Eat ALL THE FRUIT!

April 12, 2017

Eat ALL THE FRUIT!

After another hearty meal, we had some free time in the afternoon. First thing we did was check out the swimming hole at the lodge. Being on the trail end of rainy season, the water was high and murky. Having just taken a shower before learning of the swimming hole, I wasn't quite prepared to jump in.

Also, we were told we could make it there in flip flops. The mud and the big ants made me disagree... but we forged ahead anyways.

Back at the room, it was time for a quick cat nap as we planned to visit a small local farm just upstream. With one other tourist joining us, we went almost directly across the river to the plantation.

After throwing some corn around for chickens, it was time to learn about - and more importantly eat - the local fruits.

We started with some extremely juicy and sweet oranges, mandarins, lemon, lime, star fruit and white grapefruit.

We tried fresh cocoa! In the pod was a white, juicy flesh surrounding the cocoa seed. You suck the flavour from the kind of slimy white pulp, but don't chew the seed. It was light and tropical. Maybe a little like rambutan?

The challenge to eat a fish eye chilli was issued. I was warned to start with biting the tiny, round pepper in half. Good warning! It was very hot. Not spitting out or crying or needing milk hot, but quite spicy. They're the little round ones, like peas as I described them, or like a fish eye as a fellow traveller more accurately described them.

Up next was noni. It looked like a white potato with many eyes, but smelled like a combination of hot garbage and garlic. He guide cut a piece for each of us to try. It tasted worse than it smelled.

There are supposed to be many health benefits associated with noni and locals take a shot of the juice often (and mixed with sugar or other fruit juice) to improve health.

We walked around the rest of the plantation looking at coca plants, banana trees (actually banana is a grass), and all the fruits we had eaten.