D 700

Scroll down for trekking at Gunung Datuk and durian feast at durian orchard...

I received an email from a friend, not sure who is the author. It is about Durians of Balik Pulau. Part of the content is reproduced here.

In Penang, Malaysia, the best place to get good durians is in the town of Balik Pulau, on the southwest corner of Penang Island.

The following is a selection of branded durians photographed during the 2004 and 2006 Asia Explorers Durian Feasts.

D11 "Number Eleven" is a very popular durian in the 70's. It has creamy yellow flesh with a pleasant taste and a subtle smell.

D604 The D604 was first cultivated by the late Mr. Teh Hew Hong of Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh is quite sweet, and has some "body" to it as the seed is small

D600 This durian originates in Sungai Pinang in Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. The one that I documented is a bit hard.

D700 The flesh is darker than D600, like chrome yellow. Also slightly hard. Crispy, but the smell is not very strong.

Recently, I was treated to a variety of branded durian. Never in my life that I could taste so many branded types in one go: XO, Red Prawn, D24, D94, D88 and other "D" Class durians. Maybe that explain why Mercedes cars has "C" and "E" Class but no "D" Class models. The XO type is extremely creamy; while the Red Prawn, true to its name, is reddish-orange and is a little bitter. My friend, Wai Yin, commented that there is another clone called W D40 which can be purchased whole year round from Tesco and Carrefour.

The letter "D" has many meaning: In durian, the letter "D" stands for Durian; in camera, it represents Digital. If you are displeased with another person, you use "D" to denote an animal. Even a movie uses it as title - The Initial D.

A more affordable full-frame DSLR
The introduction of Nikon's new D700 may been one of the worst kept secrets in an industry with more leaks than the Titanic, but it was still something of a surprise coming so hot on the heels of the D3 and D300.

The Nikon D700 was announced on July 1, 2008. The D700 is slotted in Nikon’s lineup between the D300 and D3, which is fitting given that it shares characteristics of each. The D700 is a 12.1 megapixel, full frame DSLR, which features the image quality found in the pro-level Nikon D3, yet it has the more compact size of the Nikon D300. The D700 features the some sensitivity levels found the D3 - covering an extendable range of ISO 100 to crazy high ISO 25600.

Note: Chan Wing Kai has just bought a Nikon D300 for about RM 6,000 (camera body only)
Nikon D3 costs around RM 16,000

Jason Lee and CS Wong both own a D200 each. Click here...
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Ang Sim (Red Heart) Ang Sim is a durian with flesh which is quite soft and very sweet, and dark yellow in colour. It also has a nice aroma.

Khun Poh This durian takes the name of the late Mr Lau Khun Poh, who first budded it. Khun Poh has beautiful orangy flesh with a slightly bitter-sweet taste and a heavy aroma.

Hor Loh (Water Gourd Durian) The flesh of the Hor Loh is very soft, dry and quite bitter. It has a sharp smell to it. Hor Loh was first cultivated at the Brown Estate of Sungai Ara. It got its name from its appearance resembling a "Hor Lor" pumpkin. If the durian hits the ground hard when it falls, the flesh tends to be bitter thereafter.

Ang Heh (Red Prawn Durian) Ang Heh originates from Pondok Upeh, Balik Pulau, and has a round-shaped husk. The orange reddish flesh is highly aromatic, very soft with a bitter-sweet taste.

Xiao Hung (Little Red Durian) Xiao Hung, whose name means "Little Red One," originates in Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. The one that I tasted for this write-up is a bit hard. There are only one or two seeds per section, but the flesh is thick.

Yah Kang (Centipede Durian) Yah Kang is one of my favourite durians. Although its flesh is whitish, the taste is superb, milky, like very sweet, melting chocolate. The name "yah kang" means centipede, and accounts for the number of centipedes found at the foot of the tree, hence giving it the rather unusual name.

Chaer Phoy (Green Skin Durian) Chaer Phoy is shaped like a small canteloupe. The skin is bright green, giving it the name which means "green skin". Chaer Phoy has creamy white flesh which is a bit dry, not too sweet but tasty.

Ang Jin (Red Yoke Durian) As the name suggests, Ang Jin Durian has deep orange flesh. It is very sweet and tasty.

Trekking at Gunung Datuk on Sunday, 13 July

Okay, we carry a few durians to the peak of Gunung Datuk, courtesy of Weng.

She is from Russia. Stay tune for more pictures ...

Posted by KC