Explore A Rawsome Life with Paul and Yulia Tarbath, guest stories for Fruit-Powered Magazine.
It all started for us some seven-and-a-half years ago when we began eating a low-fat, fruit-based diet. Yulia was desperately looking for an answer to her many health problems, and her friend recommended that she should try a raw food diet, but not just any old raw food diet but instead the “right one,” which she told us was a low-fat, high-fruit diet (a.k.a. the 80/10/10 diet).
Little did we know that once we started eating a fruit-based plan, it would trigger something deep within us that would soon culminate in us selling and giving away to charity most of our possessions and beginning our travels around the world.
Suddenly there were two major aspects of health that our bodies now demanded from us: a diet that included lots of tropical fruits and regular exposure to lots of sunshine!
After seven-and-a-half years of traveling the world, we have visited six continents and tasted some incredible fruits.
So let us share with you three of the best places that we have visited on our fruity travels during that time.
Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Located on the northern edge of Australia and known as the gateway to the world heritage site of the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns is a paradise when it comes to tropical fruits.
Where to start? Durians, jackfruit, rollina, sapote, chempedak, mangos, papayas, custard apples and bananas—you can get all these tropical fruits and much more at a place called Rusty’s Market. Located in the center of Cairns and open every Saturday and Sunday, you will find local growers selling their produce to eager buyers! Rusty’s is by far our favourite market in the world!
When we lived in Cairns for six months, it was the highlight of our week. To top it all, you could get reduced-priced produce at the end of the market on a Sunday, and one example would be 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of delicious Kent mangos for just 50 Australian cents—what a bargain!
If all this fruit abundance isn’t enough, then there is the stunning nature that surrounds Cairns and includes places like the rainforest of Karunda and the big Barron Waterfalls, not to forget the many beautiful, sandy beaches that line the coast.
Add to this the unique wildlife that includes kangaroos, wallabies and koalas, then you have got one amazing place to visit if you are a fruit and nature lover!
Penang, Malaysia
If there was just one place in the world that you had to go for the king of fruits, durian, then Penang during the durian season would be that place. Up in the mountains and just over an hour’s car drive from the city of George Town is a literal durian bonanza at Bao Sheng’s Durian farm.
Every year during the durian season, which typically peaks around the months of January and June, you can feast upon what is thought by many fruit connoisseurs to be some of the best durians in the whole world. And organically grown, too! Jackie Chan’s Wife, Red Prawn, Ganjau, Mausan, Lim Fong Jiao, Green Skin 15, Kapri, Horlor, Little Red Durian—the list of different types of durian goes on and on.
What does a great durian taste like? Well, if I told you that people travel the world just to taste durian because it’s so good then you might begin to understand the power of this amazing fruit.
Oh, and durian is considered an aphrodisiac as well to top it all!
If you haven’t tasted some of the best durian in the world, then you owe it to yourself to try the king of fruits in Penang, Malaysia.
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Situated in northern Thailand, the city of Chiang Mai is a literal year-round fruit heaven!
Depending on the season, you can get your hands and tantalize your taste buds with a wonderful selection of tropical fruits like lychees, mangos, langsat, longans, snake fruit, custard apples, jackfruit, durian, passion fruits, papayas, rambutans and so many more.
Watch a Rawsomehealthy Video on What the Tarbaths Ate in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Muang Mai Market, situated northeast of the old city, is the biggest in Chiang Mai, and here you will find a plethora of fruits in its bustling, narrow streets. What’s more you are always guaranteed to find ripe fruit available, which is a savior for any weary and hungry fruit-seeking traveler.
Fruit stalls and fruit markets are to be found all over the city in Chiang Mai, and it’s without question one of the most fruit abundant destinations in the word.
In fact, because of this fruit abundance, as well as the natural beauty of the surrounding countryside, Chiang Mai has now become a very popular destination for fruit lovers.
Watch a Rawsomehealthy Video on What the Tarbath Family Ate on an All-Raw Diet in Bali, Indonesia
Check out Paul and Yulia’s transformation profile!
