Another Day, Another Tree – Nao Nao Beach – Palawan, Philippines

First off…can those shorts get any shorter?

A deciding factor that led us to our current accommodation is that it was built within a coconut plantation. We’re not really sure what that means, but what we do know is that we’re surrounded by coconut trees. These aren’t the young, sipping type that we know and love; instead they’re the mature, fleshy type that are harvested for their meat. The trees are full of them, and they occasionally fall, so we’re always on alert when we’re walking around the area.

One of the first things Kevin inquired about when we got here was tree climbing. This would be the perfect spot to get some more practice – the trees were nice and tall, and notched the entire way up. This morning, one of the staff members demonstrated a climb all the way up to the top of a big tree along the beach, where he proceeded to knock a few big coconuts down to the ground. He was so high into the tree we could barely see him, and he made the speedy climb up and down look like he was using a ladder.

Kevin was up next. This tree was much easier to climb than the ones at Duli Beach. Taking it one step at a time, it wasn’t long before he was about 25 feet high, within a few notches of the coconuts. Christine and the manager of the B&B looked up from below, thinking the same thing…“Please don’t fall.” This height was good enough for him. The notches are only big enough to awkwardly fit a big toe, and they were getting even smaller up top. The descent was slow, but he made it down in one piece.

A few minutes later, to our surprise, the staff member showed up to our door with two of the coconuts he knocked down, with straws sticking out of their tops. Mature coconuts taste…different. Kind of carbonated. Regardless, we weren’t letting a drop of it go to waste.