If your olfactory senses are tingling, you must be surrounded by durians. Indeed, these thorny treasures are piled high at night markets, almost spilling over our narrow city streets.
I too, got caught up in the durian fervour and decided to time a trip to a wedding in Simpang Pulai, near Ipoh, to venture further north and catch the fever from the ‘falling fruit’. You might recall the Malay proverb “durian runtuh“, which I believe is aptly translated as “manna from heaven”.
Unfortunately, there’s no manna for consumers – only for growers – as durian prices have spiked so much that many can only afford to sniff rather than eat!
Traditionally, durians are not picked from the tree. Instead, one waits for them to fall naturally once they detach from the tree’s outstretched limbs. But before we wander too far from the road, let me share my adventures with Proton’s S70.
I had two bites at this ‘thorny’ cherry, so to speak. Firstly, I had a media ‘first impression’ at the Proton test track a few weeks before the launch.
Then, just as the durian season kicked off in earnest, I got my hands on the S70 for a spirited test drive.
So, on the appointed Saturday, my party hit the highway. Sliding into the cockpit, you’re greeted with ergonomic leather seats and a dashboard that blends modernity with functionality.
At times like this, just for nostalgia’s sake, I miss the good old days of round analogue dials with needle pointers that shot up when you revved the engine—but that would be showing my age!
Turn on the ignition, and you hear the throaty roar of its 1.5-litre turbocharged engine, finely tuned for both city streets and highways. I never minded the sensation of turbo lag—just be aware it’s there. On the highway, remember to signal and move out of the middle lane for a smooth overtaking. (Many collisions could have been avoided if drivers only used their indicators!)
Every press of the throttle delivers a surge of torque that propels you past slower traffic. The handling is precise, with the chassis remaining balanced and composed as you take on the curves.
Approaching Simpang Pulai, the engine’s revs maintain a harmonious tune, hinting at both efficiency and untapped power reserves. The drive was so sedate that I managed to complete the previous week’s Sudoku puzzle while someone else took over the driving duties.
By the time we exited the highway, the Proton S70 had proven itself not just as a workhorse but a well-behaved gelding or frisky filly – both worthy of a gymkhana.
We arrived at the wedding just as the bride and groom were sitting down to lunch, which was fortunate as we were quite famished.
We didn’t need much persuasion to take the newlyweds for a spin around their kampung to give them a taste of Proton’s latest offering.
They were impressed by its looks, which they said were far more modern than the Saga and Wira of their parents’ generation.
The advertising spiel claims the Proton S70 significantly modernises the design language compared to older models like the Saga, Wira, and Waja. It adopts a sleeker, more dynamic profile, with sharper lines and a more aggressive stance.
The front fascia features a bold grille and contemporary LED headlamps, giving it a more premium look.
Additionally, the S70’s exterior lines set it apart from the boxier, more utilitarian designs of its predecessors, enhancing Proton’s appeal in today’s market.
Proton, take note: if a newlywed couple pops into your Ipoh showroom and puts down a deposit for an S70, credit it to this ‘impromptu’ marketing effort on our part!
Proton can also take pride in setting this couple off on a blissful honeymoon—and perhaps in helping them buy their first family sedan.
After the wedding, we headed to Batu Gajah to visit the famed Kellie’s Castle. I thought this would be the perfect backdrop to capture the regal majesty of what I call our ‘mini’ version of the Taj Mahal (grant me this one indulgence in hyperbole).
The last time I visited was over 20 years ago. Now that I’m considered ‘warga emas’, the only thing I look forward to is the admission ticket, which costs me a mere RM1.
Personally, I’m far from impressed; in fact, I was rather depressed by the lack of effort to breathe life into Scottish planter William Kellie-Smith’s attempt to create a palatial mansion for his wife.
It does bear shades of Shah Jahan’s labour of love for his wife Mumtaz in the form of the ‘mini-Taj Mahal’ back in 19th-century Malaya. (Perhaps I should devote a full article to this—though I’d rather talk about how the S70 rekindled my passion for durian kampung).
After exploring every inch of the regal ruins, we headed northwards to Gopeng, where we were told the roads were lined with makeshift huts selling durians.
We hardly had to drive five minutes before we pulled up at one of the many huts with a few vacant seats.
No Musang Kings, no IOI, no Udang Merah – just plain, honest-to-goodness durian kampung. Since we were close to the source, they sold for RM8 a kilo – you’d pay many times more for a fresh, just-picked-this-morning durian in one of those outlets in SS2!
I particularly savoured every last morsel of the D24 Sultan variety, which has a deliciously bitter taste – not to everyone’s liking, I admit. But I must caution anyone thinking of embarking on a similar trip to binge on durians – don’t! Do everything in moderation.
Once we had our fill, we faced the dilemma of how to bring some home.
Before embarking on this trip, we consulted all kinds of manuals and folk remedies that promised to banish the lingering smell of durian if you carry even a single fruit in the boot.
So, we stocked up on a kilo of charcoal, a clump of pandan leaves, a kilo of imported Indian lemons, and a range of spices from the supermarket.
But the durian vendor had a more practical solution – he had a stock of clear plastic containers (the microwave-safe kind) and suggested a more efficient method.
He cracked open the 10 kilos of durians we intended to take home and packed them neatly into five boxes. (All those thorns for so little fruit – but it is what it is!)
He then offered us a small polystyrene box, laid a bed of ice, and packed the boxes in, topping them up with more ice. Suffice it to say, our friends in KL enjoyed their durian kampung feast, praising the lengths we went to, to share this seasonal bounty with them.
I was told that the durian – and generally the local fruit – season is now out of sync. Many attribute this to climate change. While the environmental anomaly is concerning, we can rejoice that fruits like durians are now flowering, budding, and fruiting almost year-round.
When that happens, Proton will undoubtedly have other offerings besides the S70 to get us motoring up the highway again to savour the season!
