Daily Lesson from Life 07-10 May 2009

I was in a rush to go to Cameron Highland with my family (minus Zheng Jie as he was engaged with the army), my mum, my mum-in-law, and two sister-in-law on 07 May 2009 night.

We took the night bus and stayed at the Cluny Lodge, a bungalow owned by the Singapore government for their civil service employees to rent and enjoyed.

The last I was in Cameron Highland was early '80s! The place has changed a lot but not to the extent of depriving it of the rustic charm and the slow paced lifestyle it is known for. Of course, it is also renown for its Boh Tea plantation which earned itself the tag of: The Green Carpet of Malaysia. And the many vegetables it grows and supplies to Malaysia and Singapore!

To be without Internet in the Lodge is a weired feeling for me though I brought my laptop computer with me as I have some work to do while there.

However, I did try to enjoy the nature it has to offer so I went for a Sunrise Tour with Huimin and my mum (while the rest of the gang slept in) and a Moonlight Jungle Track with Huimin again! The gang did a agri-tour in the day tough!

It is educational for sure as we, city folks, have not come into contact with the real people who grow the vegetables. Fresh and organic. Good way to relax.

The Sunrise Tour was a bit of a let down as we got up at 5.30am and then with another 10+ people at other hotels, went to the 'highest' motor vehicle accessed point in Cameron Highland to watch the sun rise. The 'peak' was not that high. The immediate view is blocked by a few tall trees right in front. So, I went off the track and climbed up to a planting plot which must be the highest vantage point there! Anyway, the clouds got in the way and we did not really see a spectacular sun rise most of us looked forward to. But the morning air is indeed very clean and the temperature a bit chilly when the wind blow! Most of us are good natured and accepted that this is how it works with nature. It does not always reveal the best of itself to human being!

The Moonlight Jungle Walk is interesting as we have never seen so many spiders and other insects, including a fresh water crab in the stream, in the night and in the jungle (or bushes)! One part of the tour we switched off all our torchlight just to experience how dark is can be in the jungle! I am not too much of a nature guy but it is definitely a different experience to have. This is especially so since we are in Cameron Highland. The whole idea is to get away from the hassle and bustle of city life. Here, we did get a sampling of it.

These 3 days and 07 May 2009 are fun and I will remember it for a while! Until the memory fade, I figure I would try another bus ride to the remote side of Western Malaysia as it is simple too long and uncomfortable!

In case someone is looking for the linkage to the 7e Way of Leaders: To be a leader, you need to be able to relax and recharge yourself by seeking peace and tranquility in an environment you normally do not live and work in! Sounds zen enough for you? ;-)

p/s: Met with 3 young French who worked in Singapore who are on exploration trip. Good meeting.