Having gone back from KL and learned about the Dato Durian which was an RWA (real world assets) made me remember my visit to this durian orchard owned by a relative of mine. This durian orchard has been established for about 2 years and has quite an intriguing story as well. It made me want to go back there and tell my uncle about the RWA concept too.

This place is located in a slightly elevated area in the northern coast of East Java which honestly was never known as a durian producing area but this uncle made it possible. In his orchard, he also grows musang king and some local durian variants. His place is also frequently visited by kindergartners to learn about Durian and how to grow them.

So, it's like an educational park on how to grow durian and learn about various types of durian. He's very passionate about Durian and can talk hours about it. Funnily enough, his background is actually a banker rather than a farmer.

This place reminds me of many eateries in suburb of yogyakarta. It’s one of those places that you visit because you want to get away from the hum drum of the city. To be honest, the location is a bit difficult to reach especially if you’re not an expert driver. But again, it all makes sense since according to him, that is the only spot that he could grow the durians. And from the google reviews, people complain so much about how hard it is to reach the place. That's why many people give like low rating for the accessibility of this orchard.

When I was there, my uncle shared some secrets on growing durian orchard in a place where it’s pretty hot and isn’t known for the durian. We all heard his challenges on growing durian in this area and how expensive the maintenance was. But he seems to be very passionate about growing these durians and apparently can be quite profitable too.

He made me realize that this seemingly “boring” thing can be super profitable and told me that one tree during its harvest season could generate up to $3000. Now, we can multiply that to 15 or 20 trees. That sounds very promising isn't it?

Serving local meal and unique palm wine !

Speaking of their menu, it is pretty humble and so localized. They serve Indonesian vegetable stew cooked in coconut milk served in a teak leaf which adds a more fragrant and rustic feel to it. The menu I tried has this fried fish and fried tempe which was pretty good. It was a bit too spicy to my liking but I loved it.

Their signature drink is this traditional palm wine. This drink can be alcoholic if they are left to be fermented for long enough. But if it's fresh, it’s so refreshing and taste like a bit of sweet sprite. If you have never tried palm wine, you’re missing out on some interesting beverages.

In this place, they also sell homemade durian ice cream for those who doesn't like durian but still wants to try it.

Have you tried durian ice cream? I honestly prefer it way better than the real durian as I am not so much into this fruit.

I enjoyed my visit there and would love to visit again by myself when I can. Since I was with my mom and other relatives, I didn’t really get to enjoy the place the way I typically like it. But it was a quite good getaway from where I live except it was such a long drive.

One of these days, I should go back there again and see if the durian that I managed to capture above has grown bigger and ready for harvest season. My uncle said December is the best time to go but mostly, those are already pre-ordered by quite a bit of his customers. I mean, considering they don’t have to fly out of the country to try Musang King, that is a good deal & a price worth paying for especially for durian lovers.