According to some experts, 150 people die every year due to falling coconuts. (Which is apparently 15 times the amount of people who are main course for sharks). When the coconut palm, which is on average is 25 metres high, lets drop it's 2 kilogram coconut, it hits your soft sunbaking skull at about 80 kilometres an hour, or for the physics inclined, a force of about 1000 kilograms.
Interesting stuff to consider whilst relaxing in a coconut grove as kate and I have been doing for the past week in Koh Chang, on the Gulf of Thailand. Yes paradise is full of traps for the unwary, which is why we have been extremely alert, whilst sipping fresh fruit juices, and snorkelling with colorful, yet dangerous tropical fish. We have also been on our toes when our delicious BBQ seafood was served, salmonella being the big killer worldwide. In fact it's so dangerous here I have taken to wearing a helmut.
Yes paradise is a very dangerous place, what with mopeds crashing into stray elephants, people choking on fishbones in red curry sauce and and all those hammock accidents, we decided that after a week here it was time to leave for the relative safety of Northern Thailand. The fact that half of the Island was populated with swedish people as well was a bit scarey. Very curious thing this. Our resort was more like Stockholm by the sea, than anything resembling Thailand. When the tsunami hit, sweden had by far the most tourist casualties of any country which I thought bizarre at the time, but I can confirm that there are a hell of a lot of swedes here. Swedes with families, swedes with thai girlfriends.... all possible varieties of swedes...well you can't blame them, it's probably minus 30 back in their homeland now. I just hope they're careful of the falling coconuts.
According to some experts, 150 people die every year due to falling coconuts. (Which is apparently 15 times the amount of people who are main course for sharks). When the coconut palm, which is on average is 25 metres high, lets drop it's 2 kilogram coconut, it hits your soft sunbaking skull at about 80 kilometres an hour, or for the physics inclined, a force of about 1000 kilograms. 
Interesting stuff to consider whilst relaxing in a coconut grove as kate and I have been doing for the past week in Koh Chang, on the Gulf of Thailand. Yes paradise is full of traps for the unwary, which is why we have been extremely alert, whilst sipping fresh fruit juices, and snorkelling with colorful, yet dangerous tropical fish. We have also been on our toes when our delicious BBQ seafood was served, salmonella being the big killer worldwide. In fact it's so dangerous here I have taken to wearing a helmut. 
Yes paradise is a very dangerous place, what with mopeds crashing into stray elephants, people choking on fishbones in red curry sauce and and all those hammock accidents, we decided that after a week here it was time to leave for the relative safety of Northern Thailand. The fact that half of the Island was populated with swedish people as well was a bit scarey. Very curious thing this. Our resort was more like Stockholm by the sea, than anything resembling Thailand. When the tsunami hit, sweden had by far the most tourist casualties of any country which I thought bizarre at the time, but I can confirm that there are a hell of a lot of swedes here. Swedes with families, swedes with thai girlfriends.... all possible varieties of swedes...well you can't blame them, it's probably minus 30 back in their homeland now. I just hope they're careful of the falling coconuts. 
1 comment:
Are 150 people really killed each year by falling coconuts? Maybe not - http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2405/are-150-people-killed-each-year-by-falling-coconuts
Regards,
John Wade www.johnwade.ca
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