On our first beach morning a local guy came up and started chatting with us in quite good English, his name was David, we discussed a lot of things, had fun communicating with his English and our basic, basic Spanish. Eventually he asked if we’d like him to get us a couple fresh coconuts to drink. I’ve never had and I think store-bought coconut water tastes like swampass, but the best answer is still almost always yes. David disappeared, up a tree, and cut down two coconuts, he prepped them for us, they were amazing, I had no idea.
For the rest of the weekend we ran into David over and over again, each time picking up our conversations where we’d left them, learning more about him and what he does, a completely fascinating person.
He told us how a few years earlier he’d spent a couple months in Canada, mostly on Vancouver Island, and how he had loved it, especially apples, (“ape-pulls” with his accent). David really, really, REALLY likes apples. He marvelled again and again at how all these types of apples just grew all over the place. I pointed out that every second tree from our rental house to the beach was loaded down with 150lbs of mangos but he didn’t really think that was all that impressive.
We struck up a deal for future exchanges of cases of BC apples for wild mangos, lol.
David lives just across from the beach and appears to have at least half a dozen jobs, selling coconuts, selling puppies, connecting anyone who needs anything with anyone who has anything, whatever you need, David is the guy who knows who can get it for you. You want lobster? Well, David just so happens to be a free diver and will vanish under the surf, coming up with as many hand-caught lobsters as you want.
We shared many beers with him through the weekend and I grew an appreciation for this person and how he has chosen to live life. Clearly a lot of hard work, and a lot of good cheer and laughter, and openness too.
A Bit Gone 