Day 7: (Aitutaki- Lagoon and the opening of our first coconut)

The other side of the island was full of white sands and great views, which led to a number of walks, lagoon-side dinners, and relaxation. Of particular note was our attempt at opening a coconut. We had seen the tour guide open one and we were anxious to try it out ourselves. So I found a good sturdy sharp stick and a coconut with some coconut milk in it. The trick is to puncture a hole in the husk and pry it off until you are left with just the nut part. Easier said than done. Mike took the job of whacking the coconut against the stick while I held the stick. After some trial and error, we got the husk off so we could start the next phase. Once you have the coconut, you need to use the big stick to tap in a circle around the middle until it breaks open. The trick is to get the entire thing to open before all of the milk pours out. With some fuerza, Mike got it open with, well, about half of the milk left. Not bad for a first try! Since then, we have had fresh coconut every night and Mike has become quite the expert. We can definitely go on Survivor now!