233. ON THE DURIAN TRAIL

 

A 2 hour drive took me to a plantation town of Tangkak. Lunch that afternoon was durian...

Durian Queen.

The durian is marketed as the King of fruits. Truth be told, I'm not passionate about the fruit, most locals are, I get by with a few seeds...as long as they taste decent, I can't tell the difference between the varieties and their sexy names...

That afternoon and a night was spent in the state capital of Johor Bahru where the group could do their shopping in the malls. I preferred to do a walkabout of the older heritage street comprising really old shophouses, newly converted into modern bistros as well as traditional coffeeshops serving comfort food. I enjoy their 'real' coffee which I can find only in the coffeeshops of old.

Best known for their homey, simple banana cakes...

Tea for 2

Traditional biscuits made on site, warm, fragrant...

An apt name for a chair shop!

What I enjoy most about small Malaysian towns. Change if any, is very slow in coming, even more so, when they are family run traditional businesses. This is a joss stick shop selling prayer/ altar paraphernalia which hasn't changed like for ever - the business taken over by an adult son or daughter. The difference would be, it's more decorative with loads of lanterns adorning the front of the shop. Once I stepped inside, everything remains the same from the time I was a child - the folks of old really make shelves/furniture that lasts practically forever...

A Sai Center dedicated to Shirdi Sai, the predecessor of Sathya Sai, one of my spiritual Teachers

Very happening!

My kind of scene...

A frog legs dish followed by a Malaysian Chendol dessert, that's another item I prefer - the Malaysian version...

...and in the Mall, you'll get desserts like these, for variety and choice...

A few weeks later, I found myself in another Malaysian town having another round of durian 'sampling'... and followed not long after, to the Indonesian island of Karimun to sample Indon durians which they market as 'superior.' Will report on that another time...