small and can accommodate only 6 pax
comfortably.
As for the view, it is stupendous
and while not as heavenly as Guilin in China, the cultivated hilly slopes lined
with tea bushes is a balm to the soul. We are directly across the valley from
BOH Tea Centre at Sungai Palas which is far enough to feel isolated but near
enough for BOH Centre visitors with zoom cameras to turn tea-bush green from
envy.
Cameron
Highlands Resort
Cameron Highlands,
Pahang, 39000 Tanah Rata, Malaysia
TEL: +60 5-491 1570
