1999. That was the last year I visited the Philippines and one of the things I really miss are the tropical fruits. I used to ask my mom to smuggle some when she comes for her almost yearly visits to Chicago. Although there was this Vietnamese store in Chinatown where we could get frozen durian, lanzones and canned mangosteen, I always longed for the fresh non-preservative taste of coconuts and rambutans that grow rampant back home. Imagine my delight when my dear husband hitched me up on a borrowed "Moto" and took me for a ride through the fruit and vegetable market in Escuintla. We saw stalls and stalls and more stalls of sweet and delectable fruits that not only reminds me of the markets in Dipolog but almost transported me there with familiar smell and taste it brought.
Below is a shot of part of Escuintla's Quarta Avenida fresh market. I didn't mean to capture the Mayan Senyo's backside... but look at that glorious fruit stand!
And here is a creamy fruit they call "Zapote" which is a very sweet cross between the Filipino "Tisa" and "Chico". See the giant pit in the middle? it does look like Tisa pit.
"Manggang way kubal"!!! I almost had an out-of-body experience when I crunched on this baby green mangoes! It so reminded me of my High School days at St. Mary's Academy a million of years ago where we bribe the "Kuya" (the gate guard) to let us off the campus during break and cross the street to get "mangga" swimming in "patis". 
This is of course the sweet and juicy Chico. It has a very gritty/sandy texture that sometimes if tree ripened would really feel and taste like granulated sugar, but also leaves a sticky sappy goo.
And this is the "Caimito" which we Filipinos sometimes call "Star Apple". Man, this is heaven in a fruit! It's slurpy and sticky and all sorts of good stuff!
This is of course the sweet and juicy Chico. It has a very gritty/sandy texture that sometimes if tree ripened would really feel and taste like granulated sugar, but also leaves a sticky sappy goo.And this is the "Caimito" which we Filipinos sometimes call "Star Apple". Man, this is heaven in a fruit! It's slurpy and sticky and all sorts of good stuff! 
There's a lot of other tropical fruits here that so remind me not only of the Philippines but bring me back to my earlier travels around the globe specially in Asia. Although I still miss the durians of Malaysia and the mangosteens of Indonesia, Guatemala's caimitos will do for now until my next visit to Asia... perhaps in July for the HMSF/Amedeo reunion? Who knows?
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