Kalinga - Part V - Children

This is Part V of my Kalinga series. The posts have been consecutive, so it's easy for you to find Parts I to IV, which contain more information about the province - its landscape, its people, and its history.

In this post I will simply share some of the adorable children I saw in the poor mountain village of Buscalan.

Our group came with presents for the children, useful things like toothbrushes and multivitamins, as well as some candies, a rare treat. These were handed out in small bags, one-by-one, so the children were asked to line up in neat lines.

Minutes later, it started to rain, so all the kids ran for cover and the lines were no more.

Buscalan, Kalinga, 2012

 Wonder where we were? Here's the map.

Today I link with Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday.

There will be a Part VI soon.

Kalinga - Part II - Last Tattoo Artist

The mountain village of Buscalan in the province of Kalinga held moving and meaningful surprises for my honey and me. 

A good friend had invited us to join a group of photographers on their trip and we had enthusiastically agreed without really knowing much about their mission. So it was to be an adventure without expectations; the best kind, in my book. And we were not disappointed.

Yesterday, in Part I of this series, I showed the majestic rice terraces we passed on our journey through the mountains.

Only when we reached Buscalan, historically a headhunters' village, did we learn we were to meet the last Kalinga mambabatok or tribal tattoo artist.

Let me introduce you to the poised and talented Whang Od (pronounced Fang-ud). She is in her 90s, was never married (lost the love of her life in a fatal accident when still in her 20s), and still works daily both in the rice fields and at her special art of hand-tap tattooing.

Whang Od herself is adorned with traditional tribal tattoo designs, as well as beautiful heirloom beads. (You can read more about Kalinga beads here.) I suspect some of these beads she would have received in barter for her craft.

Lars Krutak, the tattoo anthropologist of Discovery Channel's Tattoo Hunter series fame, describes her craft thus:

Whang Od keeps her tattooing tools under the floor boards of her stilted hut. Her hand-tapping kit is comprised of a coconut bowl to mix a pigment of soot and water, an orange thorn needle (siit) attached to the end of a small bamboo stick, and another short stick used to tap the thorn into the skin. 

I've read that for many, once they get one tattoo, they can't stop themselves getting more. Vixienne came back to Buscalan for her second tattoo. She is grimacing from the pain here, but not long after she was all smiles.

 

Jeremiah is the proud new owner of a traditional centipede tattoo by the national artist with a steady hand. (See Part VI so see his video of this.)

 

 Buscalan, Kalinga, 2012

In this last photo you see Whang Od standing in front of her humble home and also the tomb she has built for herself - the entrance is behind her legs. 

Many are concerned that when she dies, her art form will die with her. We were told - and I later read - that she has been training her young yet enthusiastic grand-niece, but we did not see her.

This is a short - less than two minute - video of the perilous road to Buscalan and Whang Od at her tap-tap-tap work. It was not made by anyone in our group.



My post today is linked to the blogging communities at Mosaic Monday and Macro Monday.

Drop in for Part III of this Kalinga series. Maybe I can surprise you, too!

Strolling Along the Sea in Negros Oriental

Last week my honey and I joined a group of good friends for a few days of fun and laughter at a resort on the tip of Negros Oriental, about an hour's drive from the university town of Dumaguete.

Join me here for a little stroll along the beautiful sea. The boardwalk is concrete and has seen better days, but the camera did not mind that.

Negros Oriental, 2011

I am linking this post with the blogging communities at Sunday Bridges, Scenic Sunday, Macro Monday and Mosaic Monday.

HaPpY hApPy NeW yEaR!!

Red Powder Puff

By now my regular visitors know that I don't know the first thing about flowers or plants. Except that they sure are pretty. And I like to get my camera close to them.

Manila, 2011

It would be safe just to call these red powder puffs. No one would take me seriously. But I'm going to stick my neck out... again... and identify these as Calliandra, a genus of flowering plants in the pea family. Maybe of the species Calliandra emarginata.

[Enlarge for better view.]

"Success in life is founded upon attention to the small things rather than to the large things; to the every day things nearest to us rather than to the things that are remote and uncommon." 

~ Booker Taliaferro Washington (1856–1915), American author

"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867–1957) American writer

This bush stands right at the front gate to our house. The powder puffs bloom right after it rains; then the puffs go away until after the next downpour. I'd never really taken notice before. Here you can see that it's a rather ordinary looking bush... until you look closely.

I link with Today's Flower, Mosaic Monday and Macro Monday.

Mystery Colors in My Garden

We recently moved houses and that, of course, meant we got a new garden. One morning shortly after a rainfall, I explored the grounds and found a lot of colorful flowers I could not name. Maybe you can help me.

PS. I have added the scientific names below as they were identified with a little help from my blogger friends. Thank you! The names link to sites with more information and, when available, I've linked to a site that describes the plant's medicinal values. 

Ixora coccinea

Ochna thomasiana (Mickey Mouse plant)

Averrhoa bilimbi

This next photo is added after many comments to show the fruit of this bilimbi plant. One of the English common names is cucumber tree. As you can read in the comments or the linked page, the fruit is sour and is used in sinigang (a very sour Filipino soup) and bagoong (shrimp paste). Also go visit fellow blogger Andrea, a Filipina horticultural expert, where her post today elucidates on the properties of this sour fruit. And no, I have not yet tasted this fruit from our tree.

Manila, 2011

 

Heliconia and Mussaenda philippica 'Aurorae'

I'm joining the blogging communities at Today's Flower, Weekend Flowers, Macro Flower Saturday, Flowers on Saturday, Macro Monday and Mosaic Monday. Do check out these meme for awesome flowers, macros and mosaics.

The Common Dandelion

What is the difference between a weed and a flower? Only that the weed grows where it is not wanted, I've learned. Does that make it less beautiful or useful? Well, no. 

Take the common dandelion. Isn't it delightfully pretty? Each bright yellow flower is unique, no two alike, as far as I can tell... so much like snowflakes that way... and humans.

[Enlarge me by clicking.]

Dandelions have medicinal and culinary uses. If, for example, you have low appetite, upset stomach, or liver or gallbladder issues, or you need to normalize your blood sugar level or improve your lipid profiles, you may want to look more into the curative powers of the various parts of this lowly weed. Its young leaves are great in salads or sauteed with sweet vegetables. 

 Austria, 2011

Hey, honeybees love them... and after a spring of seeing bright yellow dandelions everywhere, so do I.

This is my contribution to Today's Flower, Mosaic Monday, Macro Monday, and Mellow Yellow Monday. (If a host of any of these memes frowns on multi-linking, don't be shy to let me know.)

Magnolia Tree

Sometimes you think you've already seen the best of whatever there is to see of a certain thing, and then wham! you're presented with one just a bit more awesome, more glorious, more stupendous... 

That's the feeling I had when I spotted this magnolia tree at the end of a side street on one of my recent walks. I had seen many magnolias before, but this was definitely the largest, fullest specimen of its kind I recall ever laying my eyes on. It was taller than the two-floor house behind it, branching well above the tall wall that enclosed it. My heart sang.

Bucharest, 2011

One of the fun parts of blogging for me is researching a little about what I photograph and post here. I've learned, for instance, that the magnolia is an ancient flowering plant that evolved millions of years ago before bees and were pollinated by beetles, hence their tough leaves and carpels. There are more than 200 species of the Magnoliaceae plant family and they are found abundantly in warm climates from Asia and the Americas to the West Indies.

Linking with Today's Flower, Mosaic Monday and Macro Monday. The montage will enlarge if you click on it once, then once again.

Yelllow Glass Roof

Today our ramble exploring the city of Bucharest took us through Pasajul Macca-Vilacrosse, a pleasing fork-shaped, yellow glass covered arcade built in the mid-19th century and named after the chief architect of the city and his brother-in-law.

 Bucharest, 2011

I link with Mellow Yellow Monday and Mosaic Monday.

Winter Macros

While some of my fellow bloggers in cold climes are posting bright spring photos to banish the dreariness of gray winter, I was moved to find in my archives these macros I took on my walks on the Sunshine Coast of BC last winter. The shapes, textures and colors of this eclectic group of winter foliage appeal to me. As usual, details can better be seen when enlarged.

Sunshine Coast, BC, 2010

I'm joining the good folks posting for Macro Monday and Mosaic Monday.

Tropical Foliage

The deep mottled hues and varied shapes of the tropical croton plant appeal to me. Its colorful glossy leaves brighten up any garden.

Quezon, 2010

Linking with Today's Flower, where I hope my pretty leaves are accepted as decoratives, as well as the blogging communities at Mellow Yellow Monday and Mosaic Monday.

Beach Morning Glory

Ipomoea pes-caprae - commonly known as beach morning glory or goat's foot - is a tropical vine that grows readily on tough terrains and in open spaces, in the Philippines and elsewhere. 

Follow this link or the ones given by Andrea in the comments below for more information. Andrea's own blog, by the way, is a treasure trove of great plant and other information.

I captured this pretty flowering vine on our brief trip to Quezon last weekend. This first photo was taken on the beach at the resort we stayed.

 Quezon, 2010

The photos for this montage were taken on the beach you may have seen on my post a few days ago: the flowers are visible there if you enlarge the last photo. [Both images can be enlarged.]

I link with Today's Flower and Mosaic Monday.

PS. The information in this post has been corrected with huge thanks to blogger friend, Andrea. When researching this again, I also learned that the fresh leaf of this vine can be used to relieve jellyfish poisoning... and that is handy to know for those of us in the tropics who enjoy swimming in the warm sea.

Chain of Love

For Today's Flower I present you the pretty cadena de amor... or chain of love, aka coral vine. It's a climbing vine with clusters of small pink flowers and heart-shaped leaves that is amply found here in the Philippines. 

Its scientific name is Antigonon Leptopus.

Manila, 2010

This montage, which can be enlarged, is linked to Mosaic Monday.