We had hired a car for a couple of days when Hattie and Ben were leaving to take them to the airport and do some sight-seeing in Langkawi. Later it allowed us to collect our new solar panels, hunt for suitable wire and other hardware in Kuah, pick up the laundry and restock the boat as provisions were low and the food shops not easily accessible.

However, we had some spare time and so visited a local Agro Research Station where they grew most of the commercially important fruit crops of Malaysia. We had a guided tour but disappointingly it turned out to be Agro comedy more than Agro science. The guide was good fun but was much more concerned with “fun with fruit” than explaining how they overcome the problems of trying to grow fruit on derelict tin workings.

The star fruit you will recognise…..

but below is a jackfruit, national fruit of Bangladesh, which can grow up to 50 kilos and really would be as big as the star fruit appears to be.

            The star fruit grows on a very attractive small tree with petty flowers.

It was good to see the trees of the many fruits that we have been buying in the shops and markets of Malaysia: rambutan, pomelo, star fruit and jackfruit, water apple and longans as well as pineapples and red and yellow water melons all of which we were able to sample – delicious and thirst quenching.

A small but interesting part of the site was devoted to medicinal herbs which are being researched for various conditions including diabetes. The whole place was lush with wonderful smells and textures.