Borneo Blog :: too much durian?

If you haven't been expecting this post I'd be surprised. So if you've been following my Instagram then you'll know I eat a lot of durian every day (pretty much since I got to Ranau). Therefore, it was inevitable that this day would come that I say perhaps I've been eating too much! :P 

This morning I didn't feel all that great in my stomach. I actually burped a bit of sick during my morning coconut. I thought perhaps I didn't leave enough time between dinner and breakfast. I've read some raw vegans leave at least 16 hours between their last meal and first meal. I think I left around 10 or 11 hours between my late salad and coconut. 

Yesterday I ate 1 normal durian, 1 wild durian and 2 packets of mixed durian, which together made me so full. It was an eyes bigger than my belly moment and I just couldn't resist, which makes me question whether durian is actually an addictive fruit. 

I was going to avoid eating durian today, but I went up to Kundasang with my new friend Nelli this morning and on the way back we stopped at a durian stall just outside of Ranau town. It had so many varieties like D24, D101, kura-kura, tembaga and many others. So I tried the D24 (Nelli thinks it wasn't actually D24) and I bought a kura-kura because someone on Facebook has asked me for the seeds. 

The kura-kura was actually quite poor, tasting like it may have been a day too old and it wasn't as sweet as the D24 I had. Then the lady at the stall offered us free durian so I had a few pieces and it was creamy and semi sweet. 

Early on before going to Kundasang I bought 4 wild durian. I left them at Nelli's hotel, which is opposite the market! Unfortunately one of them was so ripe it had cracked at all seams and was calling me with its scent, so I've just polished it off... 

Nelli has worked on some durian farms, collecting them in return for free food so she's had some amazing durian. She reckons the durian here doesn't taste as good as in Kuching (Sarawak) and I'm beginning to realise just how mediocre it is in comparison to wild durian, which packs a punch of flavours. I think from now on I'm just going to eat wild durian here in Ranau unless I'm presented with something amazingly sweet smelling. 

It's not that hard to pick it up around here, so fingers crossed I can continue to get some from the market. 

I've been planning my days this evening and I am thinking about cycling to the hot springs tomorrow to see the rafflesia flower (weather permitting). I've been sat around for too long, I need to get out and take some amazing photographs. There's a butterfly farm, orchid conservation centre, canopy walk and waterfalls at Poring, so it will be a long day in nature. I will pack my basket full of fruit so I will have the energy to see it all! 

I definitely want to see Kota Belud tamu on Sunday and proceed to Kudat, so I want to round off my time here in Ranau by doing the things I had planned to do when I was in KK. I just need to figure out the logistics of buses and taking my bicycle. If it's possible to cycle for part of my journey I am definitely interested in doing that! 

So even though I've eaten too much durian, I'm still going to to eat it but just wild durian because it's the most flavourful and apparently is lower in fat! 

Borneo Blog :: new friend!

Today I finally met another durian lover. The girl at the market told me there was a German girl staying in Ranau and said she goes to the market everyday to eat durian. 

I've been here for 1 week and I finally met her! I hadn't planned on visiting the market today, but then I was looking at durian photos and decided to go and get some for my afternoon meal. 

I ended up eating 1 normal durian, 1 wild durian and 1 packet made up of 2 or 3 durian... I was stuffed! 

As I sat at the market observing the men load their trucks full of durian and langsat I was greeted by Nelli. She looks very similar to my friend Ines who is (let me get this right) German, but of Italian decent who lives in France. Please correct me if I'm wrong Ines! 

We have both been told about each other by the same girl at the market and it was nice to finally meet this other durian lover! I had always imagined she would be a raw foodie and I was right! Ask the universe and ye shall receive! 

We had a good discussion about our travels (Nelli has had an impressive trip, working in orchards for free accommodation and durian!) and about raw foods. I'm so glad to have met her and I hope that we can go to Kundasang together tomorrow to share our love of rollinia. 

Unfortunately just like Beverley, I've met her when she's close to leaving. It's funny how the universe works! 

Borneo Blog :: wild durian

Welcome to another blog post :) if you're new here I hope you have a chance to read my previous posts and I hope you stay tuned for more! If you're a regular then thank you for your loyalty, I hope to entertain and inspire you some more! 

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Saturday is the tamu day in Ranau and as always when I visit a fruit and vegetable market I am never disappointed! I couldn't believe how busy the street was, the normal market here rarely gets busy, I always feel like I'm the only one there so it was great to see more people occupy the small space in this town! 

I had a mission of finding a coconut and getting breakfast before I got to the serious business of buying some exotic fruits, but then I saw some wild durian and decided I had to buy it in case they disappear (in KK there was a champedak seller who literally sold out as he pulled up to the market!) 

May I present my durian finds for the day... 

Top left clockwise costs: 5 ringgit for 4, 10 ringgit for 3 and 10 ringgit for 3

I ate the durian from left to right 

So right about now would be a good time to name the durian, but I'm not exactly an expert yet and although I've read the posts by Lindsay on Year of the durian I am too lazy to go over the information again to give to you guys so you'll have to excuse me and just read about how they tasted. 

The first durian was just so tiny it falls into the category of being cute. It was the most fragrant, being able to smell it from far away and had the most flavour. The spikes were sharp but it was easy to handle and open because it had pretty much burst at the seams. 

This durian smelt like a tropical fruit punch, wonderfully aromatic and it made my senses go crazy! I just wanted to rip it open and eat it up so fast. The flesh to seed ratio is probably one of the worst I've experienced, but the flavour is so intense that all is forgiven! The texture was so dense, moisture was minimal and it reminded me of eating a rich cake. It tasted like chocolate. This was incredible! I have found nature's rich chocolate cake in a tiny durian. The Seeds were such a deep red colour too, probably the most beautiful seeds I've ever seen for a durian. 

Tasty, fragrant and beautiful 

The best things come in smaller packages 

The second durian was disappointing in comparison to the first one. It lacked fragrance and the taste was quite off-putting. However, I loved the appearance. It's just a green ball of long spikes that curl toward the seams, which makes it easy to spot the place to open it. The texture of this durian was moist, silky and smooth. The flavour can only be described as garlicky mashed potatoes, at least that's what it reminded me of. It was definitely interesting to eat and by the time I'd had the last one I was wanting more! 

I never expected it to taste like garlic! 

I'm not actually sure if the third durian is wild or just a local durian, but the spikes were similar in appearance to the first 2 so I just decided that it was wild! This durian is pretty much summed up by the word mild. Everything about it was mild, from the aroma to the flavour. The texture was in between the first 2 durian, slightly dense and slightly moist. This was the biggest as you can see and the flesh to seed ratio varied for each piece. There were a lot more seeds in this than normal durian (in my experience). I enjoyed this one because it filled me up more and it lasted more than 30 seconds! 

Bigger but milder 

My favourite durian for flavour was the first. My favourite durian for texture was the second. My favourite durian for satisfaction was the third. My favourite durian for appearance was the second. 

Overall my favourite durian was the first. Come on, nature's own rich chocolate cake! I had the most amazing durian experiences today and I cannot imagine anything better than this! 

Have you ever tired these durian before? Let me know if you have and what you thought.

Borneo Blog :: cover up with a hijab

Today I did something I never thought I'd do, inspired by a lady I met in Thailand last year I decided that I would cover up my body including my hair. 

After almost experiencing a sexual assault in Kota Kinabalu it made sense to try it and although I felt silly it felt empowering. However, the first few comments were not what I expected. I did this to almost blend in, to go unnoticed and be left alone, but as soon as I reached the market I heard people heckling "oh my god, beautiful!" 

Personally I felt ugly because sometimes I think my hair is what makes me pretty being golden blonde and all, but that wasn't the point! I didn't want people to make a fuss but of course a white woman wearing a hijab is going to generate attention. 

As I walked around to the rear of the market, where locals come and sell their produce, I had lots of stares, smiles, giggles, etc. I think perhaps one or two people talked about me in a negative tone but I've no idea what they said because I don't speak the language! 

One lady selling flowers came over to talk to me whilst I ate a really good papaya, she thought I was a local until she saw my face and then she was excited to practice her English. She very kindly gave me her English-Malay book because she thinks I should learn Malay. My dedication to languages is appalling but I do like this country and will probably visit regularly so it's only right to at least try! 

So after the market I went home and stayed home for the rest of the day. It was the hottest, clearest day today so I couldn't stand the heat in the clothes and hijab. I took it off around 3pm because I was just sweating profusely. 

It was definitely an interesting experience and I got excited about the different colours, accessories and clothes I could wear, but after posting on my Facebook page and having someone comment about the body I realised I don't want to cover up. Sure I should be more considerate and respectful of other cultures and religions, but I'm all about being natural. Let me quote Dane who replied to my post 

"I see nothing wrong with our bodies as they naturally are, and I think if someone has some sort of problem simply seeing another persons body, then they most likely have mental/emotional issues, or at the very least some strange ideas running through their mind. I think perhaps it would be better for these people to deal with their issues rather than have everyone cover up so that these people can happily ignore their issues and never have to face it... In fact I think covering up is what causes so much of the problem in the first place, it kind of makes a problem out of nothing, if everyone grew up seeing other peoples bodies all the time, it's highly unlikely they would have a problem with it, but because people cover up, then its becomes a big deal if people uncover themselves."

Mental health

Sometimes I think I'm crazy because I don't conform. Sometimes I think I'm the only normal person. Sometimes I think my life is a dream. 

One thing I've learned over the last year is that happiness is the second most important aspect of your inner being (first being unconditional love for yourself). It's important to realise happiness is something that just is, it doesn't exist from material possessions, sure you can buy happiness but it has an expiration. True happiness just is.

And this is where mental health comes into play. If we are stressed and depressed we will always seek happiness from without. It's very rare that people look within for the answers. People may visit a doctor who prescribes medications, but in reality we should retreat, meditate, concentrate on what our intuition tells us. 

I've been depressed because of weather, lack of friends, general self hatred but the last thing I did was focus on my inner knowledge. To be honest I never even contemplated that the answers are within us. The person who knows us best is not our mum or partner, it is us! We know ourselves the best. 

Therefore, if you ever feel like you're going crazy, you're sad, depressed, stressed, feeling worthless, etc take some time out for yourself, create a meditation space or go to a meditation centre, learn how to breathe properly and be mindful (aware). I think this is so important nowadays. 

One last thing, you're never alone. I'm here to help :) love yourself and find your inner happiness. *kisses*

Borneo Blog :: Cycling up to Mount Kinabalu National Park

I took on the challenge of cycling to Mount Kinabalu National Park, which is roughly only 20km away from Ranau. Sure if you go by car it's a 40 minute drive, but if you decide to cycle and depending on your fitness it could take you past 2 hours or more. It actually took me 2 hours and 40 minutes because I had to stop many times for a break. The hills are quite steep and so challenging if cycling isn't your passion. 

I never consider myself a cyclist. You may scratch your head seeing as I'm travelling with my road bike and I have  cycling shoes/clothes, but that doesn't mean I'm a cyclist in my opinion. To me a cyclist is passionate about riding, loves to be on the bike training hard regularly and is excited by getting up steep hills. 

I am neither of these things. I cycle for fruit and to commute. Fair enough I love my bike and couldn't imagine life without it but I am not inspired to train on it. I see a hill and I curse. However, sometimes I do set myself challenges like today and I go for it (try to at least). 

I tackled some pretty challenging hills in Bali and La Palma, plus Doi Suthep in Thailand, but none of that could prepare me for this! I think it's so important to train on hills regularly so you have the stamina to keep going. I stopped within the first 10 minutes and probably after every 5-10 minutes after that. There are very few plateaus or descents going to the National Park entrance. 

My main challenges were my overall stamina, leg and back strength, mental stability and emotional poise. I think my cardiovascular health is fairly good, I was still able to sing and cycle (plus curse and shout at dogs) but this may have been helped with my regular breaks. 

I didn't struggle with keeping going, mainly because I didn't want to cycle past the dogs who chased after me again, I figured I had gone so far that I'd be pretty pissed at myself for turning back too soon. So I just kept going. 

The dog incident left me in tears. Nothing happened apart from my heart almost bursting out of my body. The dogs just decided to chase me for a long time, one almost got ran over but then got back on to chasing me and the others got so close I thought they'd bite me. I need to get some tips for this because it's a regular occurrence now. If they get too close I may just end up booting them in the face because I'm near breaking point. Animal cruelty only applies to animals who aren't trying to attack you!

As usual I had people beeping at me, waving and shouting "hello". I almost got crushed when a lorry took a corner way too fast and a pick up truck was in our lane coming the opposite way. People please be careful when taking corners. Be aware that there are other road users, not just you! 

When I saw civilisation I was so happy! I arrived in Kundasang town and the street was lined with fruit and vegetables. My heaven. Seriously I had the biggest grin on my face. But I didn't stop, I couldn't, I had to achieve my goal to reach the Park. It took me 40 minutes to reach the National Park from Kundasang. It got colder, cloudier and it even started raining lightly. 

Once I arrived at the National Park I was ready to leave! It was so cloudy I couldn't see a thing, plus after all that cycling I forgot my normal trainers to walk in and it was freezing but I didn't bring extra clothes either! I don't think I could have walked far anyway. So I took my descent back to Kundasang, I passed an organic farm (didn't stop) on the way. The ride was exhilarating and took about 5 minutes! 

When I reached the town I stopped to pee, took some photos, filled up my water bottle and headed to the fruit and veg stalls. Now I dislike how everything was in plastic wrap and polystyrene, but I loved the arrangements. So colourful. If my kitchen could be filled like that everyday I'd be in heaven! 

I bought 4kg of rollinia as this is my new favourite fruit, better than cherimoya! It tastes like the filling of a McDonald's apple pie... Sooooo amazing, perhaps cinnamon sprinkled on top would make it exactly like the pie (minus the fried outer and heat!) I wanted to buy more but I thought about the weight of the bike and I didn't want to overload it with too much. 

Rollinia 

The descent from Kundasang was also exhilarating, I didn't encounter any dogs and at one point I over took a wagon! It felt like I was home instantly. I do love going downhill but it scares me sometimes, especially on the road bike with its thin tyres. 

I don't think I'll be cycling back up there again during this trip, but maybe in the future. 

Borneo Blog :: durian orchard tour

I've relocated to Ranau, home of durian. It takes between 2-3 hours to arrive here by coach, depending on the traffic. There are many steep hills and if you get caught behind a lorry then the journey time increases! 

I'm in a homestay that has 7 rooms, but I'm the only person here! I have 3 bathrooms, a large living area and dining area, kitchen (with so many pink plates, bowls, cups! My kind of living!!) and balcony. It's awesome compared to the hostel. Also the temperature is lower due to being higher up, which is a welcome relief. I have been wearing my jumper and leggings so I appreciate having them (I've been wondering if I'd ever use them in the tropics!). 

The owner of the property also owns an orchard and when I told her daughter (Sherry) I love durian she immediately suggested taking me to see it. Unfortunately on my first day here it rained heavily, which cancelled the trip. However, I visited this afternoon. 

We took some very long battered roads. It's as if the council has forgotten that there's roads there because it hasn't been well maintained. Pot holes, bumps and huge chunks of tarmac are missing, which makes it hazardous and if you don't concentrate you could easily damage your car. 

When we arrived there were rows of papaya trees lining the entrance with huge fruit dangling from them, all green. It was muddy due to the rain so I took a stick to help my descent. I guess at this point I should mention that it was very steep, I don't envy the job of the workers because they have to navigate the orchard every day in all weathers carrying durian up these steep hills. 

The workers still use traditional baskets for carrying durian up the steep slopes

There were coffee trees, bananas, langsat, salak (snake fruit), mangosteen, coconuts, rambutan, another fruit similar to longon, some jungle fruit and of course durian. 

From top left clockwise : coffee, banana, langsat, fruit similar to longon (unknown name) and salak 

The views were incredible. It was amazing to see the durian hanging off the trees and then spotting empty branches where they've fallen to the ground set amidst a backdrop of steep mountainous landscapes. Breathtaking. 

Unfortunately I wasn't fully prepared because my camera battery plus spare ran out of power! So did my action camera. I am pretty sure I got all I could though. The weather wasn't fantastic either so the lighting was poor. 

Once we had had enough of walking around the muddy slopes of the orchard we returned to the entrance, where there is a large wooden building, and sampled some durian. My favourite part! Unfortunately Sherry forgot to call ahead of time to arrange for them to have ripe durian for me, but we did have 1 ripe durian to share (well I say we, Sherry and her daughter don't like durian, but her husband does!). 

Doesn't it just look so creamy and beautiful?! 

Apparently the people who work in the orchard don't see tourists often so they were excited that I came, that might be why they gave me a whole basket of durian to take back with me! I think it's 10 durians to be exact. I will be in durian heaven soon. It needs to ripen over 1 or 2 days. 

I have forgotten the durian variety, it's very pale, creamy and tastes like vanilla. Incredible. Sherry said the fruits are mainly round. I will update you when I eat the ones I have.