A Visit to Fraser's Hill - The Gap (Part 1)

1.

Last March, I made my first ever trip to Fraser's Hill which is located at 1,500m above sea level and about 105 km away north of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. It is about 2.5 hours drive from Kuala Lumpur

The gateway to Fraser's Hill is via Kuala Kubu Bharu town. Visitors who drive up are advised to fill up their vehicle petrol tank to full as there are no petrol station in Fraser's Hill. Those taking the taxi will need to make a booking for the return trip as well as there are no public transport at the hilltop.

You will pass by the Sg Selangor Dam on the way from Kuala Kubu Bharu to the Gap.

2.

Here's the restroom/washroom near the Gap which is situated at the foothills of Fraser's Hill. 

“A visit to Fraser's Hill - The Gap (Part 1) ”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on April 9th, 2013.

3. Bottle brush tree

At the restroom area, I had the chance to take some pictures of the scenery and vegetation of the area.

4.

Arachis pintoi - Pinto Peanut or Pokok Kacang Kuning growing wild on the ground.

5.

I saw a lot of  tree ferns and giant bamboo trees, some which are very tall and with big, fat stems. Occasionally we pass by an oak tree or clumps of tall bamboo orchid (Arundina graminilfola). The forest views here are spectacular.

6.

The weed, Agerantum conyzoides.

Common names: Billygoat Weed, Goat Weed, Chick Weed, White Weed

Malay name: Rumput Tahi Ayam (Chicken Dung Grass)

7.

Scientific name: Spilanthes paniculata
Synonyms: S. acemella, S. pseudo-acemella, Acemella oleracea
Family: Asteraceae
Origin: Tropical America

Common names: Toothache Plant, Peek-A-Boo, Electric Daisy
Malay name: Getang Kerabu, Subang Nenek
Other names: Phak khraat (Thai), Yari sennichi modoki (Japanese)

This is a common weed in Southeast Asia.
For additional information, refer to Seedaholic and Globinmed sites

7.

Bamboo and montane forest scenery.

8.

These are hawker stalls at the Gap area. In the old days, business was good because it was necessary to wait in line at the Gap for the different times schedule for the one way trip uphill or downhill. In the old days, the only way up and down to Fraser's Hill, was via a single very narrow and winding road called The Gap road which starts halfway from Kuala Kubu Bharu town to the summit of Fraser's Hill.

Now there are no more hassles of long queues waiting for traffic to change directions for uphill/downhill travel. A new road has been built since 2001 for separate downhill travel. It starts from Jalan Quarry after Pine Resort in Fraser's Hill which leads back to the Bentong-Kuala Kubu Bharu-Kuala Lumpur route. 

So now, you use the old Gap road for uphill travel and new road for downhill.

9.

At the Gap Gate, take the right turn for the uphill drive up to Fraser's Hill. 

10.

The red signboard reads, "Reminder - stopping between two gates are strictly prohibited".

The adjacent brown signboard is designed for tourist to take photographs. You can see a hole there to insert our head, hehe.There is a map and description of Fraser's Hill.

After this point, the temperature starts to drop significantly.Below are some photos that I took of the plants and flowers at the Gap Gate area.

11.

Sanchezia speciosa

12.

Close-up of the Sanchezia speciosa inflorescence, native plant of Peru and Ecuador.

13.

A begonia attached to a tree trunk.

14.

Mussaenda 'Dona Eva'

15.

This is the first time I see a Datura metel aka Devil's Trumpet with pale orange flowers. It is gorgeous.
Updated: This is a Brugmansia hybrid, thanks to Aaron Ang for the ID. Perhaps it is Brugmansia suaveolens?

Some useful links:
1. How to go to Fraser's Hill from Kuala Lumpur

2. Map of Fraser's Hill