Jungle Surfing! Inside out as they call it..
Our afternoon was certainly sweeter than the morning! After splitting some prawn fishcakes and
salad for lunch, Clare and I set out for our exotic fruit tasting. Leslie, our incredible fruit connoisseur,
conveniently picked us up at the Cape Trib Beach House. We drove to the exotic fruit orchards just
about 4 kilometers away and met the owner, Allison, who told us that she and
her husband bought the land in Cape Trib on a whim. They were teaching in a different part of
Australia and on their way to the Northern Territory, they fell in love with
Cape Trib. Within 15 minutes they bought
the land and instead of traveling to the UK to teach, they ended up starting a
farm! They debated on what they could do
with all the land in order to make a living, and decided to try some exotic
fruit seeds they purchased in Thailand and Bali. Remarkably, even after cyclone Yessie in
2008, their orchard is diverse and abundant with fruit that thrives in the
tropical climate. We sat and listened to
Leslie describe each of the fruits as she cut them and passed around a plate for
us to try. Clare and I were experiencing
pure bliss. The fruits we tried were
Breadfruit, Black Sapote, Pommelo, Davidson Plum, Yellow Sapote, Yellow
Mangasteen, Abui, Rollinia, and Soursop.
Here is a quick recap:
Breadfruit- we sampled it toasted in the oven with Cajun
spices and olive oil…tasted like a healthy French fry!
Black Sapote- the consistency was thick and custard like,
and tasted like chocolate puddling!
Pommelo- This was a cross between an orange and a grapefruit, absolutely delicious
Davidson Plum- it tasted like a grape warhead! Really sour!
The aboriginals are known to collect this fruit
Yellow Sapote- This was also thick and custard like, and
tasted like a mango
Yellow Mangasteen- this is what the orchard is known for and
when it is their growing season the workers are harvesting 24/7 to ship these
fruits to Cairns and Sydney for profit.
This fruit was delicious and tasted like a juicer mango with a big seed
inside
Abui- This was also a thicker fruit and tasted like a fruity
coconut. It was white, custard like, and
they say when eat near the peel it gets so sticky that your lips stick
together!
Rollinia- This was also a very tropical tasting coconut-ish
flavor with a spiky skin!
Soursop- MY FAVORITE!
It translates to “wet wool” and is literally eating the best juiciest
flavor you could ever imagine. It is
white in color and tastes like an extremely sweet coconut.
Soursop tasting!
After Clare and I finished oohing and ahing at all of the
fruits, we took a tour of the orchard and saw the trees the fruit came
from. We also met some Canadians who
were talking about places to go out to eat and recommended that Clare and I try
the famous Mason’s croc or kangaroo burger.
Instead of being totally grossed out, we decided to go to the restaurant
as soon as we got back.
Before heading off to eat once again, Clare and I jogged the
right end of the beach until we reached a look out with an incredible
view. Running the Pacific out of your
peripheral is the most rewarding view. We
continued this run to the car and drove off to Mason’s café down the road. We arrived at 5 PM and apparently they closed
at 5! Clare went running in under the
half gated door and the worker agreed to cook us up some burgers! THEY WERE AMAZING. My personal favorite was the crocodile. It tasted like seafood and chicken with an
incredible sauce. The burger was paired
with lettuce, carrots, tomato, and beets.
The kangaroo was equally as delicious and darker in color. Both were delectable! We sat at our table staring at the tops of
the mountains for about an hour before we headed back to our room which is by
the way, different than the first two nights.
We were moved to a cabin where 2 other families are staying and we share
a kitchen. The people we are meeting are
so incredible and interesting. I cannot
imagine leaving a place where the living in the moment is so sweet.
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