How to Climb A Palm Tree, Get a Coconut, And Drink It [VIDEO]

This was something that was on my bucket list, and I didn't even know it. As I strolled the immaculate landscaping of the Jamaican resort, I noticed fruit hanging from the trees. It was mostly coconuts and bananas. I really wanted to climb the one in our courtyard, but I had as many to choose from as I could need.

It took me most of the week to gather the courage to approach a groundskeeper to see if I could try this. Groundskeepers, at least the ones I worked with, can be a surly lot. To my surprise and in true Jamaican style, these guy were as nice as the sun is hot, and all of them helped me, and cracked up as they watched me shimmy up the tree.

Here are 3 tips for climbing a palm tree, getting a coconut from the tree, and eating it.

1. Bare feet work better

I started with shoes on, and quickly found out that our feet are perfectly desinged for the segmented bark of palm trees.

2. Hop up the tree

Wrap your hands around the trunk, pull your feet into a crouch on the trunk, and hop. Slide the hands up. Repeat. Hop, slide. Hop, slide.

3. Have a sharp knife on the ready (preferably a machete)

As you can see in the video, the end that was attached to the tree is cut to make it flat so you can set it down. The end that hung free is where you cut into the coconut to drink from. I wouldn’t swing a machete like that so close to my hands without a lot of practice, so perhaps I should have titled this one “Have A Guy Who Knows How To Cut It Open Waiting On The Ground For You.