Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Coconut smashing....

On a very sunny day this week, we decided to stay home and just relax by the pool. Actually you think it is always sunny here but we had some cloudy days the last 2 weeks, so this was an exceptional hot and sunny day. Normally it is just HOT! Besides swimming and jumping in the pool, the girls decided to try a new game: coconut smashing!

Next to our resort is an empty lot where a lot of old coconuts are laying around. So Juliet and Jasmine gathered some of these heavy nuts and brought them back to our place. We are directly on the beach, but it is a rocky beach and the girls play a lot climbing up and down on these rocks. Looking for little critters.. anything that moves. But today they found another way of using these rocks. Climbing on top and throwing these heavy coconuts on the rocks below in hopes that they crash and the liquid that is inside will come plashing out. Well, they tried their hardest but they couldn't crack these nuts! However, they had fun trying it, and it kept them busy for quite a while! In the meantime I was relaxing and reading my Kindle... mommy had fun watching them in between my chapters :-)

These are the rocks at the end of our resort. The island in the back is Koh Pangnan.



Jasmine and Juliet gathering old coconuts.



and trying to smash them!



And on the left you see my beach chair, nice and relaxing under a big tree to make sure I don't get too much sun at a time!



A view from where the girls are standing looking back into the garden of the resort.



Looking towards the west, next to us is the Four Seasons Resort.



Looking towards the east, there is my favorite Thai restaurant where we eat quite often these days :-)



Khun Porn, the manager here, thought that the girls were trying to open these coconuts to drink the liquid, the girls knew though that the liquid inside these old nuts is not good, but she didn't know they knew! So she plucked 2 coconuts from the tree and gave the girls these fresh and young ones... but these tasted not well either!! Surprise, surprise the juice out of these coconuts tasted SALTY!! Because the trees on the seaside need liquid too, but the water they use is salty so the juice inside the coconut was salty as well... we learned something new today!

Thailand, the land of fresh coconut juice!!


Did you know that coconut juice is one of the healthiest beverages?

Its unique combination of nutrients gives it incredible health-promoting properties. Coconut water has a normalizing effect and gives the body a boost of energy so that it can overcome a number of health-related conditions. It is effective in relieving dehydration, fatigue, constipation, and other digestive disturbances, kidney and bladder disorders, and vision problems such as glaucoma and cataract. It is reported to turn back time, so to speak, by reversing or slowing down the aging process. Coconut water also has an alkalizing effect on the body, helping to counteract or balance the effects of acidifying foods which are so common in our diets. Research shows that coconut water can improve blood circulation, lower elevated blood pressure, and reduce risk of heart attacks and strokes. Studies have been so impressive that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States has approved coconut water to carry the claim that it "may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke."

Sawasdee Kha!
Mireille

4 comments:

Wendy said...

We've tried this, too! Can't manage to smash them!

I love coconut water/juice. I drink it all the time. It has more potassium than 2 bananas and has tons more electrolytes than sports drinks.

Ellie said...

What fun!!! I love seeing your photos! It was fun to see that you have a view of Koh Phangan, right outside your resort!!!

Kudos for Coconut Milk! We use raw coconut oil for many things here :) Has the same wonderful properties as the milk. Do you enjoy the taste of coconut milk? I've tried it, but think it must be an acquired taste...

Mireille said...

Ellie the milk is pressed out of the meat, the juice or water is the ones we drink out of the young ones. So there is a difference, the milk you don't generally drink, is more used in curries and soups, but just a bit since it is so heavy. The juice on the other hand is very refreshing and looks almost like water, a bit more color in it. Try it you will like it!

Annie said...

Love the pics of all around you! i did not know all of those excellent qualities of the coconut!

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