Malaysia March 203

Malaysia March 2013

Lake Tasik Kenyir on the eastern side of the Highlands is a beautiful man made stretch of water with kilometres of jungle clad islands, valleys and inlets (probably an environmental nightmare) producing hydro power and recreation areas. Trouble is someone misjudged the safe building level or the hydro side didn’t pull the pin soon enough during the recent heavy wet season. 

Literally thousands of hectares of palm oil being grown in place of tropical forests. While providing a huge labor requirement it’s been at the expense of the environment and existed on the corrupt issue of logging permits and land title 

As with all parts of the globe the Chinese are heavily involved 

Logging as a prelude to palm oil. 

While millions if not billions have been spent on some very impressive express ways the maintenance has been almost nonexistent resulting in huge potholes, slips and subsidence. Here we follow a palm oil truck around some badly broken road

At a police check the officers were more interested in our, “beautiful truck” than anything else

The Cameron Highlands. At 15 to 25degrees a most welcome relief from the heat of the coast. Tea plantations, vegetables and flower growing. Most businesses run by the Chinese and Indians while the Malays provide the labor – typical throughout the country

 

And of course the picturesque tea plantations. This one still owned by an English family
 

more tea….

and more tea…

and vegetables 

Marina picking tea

The weigh up. Tea is nearly all cut by foreign workers using hand cutters and paid 10cAUD per kg cut.  Interestingly the Indian union became too strong and expensive so corrupt payments by some plantation owners gain excessive permits for foreign workers principally from Sri Lanka.