Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Our Little Corner



The map of the Philippines above left has a small red dot on it, enlarged at the right. The red dot is Mabini, Batangas, my hometown in Southern Luzon. It is like a tongue, almost a peninsula surrounded by water. And that is my little corner of the world, where I get most of the tropical garden photos posted in my posts. I have also written in my previous posts that our area is facing east, overlooking the Batangas Bay. It is reached from Metro Manila in 3-4 hours depending on circumstances, meaning 3h by private car and 4h by public transports. 


Decades before, travels allowed commuters the full view of an extended shoreline, but developments deprived that privilege these days. So whenever i had a few days to spare, it is always a treat to go to the shore or to the mountain, a few beach scenes i will post here. 


 Above is a typical calm day 


Different types of shorelines are found in this east side. Some coves are rockies, others have boulders, and most are stones like the above. 

very clear waters on calm days

 These waters provided local residents with food and some livelihood. During low tides on calm days, the water allows gleaming of shells and fishing. 


Colored rocks and stones are very obvious characteristics of these shores. It is apparent that parent materials are rich in minerals rich in iron or sulfur that gives the rusty, red, yellow, orange colors, depending on the concentration on the rocks. Other minerals are surely present on these rocks, however i don't know any research done yet on our areas. Samples of these rocks are shown below.



Bottom right corner of the above photo also shows a rock which depicts volcanic eruption in the past. Some natural stones were embedded in the molten lava and now eroded again by other natural conditions. A rock composed of other rocks is called composite rock (LOL).

boulders from the red rockwall

The above spot is called Pulang Bato (local term) in Malimatoc I, Mabini, Batangas or Red Rocks from the color of the rock wall above it. Just 30ft below this spot is the home of the endangered and rare golden scorpion fish (Rhinopias frondosa). Many scuba divers visiting Anilao, at the west side of the peninsula, come to this spot for the elusive golden scorpion fish, which is known to be nesting there. Red Rocks is also considered nudibranchs hotspot. For a more thorough discussion and photos of scorpionfish and nudibranchs in this area please visit the post by Jayvee Hernandez. 


 The mineral deposits in the rocks also make the waters of the same color, especially after a heavy rain. It might look muddy, but it actually is imparted by the dissolved minerals and elements in the water. Batangas International Port is at the other side of the bay at the horizon.


Sometimes, big waves also visit this shore, but i haven't done any photo shoot yet during typhoons. Mild waves like the above are typical during regular days.

Colored stones very visible in the above photo


Outdoor Wednesday: Click on the picture below to learn more...  Our World Tuesday Graphic
  


23 comments:

  1. Hi Andrea, I am so glad to find out where you live.. Thanks so much!!!! You must be in one of the most gorgeous areas of the Philippines... Love those colored rocks and the clear water... Awesome!!!
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  2. Thanks for the map. Your country is a large place so it helps with the mark. The beach area looks really nice and what a nice walk that would be! I bet there are a few nice breezes that pass by during those hot and humid days:)

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  3. Hi Andrea,

    Did you know I used to live in the Philippines! I lived on Luzon near Angeles city. I have travelled to Cebu, Manila, Baguio, Zamboanga, and Davoa..maybe I didn't spell it right. I loved your country and all the beauty. I enjoy your pictures!
    Miss Bloomers

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  4. Thanks for the cyber tour of where you live and providing the map. Love it!
    Joyce M

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  5. I could relate your hometown to my hometown. One of the areas that PNOC has been drilling steam is called Pulang Bato.

    I don't even know if we even have endangered species.

    We have Mt Kanlaon, but I do not recall of an eruption.

    There is so much beauty and history of our Country.

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  6. Sitting at the beach hearing the sound of the waves, really cool and relaxing~

    Good theme of wednesday~

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  7. A beautiful and interesting area. I like the rugged shapes and lived colours of the rocks.

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  8. Thank you for telling us about your corner of the world. I found this post to be both interesting and informative. I really like the colored rocks of the bay. All of your photos are marvelous.

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  9. Oh you live in beautiful corner! You did such a good job describing it and the photos were splendid. I wish I could visit!

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  10. Andrea what a beautiful home town. I love the ocean and waves, but those rocks are just breathtaking...you are certainly lucky to have such a beautiful place to visit.

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  11. I love all those different coloured rocks and I too appreciated seeing a map of the area.

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  12. I still remember the beautiful coastal road way back then when salt beds with pure white mound of salts are a common scenery.

    You're lucky to have a house so close to the sea and mountain. I hope future developments in the surrounding areas won't affect the quality of the water and air and scenery there.

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  13. Your little corner looks so remote and is completely the opposite to my urban surroundings. It's amazing that we blog in the same language and have so much in common.

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  14. Wow...how beautiful and breathtaking...such gorgeous sceneries..nature is powerful and beautiful..thankyou for sharing your beautiful piece of the world!
    Victoria

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  15. What gorgeous beach scenes! I agree with Betsy. I liked that you posted a map of where you live.

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  16. How wonderfully you took us to your little corner of paradise.

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  17. It looks like such a beautiful place, great shots.

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  18. This place is where i was born, but now I am already a tourist there! Thank you everyone for appreciating my post and your kind words.

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  19. Now, I am itching all over after reading this post... Anilao beckons!

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  20. your little world has so much to offer. It is so beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

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  21. lovely! i love the map of where you are. That puts it in perspective for me. What a beautiful part of the world.

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  22. Hi Andrea, I enjoyed seeing a bit more of the area where you live. The map was helpful to getting an overall sense of the place. Maybe because I grew up near the sea, I always have had a soft spot for any shoreline.defund

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Your comments inspire me to post more, and our conversations make life and gardening more meaningful.

However, Anonymous comments and personal back links give me problems, so i don't publish them. Anonymous + back links = SPAM = DELETE

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