COCONUTS HOT SPOT — Are you a durian lover? If you are, then read on.
The best way to enjoy the King of Fruits is to eat them from their place of birth… at the orchard, of course. The durian season for Pahang is just about to start – July~August is the best time.
There are many durian orchards in Pahang, from Bentong, Jerantut, Kuala Lipis to Raub. Many of these orchards are open to visitors, if you know where to locate them.
Raub Durian Orchard is one of the friendliest orchards around. By that I mean their operations are very service orientated and cater to the hordes of visitors it receives every year when their durians start dropping.
Owned and operated by Eddie Yong, the orchard is huge, covering more than 10 acres of flat and hilly terrain.
The orchard is about 15 minutes’ drive from Raub town. With the help of GPS, it’s quite easy to locate the place. The road leading to the orchard is decent, although a bit bumpy and it’s not a problem for regular cars (no need for those 4WDs lah).
A leisurely drive from KL would take about 1.5 hours.
There are many species or “brands” of durians planted in this orchard – yes, all the premium brands are available. There are more than 400 durians trees of various hybrids.
They have the Musang King, Red Prawn, Raja Kunyit, D24, Thor Lor, Trackka and many more. My favourite is the Trackka with its bittersweet soft creamy fruits.
The durians are piled into individual baskets according to their variety and Eddie’s crew will open them for you based on your request. See, you don’t even have to handle the hard task of opening the durians!
Just grab a seat on the benches and chairs provided in the sheds and just enjoy the durians in the lush landscape. I love their tables made from cane and bamboo. Toilets and washing areas are clean and well maintained.
Eddie charges a fixed price per person and you get to eat as much durians and other fruits as you can in the orchard. Besides durians, there are rambutans, pulasan, mangosteens, bananas, dukungs and even coconuts.
So, if you are a true lover of durians, this is extremely worthwhile as you can be there for as long as you wish and indulge to your heart’s content.
You need to book in advance if you wish to visit Raub Durian Orchard. Bookings are now available for visits from the 1st week of July till end August 2015. The place gets really busy during the season, especially on weekends as carloads of Singaporeans also throng the place!
Price per person: RM70
Raub Durian Orchard
Near 8, 27600 Gali
Raub, Pahang
Contact: Eddie Yong (Mobile: 019-965-9612)
email: eddieyong60@gmail.com
site: raubdurianorchard.blogspot.com
Chris Wan also blogs at Pure Glutton.
