BAD fruits in Bali and Lombok !!!

I just spent a month in Bali and Lombok and was VERY disappointed with the local fruit markets over there.

Yes, people were amazingly friendly, sold me kilos and kilos of unripe fruits for the "local price",
which is amazing since I certainly look like a tourist. I find the indonesian people to be very honest and amazingly friendly.

But the pineapples were green, papaya's were most of the time also green (used for spicy salads)
and the rambutans were also quite unripe.

Is the world going crazy ? If we cannot get juicy, ripe tropical fruits in the tropics anymore, where ?

Do you know where I can go next time to get juicy tree ripened tropical fruits ?

......so that next time I go to asia, I can go where I can find fruits that are ripe,
at least half of the time of my vacation since I would never want to go to asia again without going to Indonesia
because the people over there simply are the friendliest people that I have ever met in my entire life
and I travelled in over 50 countries.......now I am going to learn to speak with them........

Thanks for your fruit tips. Nicola Melon.

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<hr>Is the world going crazy ? If we cannot get juicy, ripe tropical fruits in the tropics anymore, where ?<hr></blockquote>

Hey- I lived in the tropics for 4 years. The rats eat the fruit before it ripens. Which is why islanders have taken to using the unripe fruit in salads, and slicing it up and eating marinated in soya sauce, red kool aid, and salt.

You want great fruits? Go to the big hotels and eat them there. The locals have mostly learned to survive with nature. I used to crave a ripe guava- and we had a huge guava tree in our front yard. Never got one.

Dear 5Waldos, thanks for this very informative comment, and it makes sense as well. I guess that I shall have to move to the tropics, buy a piece of land and retire over there instead of here in France. Why not. Thanks, Nicola.

#2.....Tahiti won't be cheap.

Not entirely clear on your logic there nicolamelon- but I think moving to the tropics and buying land sounds great. Go for it, and when you crave great fruit- go find the hotels.

Every tropical location I've ever been in has has fabulous fruit to eat-in season.

As to rat problems it's simply a matter of rat proofing the trees-which is not hard at all-people do it all the time all over the world.

"Hey- I lived in the tropics for 4 years. The rats eat the fruit before it ripens. Which is why islanders have taken to using the unripe fruit in salads, and slicing it up and eating marinated in soya sauce, red kool aid, and salt."

Sounds like those Islands are both lazy and ignorant as well as poor cooks.

oh well

I will find the suppliers of the big hotels next time I go, a great idea !

It is not true that people are lazy but perhaps ignorance is more appropriate. But poor cooks, certainly not, the streetfood was fabulous. Yammmmm..........

#5 is close to the truth. When I ate at the Pago Rainmaker (Ratmaker/Painmaker),
they would have PLASTIC flowers on the tables. All they had to do.....walk out the front door, side door or back door and pick real beautiful flowers!

I have travelled alot in the tropics from the Domincan Republic to the Pacific islands to SE Asia.
One of the most appealling thing about going there are the vast array of luscious tropical fruits.
I never had any problems buying decent, ripe fruit anywhere.

Remember, that the shopper is always right.... Especially at the local markets.... Look at the fruit... It's pretty easy to tell a ripe Papaya from a green one, right? Squeeze the fruit.... smell them.... dicker over the price. If you show apprehension over purchasing, then the vendor will often let you sample the fruit. I always do this especially in the SE Asia where it is hard to tell if the fruit, like Mangosteens and Rambutans, are underripe, rotten or poor quality judging just by sight alone... I always ask to taste before I buy.