Adventure in Pahang

Pretty out of the ordinary outing. Yes .. we are getting more and more adventurous. No more boring movies or girly shopping trips ... time to get all physical, sweaty and adventurous. And there is no better time than now to get this rolling .... the local fruits season! Cert 5 Outing 4 ...Durian plantation in Tras, Pahang.

So off we went, set of at 9.30 am and thanks to Jared's van, we had a joy ride along the Karak. Making noise along the way, laughing non stop and poking fun at each other. Soon we reached Bentong .. and we needed a stretch, so what other better way to enjoy a pit stop other than food? We had Bentong's famous Wan Ton Mee, and some Chinese style Indian rojak with chili padi. Not to forget the drinks. It was delicious ... Lemon Lime juice, imported from China! Cool and refreshing ....

Back to the road ... so we hit the long and winding road. And thanks to a skillful driver, we reached safely. And thats where the adventure began .. into the plantation. So we had a trek along the muddy tracks, along the stream flowing parallel and through the lalangs and under the trees. It was like walking into ...'your favorite place of relaxation'. 

Thanks to the crazy bunch, Jared, Teng Loo, Kenny and Patrick ... our fst activity was to climb trees. I thought I couldn't, but I could! And the feeling was great! It feels different when you are above ground level. You seriously feel so good up there .... even if the journey up wasn't that pleasant.... like being laundered on the tree as if you were a carpet. Then soon, after much struggling, all 5 of us managed to sit on the tree ... then suddenly " Ah joy .... lok lei ar .. lau leen teet lok lei ar". In other words, my aunt scolded us as what we climbed was a durian tree, bearing fruits. hehe and if it drops on any of us ...... 

Then thats where the work started. We climbed the hills to hunt for durians, walked along the sides to search ... it was great. And the durians were heavy. I really salute those gatherers who manage to collect so many and bring it down at the same time. Durian runtuh man!! Then back at the hut, my uncle taught us to identify the different types of durians. D2, D24, Chuk Kiok, Lai Yau etc ... and how we had to 'groom' the durians. An enlightening educational trip. 

Only 1 part done.... then we went laici plucking, and rambutans too. While plucking, we ate, and while eating, we threw stuff at each other.  hahaha.... the poor tree ... and the poor immature kids. haha, I bet my aunt and uncle gave up hope on us. 

And then came mangoesteen plucking and picking. That was tiring. We had our professional plucker, Mr Jared ... and many professional gatherers. ooh ... the harvest was great. We had bucket and buckets of it. And while collecting, we had tons of freshly picked mangoesteen. Yum yum! The Japanese breed was the nicest. Sweet and crunchy! It was so fun .... climbing under the tree, hiding inside and climbing up the branches. All was great ... until the leeches attacked! haha, and we were like mosquitoes to repellent, staying away from the trees. A very memorable way to end our plantation adventure.

So back to the house, where we opened durians and had loads of it! Ah, fresh, tasty and finger licking good. I never had so many at one go! Yum Yum ....haha, we ate until we went high. Laughing non stop and eating even more. Soon it was time to go, and my uncle gave us all our collections. Lucky we had a van, so we loaded in durians, mangoesteens, rambutans, laicis and chempedaks..... oh! and my special 'fake D24'. All mine wahaha ... I pity the trees.

Our next stop, the ever famous Kow Po ice cream. Had my peanut & choc ice cream. Ahh, my trip was more than worth it. I didn't recommend wrongly did I? So after a stuffed stomach, we were searching for more stuff to stuff it with! Wild meat!! 

Went into the village for the hunt. Not the hunt of the game, but the hunt of the shack that serves it. And it was worth the hunt. Well, I am not a big fan of meat, but its fun to be adventurous once in a while. had frog, civet cat (with bullets still in it) and wild boar. hmm, something different and memorable of course. Great way to end the night! 

And the post effects may not be the nicest. A foul smelling car or fridge, a bloated tummy and sore muscles from excessive tree climbing.