I See Seashells by the Seashore

This is a continuation of the previous Camaya post. As I said a while before, spent my time on the beach picking up shells underneath the pebbles, sand grains and waves. I am not too familiar with the seashell terms nor their taxonomy so after gathering, I just grouped them according to their general shape or appearance. They are so pretty to look at! Actually, very few of them still had hermit crabs inside. So the morning after that day, as I laid up the shells under the sun to dry them up and remove the fishy smell, I noticed some dried up hermit crabs upon collecting the shells at noon. Oh well.

Its been my childhood hobby to collect shells. I used to have lots of them before but now they’re all gone because I used them all up in my elementary and high school projects for decorative purposes.

Camaya Beach Resort

Hooray for beach summer getaway! We went to Camaya beach resort in Mariveles, Bataan just yesterday. Although I am from Bataan, I’ve never been to Mariveles. So it was my first time to experience the steep zigzag roads along the mountains of Mariveles. But we were also welcomed by a beautiful view of rocky mountain formations and terrains. And I could tell that the mountains of Mariveles are teeming with rich flora and fauna. No wonder that researchers conduct regular biodiversity surveys in these areas. During the travel, I saw collared kingfishers, bee eater, some swallows, egret and soaring falcon-liked birds which looked like Brahminy kites.

And here comes the resort experience. Although the beach facilities were generally good, the food was disappointing. The entrance to the resort included an eat-all-you-can lunch buffet, and so since we’re in a beach, I was expecting seafood, dessert, and cold refreshments. However, each guest was only offered rice, pansit and two viands. I was expecting a more lavish menu. And I was not able to pick my own serving (since I eat less than average). The beach wasn’t so great as well. The water was not very crystal clear. There weren’t many intertidal and marine organisms, but of course it was expected since it is a beach resort. But I was still hoping I’d see some sea stars. There were a few jellyfishes though.

I spent all morning and early afternoon under the sun swimming and mostly by collecting sea shells. Collecting sea shells has always been my hobby, however, I’ve been in the beach only a few times. I will make a post soon about the shells I’ve collected.

Insect Under the Faucet

While I was tending the plants inside our class greenhouse, I saw this curious-looking black and orange insect. Unfortunately, I could not identify this as I did not take any entomology or invertebrate elective course. I still wonder what is it.

More Nature Goodness

I really would like to buy my own DLSR camera… But for now, I shall be contented with my cellphone camera; the macro feature is quite good anyway. And it’s pretty handy when I need to capture something pretty at the spur of the moment.

Here are some of the lovely flowers I have taken.

White Angel

Yellow Euphorbia

Papaya Blossom

Red Euphorbia

Chichirica: Pink Periwinkle

Yellow Euphorbia

Morning

Flower within a Flower: Bougainvilla

Orchid in Bloom

Within a Peony

Inviting a Bee: Hibiscus

Lily in Bloom

After the Rain

White Gardenia

Golden Chrysanthemums

White Lily