cameron - wayfoong

My recent road trip to Cameron began with a stop at Bidor for what else, but their famous Pun Chun Duck Noodles. Ten years ago, this was the talk of town. Today, is it just my wavering taste bud or have they compromised on the quality of the soup? Not so much of a 'kick' to its soup anymore.. :( 

Even the shop was only half occupied on a weekend lunch hour. 

Anyways, we were soon on our way to search for one particular bungalow in Brinchang, Cameron. We were heading to Wayfoong Bungalow, one of the 2 HSBC-owned lots which is allotted to their employees for a memorable stay up in these highlands. My good 'ol sister got lucky this time around!

A long and private road finally led us to this very colonial-like single-storey bungalow which if i'm not mistaken, was built since the 1930's.

Red anthuriums decorate the entrance to this majestic-looking place that i was gonna live in for the next 3 nights. I must say i was rather relieved to spot the Astro dish at one of their chimneys. ^^

There were more potted plants and flower bushes at the backyard of this house, not to mention lots of space for a BBQ party(!) which we did not hold, due to fear of rain!

Outside, these long steps lead to Seri Menanti, the other bungalow....

...and THIS! What a feeling it must be to play tennis in such a cold place! Hey, we were really quite high up and the weather really chilly outdoors.

Inside, the house has a master bedroom (MY room of course!). Check out the many cupboards and drawers they have.....even has a fireplace which i forgot to snap a picture of.

There are 2 other guest rooms like this one.

The carpeted spacious living room ....

..has a huge fireplace in which we were so grateful of, on the cold winter nights. Believe me when i say it was one of the warmest feelings ever to crouch up in an armchair in front of the fireplace and just stare at the dancing flames.

The caretakers of the bungalow, Mr and Mrs Lim, were an elderly couple who also happens to great Hainanese cooks. So kind that they made us tea just as we arrived.

Not just any tea - it was tea with lovely buttery scones!

When Darren sits at the dining table, all he wants to do is to have a bite of everything we eat!

Simple homemade yet tantalizing Chinese dishes.

Darren even has his own baby cot all set up for him in the house!

That's one happy boy!

The mornings in Cameron were just too lovely....

Not to mention, chilly too!

Waking up here every morning would add 10 more years to my life!

Look how high up we were.

How I wished this was OUR little breakaway cottage... ^^

with mummy...

Here's a glimpse of just some of the many types of flowers grown in the gardens of Wayfoong.

Since we could practically request for the type of food we wanted, breakfast was mainly Western or some kind of fried noodles which was restaurant-standard!

Speaking of Hainanese, during one of our lunches...

we just had to get Mr Lim to prepare us his famous Hainanese Chicken Chop.

And Fish & Chips.

He never forget the sides - this time, steamed cabbage and crinkle cut fries.

And can you believe it, he makes desssert too!
Apple crumble with vanilla ice cream..................

We also had a Western grilled dinner with the companion of mushroom soup, herb baby potatoes and blanched peas.

STEAK!!

CHICKEN!!

My plate of mixed grill!

Mr Lim's specialty was saved for the last night when he presented us with a Bombe Alaska (a dessert made with ice cream, then lined with sponge cake and topped with meringue, which is then splashed with some rum so then the lights go out, and the whole dessert is flambeed and served immediately)...Aaah, got all that?! The visual impact of it being torched makes it a night dessert.

Now that you've seen all the delicious food served in Wayfoong, it was time to venture and hunt for food outside our homey shell....
To begin with, no one goes to Cameron without having a go at their steamboat - preferably the organic charcoal kind. And this particular one we went to is ranked #1 restaurant in Brinchang, according to tripadvisor.

Each person pays RM20/set. Check out the long chimney...Cool or what.

Another unique attraction is the Smokehouse Hotel and Restaurant, an English Tudor style place built in 1937.

For a complete colonial ambience, their rooms start from RM 400+.

There's also this prettily flourished flower garden, ideal for photo taking.

Mum n sis

If only Darren was big enough to run around on the green green grass of Cameron.

Darren having a swinging time with grandma.

The interior of this hotel cum restaurant is really beautiful, right down to every detail.

The dining area.

Darren on grandpa's lap

Our chosen dining area......because of the 2 Japanese girls seated beside our table. hehe

I have to admit - dining here can be costly, but one thing's for sure, they serve quality food and drinks.

Eg, Tea + 2 cookies cost us RM 16++.

Their mixed tea set.

Grilled steak with Yorkshire pudding alone was already RM 72++.

Definitely an experience after having paid RM 290 for tea and a main course.

Then there was the guided walk into the mossy forest of Gunung Brinchang. My second time into this magical forest which i love for its mossy feel and cool surroundings.

Can you believe after the forest walk, i also went to the Butterfly Farm (of all places, right?!), afterwhich i felt like demanding back my RM 5 entrance fee.
I felt so sorry for the butterflies, as they weren't properly looked after. I saw so many dead ones lying on the ground with torn wings or so. Even saw one that accidentally fell into this koi pond, only to be instantly snapped up by the fishes. National geographic horror!

The rest were snakes and insects like bugs. So, in the end, i took the most interesting pictures of hamsters...

and a pair of cocks. REALLY big fat cocks.

Seriously, what kind of tourists do they hope to attract with this sad-state of a museum? Looks more like a rumah hantu if you ask me.

The beautiful vast valleys of a tea plantation........

The beautiful rows of green salad leaves at one of the strawberry farms.
So, THIS is where butterhead lettuce comes from...mmmm.

What's cameron without its lovely reddish strawberries?!
Not lying when i say "skip the fresh kind if you can't stand the sour taste at all"

Or stick to the by-products, ie fresh juice, pancakes and strawberries with cream. Like nothing i've ever tasted.

Darren with sis, Millie.

All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable trip with the family.

Too bad only managed to catch Mrs Lim in this photo. At the point of photo taking, Mr Lim had gone to the market that morning of us checking out.

If there's a chance, i would love to return to Wayfoong for another round of Hainan cooking.

And while i'm in Cameron, i'll just stick to strawberries that are 2D.

The Strawberry Family

The middle mini strawberry is slipping

OOps, there he goes!