I'm pulling together a collection of photos and will post the link soon. But I thought this photo was interesting enough to post now.
If you look at the trunk you can see the indentations that circle the entire trunk. These are left behind each time the palm fronds fall. So as the tree grows taller, there are more and more of these indentations--which serve as steps for the Dominicans who climb these trees. You can clearly see in this photo how the climber is pressing the side of his foot against one of the indentations.
Children in the country start climbing palms at an early age. Because they spend much of the time barefoot, they develop thick callouses on their feet. If you have worn shoes most of your life and try to climb one of these palms the way they do, you will quickly see why it is very helpful to have callouses on your feet.
If you look at the trunk you can see the indentations that circle the entire trunk. These are left behind each time the palm fronds fall. So as the tree grows taller, there are more and more of these indentations--which serve as steps for the Dominicans who climb these trees. You can clearly see in this photo how the climber is pressing the side of his foot against one of the indentations.
Children in the country start climbing palms at an early age. Because they spend much of the time barefoot, they develop thick callouses on their feet. If you have worn shoes most of your life and try to climb one of these palms the way they do, you will quickly see why it is very helpful to have callouses on your feet.