The Coconut Man 7/1/15

The end of the day was one of the most interesting experiences of my life..... We were all going along with our business when all of a sudden one of the women who lives here at TBR same inside the eating area and main hang out spot and said, "Hey if you want a coconut, come and get one!" We all stood up and this what was outside:

This guy was a 59 year old guy who was all the way up a coconut tree chopping them down with a slightly rusted machete. It was so amazing how long he was up there and kind of scary how close he was swinging his machete near his face. One after another they came pelting down. We all scrambled to got one, got in line, and in no time were sipping the wonderful coconut water out of holes with tiny plastic blue straws. After you had finished with your water he whacked the nut open and you could scrape out the almost jelly like meat inside. If you had not gotten a water-filled one he still chopped it open and you could chew on the nutty, crunchy, white meat. Talk about tropical living!!

He came to TBR with his daughter who had made a whole bunch of jewelry that she was selling. The man, I didn't catch his name, had also made some beautiful earrings with the skin of a triggerfish (I believe). If you don't know what that looks like imagine a bunch of hexagons up against each other with an interesting inner pattern. He was very emphatic and proud that he was the one who had invented this idea and everyone on the island asked him how he made them. He was also selling elegant looking rings and guitar picks that were made out of coconut shells. It was such an interesting experience seeing the pride and resourcefulness that he had in his goods. He and his daughter hung around for a while talking to the TBR staff (apparently he is a regular), he shoved off into the sunset in his weather worn boat with some of the many coconuts that he had chopped down to sell back in his village.