drink of the tropics

At the beach today we watched some locals trim the palm branches off the coconut palms. They placed a ladder 1/2 up the trunk and then shimmied the remainder of the way to the top. I didn't ask why they were trimming the palms but guessed it has something to do with the windy weather and keeping them from falling on the sunbathers below. They also trimmed off all the coconuts. When B saw this she wanted one right away. The guys were using machetes to cut the palms down and I knew from Megan (who spent two years on Vanautu during Peace Corps) that machetes were used to cut open the coconuts. So I asked if we could take one home and if they would cut one open for us. The meat was very nice, slightly sweet, slightly salty. The coconut water was clear and more salty than I was expecting. Looking it upon Wikipedia, one cup of coconut water has more electrolytes than a sports drink and has more potassium than a banana. I'd say there was a cup or two of liquid inside. Good stuff. Thank goodness for phone cameras too.