Image of a coconut farm worker preparing to harvest the grove. While working and visiting in India in 2011, I had the good fortune to travel from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh to one of my good friends home town near the Bay of Bengal. We traveled there overnight by bus to Tanuku, then took a taxi (a well worn Ambassador car, which was awesome!) from there to outside of Amalapuram where he and his family owned a large coconut farm. During our stay in this tropical paradise, we were able to watch the harvest of eight acres of coconut trees, interspersed with rubber trees and small ponds for raising prawns. The photo shows one of the local workers who provide harvest services to farms in the area preparing to start work. There were four or five of these men to harvest just over 8 acres of trees. Each came outfitted as you see in the photo; handmade bamboo ladder, large machete, ropes and other climbing gear. They made short work of the 8 acres. A team followed them with a tractor and loaded the newly picked coconuts in the wagon and taken to an assembly area where they were sorted and counted. The entire operation was finished in just over half a day. I had my first 'fresh picked' coconut milk and meat, and it was the best I have ever tasted. We closed out the day eating spicy snacks and drinking Indian beer while we watched the sunlight fade over the Bay of Bengal.

I am forever grateful to my friend and his family for welcoming me to their home and allowing me to spend time in such a beautiful, peaceful place.

Printed on high quality e-surface paper. Frame and mat not included.