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Musang King durians
Rich, Candy Sweet Flavor |
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101 Durians
Strong, Sweet & Buttery Taste
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XO Durians (Left)
strong alcoholic taste & bitter
Red Prawn Durians (Right)
berry like sweetness
& tannic red wine taste |
" Like all the good things in Nature, durian is indescribable. But others describe durians smells like hell but taste like heaven "
Friday June 16 2023 (07.30 > 13.30) - June & July is the durian season in Pahang hence the purpose of this Bentong & Raub's "happy" durian visit (initiated by my travel buddy KF Wong); from KL Sentral, our group of 3 (Maggie Lim, KM & KF Wong) took a leisure drive (using KF's vehicle) to Bentong & Raub, Pahang for some sightseeing & also to savour some local durians in the town of Bentong ! Durian is a King of fruits hence treasured by people resulting in high demand & pricey to eat ! As durian lovers, this small trip of ours to Bentong & Raub is full of durian character & flavor ! Happy durian eating, KM, KF, Maggie & all durian lovers of the world ! If you have not eaten Musang King durian, try putting one into your mouth, you are like taking "opium" & very soon get addicted whenever & where ever you see one on sale (unlike opium, you need not have to eat durians behind doors, just let the smell & taste of durians mesmerize you & the surrounding) !
Total expenses incurred: Rm58.50 (US$13)
Petrol, parking & toll (cost sharing) Rm28 + durian eating Rm25 + ice cream Rm5.50 = Rm58.50 (US$13)
Exchange Rate: US$1=Rm4.60
Travel itinerary: KL Sentral > Bentong > Kampung Sang Lee, Raub > Bentong > KL Sentral (mileage round trip 229km)
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KL SEntral > Bentong > Sang Lee, Raub
(approx 90km one way) |
My travel buddies: KF Wong & Maggie
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Kwong Fook Temple
Bentong, Pahang |
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Sang Lee Iconic Durian Statute
Raub, Pahang |
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| Kwong Fook Temple, Bentong, Pahang |
Bentong town, Pahang - located in western Pahang, at the border with the state Selangor in the west & the state of Negeri Sembilan in the south; a countryside town famous for durians, ginger & fried bean curd (tau pok).
1) Jalan Jalan (Walkabout) in Bentong Town, Pahang
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| Bentong Highland Ginger |
2) Our group breakfast in Yuan Kie Kopitiam - KF & Maggie both savoured a bowl of wan tan mee (Rm7) & a cup of coffee.
3) Street art, Bentong Town, Pahang
4) Bentong Wet Market & Pasar Tani, Pahang - bought home a bunch of bananas (Rm3.80) & petai or bitter bean (Rm10) & Chinese rice dumplings (Rm7 x 2 = Rm14)
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| Fried Bean Curd (Tau Pok) |
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| Petai (Bitter Beans) |
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| Snake fruit (Palm tree native of Java) |
Raub, Pahang - one of the oldest towns located in West Pahang, Raub is famous for durian especially Musang King, a highly priced delicious durian variety, the peak annual durian season in Malaysia is from May to August.
1) Kampung Sang Lee iconic durian statute - an erected signed board bidding a warm welcome to Kampung Sang Lee nicknamed Kampung "Durian Musang King" & the "Home Place of Durian Musang King", my 2nd visit to Sang Lee iconic durian statute (last visit was in July 2022). Sang Lee Chinese New Village is the biggest new village (among the 5 Chinese new villages) in Raub during the colonial days, the villager's earlier occupations were mainly rubber tappers & smallholders of palm oil estates; 2 to 3 decades ago, encouraged by the local government authorities, the villagers here began planting durians & in particular Musang King durians & other new durian varieties in recent years, these high quality Raub durians produced here have successfully exported in large quantities to Singapore & of late to China !
2) A brief visit to an old tree durian orchard located off the main road in Raub district, as the farm was unattended (only dogs barking at us) at the time of our visit, we were not able to chat with the farm people about the quality of old tree durians versus new tree durians; however, I was earlier advised that durians fallen from old trees command a higher price & taste better !
3) Our group's joy ride (the start of our treasure hunt for the King of tropical fruits) in & along the country roads of Bentong / Raub, home of Musang King durians, scenic countryside & greeneries, narrow jungle paths, private owned fishing ponds, Bentong Hills Orchards, Eco resort, bird nest house, durian farms, Jalan Durian, banners promoting fertilisers for durians growing, durian wholesale collection centres (no retail sales), fleet of 4 x 4 & runner pickup trucks loading & unloading durians collected from durian orchards / villages etc ! What a familiarization tour for this group of durian lovers especially my travel buddy, Maggie Lim (a first timer to Raub countryside) who lived in Kuala Terengganu !
4) Our group's small durian feast by a roadside durian stall, adjacent to the Bentong Wet Market, Pahang; savoured one XO durian & one Hong Har durian totalled Rm75 @ Rm25 per pax; current indicative price for Musang King AA grade Rm52 & normal grade Rm36 per kilo sold in Bentong town.
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Durian Durian on the floor
Who is the most pricey of all ! |
Hong Har (Red Prawn) Durian
Rm25 per kg
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| XO Durain Rm20 per kilo |
5) After the durian feast, our group savoured a bowl of ABC iced kachang Rm5.50 in Tak Ice Cream Corner, Jalan Chui Yin, Bentong, a favourite Bentong ice dessert !
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| ABC Ice Kachang Rm5.50 |
5) Kwong Fook Temple, Jalan Loke Yew, Bentong, Pahang - old temple by the roadside, established 1890, inside the temple, there are portraits of 6 prominent figures / influential Chinese Kapitans or chiefs or headmen (notably Yap Ah Loy & Yap Kwan Seng) of the various ethnic communities during the period of British colonial rule.
8) Before leaving for home, our group visited a tau pok (fried bean curd) stall in Lorong Chan San, Taman Perling, Bentong & I bought home 4 packets of tau pok (Rm5 per pack). Their commercial operation is now relocated in P5-G, Jalan Bentong Avenue, Bentong.
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| Tau Pok (Fried Bean Curd) Rm5 |
Sunday June 11 2023 - morning walk in SS14 Morning Mini Market & bought 2.5 kilos of 101 durians (Rm55) - my 1st taste of this special durian variety !
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| 2 kilos 101 Durians Rm55 |
Friday June 9 2023 - accompanying my wife to shop for our weekly household groceries, fresh fruit & vegetables & chicken in SS14 Morning Mini Market & bought 2 kilos of Musang King durians for Rm50 from a roadside stall, a real bargain !
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| 2 kilos Musang King Rm50 |
Sunday June 18 2023 - lunch with my wife in Restoran Omega Pork Noodle, a newly opened pork noodle house in SS15 Courtyard, Subang Jaya near my home place, ordered 2 bowls of pork noodle broth (Rm13.90 x 2) + 1 chilled juice drink (Rm4.90, free flow) = Rm35.95 inclusive of 10% service tax.
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| Pork Noodle Broth (Rm13.90) + |
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