Just before our departure from this gorgeous verdant shangrila, we needed to get water. The options were one, take Altair to the cruise ship dock and get beat up with the surge pounding us up against a gargantuan super structure and pay for water, NOT... or (2) take the dingy to shore and carry the jerry cans up the beach to the road where we could get all the fresh mountain stream water we wanted for free.

Dudley and I began the chore of gathering water, carrying our empty, full of air, jugs to the spigot on the street! I was ahead of my honey when I was approached by a very determined guy wanting to sell me a carved coconut! Well, the face on the shrivelled up coconut reminded me of the face 'Wilson', Tom Hank's 'buddy', the soccer ball, in the film Castaway. This 'sculpture' was very juvenile and very SILLY looking and the guy was pretty scary too! He was in my personal 3' comfort zone, grunting, cryptic and a tad too pushy with this coconut in my face. Dudley showed up about this time and I pleaded for his rescue and proceeded to leave him where the 'sales' pitch had commenced! I'm filling the jugs, soaking up the culture all around me, looking at the sights Here the two of them come, Mr. Coconut Man is carrying our jerry jugs and my honey is carrying the "artwork". They both appeared to be pretty satisfied, and I assumed Dudley bought the coconut and got the guy's help with the water gathering also. He handed me the coconut and I thought he said..."We need to get rid of this", both of us agreeing that neither of us want it on the boat and don't have room for it either. They took off down the street to the beach and I run into a cruising couple who I implore to embrace this 'gift'! After realizing I wasn't as crazy as Mr. Coconut Man, they finally agree to take this off my hands once and for all and I now feel I have done a good dead! The artist made some money, fellow cruisers now have a memento and we got more help with water carrying thru the sand.

On my way back to the dock Dudley and Mr. Coconut Man sees that I don't have the masterpiece in my possession and Mr. Artiste starts to panick! He's really grunting now, eyes are bugged out, running around in circles holding his head in dispair and 'whining' so to speak. Dudley cries out, "where's the coconut?"...I told him, "I did as you suggested, and gave it away". He said "Nooooooooooooo, I didn't say that... you have to go get it!" and I exclaim..."What?"!!!! Now I start after the couple to retrieve this piece of art which will confirm their suspicions that I'm crazy too. Mr. Coconut Man, unbeknownst to me is running after me flailing his arms and is still bugeyed and grunting! I looked north, looked south, asked some locals lounging in the shade, now I'm a teeny bit frantic, "did they see some elder white folks with hats, carrying some masterpiece?" After much too much time passed trying to understand their 'patois' dialect, I learned that the couple ducked between some buildings toward the beach. I'm now jogging after them, calling outloud for the attention, with Mr. Coconut Man chasing after me! When I reached the end of the foundation of some buildings along the beach, I was stuck and I had no where to go except back track for a way to the beach. MCM is now face to face with me and I still don't have his coconut. He is clearly upset now as this, his current means of income, has disappeared before his eyes! Some other young local guys piped up to inform me that MCM is not harmful, but just a harmless, local deaf mute! Now that explains a lot. I hate when I assume the worst.

We, MCM and I, managed to catch up with the cruising couple, now joyfully splashing their way up the beach toward their dingy when I pleaded my case and humbly requested they give MCM back that coconut! They eagerly gave the masterpiece back to MCM and all ended well.

As I made my way back past the lounging guys who helped in this caper, I beamed and thanked them perfusely for their help! The guy that was most horizontal in this little group siesta, perked up, took his nipples in his hands and made a twisting motion and said "Missy, I love your teeny ta tas". I almost exploded with laughter but I meakly said "thanks" and me and my ta tas returned to Dudley and water gathering, with a happy ending to "MCM".

Dudley and Bec, S/V Altair