Meet the Kooky Costa Rica Coconut Man
The prevailing style of dress in Tortuguero, the wild and wonderfully remote village on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, is anything but fancy. Clean and/or dry shirts are fairly uncommon. Shoes? They’re optional. Ties? In the jungle? Are you serious? Visitors and locals alike tend to dress down here. One notable exception, though, is the Costa Rica Coconut Man.
Well-Dressed Sore Thumb
We met along the path that leads out of town toward Mawamba Lodge. His decidedly atypical and eccentric fashion (that hat!) were in stark contrast to the loosely soiled/slightly tattered threads de rigueur along Tortuguero’s muddy streets.
Whereas everyone around him appeared dressed for yard work or auto repair, the Coconut Man stood seemed ready to sell insurance, or dole out tax advice.
His look, though, was just part of what enticed me to stop and check him out. The other part…
His Loco Show
Intermittently singing and shouting loud, mostly unintelligible overtures to all passersby (both real and seemingly imaginary), the Coconut Man is part street theater, part bizarre comedy, and altogether uncommon. His fashion and antics draw you in, but the thing that’ll make you keep coming back is…
His Coco Loco
Fresh, young coconuts expertly uncorked by machete and further enlivened with rum – oh yeah, the Coconut Man’s Coco Loco is seriously on point!
Definitely seek out the Coconut Man next time you’re in Tortuguero. (He’s obviously not that hard to pick out from among the other locals). Sample his Coco Loco and hang around a bit to watch the show. Who knows, maybe after a few sips you might even be able to understand what he’s saying!
More on my recent adventures in Costa Rica here.
