The three of us; my cousin, his girlfriend and I sat quietly in my cousin’s car as we made our way along the narrow winding road to Bee Ming’s house. Bee Ming is a friend of mine. He looks after his father’s durian plantation near a small country town.
We found him on his motorcycle waiting for us just about a mile from the town. We greeted each other and then we followed him into a bumpy uneven laterite road that led to the plantation.
A mile into the densely wooded area we reached the plantation itself. We got out of the car and breathed in the cool country air. Immediately mosquitoes started to attack us. We started hitting them. Also, I could hear the sound of insects and other living things of nature.
Bee Ming led us into the plantation. It was situated on the slope of a hill and covered an area of about five acres. I could see huge majestic durian trees all around us. On every tree, I could see scores of fruits hanging from the branches.
We walked up the slope among the durian trees. I felt a bit uneasy having so many spiky durians hanging above me. I asked Bee Ming whether the durians might fall on someone below. He replied that the trees were intelligent and such a thing would not happen. However, I was not convinced and I avoided walking under any hanging durian as far as possible.
A quarter way up the slope we came upon a shed. Here was where Bee Ming and a friend of his sat and waited for the durians to drop from the trees. They had already collected a number of durians. Bee Ming opened a few and invited us to eat.
Ah, yes the taste of durian is always a pleasure and it was no different then as we happily ate as much as we could. Eating durian in a plantation surrounded by nature was a new experience for me. It was indeed wonderful.
Crash! I was startled by a loud crashing sound that completely shattered the peace of the plantation. Then I realized a durian must have just dropped from a tree. Bee Ming’s friend headed towards the direction of the sound. Soon he returned with a spiky fruit which he nonchalantly tosses among the collected ones.
Never in my life had I ate so much durian as I did on the plantation. Feeling a bit full I had to stop eating. My cousin and his girlfriend seemed to have larger stomachs than I. So they continued to eat.
After we had had enough to eat, Bee Ming took us on a guided tour of the plantation. It was hard work walking up the slope. Things were not made easier by bushes, grass, and occasional holes. Anyway, it was good exercise after a grand feast. I marveled at the height of the durian trees. Some of them must be about a hundred feet or thirty meters tall.
Coming down the slope was far easier than going up and soon we were at the foot of the hill again. We thanked Bee Ming profusely. He invited us to come again. We promised we would. Then we got into the car and returned home. It had been a great visit to the durian plantation.