Dur-insanity!

Durian!! Possibly no other fruit has ever caused so many extreme reactions from people.

The Durian is an oblong, spine covered fruit native to Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. It has a very distinct, very strong (some say very offensive) odor.

Inside, the fruit is a cream-colored pulp with a seed in it.

People in Asia are passionate about durian. It is revered as the King of Fruit. But for visitors, you’ll probably smell the durian before you see or eat it. Some people say it smells like sewage. I think it smells like rotting fruit.

Many places – including our rental car – ban durian.

The season for Durian ranges from June to August. Mr. Happy and I are going on a trip to London and Norway soon and were worried that durian season would end before we returned. We really wanted to try this fruit and determine if we were lovers or haters.

Luckily, we recently met two experts in the field of durian – Duri-Ann and Duri-Andy! They invited us and Round the World out for an evening of durian tasting.

This couple actually has the phone numbers of durian vendors on speed dial! We called their favorite guy looking for the Tawa variety, but he was sold out!

Our first stop was in Petaling Jaya. Duri-Ann and Duri-Andy described this place as a “scene” and they were right. There were dozens of durian lovers crowding the stalls.

We first sampled the XO variety.

I really enjoyed it!



The fruit has a custardy texture to it and tastes a bit like scotch. I was surprised at how mild the fruit tastes compared to how strong it smells. Also, once we were surrounded by so many durian, we got accustom to the odor and it wasn’t at all offensive.

We also tried a variety called Red Prawn. The flavor of this was a little stronger.



We definitely indulged!




We cleansed our palates with some cold water between tastings.

Before we left I noticed some jars in the corner.

Apparently, this durian seller augments his income by selling fighting fish. Fruit & fish, an odd combination. I wonder how much business he does?

Next we went to see a dealer called Long Tail at his stand King Cat (Raja Kucing).

He was just about sold out for the night, but he was very helpful and knowledgeable.

At this stand we sampled the D-24 variety. Each one we ordered had a pretty distinct taste to it.

Ever the expert, Duri-Ann came prepared for the tasting!

We all really enjoyed our night durian tasting and Mr. Happy, RTW, and I all enjoyed eating the fruit.

I’m not sure that I loved it and I don’t think I will start craving it just yet, but I’m definitely craving a few more tasting evenings!

Tioman Island

Good morning Tioman!


Round the World (RTW) and I awoke to white sandy beaches, crystal clear waters, and clear blue skies. Tioman Island was the sight where South Pacific was filmed & in the 1970s Time Magazine selected Tioman as one of the world's most beautiful islands.

We moseyed over to the Juara Mutiara Café for a seaside bite to eat.


And for the rest of the day…we relaxed!

We stayed in a small chalet right on the beach. It was basic and beautiful, and had great cell phone reception.

The island is very remote and primitive; however it did have some modern amenities.
Can you hear me now?

Craving fast food?

There were other people on the island but we felt like we had the entire place to ourselves.

Around sunset we took a walk and spotted some locals playing Malaysia’s national sport – Sepak Takraw. The game is a cross between badminton, volleyball, soccer, and hackeysak.

We took our dinner at the bistro each night. As far as we could tell, it was the only spot serving in the evening.

After dinner we tried to rustle up a little night life action. However, this part of the island went to bed with the sun.

We tried to entertain ourselves.
RTW paddled right up to the beach. Without a paddle.

We discovered one man sitting alone on the beach. It was a little creepy so we didn’t bother him.

What is a bus seat doing out here??

On our last morning we set our alarms to wake up with the sun.

Unfortunately, our time in paradise had to come to an end. We had no idea how hard it would be to leave.

I love this photo of RTW because we haven’t even left yet and she already looks bored. If only we knew then it would take almost 14 hours to reach KL!

Our trip home
30 minutes in 4WD vehicle across island.
1 hour wait for ferry.
2 hours on ferry.
3 hour wait for bus.
7 hour bus trip back to KL!!!!

On the way to the island it only took five hours, but this bus took teeny tiny back roads not at all appropriate for a bus! We stopped 4 times in the first hour for no apparent reason. We stopped THREE times for gas! Our driver took a one hour dinner break!!! I was losing my mind, but RTW took it all calmly as it came.

Oh, and they gave us those seats in the back again...

I loved Tioman, but next time I go…I fly!