This weekend was the Wesak Day long weekend so we took our houseguest (and a fellow writer) up to Cameron Highlands.

Photo 1: Hrugaar and me strolling through the Boh tea plantation.
Photo 2: Note how steep the hillslopes are.

Photo 3: these two men are picking the leaves at the top of the bushes

Photo 4: Close up of the machine they use, which has to be hauled manually up and down those rows – and up and down those hills.

Photo 5: Gradually the bag at the back of the machine fills with leaves.

Photo 6: The machine can’t cut the ends of the rows, so this has to be done by hand clippers. The leaves fall into a sort of catch-box on the clippers and are then emptied over the shoulder into the pack on the back.

Truly, a lot of tough manual labour goes into your cup of tea…

My husband has asked me to put these up here: pix from a recent trip to Cameron Highlands of Rafflesia cantleyi, bud and flowers and the host vine. (The flowers are parasitic, and leafless.)

The thing that really impresses me about these things is how the fertilised seed ever finds the right host vine in the rainforest. Needles in a haystack would be a cinch by comparison.

We took Donna up into the highlands this weekend. Not exactly a hardship as we rather do like poking about the tea plantations.

I shall let the photos speak for themselves, but if someone can explain to me why there were twelve Lotus cars and two Porsches also poking around over those rough tea plantation tracks, I’d be interested to know.

Two other wondrous things happened too: I walked up several very steep hills (first time after 3 months of enforced rest) and I wasn’t shattered afterwards. I think I am back to normal. See photo of me against the skyline going “YAY!”

And I went away for a weekend without my laptop. No writing. I blame Donna, or course. She’s too interesting and we talked all the time.

Photos: Boh tea plantation; rows of tea plants; Donna and me at the top of the hill; Boh Tea plantation; Donna in a contemplative mood; me on the way to the top of the hill; Cameron Fruit and vegies