[MyWorld] Bringing in the Catch

In my [personal] world it is a rare occasion that I get up early; I am a confirmed night owl and subjected to a fair amount of [deserved] teasing about it from my friends.

But when I do get up at the crack of dawn, if it's not to catch an early plane, it's typically for something exciting. On our trip to Mindoro some months ago, I was roused from bed to go see the fishermen come in with their catches of the day. I'm so very glad I did.  Here is some of what I saw (all images can be enlarged).

Mindoro, 2010

I am linking to My World Tuesday and Ruby Tuesday.

Yellow Tropical Flowers

One early morning last month when we were in Mindoro Oriental, I walked out with my camera for a few minutes before breakfast was served to see what I could find. We were in a quiet private residential area and my eyes were attracted to an empty lot that someone had lovingly converted into a garden.

Here is a montage of a few of the blossoms I saw. Now I wonder if I'm being silly posting images of flowers I cannot name, but maybe you can help me.

Mindoro, 2010

From top left going clockwise we start with a variety of the heliconia (false bird of paradise), then two kinds of gumamela (more commonly known as hibiscus; a cousin of the hollyhock), followed by two mystery flowers (the bottom right Imriz identified as a euphorbia, but I'm not sure the middle one is a yellow bell) and ending with another gumamela. A better view of the blossoms can be had by clicking on the montage and then again when it's open in its own tab.

This little montage of flowers is joining the linking parties at Mellow Yellow Monday,  Mosaic Monday and Today's Flowers.

King of the Road

 Mindoro, 2010

One thing we can say with certitude about Mindoro Oriental after our little trip a few weeks ago, if not about the rest of the Philippine Islands, is that dogs rule the road. Time and again our car had to slow down to a crawl to circumnavigate a local country mutt lazing on the roadway, giving no sign of fear nor making a move. My friend thought it was hysterical and finally asked our driver to stop for me to take this souvenir for her.

I link it to Mary's Sepia Scenes where you'll find other interesting sepia images.

[SkyWatch] Provincial backwater?

Or tropical paradise?

Last weekend, driving along a pretty country road in Oriental Mindoro (introduced here), it appeared as if pure fluffy clouds were reaching down to greet us warmly.

Mindoro, 2010

We reached a small bridge and I asked our driver to stop so we could momentarily relish the river scene.

It was a perfect weekend day for a riverside family picnic.

Pity we didn't have time to join them. It looked pretty idyllic to me.

Skywatch Friday and Sunday Bridges are the memes for this post.

The Most Photographed Falls in Mindoro

Just a few hours' drive south from Manila followed by a one to two hour boat ride, depending on what kind of boat you take, gets you either to Puerto Galera, a popular weekend diving destination for city folks, or to Calapan, the island province of Mindoro's capital some 50 kms (30 mi) further south. I've lost count the number of times I've enjoyed snorkeling or diving off the white sandy beaches around Puerto Galera, like here. This weekend I was invited to explore some of the other sites on the island, and I was not disappointed. The island is breathtakingly beautiful. 

One of our stops was Tamaraw Falls, which our host called the most photographed waterfalls in Mindoro. 

Mindoro, 2010

The cascading falls drop about 129 meters (423 feet).

The water then passes underneath the mountain road...

... where there are benches to sit and tables to picnic...

... and locals and visitors swim in the collected pools of fresh water.

The bridge is linked to Louis la Vache's Sunday Bridges where you can find more links to interesting bridges around the world.

Fresh Coconuts

If you've never seen how coconuts are picked, you're in for a treat.

This lad is right at the top of the coconut palm with his machete, chopping the young green coconut cluster from the tree. He ties a rope around the top of the cluster...

Mindoro, Philippines, 2007

... but first a longer view...

...then lets it loose while someone on the ground slowly lowers the coconut cluster.

Then the lad deftly climbs down the coconut palm, the same way he went up, in bare feet.

And then the green coconuts, full of sweet healthy water, are cut open and served - garnished with lovely hibiscus - as welcome drinks to the day's newcomers to this resort in a tropical paradise...

PALM is the theme for Theme Thursday and you will find links to many other creative takes on the theme when you click on the link.

Wednesday. Water. Wordless. And Plenty of Blues.

Mindoro, Philippines, 2009

For more water images, go to Watery Wednesday.

For more wordless images, go to Wordless Wednesday.

For more interpretations of blue this week, go to Midweek Blues.

And you can see even more blue if you click on the photo, and then click again for even more.