Extreme Fruit

Durian fruit: both worshiped and reviled

Resembling a Medieval weapon, the durian fruit is renowned in South East Asia. The odor is formidable, "No Durian" signs are often found in public transport stations and hotels. Paisley has found there are two camps, those who love its pungent custard-y taste and those who despise it. (Paisley's in the "love" camp) The fruit can grow up to 12 inches long and can weigh up to 7 pounds, which makes being a durian picker one of the most dangerous jobs Paisley can think of.


A roadside fruit stand on the way back from Bedugul, which is at a higher altitude than Ubud, therefore different fruits are available


Opening a Mangosteen (The Balinese call it "Mangis")

In Paisley's opinion, the Mangosteen is the "Buah Raja", or king of fruit; so delicious its rumored Queen Victoria offered knighthood to anyone who brought her a fresh one. Break one open yourself and inside you'll find a fleshy white cluster of fragrant, sweet, citrus-y fruit.

Until 2007, the fruit was banned from the US because of the Asian Fruit Fly that sometimes lives within its thick skin. Now that irradiation techniques have been approved by the USDA, the fruit is available in the US, but can often fetch prices of up to $45 a pound. (Just one more reason to come to Bali)