Coconuts and Probability

The only time I am open to surprises is definitely not on my birthday, but when I take trips. I know that however I plan things, there will always be a situation that will require flexibility, like adjusting the time, finding alternative transportation and even sleeping in terminals. These are all part of the adventure that my travels are usually about. Of course, I hope that good surprises outnumber the bad ones. More often, this is the case. In some rare occasions, I chance upon people that become a part of the memories I have with the place, with the trip.

This Holy Week adventure was a bit of both. 

I met people who enjoy nature, away from the comforts of the city. They were there for just a night, but the time was enough for us to share stories about what we do, who we are. Over some bottles of beer, we talked about our travels and how it took them 6 hours to get to the beach when it could have just taken 3 on other days.

The next day, hours before they had to go back home, we went around to explore Kwebang Lampas and took pictures. It was a different experience enjoying a trip with people I just met. Of course, before they left, we had exchanged contact details so we could look each other up on facebook. 

But my trips are not always about fun times. This one was especially made eventful by coconuts. Yes, what I thought was improbable happened. 

As it was not possible to forever stay under the scorching heat of the sun, not even at the beach, I had to find some shade. There was a coconut tree beside my tent, so I took the chance. It is no secret how dangerous it is to sit under this tree, so I checked if the coconuts are still green as an assurance that they will never fall. Well, I misjudged.

I was sitting under its shade, lost in thought about something I could no longer remember, when I felt a heavy blow to my head. The first thing that came to mind was, who the fuck? It was only after I saw the coconut roll when I realized I had just become statistics. I waited for myself to fall down and lose consciousness, but that did not happen. I just touched my head and looked around to see if I had made a spectacle out of myself. Well, a couple of people saw what happened, and had this anxious look as if asking me if I were ok. I just smiled at them and said, "That hurt!"

What happened next were days of thinking that any moment I would just drop dead on account of a brain injury that I wasn't aware of. I know how a blow to the head like that could be lethal. However, since I did not feel nauseous, nor did I vomit, I agreed with the doctor not to undergo a CT scan. (I went to the emergency room after I got back home on a Saturday after friends have forced me to consult a doctor. You can just imagine the embarrassment as I recounted what happened to nurses and the doctor at the hospital).

After the incident, I am never getting anywhere near a coconut tree. I am also never going back to Kwebang Lampas. Not because of what happened but because whoever were running the place did not know anything about courtesy. They also charge campers ridiculously high. But that's a different story. 

Still, I don't regret taking this trip. Though the coconut falling on my head hurt like being kicked on my balls, I met great people there. I also enjoyed the swim and the sun. I really just had to be smarter next time, I guess.