Annual Durian Retreat with the Malaysian Nature Society

I was looking for information about the elephant drop durian when I contacted the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS). In particular, I was seeking the contact information for Mr. Vincent Chow, the who is quoted in an article by the New Straits Times. Not only did I receive Mr. Chow’s phone number, Rob and I were invited along on the Johor branch’s annual durian trip to an island off the east coast of Malaysia.

The MNS is an active environmentalist and nature-lover’s club. The 300 or so members of the Johor Branch host a number of events, ranging from birding outings, group hikes, photography workshops, scuba trips, and beach clean-ups. Fifteen members attended this year’s overnight durian trip, which takes place on a small, remote island without any roads or motor vehicles. The dwindling number of inhabitants get around by speedboat or on the narrow jungle paths forged by wild cows.

I was immediately impressed by the beauty of the island, and the gregarious nature of the group. These people were always cracking jokes at each others expense and laughing uproariously. I think this must be how they burned so many calories, because they also ate constantly. Not only durian. In between durian meals and regular meals they snacked on fried breadfruit, fish crackers, forest mangoes, coconuts, and cakes made of tapioca flour and palm sugar. They joked that MNS also stands for “Makan Non-Stop,” – makan meaning to eat in Bahasa Malay.

Rob and I have been traveling alone for so long that going on an outing with a group was a real thrill. And such an outing, too! Everyone at the MNS had great stories to tell about their adventures in the jungle. One man’s legs were dotted with scars from leeches. Mr. Chow told bone-chilling tales of meeting tigers in the forest and haunted bungalows. Communicating was easy because, interestingly, Malaysians use a mixture of English and Bahasa Malay when speaking to each other. This is because there are so many different ethnicities and languages in Malaysia.

The trip started with a half hour boat ride to the island over a gorgeous aquamarine sea. We settled in to a small hotel perched on the black volcanic rocks dotting the beach and immediately enjoyed our first taste of the island’s durian, which somebody had carried in a basket down the mountain for us. The durian trees on the island are wild, and no one knows who planted them. Most of the trees are around 100 years old! The islanders collect the durian each morning and sell them to the few tourists who come to this island.

Maryani and her daughter, with Mr. Chow in background

After exciting our taste buds with the durian snack at the hotel, we piled into motorboats and rode around the island to the next jetty to a small durian orchard that the MNS has been visiting for the past six years. Maryani and her family supply the durian, as well as their house, for the durian party. Maryani, who only stands about 5′ tall, carries the 50 kilo (100 pound) baskets of durian down the mountain to feed her durian obsessed visitors. Mr. Chow told me she usually makes the trip barefoot, too. I was very impressed.

The group set out newspaper and set about splitting opening the durian. I think people were being too polite, because the durian kept getting passed to me. How could I say no? Nearly all of the durian were white fleshed, but had an amazing array of flavors and textures. Some were very thick and fibrous, almost chalky, while others were smooth like melted butter. I even had one that made my mouth tingle and smart, just like at Bao Sheng’s farm in Penang!

The next day some members of the group went fishing, while the rest of us went on a hike up and over the hill to Maryani’s place. We hoped to find more durian in the jungle on the way there. I was especially hopeful because I was hungry. The hotel’s restaurant offers only local Malaysian cuisine, and since I am such a picky vegan there wasn’t much available for me. Rob and I carry a box of dates in our backpacks for back up, but if durian is available I always prefer the King of Fruits.

Wee and his three children on the hike

Luck was on our side. Within 20 minutes of hiking Wee’s sharp nose caught the maliferous odor of freshly dropped durian. Everyone began scanning the bushes for the fruits. I was beside myself with excitement. Rob and I have visited a lot of durian orchards now, but we had never before come across durian while walking through the jungle. That Wee found it just added to the fairy-tale nature of the event.

Rahman

Quickly three durians were collected, but no one had brought a knife! I
explained that Rob and I have opened durians by jumping on
them, or by pressing a rock into one end, but was told that these
durians were too fresh and too hard for those methods to work. Only a
knife would do. So Rahman loaded them into his backpack,
including a tiny immature one that I insisted on bringing just so I could see
what it looked like inside.

Rob is good at finding durians

The hike took an interesting turn after that, as the sparsely marked trail we had been following completely disappeared. We began thrashing through the jungle, following the cow trails and often coming to dead ends. No one seemed the least bit concerned that there wasn’t an identifiable trail, or that we were rambling left and right across the mountainside in an attempt to get to Maryani’s. The upbeat banter continued, and not even the kids complained. I suppose enough of the members had either done this hike before or completely trusted our leaders.

At last we made it to Maryani’s, but she said there wasn’t any durian! The island’s durian crop has been as hard hit as the rest of SE Asia. Wee said he knew before organizing the trip that there would be fewer durians this year, but that it is such a nice island they decided to come anyway. In the past there were so many durians they would eat durian for hours, and when they couldn’t possibly hold any more, take away tubs and tubs of the flesh in tupperware containers. I felt a little sad that we were missing the usual abundance, but so grateful to have had the opportunity to experience the durian trip at all.

The group opted to take the boat back to the hotel instead of picking our way back over the hill. While the rest of the group ate lunch, I took the opportunity to use the water-proof function of my camera for the first time on this version of my camera.

Thank you to everyone at the Malaysian Nature Society! To Rahman, Zihan, Joy, Ung, Wee, Mr. Chow, and everyone else whose name I either failed to learn or have now forgotten, it was such a pleasure to meet you. Rob and I had a great time and were honored to be included in this year’s durian retreat.