The thorny fruits smell bad, but taste like heaven... or so said most European tourists to Malaysia. But for us Malaysians who savor all the exotic fruits and great spicy delicacies, taste come first, and we can forget the rest!When two friends came to visit us in Penang, we just got to take 'em to Balik Pulau (instead of letting them wander cluelessly elsewhere!)...
A quick check at www.durian.com.my, a site run by/for Bao Sheng Farm in Sungai Pinang (midway between Balik Pulau and Teluk Bahang) since 2000 (or earlier) shows that the open-for-business season had just started a day earlier, from 15 MAY 2009.
All agreed, we set the time: 11 am on Sunday - time to eat all Durians we can, for just RM25 per person for the buffet option.
It was raining that morning though, so we waited for almost an hour beginning the originally planned time, before departing from Taman Sri Indah. I called the phone number off Bao Sheng's website, and Mrs Chang answered to welcome us, and confirm our arrival time so they may prepare whatever necessary... :)
Asuad & Fina were coming all the way from Tanjung Bungah. The rest of us were coming from Balik Pulau, and Ija wasn't going to let her two boys missing from the Durian savoring adventure - the first time for all of us indeed to set foot at this farm!
The five of us from 'Lik Lau' arrived at the site around 12:30 pm, and found the couple locked in their brand new white car. The dogs that the Chang family kept at the house must have scared them away from the hillside house with a nice observatory wooden veranda.
After a brief sightseeing around, and small introductory chats, Mr Chang get to business - explained us the 'deal', but we all knew what we came there for: definitely all-you-can-eat deal, or 'buffet' as the house owner termed it. It's good to know that kids eat free there, or at least for our small party that day, not for the whole 'kindergarten group' as we had kid the Chang husband & wife couple.
The rest of the durian feast story, we left it in the following slideshow... enjoy:
We ended the two hour feast with a brief tour to grab some fresh nutmegs (as a another friend from Sungai Petani called me that very morning asking for one, for medicinal purpose), where I also dropped my precious N95 (of which these pics and videos get extracted from) and scarred the entire front cover of it. ;( - oh well, at least, the little all-in-one wonder machine still is fully functional...
To complete the Penang's tour, a visit to peak of Bukit Bendera ("Penang Hill", by train) is a must which we indeed took afterwards, after a short stop at the other Penang's famous Anjung Indah observatory area (at the peak of Bukit Relau at the midway of Relau and Kongsi Town).
Masjid Bukit Bendera during Sunset (Maghrib prayer time)
And a visit to Ayer Itam must also include a stop at world's famous Nasi Kandar outlet at Lorong Kampung Melayu near Sunshine Hypermarket at Jalan Thean Teik (Farlim), for that other Penang's favorite: spicy, Indian/Mamak food...
More photos are on author's Facebook album: Durian & Buah Pala @ Balik Pulau, Penang - and here's another movie-in-a-slideshow-movie (song "Berdua Lebih Baik" borrowed from Acha Septriasa - Heart the Movie):
Bao Sheng Durian Farm is run by Bao Sheng Agriculture Sdn Bhd (mostly by Mr Chang and family who also live there) and located at 150 Mk.2, Sungai Pinang, 11010 Balik Pulau, Penang, Malaysia.
For more information, contact: 012-411 0600 / 012-401 0800 (Fax: +60 4-829 9000) or email to bsfarm@durian.com.my - More pictures and information from the farm's official website: durian.com.my
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