After a lie in, Naomi and I had some brunch at a trendy spot called the Cafe Inn (get it: caffeine...). We dined on some nice sandwiches which are a bit of a rarity in this country. Iftach and Iren arrived just as we were finishing up and after a brief chat Naomi and I departed to wander along the main street for a bit before heading to the beach.
Iftach and Iren enjoying lunch (What do you do with your face in pictures Iren?!):
Palolem has a different feel and energy than Arambol. On the main street, some of the stores are quite fancy with tiled floors, four walls and a roof (yes I know...extravagant!) whereas you find some ramshackle shops Arambol that are no more that a lean-to shelter over dried muddy ground. Couple this with restaurants that actually are a specific cuisine (such as the Italian and Mexican spots we visited for the last couple of dinners versus Arambol’s “multi-cuisine” restaurants (or “multi-cushion” as I mentioned in a previous entry) where the menu seems pretty identical from one place to the next and you can’t help but feel a different vibe.
Palolem’s shopping quarter is relatively small too and after walking just 50 meters we reached the last store and instead the street was lined with houses of various sizes and construction from 3 storey modern homes to bungalow type shacks. Chickens, pigs, dogs and cats wandered through the yards as we searched for a path that might lead us to the beach. We ventured down some paths but it was hard to tell if it was going to lead down to the water or it was just a means for a local to get to his/her house.
Looking down the main road:
A chicken that looks to me like she was working the runway:
One of the many small paths we tried:
We gave up our search and began to walk back down the main road when this young, super high energy guy who works at our guesthouse approached from the opposite direction. “Grey” was sporting a light pink t-shirt with the lovely slogan “Go F___ Yourself” in large letters on the front...a bit odd but luckily we already knew that he was a friendly guy.
Grey was happy to see us and asked if we’d just come from the lake. We obviously hadn’t sauntered down the road far enough as we hadn’t seen any body of water so we turned around and walked with him as chatted away.
As we reached a small dam and the little lake that we recognized from yesterday’s river boat ride with Mr. Big, we met up with three other young guys, one of whom looked to be about 12 years old, short and skinny. It turns out that these four locals were on a mission: hunting coconuts. The little guy Raud, who later claimed to actually be 16, was the main man. He was the all important tree climber.
We headed off on a trail through the dense foliage and soon the path became quite muddy, enough so that Naomi temporarily lost a flip flop (not sure which one it was, the flip or the flop). Our little group stopped at the odd coconut tree as Grey and Raud bantered back and forth in Konkani. I think both Naomi and I were amazed at how much there seemed to be to discuss about collecting coconuts. We got the impression that we were on someone else’s land and that they would actually be stealing the nuts but in the end I’m not sure if that was the case.
It's coconut season and we're huntin' coconuts!
Grey helping fix the flipped flop...or the flop flipped:
The price of free coconuts:
The strange rock we saw yesterday from a different angle:
The search in the first area was called off after one tree was too straight (difficult to climb), another had no easy access to the base of the tree and who knows what was wrong with a couple others we inspected. Back at the little bridge, Raud, Grey and I headed across the little stream into another property. Here Raud did locate some suitable candidates but I was bit disappointed that they were short trees...”beginner” coconut trees that even I could have climbed. Nevertheless, Raud ascended a few of them and knocked down some coconuts. Grey hacked a few of them open with a machete and I was given the honour to suck back the milk from the first one.
The main man Raud climbing up:
Oh the sweet reward!
Returning with the bounty:
With our bounty, we returned to Naomi and the two silent guys at the bridge where the rest of the coconuts were cracked open and devoured by the group. I originally thought that these local boys collected the coconuts to sell but no it was just done for the sport and the reward of a tasty drink. It’s better than what a lot of western adolescent boys get up to for fun!
Grey wielding a machete to obtain the sweet nectar:
Parched Naomi finds some reprieve:
After our little adventure Naomi and I headed to the beach, specifically the Fernandez restaurant to chill for a bit during the hottest part of the day. Iftach and Iren joined us later and Naomi and I chucked a Frisbee around on the beach for a bit as the sun was setting. Speaking of which, that was one complaint we had of Palolem. Being a cove that faces mostly south, the sun sets on the other side of the treed ridge on the north end of the beach so you miss the actual sunset. Yes, it’s a rough life when this is one of your main complaints!
That evening we played an Israeli card game called Taki in the restaurant of our guesthouse. Taki seems to be a bit of a “Uno” rip off but it’s a fun game to play nonetheless.
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