North of Tanah Rata, the Cameron Highlands get higher, busier and more intensely farmed. The road climbs through Brinchang, the second town of the highlands, known for its night market and strawberry stalls, and then on towards Kea Farm and Tringkap, where the hillsides are covered not with tea but with plastic greenhouses growing vegetables, flowers and strawberries. It is not the prettiest part of the highlands, but it is the engine room, supplying much of the produce sold in Malaysia and Singapore.
Above Brinchang, a narrow road leads to the summit of Gunung Brinchang, at just over two thousand metres the highest point in Peninsular Malaysia reachable by road. Near the top is the Mossy Forest, a cloud forest where the trees are twisted, stunted and covered in thick layers of moss, ferns and orchids, and where the air is permanently damp. A boardwalk lets you walk through it, and on a clear day the views across the forested mountains are spectacular, though clear days are rare. The road to the top passes through tea estates, including one of the largest in the highlands, with a cafe overlooking the plantations.
The highlands have a complicated history. The area was originally home to Orang Asli groups, the indigenous peoples of Peninsular Malaysia, who still live in villages in the forests around. Chinese, Indian and Malay communities came later, working in the tea estates and farms, and the mix of cultures shows in the temples, food and markets of the towns. Development has been rapid and sometimes uncontrolled, with forest cleared for farms, and landslides and floods have become a problem.
The riding here is slower and more congested than the climb from Tapah, with traffic jams in Brinchang at weekends and narrow, steep side roads up to the farms. The road north towards Simpang Pulai and Ipoh is a newer, wider route that descends in long curves to the lowlands, offering a different kind of ride. Fuel, food and accommodation are plentiful in Brinchang and Tanah Rata. The weather is cool, and in the evening it can be chilly, so bring a warm layer.