Category: Photography

Most people recognize Cameron Highlands of its tea production. And occasionally, strawberries. The stress on tea and strawberries is really misleading. It is more than that; Cameron Highlands is a major agricultural center in Malaysia. In fact, I probably would not be guilty of exaggeration if I stated that without Cameron Highlands, Singapore would have a serious shortage of greens.

I stayed in Brinchang — one of the major settlements there — for two days last week and in front of my room was a valley of farms:

This is really in the middle of a huge jungle complex:

The environmental damage here seems to be minimal. This is probably because this area has been opened long ago. For areas such as the Bertam Valley however, the disregard for the environment is hard to miss.

I just got back from Cameron Highlands and I can say with confidence, environmental stewardship is meaningless there.

I saw many hills completely striped off of precious trees to make way for agricultural and other developmental purposes. Trash is unmanaged with the river so full of it. Dust as well as the crude sound of heavy vehicles fill the air. Nature has simply been overwhelmed; the rape is merciless.

This is somewhere near the entrance to Bertam Valley, a couple of kilometers away from Ringlet:

Somewhere in between Simpang Pulai and Kampung Raja, a great hill, much prouder than the one in the photo has one of its sides completely trimmed, raped of vegetation for a new highway; from the top all the way down.

Sometimes, I am amazed at the power humanity wields. We shape the world as if we were the gods themselves.