Green Mangoes

My travels took me to Thailand. I landed in Bangkok and then flew north onto Chiang Mai.
It was a charming and quiet place. The night market was busy with locals and tourists.
It was a hot night and I wanted something cool. I looked up and on a board menu I saw
an unusual drink – green mango with honey and black pepper – to boost energy and prevent dehydration. The black pepper stopped me from having it but the idea stayed with me.
The next few days were full of discoveries of this quiet mountainous town and touring the golden triangle onto Cambodia and Myanmar – each place with its own unique culture and spaces.
Yet, during the trip I felt a calling to go back to Bali. So I did. This was my place to walk,
to shop, to bargain, to chat, to laugh and to relax on the beach – just BEING.
My daily ritual was to meditate, have a light breakfast and weather permitting walk to
the beach.
The beaches in Bali had their unique culture and I soon adapted to it and even enjoyed it –
all kinds of sellers looking to sell and make a living. I bought when I felt like it and also was able to say “no”. It was all in the spirit of the day and no one got offended.
It was a particular hot day and the water I had was not enough. In front of me came a seller calling out “mangoes, delicious mangoes, bananas, watermelon”. I saw the green mangoes and it triggered the board menu in Thailand selling the juice.
So I decided to buy a green mango even though it was late in the afternoon and the seller just wanted to go home. Lucky me – she gave me some for free. There I was – sitting up on the hired chair having my green mangoes while the late afternoon breeze blew on my face. I felt alive and exuberated. It didn’t take long and my beach buddies came around – all wanted to have some of the mango fruit. So I shared with them. We ate, chatted and laughed with body language, broken English, a few Balinese and Bahasa Indonesian words. The green mango united us and hydrated us so that we all could part and see each other the following day – sharing another fruit, a massage and a reflexology session.
I went back to the hotel feeling refreshed and full of energy. I decided to sit by the pool and look up on the Internet about green mangoes. The first thing that came up was that green mangoes are raw mangoes. I also found out – green mangoes

• are energy boosters / prevent loss of minerals / promote heart health & dental hygiene
• boost immunity – high in vitamin C and A / rich in antioxidants and pectin
• prevent dehydration / reduce the effects of intense heat
• support weight loss / aid digestion
• promote liver health / balance sugar level / increase formation of new blood cells

Miriam Broder

References
https://www.vegaproduce.com/green-mango-benefits
https://www.boldsky.com-health-nutrition