A couple of friends and I booked a free and easy tour package at SGD $209 per person for a 3 nights stay at the Equatorial Hill Resort with complimentary breakfast every morning. The cost included transfer by a Super VIP coach from Singapore to hotel and return. We left Singapore at 9:30 pm, 25 May 2001 and reached Tapah toll at 5:05 am, 26 May 2001. We waited till 5:45 am before a taxi came to fetch us up to Cameron Highlands. The journey took an hour and a half and we reached the hotel at 7:15 am. To my surprise, the journey was pleasant and the air was unexpectedly cool, about 21 degrees Celsius. Later we learnt from the locals that it had been raining for the past 2 days. Usually it should be warmer, about 25-28 degree Celsius during May/June.

Fig. 1 (above left): Daylily buds are consumed as vegetables by the locals. Fig. 2 (above right): Brightly coloured Salvia are perfect bedding plants in any gardens. Fig. 3 (below left): I almost bought the Ipomea that the lady was eyeing. Fig. 4 (below right): The brightly coloured cacti are grafted on the Hylocereus (dragon fruit cactus) root stock as it lacks chlorophyll to make food on its own.

After breakfast, we took a look at the flora planted in the hotel. There were Agapanthus, Daylilies (Figure 1), Canna, Ipomea, Salvia (Figure 2), Nasturtium, Cleome, Pelargonium, Strawflowers etc. There are 2 strawberry farms, about 5 minutes walk from the hotel. We went to the Kea Strawberry Garden instead. It not only sold strawberries and strawberry jam, but also vegetables, potted plants like cacti and succulents, clivias, moth orchids, mini roses, slipper orchids, Zinnia, Ipomea, etc as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

However, the prices were quite steep and the quality was not good either. Next to it was a coffee shop selling mainly Chinese dishes. The place was clean and pleasant. You can have a meal as low as RM$3.50 for a plate of fried rice/bee hoon/kuay teow. We had decided to have our meals here for the next 2 days as it was so near to the hotel. Further down was a row of sundry shophouses and just across the road was a row of stalls selling vegetables, potted plants, fresh cut flowers etc. As we walked along the shops, we saw a sign indicating "ROSE CENTRE" about 500m away. It took us about 20-25 minutes before we reached the place. Admission is RM$4.00 per person.

Inside the Rose Centre was a breathtaking sight of a lot of roses (Figures 5 - 8), fuchsias, dahlias (Figure 9), cacti and succulents, marigolds (Figure 10), begonias, jade vines (Figure 11), daisies, pelargoniums, impatients, hydrangeas, petunias, hibiscus, gerberas etc. We were almost drowned by the many flowers there. One good thing about this place is the many varieties of plants sold in the plant sales section. Prices vary but again it depends on what you are looking for.

Fig. 5 to 8: There is a saying that roses are like pigs. They are heavy feeders and grow very easily once the weather is favourable.

Fuchsia, roses, Begonia, cacti and succulents, orchids were out for me as they fared poorly in Singapore. My friend on the other hand fancied only the bulbous plants like Agapanthus, Hippeastrum, Clivia and calla lily (Zantedeschia). In the end, I bought a shasta daisy (RM$5) as in Figure 12. He bought Agapanthus, Hippeastrum, and calla lily. We should have continued to explore further expecially the top of the centre where you could witness a fantastic view of the vicinity overlooking the Kea Farms. But since we were hungry and the plants were pretty heavy, we had decided to leave this place as soon as possible for our lunch.

Fig. 9: Dahlia are like our potatoes, which grow from tubers. Fig. 10: This marigold is quite different from those we saw. Fig. 11: Jade vines are native from The Philippines. Fig. 12: Shasta Daisy seems to need winter chill to grow and bloom well as it disappeared from Cameron Highlands in 2003.