Durian seasons come to Ubin twice a year. The major one lasts a few weeks and no one knows the exact dates. The first sign is the abundance of durian flowers, giving signs that its due in a few months. Some durians will fall early but these are usually premature durians. Fully ripened durians will fall a few weeks later and lasting for about 6 weeks. others tropical fruits will also ripen at the same time including rambutans, mangosteens, dukus and langsat.
Picture of durian tree. Click to zoom in.
Ubin durians are a treat. In the midst of the hot and season, the durians are expected to be more fragrant too They are your organic varieties having been left abandoned by islanders who resettled a long time ago. Being older varieties without the benefits of modern cultivating techiques, Ubin durians are tough to open with flavors that vary from tree to tree. Use gloves and a “durian knife” to pry open.
During the season itself, entire families would converge heedless of poisonous snakes hiding in the bush.
Braver ones would stake out even at cemetery at night waiting for the loud thuds of durians falling. You need a trained eye plus a strong flashlight to find them as they roll into shrubs and bushes.
If you intend to find some. Just follow your nose and look for them on the forest floor. Sometimes you hear a lucky thump of a durian which has just fallen. Make sure you rent a bicycle with basket, like this lucky couple did.
Unseen, the wild boars are waiting too. During the night, they would push the durians against the forest floor with their toughened snouts until they open like flower petals. By morning only empty husks remained. Many ‘ghosts encounters’ were results mistaking these pigs or islanders trying to scare people away from collecting durians.
See links: Ghosts and spirits
