Malaysia and The Philippines are probably the hottest places I've ever been too, and coupled with the humidity temperatures that often approach 40 can make for a pretty uncomfortable time.
Fortunately, a few hours north east of Kuala Lumpur are the Cameron Highlands, a series of little towns perched on a plateau about 4,500 feet above sea level in the mountains.
I wasn't exactly sure what went on up there, but I did know it would be a lot cooler than Kuala Lumpur. And it took me in the direction I wanted to go, so off I went.
It's tea country in the Camerons, and the British influence is obvious in the architecture as the Malaysian ruling classes used to escape here much as they did to places like Darjeeling in India.
It was deliciously overcast and cool when I arrived at Father's Guest house in Tanah Rata, and my hopes of a decent dorm were raised as I walked up the drive to the lovely building perched atop hill above the town.
Those hopes were dashed upon the Nissen hut dorms I was lead to on the other side of the building though.
Twelve backpackers packed into a converted Nissen hut is not pleasant I can tell you. But again, for a couple of quid a night, I couldn't complain.
I spent a couple of days in Tanah Rata, exploring the jungle and generally relishing the cooler temperatures - apparently it never tops 20 degrees up there and it was actually cold at night. Properly cold. I shivered for the first time in months!
There are lots of jungle walks that start in the town, and though I'm no big trekker I did try a couple of the less strenuous ones out.
This isn't just a badly taken picture of a bit of pathway, it's a badly taken picture of two butterflies dancing over the path.
And here's some pics of genuine Malaysian jungle!
One of the trails was advertised as ending in a delightful jungle waterfall. And from a distance it certainly seemed delightful.
Which is a real shame, because like much of the Camerons, Tanah Rata could be an amazingly picturesque escape from KL as it must have been in its glory days, but because it's so badly maintained nobody ever bothers these days.
