Unusual Fruit - Sineguelas

Well, this fruit is unusual if you don't live in the Philippines, or for that matter Mexico, or other parts of Central America where they originated. It's unusual though that it's totally unknown in Malaysia and nearby Indonesia.

I was introduced to Sineguelas by Mee when she brought some to Malaysia from Northern Mindanao almost ten years ago. And it was only this year that I saw it again in the market in Pagadian City! It is a very popular fruit in the whole of the Philippines, I learn. Though it's quite sweet when fully ripe, the folks there love to eat it under-ripe and sour rubbed with salt. Just like they do green mangos, santol, and other fruits! Just thinking about it will make me salivate!

Sineguelas or sigwelas as they call it in Mindanao is known as Jocote in Spanish and Spanish Plum in English and has the botanical name Spondias purpurea belonging to the Anarcardiaceae family of plants. It originated from Central and South America and was introduced to the Philippines by the Spaniards centuries ago. I was told that it is usually propagated vegetatively by cuttings or marcotting as the seeds do not germinate. In the fruiting season the leaves drop off leaving bunches or panicles of ripening fruits on the bare branches. It must be a sight to behold, though, alas I have never seen it. All I saw this season were a few remaining fruits among the thick new leaves. (See my photo below)

Glimpses of Sulawesi

In this post I would like to share two snap shots from South Sulawesi, Indonesia. They were taken in a small village called Desa Lagori up in the hills somewhere near Watampone (more commonly known as Bone). After a good night's sleep in a village house surround by cocoa trees I woke up to a wet morning with fresh crispy clean air and while my travel companions continued their snooze two young boys guided me to the nearest air terjun (waterfall), there were many others in the area, I was told. Like the boys, on my feet I was only wearing rubber slippers, but luckily I had my compact Coolpix S8 with me.To capture the water motion in this shot I set the mode to "Fireworks" in the scene menu and placed the camera on my hat on a rock and use the self-timer so as not to shake the camera. :)

My two young guides at the top of the stream, urging me to climb higher, "ada lagi di atas, Pak!" (there are more (waterfalls) up there!).

Crossing The Line

I crossed the Equator for the first time during my recent voyage from Tawau, Sabah in Malaysian Borneo to Makassar, South Sulawesi in Indonesia by ship.In the old days of sailing ships people "crossing the line" for the first time observed some strange traditions!

"The ceremony of Crossing the Line is an initiation rite in the Royal navy, U S Navy and other navies which commemorates a sailor's first crossing of the Equator. Originally the tradition was created as a test for seasoned sailors to ensure their new shipmates were capable of handling long rough times at sea. Sailors who have already crossed the equator are nicknamed (Trusty) Shellbacks, often referred to as Sons of Neptune; those who have not are nicknamed (Slimy) Pollywogs." (Wikipedia)

However on the Indonesian ferry K M Tidar I invited myself to the bridge as it nears the Port of Pantoloan and the Chief Mate kindly showed me the GPS Navigator as the latitude reading turned 0 deg. 0' 000" as it cruised south on the Strait of Makassar. Wow, I've crossed the magical Equator into the Southern Hemisphere!

Moth Orchid of Mindanao

I have had this beautiful Phalaenopsis for more than ten years in my garden in Malaysia without knowing what species it was until today when I posted my query on a internet gardening forum - http://www.greenculturesg.com/. It turns out to be Phalaenopsis stuartiana that originated from the jungles of Mindanao!

I was given a big branch full of baby plants (or keikis) of this orchid around 1998 and I tied it to a tree and let the plants spread. Even though I fully neglected it being a rather lazy gardener, it rewarded me with spikes of beautiful white blooms every once in a while, sometimes up to a hundred flowers. As the tree on which I first grew it toppled, I transfered the plants and keikis to other trees and gave some away. The photos in this post are of a recently transfered plant growing on my star-apple tree that has just flowered for the first time.

Phal. stuartiana has medium sized flowers and beautifully marbled and barred leaves, the flowers look very much like the more well-known Moon or Moth Orchid - Phal. amabilis - which has bigger flowers and plain green leaves and which is more difficult to grow. It grows quite readily when attached to living tree trunks in the shade and soon forms many plantlets; in favourable conditions it produces many flower spikes on which the open flowers look like dancing white moths.

Maya Pula

I was delighted when I received my February copy of the National Geographic and found 2 favourite subjects featured - the Philippine Eagle and the haiku master Basho. The former prompted me to write this post, but not on the Bird King (Haring Ibon, Haribon) itself but his humbler predecessor, the former-reigning national bird of the Philippines no less, the Maya Pula! I have still not seen my first Philippine Eagle yet, and so don't have my own photo of it- and still remains high on my must-see list. The Black-headed Munia aka Chestnut Munia is called Maya Pula (Red Maya) to distinguish it from the Eurasian Tree Sparrow which is also called Maya in the Philippines, just as it is commonly called Pipit Merah in Malaysia where all sparrows are called Pipit. Scientifically it's Lonchura malacca, though lately many ornithologists classify it as a different species Lonchura atricapilla.

Up close it is a handsome bird though small, it's not so surprising that Filipinos in the past chose it as a national bird, maybe also because these birds also demand and extract a tax from the harvest of the rice farmers who are still rather powerless to keep them off their fields!

My second photo shows a "small" flock in a rice field in Sabah, but huge flocks are quite common and spectacular to watch in flight.

Dancing Girl

This was one of my first attempts at making an ani-gif file way back in 1999. I just took a series of shots of Say dancing and used an ani-gif program to put it all together. I've since lost that software and had not been able to find a better and as easy to use program.
Imagine how this young lady would look today!

Strange Parrot

Another parrot post!

On a quiet July evening last year I was attracted by strange parrot-like calls just outside my house in Pagadian. I quickly grabbed my camera and ran out followed by the rest of the surprised family! Outside on the power line we saw a parrot that I've never seen before and quickly took some shots! Being the newbie birder in these parts I thought I had bagged an endemic Mindanao species and quickly emailed off a photo to the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines WBCP president for confirmation!

However he replied that it was definitely an escaped pet African Lovebird....?!!!? Aw, maoba??