I returned to my Philippino ‘home’ after leaving Dauin. It is always so nice to be greeted with hugs and smiles :)
I spent most of my time working on my Blog. Pat and i got up most mornings a 5am and walked down to the beaching, logging in around 8,000 steps, and watching the sun rise.
There had been a bank of clouds on the horizon, but all of a sudden i noticed a small bright orange crescent shape peeking out of the water under the bank of clouds. it was amazing how quickly it rose and then disappeared into the clouds. It was like a reverse sunset! Nice way to start the day !
One evening i asked Pat if she wanted to walk down to the beach road again because i wanted to buy some ‘shoo-my’ for appetizers. i discovered these little morsels a couple days ago, and i am addicted. They are little pastry cups filled with pork+something-i-probably-don’t-want-to-know, and then steamed. Then they drizzle this spiced concoction on them, with a pinch of soy sauce, and serve with a half of a special little lime they have here. Delicious! If you read upside down, you can see they are spelled Siomai ...
There are also several other food vendors lined up on the street and one was frying some kind of breaded meat on a stick. i asked Pat what it was and i heard her say chicken. i got 3 of them. she watched as i ate the first one…not bad, and in the middle of the second one she said something about Intestines … i halted mid-chew and looked at her. She was laughing. Yes, i was eating Chicken Intestines! i didn’t finish the 3rd one. We walked to the next vendor and examined their offerings.
Chicken Feet, on the left, which had seen before; and next to that is the Chicken HEAD; and next to that, the meticulously folded and skewered Intestines, like i had just consumed. All breaded and fried. i’ve always thought if you put some batter, grease and salt on anything it could be eaten. But you aren’t going to get me to try the Heads …. eyes, beak, brains and all … Yuck! While we are on the strange eating delicacies of other countries, i don’t think i’ve ever reported on Balut, even though i’ve seen them in the past. Balut is a developing bird (usually duck) embryo, incubated for a 14-21 days. By this point, the embryo will have become distinctly duck-like, sometimes complete with body parts like eyes, beaks, and feathers. It is is boiled and eaten from the shell. It originated from and is commonly sold as street food in the Philippines, often served with beer. i see them being sold along the streets everywhere. Sorry,.... that is disgusting !
I did another dive with my favorite guys at GoScuba Dive Shop on Alona Beach. They have a new owner, and have made a lot of improvements, plus new equipment. Ricky was our Guide for the dive. We saw this Electric Flame Scallop, or ‘Disco Scallop’ :) … about 3”. those tiny blue lines, that look like electric sparks, are a reflective tissue that they cover and uncover, which appears like flashing. It's pretty cool to watch !
He found another type of shrimp that i had not seen before. Check out those red and white eyes! It is an Anemone Shrimp - Periclimenes sarasvati
As i was looking at the photo, i noticed something strange and enlarged it enough to see what i thought looked like EGGS inside it's belly !! ?? Can you see them?
Several years ago i joined a FaceBook Group, "ID Marine Creatures". Members can post photos of something they’ve seen, and some incredibly-smart-individuals will tell you what is. I submitted my photo, and i was right … they are it’s EGGS !
We also saw another Sea Moth like i saw in Dauin, this time got a video of it. This one is really camouflated.
Video here, or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ial-m7fTu6c
This is another Nudibranch … a Red Gill Nembrotha. It is best recognized by its bright red rhinophores, aka horns
i keep trying to get a photo of their ‘mouth’ … still unsuccessful. But i noticed from the photo, you can see it's characteristic blue colored under body, very different from their 'back' ...
Usually Nudis are able to retract their gills into a pocket in their body, however the Red-Gilled Nembrotha is unable to retract its gills.
These are Clavelina fusca, or Tunicates or Sea Squirts, because they take in water and nutrients in one siphon and 'squirt' it out the other. They come in different shapes, and these remind me of someone singing, or organ pipes … and i love the bright blue color, very striking !
I saw litle one at the very end of our dive while we were in the shallows, about 2" long. It is a Steinitz' ShrimpGoby characterized by it's dark pupils. Better to see you with, My Dear. These are the Gobys that have a full-time-housekeeper Shrimp-friend that continuously digs their burrow. The lesson on that, was last year :) If you want a review, or missed it, it's from the February 2018, Cabilao Island Blog
Odds and Ends:
Some info on the Nudi that i saw in Dauin that i didn't have any info on. Now, thanks to my FaceBook ID group, i do. It is a 'Blue Dragon', or Pteraeolidia spp. This is an extremely elongate species for a Nudibranch. And, it can inflict a painful sting to humans.
It is also called a 'Solar Powered Sea Slug, because it can photosynthesis. The algae manufacture food and pass a significant amount on to the Nudibranch. It is also able to detach a portion of its body to free itself from a predator; and later, regenerate the missing portion.
Also, Phil sent me a couple of photos of our amazing visit to Dauin, which took 4 blogs to complete. This is me ... at The Pier, our favorite Dive Site in Dauin, along side of one of the giant pier pillars covered with all kinds of creatures. Photo is compliments of Phil.
Our amazing Dive Guide, Gien, Me, and Phil, with the Dive Sites of Dauin
Phil and Oliver and the 'girls' from the AivyMaes Diver Paradise
and on to the next adventure ... Camiguin Island is up next
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