They camp, they park, they climb
Zaihan Mohamed Yusof, The New Paper 29 Jun 09;
DURIANS have been available for as little as 10 cents in Jurong West, but for these lovers of the fruit, the thrill is in the hunt, it seems.
They trek far and wide. Some set up tents. Others create smoke with fallen branches to drive off mosquitoes. And yet others, who looked like foreign workers, climb perilously up trees in the jungle.
All to get hold of durians growing in the wild.
Going in search of them was no easy task, with the season close to its end. But we found them in these spots:
Bukit Panjang Forest
At 8am, there was only one motorcycle parked near the entrance of the durian trail, close to the Bukit Timah Expressway flyover.
After a short walk on meandering footpaths, we were deep in durian country, with empty durian shells littering the forest floor. About 30 minutes into the search, we were suddenly greeted by a 'whoosh' somewhere to ourright.
But before we could react, four men in their 60s had rushed to the fallen fruit.
We were wrong to think we were alone.
Twice, these wily pickers beat us to the durians.
Retreating 50m, we found a cluster of eight durian trees near a disused well.
And then, we heard what seemed like music to our ears - the familiar 'thud' of a durian hitting the ground.
In under two hours, we found eight fruits - ranging in size from a grapefruit to a football.
One 'durian uncle' we met gave some advice: 'Guard your durians closely.'
He explained that there had been fights among durian pickers, some of whom switched their fruits for better ones when nobody was watching.
The man, who did not give his name, said: 'Competition is stiff. You can argue all you want out here, but if you don't carry a parang or a big stick, you're asking for trouble.'
We ate three fruits on the spot - one of them had been eaten away by worms, while the others tasted slightly bitter, yet creamy.
Bukit Batok Forest
From Bukit Batok Road parallel to the forest, we could see big durian fruits on trees.
We had intended to walk into the forest, but a red sign warned us that we were on military land.
Still, that did not stop some from trespassing.
Just five steps from a lalang clearing we saw a woman who had pitched a tent, while eight others sat on plastic chairs and newspapers.
A man leaving the forest showed us his fragrant prize: two watermelon-sized durians.
Kranji
We had been here recently on a separate assignment.
A week ago, we ended up licking the fleshy remnants of six durians off our fingers, while scouting for hideouts believed to be used by illegal immigrants.
Today, we weren't so lucky because there were factory workers and senior citizens to contend with.
We finally 'took cover' near three durian trees 100m away, where we found a small durian.
We waited patiently, yet the trees seemed unwilling to reward us.
Just as I was opening the one durian we had, another fruit fell beside us.
A small portion had been gnawed away by a squirrel, but the rest was all right.
With our heads intact, we left an hour later after eating four durians, which had smaller seeds, but were sweeter than those we ate at Bukit Panjang.
Punggol Forest (see map)
Cars, lorries and even bicycles were parked along Punggol Road at noon, as we looked for a parking spot at a nearby estate.
Jogger Matt Lee, 39, said the parked vehicles have always been a nuisance during the durian season.
Added Mr Lee, a resident of Ponggol Seventeenth Avenue: 'I can't jog on the road shoulder with the parked cars around. When I jog on the road, I'm afraid passing cars may not see me in time.'
We were full from eating seven durians but we wanted to see what the forest in Punggol had to offer. Judging by those waiting with half-filled gunny sacks, Punggol was a prime spot.
There were senior citizens and young men around, some of them father-and-son teams.
One man, Mr John Ng, 76, from Hougang had started his watch at 7am.
For the last 20 years, the part-time gardener has regularly gone to the forest with his wife and children.
Said Mr Ng, who was armed with a hard hat, rubber boots and stick: 'Being close to nature and getting some exercise is good for us, especially for my wife, who is suffering from rheumatism.'
Unlike, the pickers at Bukit Panjang, those in Punggol were friendly and quick to share their durian over a conversation.
Some, like Mr Tay Joo Mong, 60, cleared the area of rubbish and leaves while waiting for durians to drop.
In the end, it was a quite a triumph for us - bagging 13 durians in four hours.
They may not taste like your D24 XO durians in Geylang or the ones served buffet-style on Malaysian plantation tours.
But the satisfaction of hunting for our food was rewarding enough. Burp.
