OK, I'm honest, apart from drinking fruit shakes, eating chicken sandwiches and sitting at the table I'm not doing anything. A lot of time to think about the little mysteries you encounter here in your everyday life. Some are easily solved - thanks to Google and Wiki - others need more contemplation.
1. What does the nest of the omnipresent Gecko looks like?
Geckos are everywhere - and I really mean everywhere. As soon as you realise that it is unlikely that they will fall on your head they actually start to seem quite cute. But I've never managed to find a Gecko nest.
2. What do monks do on their day off from work?
Well, at least in the case of the fortunate Sihanoukville-Monks they spend their day swimming and playing in the ocean, taking sun and going for banana boat rides - of course wearing their orange swim shorts, orange goggles and orange flippers.
3. Why do you always find exactly the one book you always wanted to read in your guesthouse - but in some obscure language you'll never be able to understand?
I guess it's bad karma or fate is just laughing at you when you try to plan your Thailand trip and - although you have 3 Guidebooks around you - are still confused. Of course one is in Icelandic; in the other there are all the important parts missing and the third tells you in length about what to do in the north - while your plan is to head for the south.
4. Why does the Lonely Planet Mekong book have a chapter on Bangkok when Bangkok is thousands of kilometers from the Mekong?
I know this is totally irrelevant but is bothering me somewhat this evening.Don't ask me why. I think they started writing the guidebook then realised that they didn't have enough material to justify the 25$ (yes, 25$) price tag so just copy and pasted the Bangkok chapter from last years Thailand guidebook. "Don't worry" said the editor "No one will realise"
5. How many travellers die every year due to falling coconuts?
That's really important! Seeing that the "Coconut palm-related injuries in the pacific islands" says that "Coconut palms are an integral part of life" and "Injuries related to the coconut palm are thus inevitable."
It is however not easy to find out the real numbers although some people say the numbers are as high as 150 casualties every year.
6. Which tree is more efficient - a banana or a coconut tree?
OK, this is a difficult one but on our 24h bus ride from Pakse to Luang Prabang I had more than enough time to think about this matter of life and death.
During on of the few (very few) statistic lectures I learned that categories are cute little useful things. So let's try it here:
- Fruit: Bananas are great but you get what you see - a banana. A different story with coconuts, definitely the multi talent: coconut water, coconut milk and coconut meat!
Looks like a clear victory for the coconut but wait, did you ever try to open one? It's nothing like peeling a banana; you first have to climb up a tall tree without branches to reach the coconut and then?! A machete is the least thing you need and a good coordination to prevent yourself from greater injuries. Not to forget how deadly coconuts are (See Question 5). Ever heard of someone being killed by a banana?
So the fruit point goes to the banana tree but what about the leafs, the wood, the ... and then the Valium kicked in and I guess we'll never know the answer to which of these trees is more efficient.
Sarah
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