Dandelion-like and Passion Fruit-like

After bathing on the basin of the breathtaking Tumalog Falls, we again met Ms. Agony when we walked back to our pick-up point.  This is necessary agony since the climb up and down the entrance to the falls area was so steep that vehicles are not allowed to traverse the road for safety purposes.   

Thankfully, there were interesting plants on the roadside that kept me going.

I don't know what this plant is called but it looked like a dandelion but of course it isn't so I will leave this unnamed.

My most interesting find was this vine that had red and greenish yellow fruits but I also did not know its name and was unsuccessful with my Google search.   The fruits are the same size as passion fruits but I am yet to find passion fruits in red.

Here's a closer shot of the red fruits.  I wonder if these are edible.

Then we finally reached the entrance where our habal-habal drivers were waiting for us.  As the walk or rather, trudge, was very tiring, I ended up buying some drinks for us and hopia in the stall right outside the entrance.

Please note that when we arrived here, my friends and I agreed on the time that the drivers would come back for us.  An ideal time to stay in Tumalog Falls would be at least an hour to a maximum of two.

After our refreshments, we're back on the road going to our accommodations so we could freshen up and head to Dalaguete for our next adventure.

Wild Poinsettia

On my way to the beachfront from the resort's payag-payag, I passed by its forest, which was not really much as there was no variety of plants.  But I did see birds flitting among the trees' branches but they were flying so fast and wary of any movement that I failed to take their photos.

In that forest, this red-and-green-leafed plant caught my interest because it looked like a poinsettia.  Interesting, as it was summer and I have never seen such a plant before.  

I made a search online and though I'm not really sure, I think this plant is a wild poinsettia.

This blog from Marta shares that the wild poinsettia's milky sap can be used as bush medicine and is a remedy for warts and corns.

Little Spiderhunter Amidst a Sea of Bougainvilleas

As promised in my previous post, here's a picture of my favorite shot when I went bird-watching in Sumilon Island.

I'm not sure if I got it right but it could be a Little Spiderhunter (Arachnothera longirostra).  I'm sure about the flowers being bougainvilleas, though.

Yellow Flowers Galore at Sumilon Island

While I was organizing my Sumilon Island photos, I could not help but notice that the only three flora photos I got bore the color yellow.

First off is this photo.

I just googled "Yellow Vine Flower" and got lucky with the results as it identified the flower above to be Allamanda, also known as Yellow Bell, Golden Trumpet or Buttercup Flower.

Next is this photo I got of a calachuchi, also known as Plumeria or Frangipani.

Last is this photo of a cluster of yellow flowers.

I tried searching its name but failed.  But this is a very common flower in the Philippines as I see it in many houses, especially in provinces.  I even remember that our neighbor has this and when I was a child, I would make a crown out of these flowers.

Passion Fruit Flower

This really lovely flower is that of a Passion Fruit or Passiflora edulis.  It is the national flower of Paraguay.

According to Wikipedia, it is named as such by missionaries as they find its appearance reminiscent of the Passion of Christ prior to His crucifixion.  For them, the following were the similarities:

The three stigmas reflect the three nails in Jesus's hands and feet.
The threads of the passion flower resemble the Crown of Thorns.
The vine's tendrils are likened to the whips.
The five anthers represented the five wounds.
The ten petals and sepals regarded to resemble the Apostles (excluding Judas and Peter).
The purple petals representing the purple robe used to mock Jesus' claim to kingship (Mt. 27:28)

The above photo was taken at the Danish Lagoon.  It was my first time to see this and so I was particularly charmed by it, as mentioned in my previous post.

Flora at The Danish Lagoon

After my breakfast, I decided to walk around the Danish Lagoon and take photos of its  lush garden.

I was particularly charmed by their gumamela or Hibiscus especially since I rarely see this in the delicate shade of pale pink or white as the ones below.

And as mentioned in this post, this is my best find.  I actually did not know its name but a similar flower was posted in my Facebook travel group and people identified it as the flower of the passion fruit.

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Lovely, aren't they?

Wild Purple Flower

I found this on the parking lot for visitors of Cambugahay Falls.  That was the first time I saw such a flower thus it caught my attention.  Unfortunately, none of the locals I asked knew its name.

Rain-kissed Yellow Flower

I was so tired from our trip I woke up at nearly 7:00 AM even when I conditioned myself to wake up at 5:30 AM so I could catch the sunrise.  

While waiting for Yen so we could have breakfast at The Danish Lagoon's H.C. Andersen's Restaurant, I decided to walk around the resort and was charmed by this rain-kissed yellow flower.

Changi International Airport

If I were amazed by my fun flight from Cebu to Singapore via Silk Air, I became more amazed when we arrived at the Changi International Airport. The place was very modern and clean and unlike the Philippines’ airports, was sprawling. There were quite a number of conveyor belts, with each area beautifully decorated with a huge pot of exotic purple orchids.

Changi International Airport also has numerous shops, money changers and telephone and visitor information booths. We were in such a rush though that I was not able to take some pictures as after exchanging our currencies, we just filled in the tourist’s information sheet, had our passports stamped then headed to where the driver who would drop us off our hotel was.

Despite the rush though, I couldn’t resist stopping at some beautiful gardens found inside the airport and snapping a couple of pictures. The last one’s simply stunning!

Botanical Garden

After our tour of Wright Park, my friend was stumped on where else to go. The night before, I declined her offer to climb up the hundred stairs of the Grotto of Lourdes as my feet were aching and I was just so tired. As she was enumerating more places to go to like the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), the religious sisters' place where I could buy the best jams etc, I shook my head on each option as they held little appeal to me. When she mentioned the Botanical Garden, my eyes lit up and I eagerly said yes.

I love gardens and flowers, as mentioned before in my previous post about wanting a garden. There's something eye-catching in their vibrant colors, something that manages to elicit serenity every time I gaze at them.

In the entrance of the Botanical Garden were locals in their finery. Tourists who wanted to have their picture taken with them had to pay them though and I refused to do it as in a way, I felt as if I were exploiting them. I mean, why would I allow myself to be part of it when I knew that they were only donning their costume and dancing their native dance in exchange for money? That's commercializing their heritage!

Thus I just took a photo of this, which was in their entrance. I had to wait for like 15 minutes though as their were just a lot of tourists!

Inside, I was greeted with this walkway. Isn't it lovely?

There weren't a lot of flowers though and my friend says I should visit it during the summer, when almost all flowers are abloom.

There's a replica of their native house too and statues.

On one end of the garden is a field of Bandera Española in a color so rare as I only see these in yellow or red. This one is pinkish in color. What a bevy of beauties!

Too bad that when I visited the place, the flowers weren't all in bloom. Maybe I'll drop by there during the summer season so I can see them in all their magnificence. Hopefully this happens next year.

Wishing for a garden

After having lunch in PNKY Café, we went to Camp John Hay where our friend had a resthouse. It was a very charming resthouse, tastefully decorated and well-maintained. I also loved the flowers in the garden.

These ones are my favorite shots.

I even used these photos for my blogs in Melancholic Memoirs titled shun the sun and sun-kissed.

I love flowers and ornamental plants. At home in the province, I would help my mom look after the garden. And I especially love orchids. I used to collect cacti species too.

Too bad that in Manila, I do not have the luxury of space for a garden. ***Sigh***