Singapore Fruits

Shown: Dragonfruit (with pink skin and small seeds) ramboutan, mangosteen, mango and watermelon

I didn't eat the Durian... I would have.... maybe, but I never got the opportunity.
Some of the locals described it as delicious, but "like eating custard while sitting on the toilet".  Another told me she only eats it by herself with plastic bags on her hands, then brushes twice and flosses when she's done eating it.  Ick....

One of the best parts of business travel is staying at nice hotels. If I ever go back to Singapore, I am going to stay at  The Conrad again.  It's the step up brand of Hilton hotels.  I loved everything about it, but especially the sheets and the fresh fruit in my room.   

Everyday there were four types of fruit on a cool white china plate that looked like a painter's palette. Right next to the plate was little colorful pamphlet that told you a little about the fruits.  Yes, the selection did include a selection of apples, pears and oranges, in beautifully perfect mini sizes, but there were also some interesting things that I had never had, or seen, before.  Another fantastic detail that the hotel included?  A luxurious bright yellow polka dot damask napkin and fruit knife to enjoy it with. Talk about nice touch, I loved it. I really wanted to take that plate and napkin home... but that's just not right, now is it?

Not all of these fruits appeared in my room, but were enjoyed on the breakfast buffet which included selections from Europe, America, Japan, India and Chinese selections.  I loved the variety, but I happen to be a pretty adventurous eater, even in the morning. 

My favorite new fruit?

Mangosteen!  

Wow, I had heard of it, but never tried. In fact, when I grabbed one from the breakfast buffet one morning, I didn't eat it but threw it in my tote and carried it around for a day before eating it. 

Luckily, It's pretty sturdy with a very thick skin. 

Once you get through the fibrous outside, you find a white, juicy fruit in little sections, almost like a white tangerine. 

Tangy and sweet.... like the best of a lychee, mango and a strawberry.
I could eat a bunch of these.  One thing the skin is quite dark red and tends to stain hands and clothes, so be careful!

Longan, called Lychee's little brother. These almost looked like mini Asian pears.  If you look carefully, you can see a double one in the photo.

I know they look a little like eyeballs, but they were so sweet and refreshing.  I do wish I could find some for Halloween or something.  The skin or rind of the fruit was quite stiff, and you could give it a little bit and the shell would crack right off.

Ramboutan is a spiky fruit, also very much like a lychee.  This isn't my picture, but it was so beautiful, I wanted to include it. 

You can see the picture at the top doesn't do justice to how pretty these fruits are

I had never eaten aloe vera, in fact, I wasn't aware you could even eat it!

This is a picture of the lychee (Longan or Ramboutan?) and aloe vera dessert soup that I had twice when I was there. Soup for dessert?  Perfect, light and refreshing and not too fattening either.  Apparently you can take the green skin on the aloe vera, soak a bit of the sap off and cut the leftover jelly-like interior into chunks for soup!