Rose Centre @ Cameron Highlands

(Part 1 of Leisure Tour)

Over the weekend, i was up in Cameron Highlands (henceforth known as CH) with my parents as part of a promised trip that was unfortunately postponed due to the Chicken Pox virus.

A torturous nine-hour bus ride finally ended at Brinchang town and after checking in to Kavy Hotel, the sleepy three-member Teo family signed up for a Leisure Tour with Titiwangsa Tours at RM25 per person.

It's not my first time in CH and tours like this don't change much over the years. With father strongly objecting to a self-drive trip (and it's a two nights trip), tour packages do help in easy commuting to the various attractions in the highlands.

We shall begin this pictorial post with Rose Centre; my favourite attraction!

The job of the local tour agency is to drive you to Rose Centre so be prepared to pay an additional RM5 for entry. Initially i thought this was a scam but having been to CH a few times, it's the norm to pay!

True to its name, Rose Centre has loads of sweet scented roses!

White Color

Red with Streaks of White

Light Pink

Yellow

Orange

Bloody Red! I cannot find any black rose leh!

Besides facing an overdose of roses, you can also find various spots where you can take advantage of ageing structures like the one above.

This plant will be able to adapt well in Pandora (as in the Avatar movie) if the bubble-like buds are able to glow at night!

My mom called this the cobra flower. From this angle, it looked almost like a cobra that was about to strike!

A passageway lined with flowers and structures that provided a visual breather from flowers.

Depending on your imagination, this cluster of cactus can either be deemed horrific (eewwww snakes) or pornographic (so long~~~~~)! Hahaha.

Amitabha.... Pots of lotus-like cactus to purify that dirty mind of yours! Mine has always been innocent... contrary to popular belief.

Rose Centre is huge and climbing stairs is necessary to see what this place has to offer.

Another bunch of flowers.

This is so cute! Like bu dao weng (不倒翁). I try searching for the English term for this but cannot find any!!! Weird!! And no, it's not humpty dumpty hor!

Another flight of stairs with no protection from the weather! Thank god it was quite cold when the Teo family visited.

It was worth the effort as we were rewarded with a splendid view! It was not as majestic as Zhangjiajie but i am easily satisfied.

Father Teo surrounded by beds of purplish flowers of various shades!

Who can resist sunflowers!? In a conversation i had with the tour guide, we both agreed that since the environment in CH is conducive for sunflowers, landowners should consider planting a big area filled with them. It will definitely attract a lot of tourists!

After a long walk up, it's time to return. It wasn't tiring as the weather was at a cool 18 degree celcius!

The shoe house; a great place to hide when it starts to rain in the great outdoors!

Nothing's perfect! However, its ugly existence is necessary to clear the rainwater before it's too heavy for the translucent plastic roofs.

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Additional Information

The tour guides will usually give you 40 minutes and i can tell from experience that it's not enough! An hour will be better for you to relax and slowly explore the area.

Loving The Biscuit King @ Casuarina Road

Digging deep into my memory, i recollected this particular scene where my late grandma used to throw me a few sticks of elongated plain biscuits to keep (active) me occupied.

Back then, television shows were crappy and limited to only a few hours a day. Children shows were non-existent, technology was pretty primitive (no iphone, no ds lite) and i was stuck in a wooden chair that didn't allow much movement.

Those old school biscuits left a deep impression as i loved the flaky crunch that came with each bite. Unfortunately, as the country advances, we are faced with an influx of many types of biscuits imported from other countries.

Soon, the traditional type we know by its distinctive bronze storage tins slowly vanished from sight, replaced by tins/packaging that are more colourful and attractive to consumers.

I am glad that all's not lost.

When i found Biscuit King.

Unlike most convenience stores that sell only a limited variety, Biscuit King has over 75 different types of traditional biscuits!

Munchers will have a great time looking through these different packs of small-sized bags for the go. Note: impulsive munchers will not 'look'; they will just grab and go!

And it's not just the carbohydrates! Preggies (my terminology for pregnant ladies) will love the extensive range of sour products to curb that naseau feeling!

Costing S$1.50 a bag, it's a buy 4 get 1 free! Damn! Hate it when retailers come out with promotions like this!

Adult kids, like myself, reminisce the old times when sweets are just sweets, each with a unique flavour of its own. It's a pity that sweets nowadays seem to veer towards flavours that were too complicated at times.

Coming back to the biscuits!! If you are a skeptical person like myself, having a large variety of biscuits does not necessarily equate to fresh biscuits of high quality with a taste (and aroma) to kill.

That's when sampling is essential to allay those fears!

For me, i find it really difficult whenever weight is used to gauge how much you want from those tins. Come on, how the hell will i know that each wafer weighs how many grams?!?! And i don't want too much; like only 20 pieces?

That's when i appreciate the business strategy Biscuit King adopts; offering ready-to-go packaging that ranges from a 300 grams sealed plastic bag to a high quality container that can withstand a few days of snacking.

So far, i have never been disappointed with the biscuits in Biscuit King (the samples are damn helpful) even though most of them are sourced from various manufacturers. Below are a few types i personally like;

Vanilla Rolls! The sweet fragrance of rich vanilla made eating this so addictive!!

Cheese Cream Biscuits! The cheesiness was not overbearing and may not go well with extreme cheese lovers. It's just right for me though.

Jewel Biscuits! When i was young, i enjoyed biting the brightly coloured sugary topping off the boring, carbo bottom! And it's wasteful that the bottoms were mostly condemned to the dustbin!

Vanilla Cream Biscuits! Almost like Oreo, this had a thicker vanilla filling and tasted so fresh! I remember a few stale experiences with Oreo biscuits. =_=

Corn Cream Biscuits! The whole combi was just too irresistible!!

Custard Cream Biscuits! My favourite and a must-buy every time i am in Biscuit King!

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Location

130 Casuarina Road

(Along the shophouses with Paris Spring and Casuarina Curry)

Additional Information

As you can see above, Biscuit King has been featured many, many times!

Many shops will gladly sell you a tin but they only sell it with ONE pathetic flavour. In Biscuit King, you can choose 4 different types of biscuits to one tin! And each tin starts from S$30 depending on your selection.

Oh! Free delivery for orders above S$50! And despite its traditional products, technology is heavily utilised in this shop!

Do visit their website at http://www.biscuitking.com.sg/ to place your order online. Or you could be an old fashioned customer like myself; visit their shop every time the craving works up!