It's surprisingly hard to open a coconut without any tools. I mean, we knew that from all kinds of movies, but still there was a small part in me that thought I would be better at it. And it's not even the hard shell that's the problem, because one can always just smash it on a pointy rock, but the outer husk. This really durable, stringy layer protects the coconut from splitting open when falling from several-meters-tall palms and it seems that only the tedious bites of nocturnal rodents are able to pierce it efficiently. But the spoils were worth my sweaty efforts. All in all, there seems to be quite the variety of edibles available in the jungle, if you know what you're looking at. The indigenous used to call them Bush Tukka. Like the Davidson plum, which is a rather sour, purple fruit, not to be confused with the Cassowary plum, which is of similar size but unfortunately rather toxic to humans. We even make ice-cream out of it. And while in my mind the rainforest is providing me with this delicious treat, it's probably not part of the original food plate that was described by this phrase. In fact, I am not even sure that coconut trees are at all endemic to this climate. A quick google check tells me that my gut feeling is right and they are indeed an invasive plant. How interesting. On the other hand, bananas are definitely native to this climate, but I have to be patient until the still green yet already large fruits will become ripe in a few weeks' time. We just have to be quick enough to pick them before the birds and bats get to them or the plant collapses under the weight of its own produce. Yes, apparently that happens. Already in season are the much lesser-known wild raspberries. As they grow in bushes next to the side of the roads, similar to the cultivated plant, they provide me with a welcomed snack while I'm waiting for a friendly tourist or local to pick me up and give me a lift to my next destination. Interestingly, it seems that with its reddish pink colour it plays into the imagination of many a tourist of how toxic berries should look like and this my competition is not really big. Just the animal kingdom. And if they wouldn't hang so far up, usually more than a meter above ground, they would be devoured by pigs almost instantaneously. The wild pigs, introduced less than a hundred years ago, are everybody's least favourite neighbour here. They eat everything and tend to destroy the delicate rainforest ground. As soon as another tree bears fruit, and the birds start dropping underripe fruits on the ground, the pigs arrive, and with a hunger-induced confidence throwing overboard all caution towards humans, they turn the ground around the tree into a muddy swamp. So, when I wanted to pick some Malay apples, a refreshing mix between an apple and a pear, I had to get creative. But again, totally worth the effort.