Goats on a Tropical Beach

Ilocos, 2010

All I need to say about this is that right about now I'd rather be a goat on a sunny tropical beach. Just for a few minutes, okay?

Linking with Camera Critters.

W is for Windmill

Aptly called giant electric fans by the locals, twenty whopping windmills grace the northern coastline of Ilocos Norte facing the windy North China Sea.

Ilocos Norte, 2010

The 23-storey windmills standing 236 meters apart were installed in 2005 and were the first source of clean energy in the Philippines. Together they produce over 30-megawatts of electricity and supply 40% of the province's energy needs. Yet, to put this into some kind of perspective, the entire province consumes only about half the energy of one of Manila's larger shopping malls!

It's hard to grasp the sheer size of the windmills. Each windmill with 41-meter blades stands 70 meters tall and weighs 104 tons. Its tapered tower of steel measures 4.2 meters thick at its base. Look again at the relative small size of the people in the first photo!

There's plenty of environmental incentive to build these alternate energy projects. But unfortunately, without government subsidies, this renewable energy source would hardly be financially viable, even considering this privately-operated one stands to earn millions of euros in carbon credits.

This final photo was taken near sundown from a platform built along the highway specifically for tourists to view the spectacular scenery.

We're sharing stories with the letter W at Alphabe-Thursday and the shadow shot is for, well, Shadow Shot Sunday.

Shadow of a Tree

Ilocos, 2010

The coastline of the northern tip of Luzon province in the Philippines is a sight to behold. I sat on that makeshift log bench (better seen when photo is enlarged) for quite a while to watch the waves roll in and feel the cool wind brush against my skin.

This joins the shadow chasers at Shadow Shot Sunday, as well as lovers of photogenic scenes at Scenic Sunday.

[SkyWatch] Sky in the Sand

You may have seen the beach photos taken in Ilocos I posted earlier with sunset silhouettes and reflections. On that same evening walk, I marveled at the beauty of the sky colors in the sand (better viewed enlarged). 

 

Ilocos, 2010

Help me get better at choosing my images to post. Which is your favorite? And why? Which is your least favorite? Why? I have thick skin, so please don't worry; I'd so much rather learn something than be falsely praised.

I link this post with SkyWatch Friday and Weekend Reflections.

Huts on Beach Reflected

After the brightest gold of yesterday's sunset had faded, my friend Svetlana and I took a saunter down the beach.

 Ilocos Norte, 2010

And there I found my shots for James' Weekend Reflections.

[SkyWatch] Sunset Silhouettes

Time for SkyWatch Friday, so I share with you a golden sunset I saw in Ilocos Norte. In the first photo are a pair of local boys walking along the beach; and in the second we get a magnificent pose by the daughter of a friend.

 Ilocos Norte, 2010

[SkyWatch] Batangas Beach Sunset

After a predominantly gray day in Quezon province two weekends ago, we drove back towards home and stopped at Laiya Beach in the province of Batangas. The skies opened up for us. 

We checked into a small resort on what had developed into an entire strip of resorts since we last were there five years ago. Then I went for a walk along the beach with my camera just in time to catch the changing colors of the sky as the sun set.

Batangas, 2010

These are for SkyWatch Friday where skies from around the globe are linked. 

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.

[SkyWatch] Quezon Skies

On every road trip - as in life in general - you win some, you lose some. And so it was with the skies last weekend for the two days we were at the beaches in the province of Quezon in search of Mother Nature's fish bowl.

Over the first 24 hours the sky was more often gray than not, making the drive through charming countryside rather comfortable, but the snorkeling less than ideal. And yet the water was warm, as was the company, and the skies did present us with moments of glory.

 Quezon, 2010

These skies join the fun at SkyWatch Friday.

[SkyWatch] Unnerving Gray Skies

On a beautiful summer day last July we left the main coast of Palawan just north of its capital Puerto Princesa on a small banca (wood and bamboo outrigger) to go island hopping in Honda Bay. Within about 20 minutes we saw ominous gray clouds fast rolling in towards us. By then we were in the middle of the water, far from any shore, and not long after the rains bursting out of the clouds ahead of us were plain to see:

Honda Bay, Philippines, 2009

As we glided on, we got closer to the rain...

...and my friends - who are neither as adventurous nor as strong swimmers as my honey and me - were getting visibly unnerved as the water got more turbulent and the banca swayed with the waves.

So we stopped at the first island to wait out any danger in these nipa beach huts. Even with this gray sky and the intermittent downpours, the sun did occasionally peak through and I relished being in this tropical paradise:

 Starfish Island, Honda Bay, 2009

Our Pinoy friends were incredulous that we went snorkeling in the rain:

Fortunately, it did not take long before the darkest clouds moved on and before leaving the island I still walked to the end of the beach and the mangrove, with my camera, of course:

Despite a few raindrops, the ride back to the main shore was much calmer, and so were my friends.

This blog joins the meme SkyWatch Friday and by clicking on the link you'll find links to many more amazing skies from all over the planet. Clicking on my photos will give you a larger view of them.