IHAU AND KAPUL
On the occasion of a trip to West Kutai Regency and
Mahakam Ulu Regency in East Kalimantan Province, the writer found and tasted
two unique fruits of Kalimantan Island, namely Ihau (Dimocarpus malesianus) and
Kapul fruit (Beccaurea macrocarva). The name of the second type of fruit is
even touted as an endemic fruit in the West Kutai region.
After
traveling around 900 kilometers along the Bogor - Jakarta route and continued
with the Garuda Indonesia flight GA564 on the Jakarta (CGK) - Balikpapan (BPN)
route then connecting with the Express Air pioneering flight using ATR-42 to
Melak (MLK), the author tasted the fruit Ihau when he was at the speedboat port
in Tering (West Kutai) shortly before going along the Mahakam river to Long
Bagun in the upper Mahakam river located in the Mahakam Ulu Regency using
chartered speedboats.p
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| Pic : google image |
The locals call the Ihau
fruit as Mata Cat fruit and they sell it for Rp. 20,000 per kilogram. While
enjoying a glass of hot black coffee in a shop in the harbor of Tering, the
writer tasted this Ihau fruit together with three of my traveling companions.
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| pic : google image |
The taste is sweet and
thick, the fruit is rather sticky, not much different from the taste of
Lengkeng (Dimocarpus longan), which is still a relative of the fruit Ihau. What
distinguishes the two is that the skin of the fruit Ihau is harder and jagged
while the skin of the Longan fruit is softer and smoother.
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| pic : andirerei.com |
About thirty minutes the
writer was in the coffee shop and took some Ihau fruit, then the six of us
continued the journey to Long Bagun in the upper Mahakam River.
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| pic : andirerei.com |
In the four-hour water
trip, we enjoyed the green atmosphere of the forest vegetation that was still
tight along the sides of the Mahakam River. We talked about various things
about the Mahakam river, but when we were at certain points when Telkomsel's 4G
signal appeared on the mobile screen, we immediately all looked down, open
whatsapp, telegram, facebook, even email.
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| pic : andirerei.com |
Around 1:30 p.m. we arrived
at Long Bagun, it's time we switched from river transportation mode to land
transportation mode to continue the journey for about 152 kilometers again,
with a transit point at kilometer 83. But before continuing, at kilometer 0
(zero) of Long Bagun this is us praying dzuhur prayer as well as asr prayer
(jama taqdim) and having lunch first.
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| pic : andirerei.com |
The road we took was not a
smooth, paved road, but a logging company owned by a timber company. Rocky and
sometimes hollow and winding through slopes and descent. Forest vegetation
stands are still good and dense and various kinds of sounds of wild animals,
sounds of birds and forest insects.
Being in the middle of the
jungle for four days of work, even entering the forest in the Malinau District
in North Kalimantan Province, we ate with a menu of Brackish (deer) meat which
was processed as curry and crackers (empal). Likewise, the mandatory menu when
in the forest, namely fried or boiled Indomie (ICBP.JK), is still presented
when we eat together.
Arriving back home, we
turned right through the same road when the trip went. In the morning we went
down from the forest at kilometer point 152 to kilometer point 0 (zero) Long
Bagun and arrived at around 3:00 p.m. Before returning to drive in the Mahakam
river water, we first had lunch with a menu of free-range chicken and (again)
fried Indomie, at the same time we performed the Dhuhr prayer and the Asr
prayer (Jama taqdim) at kilometer 0 (zero).
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| pic : andirerei.com |
On our way back to the
speedboat port in West Kutai Tering, we did not say much, maybe because we were
tired, some of us even fell asleep on the Mahakam river downstrea.
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| pic : andirerei.com |
One and a half hour before
arriving at Tering, we stopped in the Datah Bilang area, which is a rest area
on the way in the Mahakam river channel. Some of the floating restaurants here
sell food and drinks as well as snacks like food and beverage outlets in the
rest area along the toll road on the island of Java.
We ordered hot black
coffee, hot tea, bought some durian drops and durian plates. About half an hour
we rested in Datah Bilang, the journey continued to the port of Tering, to then
be connected by land journey about 40 minutes to the city of Sendawar where we
stayed overnight and arrived around 07:00 p.m.
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| pic : google image |
From a restaurant employee
at the inn where we stayed overnight, the writer was offered to taste the Kapul
fruit. The shape is similar to the harp and the flesh and the sweet and sour
taste is very similar to the taste of the mangosteen. This kapul is touted as
the endemic fruit of the West Kutai region.
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| pic : google image |
The next day, we departed
from Melalan Airport in Melak City (MLK) back to Jakarta via Balikpapan (BPN).
And around 4:00 p.m. we
landed at Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Jakarta (CGK). From the
airport the writer returns to Bogor and the others return to their homes.
Ihau fruit taste is not much different from Longan fruit, so even the taste of Kapul fruit is almost the same as the taste of mangosteen fruit. But even so, not everyone can taste the sweetness of the fruit of Ihau and the sweetness of the fruit of the Kapul. Because just to taste it, there is distance and it takes time to go to Kalimantan Island.
Thus,
hopefully useful.
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