Hard coconut to crack

Off I went to Ko Samui, which has to be one of Thailand's most touristed destination. This island of long, white sandy beaches draws thousands of sun worshippers every year with one purpose in mind- to do nothing. Setting out to do nothing is very difficult for me to do. Don't get me wrong, I do nothing all of the time. It's just usually I plan to do something and end up accomplishing nothing. So, with that plan of doing something, I set out to circle the island on a scooter in search of a little culture. I bypassed the go-cart track, miniature golf, and a deadly snake show. I ended up at a Buddhist temple, where I witnessed for the first time a coin-operated Holy Water sprinkler that conveniently rotated covering a large area of tourists.

At a coconut plantation, I met a group of workers methodically peeling the outer casing off a million or so coconuts. Even though the island was overrun with tourists, you could tell that rarely one dropped by to give their way of life a second look. After peeling the outer layer, a gentleman cracked open a coconut and offered it to me as a drink. Without the little umbrella straw, I kicked back the shell, drinking the watery, coconut milk inside. I've wanted to do that ever since the Skipper and Gilligan made being shipwrecked a hope and dream of every kid. Once finished, the man cracked the shell more to expose the actual raw, thick, white coconut coating inside. Offering a chunk for my consumption, all eyes watched for my reaction. I began to chew on a block of wood-like material with the grin of "thanks" and the thoughts of "how can I spit this out without them noticing?" Ko Samui was a realization to me that I enjoyed watching other people peel coconuts far more than I would have enjoyed being on the beach watching myself peel.