While we were in San Pedro we had some trouble finding potable water to fill our tanks. The fuel dock didn’t have a water hook up and the other hoses on the docks belonged to the dive boats and they turned their water valves off at night--we checked. So, when our water tanks were at the “need to be filled” level Con suggested that I go by and ask the dive boat guys if I could fill up a few buckets of freshwater from the hose on their dock. I agreed, and while Con and Mike watched from the beach, I approached the dive boat captains and crew that were the guarders of the freshwater hoses. I was greeted warmly and respectfully and once I got the “go head but just this once” from the gruff manager of the dive boats, one of the captains assigned his mate, Jaime, to assist me. Jaime insisted that he carry all the water for me to my canoe (which was two trips, 10 gallons a trip). We got to chatting seeing as how I wasn’t out of breath because I wasn’t carrying anything and he mentioned he was from Caye Caulker and was only working in San Pedro. I explained that we were heading that way the following day and asked if he had any advice about his home town. He told me about a few “sweet clubs that stay open late” which I smiled at and quickly dismissed as probably not my thing and then he mentioned that the best thing about Caye Caulker is “coco plums.” I asked if it was a restaurant or a bar and he replied that it was a fruit that grew locally there and was delicious. Jaime couldn’t describe what the tree looked like, he left it at, “you will know when you see it.” A bit vague for my tastes, but he did describe the fruit well. They are about the size of a golf ball and can be picked when they are white, but they are best when they are pink in color. He said they grow wild on the island and as kid he use to gather them by the basket to eat. Sweet, I thought, I will keep my eyes open for them and impress Conor with my knowledge of local nature!
A few days after we arrive in Caye Caulker, Conor and I went exploring with Penny and Bubby. We wanted to stay by the beach because the breeze was nice and the dogs could cool off when needed. We found a well beaten path that led us down the beach past the main area of town. The path looked like it led into a less populated area of town, and perhaps a more local fauna/foliage area. The path turned from soft, white sand, clear water, and the occasional shady area to a dusty path surrounded by mangroves that blocked the breeze and made the water brown and muddy. Not an ideal nature path, but we continued down the path for awhile, the spirit of exploring and the beautiful unknown that could be around the next bend urged us forward. We walked along for awhile, taking in our surroundings and just when the heat and the dust and the panting from the dogs were about to make us grumpy, Conor spotted a huge tree of coco plums! We were getting so hot from that Caribbean sun that we almost forget we were keeping an eye out for them! The coco plums grow more on a bush than a tree, but a large, tall bush so I guess that was hard for my new friend Jaime to explain. White and pink golf-ball sized coco plums were all over the tree/bush. We gathered a bag full and tasted our new found treasure. They were good! Not a mind blowing juicy deliciousness that cannot even be put into words but a slightly sweet, fresh taste. It is white on the inside and soft like a ripe fruit but firm enough to bite into. It’s consistency is somewhere in between cotton candy and a sponge, but in a good way. I am actually eating one right now in hopes that I could compare it to something I have eaten before but I can’t exactly match it. Its refreshingly good and different and like something I would have never tasted if I hadn’t been out of water in San Pedro!
M.
A few days after we arrive in Caye Caulker, Conor and I went exploring with Penny and Bubby. We wanted to stay by the beach because the breeze was nice and the dogs could cool off when needed. We found a well beaten path that led us down the beach past the main area of town. The path looked like it led into a less populated area of town, and perhaps a more local fauna/foliage area. The path turned from soft, white sand, clear water, and the occasional shady area to a dusty path surrounded by mangroves that blocked the breeze and made the water brown and muddy. Not an ideal nature path, but we continued down the path for awhile, the spirit of exploring and the beautiful unknown that could be around the next bend urged us forward. We walked along for awhile, taking in our surroundings and just when the heat and the dust and the panting from the dogs were about to make us grumpy, Conor spotted a huge tree of coco plums! We were getting so hot from that Caribbean sun that we almost forget we were keeping an eye out for them! The coco plums grow more on a bush than a tree, but a large, tall bush so I guess that was hard for my new friend Jaime to explain. White and pink golf-ball sized coco plums were all over the tree/bush. We gathered a bag full and tasted our new found treasure. They were good! Not a mind blowing juicy deliciousness that cannot even be put into words but a slightly sweet, fresh taste. It is white on the inside and soft like a ripe fruit but firm enough to bite into. It’s consistency is somewhere in between cotton candy and a sponge, but in a good way. I am actually eating one right now in hopes that I could compare it to something I have eaten before but I can’t exactly match it. Its refreshingly good and different and like something I would have never tasted if I hadn’t been out of water in San Pedro!
M.
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| The Coco Plum Tree Bush |
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| Con collecting the pink ones |
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| Our bounty |
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| Penny cooling off at the beach after our coco plum excursion |
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| Con and Bubby resting on the beach after our walk |
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