The Fruits of Our Labor

We explored the "Land of Smiles" through sights, sounds and smells. The aroma of fresh fruit filled the air and we couldn't help ourselves...so we tried some. Click play to see the slide show.

We searched online to see what was in season and used this blog post, 19 Thai Fruits You Must Try and used it as a guide. We tried langsat or longkong, sapodilla (known as sapota in India), pomelo, Roselle, mini pineapple (native to Chiang Mai), Indian gooseberry, passion fruit, rambutan, jackfruit, pineapple, guava, small bananas, fresh coconut water, sugar apple, as well as freshly squeezed fruit juices.

The only place I found an Indian gooseberry tree was on Koh Samui island. The tree was planted right next to a rest stop  where we stopped at to get a drink. The rest stop owner was amused by our excitement over the gooseberries, that he plucked a whole bunch for us. I was all SMILES!

My husband and I have an ongoing feud about which fruit is better: jackfruit or durian. He thinks the aroma of jackfruit is stronger; and I beg to differ. I think Durian is a very stinky fruit and can't get past the smell to even try it. What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.  

The best part of trying all the fruits for me was when I ate sapota (shown above). Sapota looks like a kiwi fruit on the outside but inside the flesh is caramel brown. When it is ripe, the flavor is sweet like caramel but not too sweet. I bought a half kilo of this fruit and ate them with joy.

My husband, Michael, felt the same way about Pomelo. He bought it every chance he got. It was in season and it was really good. Pomelo looks like a giant grapefruit but the morsels inside are sweet. It was refreshing. We found the best fruit in the supermarkets. They were reasonably priced and some were already peeled and cut.

We really did enjoy the FRUITS of our labor. The labor of walking around all the cities and looking at all the sights until our feet were sore. We're not complaining though. I would do it again if it meant I can eat more sapota or custard apple.

Stay tuned for more sights, sounds, and smells of Thailand coming up soon.