Volunteer Field Assistants Briefing

Yesterday I met with 4 of my volunteer field assistants and the first thing Vyna said to me was, all girls ah? Ah well, girl power it is.

My briefing notes are as follows:

Introduction
Cameron Highlands has 3000 farm families. We are surveying primarily the farms that export to Singapore. Most of the farmers are Chinese, speaks Chinese dialects, Mandarin, Malay and minimal English. There are some farmers who are Indian. Cameron Highlands is located in the state of Pahang, at the boundary of Kelantan and Perak. The farm workers are mostly Indian foreign workers. (I wonder what language they speak.)

There are several towns in Cameron Highlands. The one we will be staying in is Tanah Rata. But we will be surveying farms from all the towns.

Transport
From Singapore, you can get a Konsortium bus direct to Cameron Highlands daily.
Depart: 10.30pm from Goldenmile Plaza
Arrive: 7-8am at Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands

There is a bus from Cameron Highlands to Singapore which departs at 10am everyday from Tanah Rata. It stops at KL along the way but there is no need to change buses.

You can buy a round trip or one-way ticket from Singapore.
June (school holidays) - S$55 (one way) and S$99 (round trip)
July weekday – S$45 (one way) $79 (round trip)
July weekend – S$50 (one way) $80 (round trip)
It may be cheaper to buy return ticket from Cameron Highlands*

Weather
The temperature at Cameron Highlands is High 26C and low 20C. The midday sun can be very hot but the nights are cold. In order to prevent heat stroke, you need to drink lots of water. Because the weather is cool, you may not realize the intensity of the sun till it’s too late. Rain can be expected so be prepared.

Insurance
Please purchase your own travel insurance!

Accommodation
In June, We will be staying at a 3-bedroom 2-bathroom vacation apartment that is owned by the director of the state department of agriculture in Cameron Highlands. There is a kitchen, laundry services* and satellite TV. It is located at Tanah Rata. Each person will get a room to themselves but there are additional mattresses, blankets and pillows.

Accommodation in July is not confirmed yet but will be similar.

*will confirm

Packing List
1. Sweater or jacket is a must
2. Hat
3. Umbrella or poncho
4. Sports shoes or Hiking Boots
5. Washing powders*
6. Mosquito repellent
7. Long Pants
8. Medication (motion sickness pills)
9. Clothes
10. Laptop
11. Camera
12. Stationery