Blog update
So here it is finally, after several failed attempts : the long dreaded blog update!
Naturally a lot has happened in the last 2 months (has it really been so long already that we’ve been here for?!) project ups and downs, Philippines and its culture/non-culture, cabin fever, mud and mozzies amongst other things. So much that i hardly know where to start or with how much i should bore everyone...
Let’s start with the nitty gritty, the actual reason for our presence here, the projects. Not that i know much detail of esther’s but she’s found a translator/interpreter which is a great and essential help in getting her interviews going. The lady’s called “Bing” and also provides esther with cultural etiquette etc (not that i care too much, spending the whole day in the mud with the most elegant mangrove trees and annoying mosquitoes, not much time for manners and dresscodes :P)
So basically i really started my project ehm seems like a long time ago that i first waded through that mud and put those meshbags down. Well it’s about 6 weeks ago that the whole shenanigan commenced, starting with the collection of the leaves and the manufacturing of the infamously green meshbags whose birth esther superbly described (i still think marvin was mental to start with, had nothing to do with me! His current state however is another matter...) since then the whole grand project has taken a bit of a diet becoming smaller and smaller as time passes, resources and manpower don’t allow me to follow all the ideas i was intending to implement. I guess that’s the first lesson i learned, several others were to follow... so all in all a lot has gone more awry than i wished for (not that i wished for any)... I basically had to abandon the idea to investigate decomposition rate facilitated by crabs and am concentrating on the decomposition rate of leaves shielded away from macrofauna (although I found several smaller beasties within my bags when I reclaimed them, such as several snails, worms and what they call here the “mother of tamilok”). Also I’m only looking at the mangrove here at Kalibo, no time to go to the others repeatedly.... this one here alone is causing me enough hassle :P another difficulty i encountered about 3 weeks ago when it was time to catch the first batch of meshbags (I collect three batches at 3 weeks, 5 weeks and 8 weeks) I quickly realised how difficult it is to find them. Since my trusty GPS is a bit of a loser and requires far too many satellites than it could ever pick up underneath a canopy I have basically no reliable coordinates to go by and must trust my scattered brain (and that of marvin’s and avit’s) bit like a squirrel.... the plastic tags with which we marked the trees are not of much help, at least to me as they marvellously blend into the foliage (unless they are blue, i’m really good with the blue ones!). There were times when i was tempted masquerading the whole thing as a “treasure hunt” and get the local kids involved..... morality got the better of me however hence I made the boys work harder.
Other let downs include my littertraps which keep on disappearing....would be surprised if I had any left at the end. They seem to be so tempting to the locals that they can’t resist but take them....
I strongly believe to my current level of experience and imagination that mangroves are some of the most tricky and harshed as well as annoying environments to work in. Not only is one reliant on tidal inundations which force us to get up at 5am every two weeks but also cause the water to sneak up on us unexpectedly! One minute standing knee deep in mud the next minute in water thigh high! Also mangroves are a health hazard in themselves! I never injured myself so often in a day! The amount of bruises in addition to countless mosquitoe bites that can fit on ones legs is impressive! In addition there are treacherous oysters housing on the prop/stilt roots of mostly Rhizophora on which one can obtain quite sharp and deep cuts. As a result we are going through quite a few pairs of shoes... since normal shoes alone are not doing the trick we’ve come up with a number of solutions (all short lived though...) marvin has developed the “sock over shoe” technique in which he places a large sportsock over the rather loosely fitting aquashoe. Aquashoes are meant to be worn in water, they have a superbly solid and robust sole, however the upper fabric is rubbish and is destroyed by the mighty mangroves within days (if not hours). Normal shoes such as converse on the other hand are lacking on the sole but are sturdy enough on the top, so i have come up with the “double shoe” practice where you wear your aquashoe on top of the converse. Even though, this only last for about a week and a half before the upper fabric gives in. Shoe-enemy numero uno is Sonneratia with its massive pneumatophores, icecream like cones which get through every shoe sole. In addition to these main mangrove hazards is the untrustworthy bamboo walkway on which I fell to my demise once and tripped countless times. So after spending day after day in the “grooves” measuring and counting trees, taking soil samples and canopy pictures or collecting mesh bags I spent some of my nights in the “shack” (boys quarter) where my make-shift drying machine is stationed. Since I had some difficulty obtaining an electric oven to evenly dry my leaves I decided to dry them with a 1000Watt powerful halogen light! (Note : seems like they bake with gas powered ovens here....)so I suspended that mighty halo from the ceiling and positioned my leaves on the chickenwire ( previously bought to make crab cages) which was made into a table with some beer bottle boxes (I think a picture would explain this more fully). However, my mighty lamp soon guzzled one light bulb after the other..... not quite sure why but we think it’s cause the housing is not entirely airtight hence the dust burning on the bulb causes it to overheat... just an idea... Anyhow, managed to dry the last two batches! Only one more collection left yihhaaaaa!
While being in the grooves we are encountering many weird and wonderful creatures such as the “cotton fungi”, green flat snails, warty snails and all kinds and forms of other snails, surfboard spiders, the almighty mudskippers (some are really really giant!) and of course all sorts of crabs, hermit crabs, graspid crabs etc etc. in terms of big animal wildlife there are mainly the birds only, such as the kingfisher, the fantail bird and the olive backed sunbird. Haven’t managed to track down that elusive fishing cat yet... not that it would live here with all these mangrove dogs running about ohhh and the Lepidoptera and other creepy crawlies!! Very tempted to collect every one i come across but since most of them are still alive I feel a bit bad... hence i wait for them to die and collect carcasses....
So much for the mangroves! One of the other highlights since we’ve been here was the trip to Iloilo, well not the trip itself exactly ... we took a 3 am minibus and the driver was of the opinion that because the roads were empty he had to exploit that situation and race along that windy bumpy road..... Iloilo is a lot larger than our provincial Kalibo. Quite a busy city and has already lots of modern shopping malls (the best Kalibo has to offer is “gaisano” where all the girls look the same and you get stared at as a foreigner). We were greeted by Annie’s daughter and niece who took very good care of us for the following two days (don’t think we could have done without them!) so after catching up on a few hours sleep we made our way to SEAFDEC (Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center) where we were supposed to meet the legendary mangrove scientist Dr Jurgenne Primavera! However i got the details wrong and we were actually supposed to meet her in her office in town.... :P She’s brilliant! I was so impressed! Got her own little office and several people working for her (poor guys had to suss out so many of our requests). She gave us a bit more insight into the grooves and the socioeconomic structure surrounding it (especially the situation at Kalibo, although that goes faaaar deeper). Spent over two hours in her office just chatting away and listening to years of experience. Would have loved to take her to kalibo for the remainder of my project and tell me what to do
Another prominent mangrove scientist i was supposed to meet was Dr Junemie Lebata. So again i took the trip to SEAFDEC (which is quite a distance out of Iloilo) only to find that she was out that day... BUT marvin and me got an exclusive tour of the research station! For the first time I met (and even touched!) a Sea cucumber, all sorts of seahorses and my absolute favourite : Abalone! They are amaaaaaazing! Like a big snail but a flat shell and really powerful and quick muscle.
Ohh man! That’s rather a lot! And it’s already 23:30 arghhhhh! Got another one of those 5am days .....
Well, thanks for reading this far and i might update some other time (well, considering how long it took me until now....) the next episode might feature my future trip to negros or sibuyan or Pandan. Beating that cabin fever!! We’ll see...
Lx
Monday, August 23, 2010
Friday, August 06, 2010
Oh dear, almost a month of no updates..
Hello oh ye faithful followers of our blog,
We are all feeling rather guilty about our limited effort to keep this thing updated.. and I guess some people will be wondering exactly what we have been doing for the last month..
First I'll talk you through the positives.. then I'll talk about the not so positive outlook on my project.. woohoo! Lisa, Marvin, Joe and Avit have been working very hard for the last month, going out in the treacherous stinky mangroves most days, being attacked by prop roots, pneumatophores, sinking sludge, swarms of mosquitoes and branches dead set on blinding them. After the very long, tedious and slightly maddening task (Marvin can definitely vouch for the maddening element of this, although we haven't quite determined whether he was mad in the first place, got madder, or whether it was just the result of cutting up green nylon, sewing it together with a sewing machine, collecting kilos and kilos of leaves to put inside them, sewing them up so more, sealing them by melting the nylon round the edges then attaching them to sticks and ropes to secure them in the mangrove which drove him over the edge) of creating the mesh bags and litter traps, distributing them across the different sites has been a huge task indeed. Joe seems to enjoy being covered in brown gooey stuff, and the other two don't seem to hate it so much, although it is extremely tiring. They can't smell themselves anymore but I can safely say they all STINK when they get home. Mangroves smell like.. well methane. And damp. Additionally the lovely deposition of waste water straight in doesn't help. However, believe it or not, these are the positives! Lisa's project is progressing well, although it's definitely a far cry from the original proposal (she is now only collecting data within the one mangrove, she wasn't to know how time consuming mangrove trekking and locating samples was actually going to be). There have been set-backs, such as missing litter-traps or vandalised traps, or simply not being able to relocate them. The tides are obviously a massive factor in determining when she can work as well. We've been having more and more electrical storms so it's a bit of a panic if they are waist high in water, in a forest when they've got a storm directly above them, one which is so strong that it makes the boardwalk shake. I've had a couple of panics when the night is drawing in and they still aren't home and they fail to answer their phones. They seem to go through lots of pairs of shoes as well, Lisa got a pair of converse shoes specifically for mangrove-trekking about a month ago and they are now totally wrecked. My one venture into the mangrove to try and find them didn't go so well. I got about 10 metres in 15 minutes and cut a huge gash in my (bare) feet.. I decided that if mangrove sharks did exist they would most definitely be after me in seconds and rushed out as fast as the mud would let me. My one other experience in the mangrove was whilst trying to take care of a very mentally limited baby kingfisher. He had fallen into the mangrove presumably when trying to fly and was rescued by one of the workers. I took care of him for most of the day, then it turned out that the mother was in a bit of a flap (ahaha, I've spent far too much time with Joe) trying to locate him. So we both took a little wander down the boardwalk to where I thought his nest might have been to wait for mummy. The moment another kingfisher started calling the idiot kingfisher decided that he was a flying/swimming master and jumped off the boardwalk, straight into the swelling creek below us. So, naturally, I jumped in after him fully dressed. He got swept away downstream only to land safely on a log, whilst I walked into about six Rhizophara and gashed my leg, and got a mouthful of nutritious mangrove water. Huzzah. Thereafter I stuck him in a hole and left him there, although I do feel a little guilty about that now. Anyway, they've been in the mangrove a lot. Lisa has collected lots of litter bags already and has been trying to get the leaves dry. That was a bit of an issue as we don't have a drying oven here, and even normal ovens are very hard to come by as noone seems to bake here. Presently she is using a halogen lamp but the bulbs blow out very fast, so she is considering using the charcoal oven although that will be very tricky as she cannot control the temperature on it. The leaves need to be dried to stop them from further decomposing so that they can be analysed back in the UK. So this is the positive, whilst things have been tricky for Lisa, she is at least going to have data..(provided there isn't a typhoon and well..).
I don't even know where to start with my project. The reason I've been avoiding writing here is because I'm so confused myself and don't know how to start explaining it to other people. My biggest issue currently is how pressed I am now for time. For the last month I've been trying to figure out exactly what are the key issues here, and ground myself in the theory. I totally underestimated the amount of time it takes to adjust to a new place, a new culture... and to understand the undercurrents of a community and a conservation project. I've been terrified as well, I wont lie. I just don't feel qualified to be going out there and speaking to people. Every time I do I sit there thinking.. 'well, anyone could be doing this, what makes me different?' And I guess what makes a researcher different is experience, that which I don't have, and a solid grounding in the theory and literature. I've also just been longing for some expert advice, but I just don't know who to go to. I thought about writing to some of the academics that have come up in the literature a lot, however I'm not convinced they would get back to me, and it would take more than an email to communicate all the factors here. If they did get back to me it might make matters worse as they could tell me that I'm doing it all wrong and I'll just get into another panic. Also, the negative experience that I had near the start with the people at top made me very trepidatious (is that a word? is now) about who I should speak to and what questions I could ask, and also just very confused about who was being honest with me and who was not. Also, just nerves about how I had influenced peoples perceptions of me, and how they would receive me. However, a follow-up interview with the person at the top cleared things up. I now also have my own bedroom/office, Lisa and I were sharing, which has made a huge difference. Our only workspace before was the park canteen which wasn't a particulary peaceful area to think in, and now I have a room, and a desk and notes to myself everywhere. It's amazing those things which can really really affect how well you work. So now I'm at the stage where data collection proper is ready to begin, I've done preliminary interviews, I've read all the papers I could ever wish to read, I've observed, I've written so many notes I probably deforested the Amazon (sorry Peru expedition), and I've put it off and off and off, thinking tomorrow I will feel more ready. And now it's too late for that, I've just got to do it and hope for the best. I've constructed my questionnaires, I know what I want to find out, I have a question... presently I'm just trailing through all the notes I've made in the last six months, all the books and papers, and I'm making sure I've covered every avenue, thought of every little thing. How to structure the questions, how to ask the questions, what order to put them in, how much qualitative, how much quantitative, are there too many questions? Will that question translate well? Will I just get yes/no answers? Do I just want yes/no answers? I've met with the barangay captains of the places I will be working in, and we have meetings set up this week and next so that I can better understand the characteristics of their specific communities, and so that they can identify who the mangrove stakeholders are (i.e. anyone at all that has been positively or negatively impacted by the afforestation process, not just fisherman or harvesters). There is a lot of negative feeling towards the mangrove, but almost all of it is rooted in politics, it never helps to have a community organisation headed up by someone heavily involved in politics, especially when the the local councils are in political opposition! Some people also come up with some pretty flavoursome science.. such as the mangrove is responsible for all dengue cases in Kalibo at present because the 100% of the mosquitoes come from the mangrove (dengue mosquitoes don't breed in brackish/saline water). The mangrove has also been held responsible for causing flooding following typhoon Frank a few years back. I'm going to have to go at breakneck speed with the interviews so that I can make this worthwhile, but I will, I totally 100% have to. Except for the one massive hurdle which is still in my way. No interpreter. Those people who I thought I was going to use before I came, and even up till about 2 weeks ago, just wont work. The most glaring reason for this is because they are both employed at the eco-park, and just through observation I can now gauge people's reactions and how much they will/will not say in front of them. And it's not very much. I was trying to get a student also, but this place is so small, everyone is linked. Any student is going to be associated in some way with the mangrove and KASAMA, and their English is unlikely to be at the level which I need. I've tried translating some stuff with the guys here and it was a challenge and a half. First of all I just got a literal translation that made no sense, then doing it again with the other guy I got a better translation, but no attention to detail and he would choose to miss things out which he thought were not relevant. He also just stopped listening after a while, and it was taking hours to get anywhere with the translation, let alone the back-translation. I feel like tearing my hair out. I've got one last glimmer of hope which comes from Phil (the PhD guy that is out here) who knows someone who's been working in Manila but is from here so has the Aklanon, but is no longer associated with the ins and outs of the place and has done previous translation. However poor Phil has the dengue at the moment so I hate to chase him up on it.. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Other things which we are doing are eco-park visitor surveys and a survey in the central plaza of Kalibo to find out how much people know about this place, the impression I've got so far is the people that live in this city really know quite little about the mangrove, if they even know it exists. Those from further afield seem to know a lot more. Actually, I haven't stated what my new angle on this whole thing is. I'm looking at perception, valuation and ecological knowledge and comparing that between KASAMA and non-KASAMA members to see if there is actually any difference, there should be but I'm not convinced.. but all that stuff will go in the final report. This angle hopefully works as a research project, but also something which can help the management here, to work out what is being done right and what might require a little bit more attention.
In other news.. dengue outbreak in Kalibo. Doubtful that we are going to get very much if any travelling done which we are very disappointed about, whilst the mangrove is great, it would be lovely to see some more 'natural' tropical vegetation/see all the endemics and to absorb some more of the culture (or find out if there is one more to the point, its lacking in Kalibo), we all have a case of severe cabin fever. Mosquitoes are evil and we have run out of DEET, currently waiting on a $250 import from America. Our wonderful Texan economist and charcoal extraordinaire Cody has left. Fireflies are cool. The plants are amazing, just wish we had the resources to properly understand them. Dr. Primavera is amazing. We found good brie and cheddar. Bad wine though.
We are all feeling rather guilty about our limited effort to keep this thing updated.. and I guess some people will be wondering exactly what we have been doing for the last month..
First I'll talk you through the positives.. then I'll talk about the not so positive outlook on my project.. woohoo! Lisa, Marvin, Joe and Avit have been working very hard for the last month, going out in the treacherous stinky mangroves most days, being attacked by prop roots, pneumatophores, sinking sludge, swarms of mosquitoes and branches dead set on blinding them. After the very long, tedious and slightly maddening task (Marvin can definitely vouch for the maddening element of this, although we haven't quite determined whether he was mad in the first place, got madder, or whether it was just the result of cutting up green nylon, sewing it together with a sewing machine, collecting kilos and kilos of leaves to put inside them, sewing them up so more, sealing them by melting the nylon round the edges then attaching them to sticks and ropes to secure them in the mangrove which drove him over the edge) of creating the mesh bags and litter traps, distributing them across the different sites has been a huge task indeed. Joe seems to enjoy being covered in brown gooey stuff, and the other two don't seem to hate it so much, although it is extremely tiring. They can't smell themselves anymore but I can safely say they all STINK when they get home. Mangroves smell like.. well methane. And damp. Additionally the lovely deposition of waste water straight in doesn't help. However, believe it or not, these are the positives! Lisa's project is progressing well, although it's definitely a far cry from the original proposal (she is now only collecting data within the one mangrove, she wasn't to know how time consuming mangrove trekking and locating samples was actually going to be). There have been set-backs, such as missing litter-traps or vandalised traps, or simply not being able to relocate them. The tides are obviously a massive factor in determining when she can work as well. We've been having more and more electrical storms so it's a bit of a panic if they are waist high in water, in a forest when they've got a storm directly above them, one which is so strong that it makes the boardwalk shake. I've had a couple of panics when the night is drawing in and they still aren't home and they fail to answer their phones. They seem to go through lots of pairs of shoes as well, Lisa got a pair of converse shoes specifically for mangrove-trekking about a month ago and they are now totally wrecked. My one venture into the mangrove to try and find them didn't go so well. I got about 10 metres in 15 minutes and cut a huge gash in my (bare) feet.. I decided that if mangrove sharks did exist they would most definitely be after me in seconds and rushed out as fast as the mud would let me. My one other experience in the mangrove was whilst trying to take care of a very mentally limited baby kingfisher. He had fallen into the mangrove presumably when trying to fly and was rescued by one of the workers. I took care of him for most of the day, then it turned out that the mother was in a bit of a flap (ahaha, I've spent far too much time with Joe) trying to locate him. So we both took a little wander down the boardwalk to where I thought his nest might have been to wait for mummy. The moment another kingfisher started calling the idiot kingfisher decided that he was a flying/swimming master and jumped off the boardwalk, straight into the swelling creek below us. So, naturally, I jumped in after him fully dressed. He got swept away downstream only to land safely on a log, whilst I walked into about six Rhizophara and gashed my leg, and got a mouthful of nutritious mangrove water. Huzzah. Thereafter I stuck him in a hole and left him there, although I do feel a little guilty about that now. Anyway, they've been in the mangrove a lot. Lisa has collected lots of litter bags already and has been trying to get the leaves dry. That was a bit of an issue as we don't have a drying oven here, and even normal ovens are very hard to come by as noone seems to bake here. Presently she is using a halogen lamp but the bulbs blow out very fast, so she is considering using the charcoal oven although that will be very tricky as she cannot control the temperature on it. The leaves need to be dried to stop them from further decomposing so that they can be analysed back in the UK. So this is the positive, whilst things have been tricky for Lisa, she is at least going to have data..(provided there isn't a typhoon and well..).
I don't even know where to start with my project. The reason I've been avoiding writing here is because I'm so confused myself and don't know how to start explaining it to other people. My biggest issue currently is how pressed I am now for time. For the last month I've been trying to figure out exactly what are the key issues here, and ground myself in the theory. I totally underestimated the amount of time it takes to adjust to a new place, a new culture... and to understand the undercurrents of a community and a conservation project. I've been terrified as well, I wont lie. I just don't feel qualified to be going out there and speaking to people. Every time I do I sit there thinking.. 'well, anyone could be doing this, what makes me different?' And I guess what makes a researcher different is experience, that which I don't have, and a solid grounding in the theory and literature. I've also just been longing for some expert advice, but I just don't know who to go to. I thought about writing to some of the academics that have come up in the literature a lot, however I'm not convinced they would get back to me, and it would take more than an email to communicate all the factors here. If they did get back to me it might make matters worse as they could tell me that I'm doing it all wrong and I'll just get into another panic. Also, the negative experience that I had near the start with the people at top made me very trepidatious (is that a word? is now) about who I should speak to and what questions I could ask, and also just very confused about who was being honest with me and who was not. Also, just nerves about how I had influenced peoples perceptions of me, and how they would receive me. However, a follow-up interview with the person at the top cleared things up. I now also have my own bedroom/office, Lisa and I were sharing, which has made a huge difference. Our only workspace before was the park canteen which wasn't a particulary peaceful area to think in, and now I have a room, and a desk and notes to myself everywhere. It's amazing those things which can really really affect how well you work. So now I'm at the stage where data collection proper is ready to begin, I've done preliminary interviews, I've read all the papers I could ever wish to read, I've observed, I've written so many notes I probably deforested the Amazon (sorry Peru expedition), and I've put it off and off and off, thinking tomorrow I will feel more ready. And now it's too late for that, I've just got to do it and hope for the best. I've constructed my questionnaires, I know what I want to find out, I have a question... presently I'm just trailing through all the notes I've made in the last six months, all the books and papers, and I'm making sure I've covered every avenue, thought of every little thing. How to structure the questions, how to ask the questions, what order to put them in, how much qualitative, how much quantitative, are there too many questions? Will that question translate well? Will I just get yes/no answers? Do I just want yes/no answers? I've met with the barangay captains of the places I will be working in, and we have meetings set up this week and next so that I can better understand the characteristics of their specific communities, and so that they can identify who the mangrove stakeholders are (i.e. anyone at all that has been positively or negatively impacted by the afforestation process, not just fisherman or harvesters). There is a lot of negative feeling towards the mangrove, but almost all of it is rooted in politics, it never helps to have a community organisation headed up by someone heavily involved in politics, especially when the the local councils are in political opposition! Some people also come up with some pretty flavoursome science.. such as the mangrove is responsible for all dengue cases in Kalibo at present because the 100% of the mosquitoes come from the mangrove (dengue mosquitoes don't breed in brackish/saline water). The mangrove has also been held responsible for causing flooding following typhoon Frank a few years back. I'm going to have to go at breakneck speed with the interviews so that I can make this worthwhile, but I will, I totally 100% have to. Except for the one massive hurdle which is still in my way. No interpreter. Those people who I thought I was going to use before I came, and even up till about 2 weeks ago, just wont work. The most glaring reason for this is because they are both employed at the eco-park, and just through observation I can now gauge people's reactions and how much they will/will not say in front of them. And it's not very much. I was trying to get a student also, but this place is so small, everyone is linked. Any student is going to be associated in some way with the mangrove and KASAMA, and their English is unlikely to be at the level which I need. I've tried translating some stuff with the guys here and it was a challenge and a half. First of all I just got a literal translation that made no sense, then doing it again with the other guy I got a better translation, but no attention to detail and he would choose to miss things out which he thought were not relevant. He also just stopped listening after a while, and it was taking hours to get anywhere with the translation, let alone the back-translation. I feel like tearing my hair out. I've got one last glimmer of hope which comes from Phil (the PhD guy that is out here) who knows someone who's been working in Manila but is from here so has the Aklanon, but is no longer associated with the ins and outs of the place and has done previous translation. However poor Phil has the dengue at the moment so I hate to chase him up on it.. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Other things which we are doing are eco-park visitor surveys and a survey in the central plaza of Kalibo to find out how much people know about this place, the impression I've got so far is the people that live in this city really know quite little about the mangrove, if they even know it exists. Those from further afield seem to know a lot more. Actually, I haven't stated what my new angle on this whole thing is. I'm looking at perception, valuation and ecological knowledge and comparing that between KASAMA and non-KASAMA members to see if there is actually any difference, there should be but I'm not convinced.. but all that stuff will go in the final report. This angle hopefully works as a research project, but also something which can help the management here, to work out what is being done right and what might require a little bit more attention.
In other news.. dengue outbreak in Kalibo. Doubtful that we are going to get very much if any travelling done which we are very disappointed about, whilst the mangrove is great, it would be lovely to see some more 'natural' tropical vegetation/see all the endemics and to absorb some more of the culture (or find out if there is one more to the point, its lacking in Kalibo), we all have a case of severe cabin fever. Mosquitoes are evil and we have run out of DEET, currently waiting on a $250 import from America. Our wonderful Texan economist and charcoal extraordinaire Cody has left. Fireflies are cool. The plants are amazing, just wish we had the resources to properly understand them. Dr. Primavera is amazing. We found good brie and cheddar. Bad wine though.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Always tomorrow..
OK, so I'm probably due this page an update, although my head is still a bit muddled so I'm not entirely sure how informative this is going to be. Data collection proper still has not begun because I'm having to rework my methodolgy and consider the angle at which I should take this project from still. I've dedicated the next five or so days to in-depth literature searching and properly focussed reading. My original proposal as I already mentioned is now totally obsolete, and I'm trying still to find reasons for limited participation in KASAMA. At the moment I'm looking into assessing LEK (Local Ecological Knowledge) and perceptions/valuation of the mangrove and its products, and comparing these two things between KASAMA and non-KASAMA members. The non-KASAMA members will be from two barangays which fringe the mangrove, and where most people will be directly reliant on subsistence activities within the mangrove. Although it would be desirable to have a greater selection of barangays, given my limited time and the fact that this is an honours project, I need to make realistic goals. The two factors which I will assess will be done both qualitatively and quantitively, and hopefully the qualititative interviews/focus groups will elucidate a lot more than just the questions being asked. I also intend to do work within a 'control' barangay at the other side of Kalibo, where people should be more reliant on other subsistence (non-marine) activities and there should also be quite a few young 'professionals', either working in shops, or in business somehow. This is because I will be selecting participants within each barangay through participation in different organisations or social constructs (knowledge of these is to be achieved through a mapping exercise of organisational structures within each community), and I need to have something to compare the organisational networks in marine dependent area to. I'm not sure if that makes very much sense, but it makes sense in my head at the minute.
Another thing which have been holding up my getting stuck in to speaking to the community is the very relaxed way of life out here. Always tomorrow, never today. It gets frustrating but you've got to work with it I suppose. I've requested a lot of paperwork (member lists, payroll, general management stuff) which I've been assured is fine for my eyes, however it never seems to appear. That's two weeks almost I've been waiting. And the frustrating thing is knowing that it exists electronically as I saw someone going through it, but for some reason I've not been given it. Communication is also tough as so many things are getting lost in cultural and language haze. Ask a question one way, no response, or not the response you were expecting. Ask it another way, or simply in context with something else, and voila, you have two different stories. It's all part of the experience though and within interviews I'm going to have to learn how best to address this. Triangulation...
There has been quite a lot of drama this side of the world in relation to my project which may not be suitable for discussion on an open blog page, however, its been a rich learning experience and I know how to tread now, or at least I'm getting there. I feel as though I have learnt an awful lot already, and it is, although sometimes very challenging and terrifying, very exciting. There is still so much to learn, and in terms of a future in conservation, I'm starting to see my path materialising in front of me, it's still hazy, but it's there.
On a lighter breezier note.. we are having fun. Lisa is a massive ball of stress in terms of her project, but I think it should fix itself. These things always do. We thought the rainy season proper had started yesterday but we're back to 32 deg in the shade and sunshine that could melt your face off. It generally rains around 3.40-6am, and there have been a couple proper storms at night. We are enjoying the mangrove and all the crazy beasties we keep discovering, some of them evil, some of them awesome. Assassin bugs are evil! I'm in mozzie misery, and I know nobody at home will understand because we are very lucky to be here and we should not moan, but my feet aren't very happy at all and I have to limp everywhere. I'm just reacting very badly to the bites, possibly becoming more sensitised and it's just a little worrying as if I get stung by anything else which has more a kick to it, the consequences could be very much worse to just feet covered in horrible huge blisters. Everyone but Joe has been knee deep in questionable looking mud in the mangrove which was great fun. The texture is very very odd. I shant compare it to what it reminds me of on here, but let your imaginations wander. The food is great, lots of it, maybe too much meat for my liking, I'm in ways looking forward to returning to a diet of spinach and goats cheese when I get home. We are all out of irn-bru but I'm sure we'll survive, mountain dew is a good alternative. I have been thinking (Lisa not so so much because she is a certified workaholic) about the necessity to have fun whilst we are here. We aren't going to have the chance to travel at the end so I feel it is important to work out some cultural discovery into our weekends (there are >7000 islands to choose from!). We wont be able to get far, but I don't want to have spent 2.5 months here and just stressed the whole time, I could have stayed at home for that. We shall see though, money is tight as prices just seem to go up and up from what we were told initially (lastest discovery is very expensive visa-renewal, which will need to be done twice, not the once as we had thought), and I have to hire an external interpreter (we thought we would be using eco-park staff) to ensure the integrity of my data.
Anyhoos, that is enough for just now. Hope everyone is doing well, those I know and don't know! Toodle pip. Esther.
Another thing which have been holding up my getting stuck in to speaking to the community is the very relaxed way of life out here. Always tomorrow, never today. It gets frustrating but you've got to work with it I suppose. I've requested a lot of paperwork (member lists, payroll, general management stuff) which I've been assured is fine for my eyes, however it never seems to appear. That's two weeks almost I've been waiting. And the frustrating thing is knowing that it exists electronically as I saw someone going through it, but for some reason I've not been given it. Communication is also tough as so many things are getting lost in cultural and language haze. Ask a question one way, no response, or not the response you were expecting. Ask it another way, or simply in context with something else, and voila, you have two different stories. It's all part of the experience though and within interviews I'm going to have to learn how best to address this. Triangulation...
There has been quite a lot of drama this side of the world in relation to my project which may not be suitable for discussion on an open blog page, however, its been a rich learning experience and I know how to tread now, or at least I'm getting there. I feel as though I have learnt an awful lot already, and it is, although sometimes very challenging and terrifying, very exciting. There is still so much to learn, and in terms of a future in conservation, I'm starting to see my path materialising in front of me, it's still hazy, but it's there.
On a lighter breezier note.. we are having fun. Lisa is a massive ball of stress in terms of her project, but I think it should fix itself. These things always do. We thought the rainy season proper had started yesterday but we're back to 32 deg in the shade and sunshine that could melt your face off. It generally rains around 3.40-6am, and there have been a couple proper storms at night. We are enjoying the mangrove and all the crazy beasties we keep discovering, some of them evil, some of them awesome. Assassin bugs are evil! I'm in mozzie misery, and I know nobody at home will understand because we are very lucky to be here and we should not moan, but my feet aren't very happy at all and I have to limp everywhere. I'm just reacting very badly to the bites, possibly becoming more sensitised and it's just a little worrying as if I get stung by anything else which has more a kick to it, the consequences could be very much worse to just feet covered in horrible huge blisters. Everyone but Joe has been knee deep in questionable looking mud in the mangrove which was great fun. The texture is very very odd. I shant compare it to what it reminds me of on here, but let your imaginations wander. The food is great, lots of it, maybe too much meat for my liking, I'm in ways looking forward to returning to a diet of spinach and goats cheese when I get home. We are all out of irn-bru but I'm sure we'll survive, mountain dew is a good alternative. I have been thinking (Lisa not so so much because she is a certified workaholic) about the necessity to have fun whilst we are here. We aren't going to have the chance to travel at the end so I feel it is important to work out some cultural discovery into our weekends (there are >7000 islands to choose from!). We wont be able to get far, but I don't want to have spent 2.5 months here and just stressed the whole time, I could have stayed at home for that. We shall see though, money is tight as prices just seem to go up and up from what we were told initially (lastest discovery is very expensive visa-renewal, which will need to be done twice, not the once as we had thought), and I have to hire an external interpreter (we thought we would be using eco-park staff) to ensure the integrity of my data.
Anyhoos, that is enough for just now. Hope everyone is doing well, those I know and don't know! Toodle pip. Esther.
Sunday, July 04, 2010
Me again!
Hi guys!!
Sorry it has been so long since I updated anything on here, life tends to move at a very slow pace in the Philippines but somehow the days just fly by. I suppose spending the last few days glued to a computer screen writing and checking transcriptions hasn't helped things! We've properly started to get into the swing of things here and working hard, Marvin and Lisa spending lot of time with a misfiring sewing machine (of which I am sure they'll tell more), me in front of a computer screen and Esther building networks and interviewing as many people as possible. Getting to know more and more people as the days go by...its getting increasingly hard to remember all the names and faces! I think we're all learning a lot though, not only about Philippino culture, history and politics but also what it really means to be out here and to be involved in the projects that we are, no matter how well you prepare yourself and plan its not until you get started and you see the situation on the ground that you really know what you've let yourself in for! It's all a learning curve that I think we are taking loads from. I am enjoying the work that is involved (though I might change my tune after 2 and a half months of it!) and my transcription skills have improved dramatically, I think I am taking about 5 hours for each hour of interview now, which is about right time-wise. I think I will improve as I do more though.
Yesterday we went to another patch of mangrove in Ibajay as part of Lisa's project - I came along for the ride and to see some more of the country. That was amazing, a very different project but with many of the same principles such as an in-built appreciation of the importance of community involvement in every aspect of the park, from its foundation through to its daily running. Its really encouraging to see such enthusiasm for conservation and the maintaining of the countries natural resources so widepsread here. Afterwards we walked 4 kilometres to the next barangay (the Philippino name for each seperate village/community) and were treated to a botanical and biological mastrerclass of the local flora and fauna by Bulit, our guide, translator and general man in the know (who, when not with us, also has a job on the side as the Eco-Park manager). On this walk we went past quite possibly the most beautiful beach I have ever seen, this part of the world is so beautiful and I feel very lucky to be involved in this venture! (photos to come shortly hopefully).
Still not used to the mosquito's and sun though, every morning we gasp in wonder at how hot and humid it is, you would have thought we'd learn by now! The mosquitos and ants also are very much appreciating our presence here as we have provided many a good meal for them so far, no matter how much repellent we apply.
So, things are going good here, I'm sure Esther and Lisa can share more about how their projects are going but I think we're all looking forward to properly getting stuck into things over the next few weeks. I had better go now though as said mosquito's are eating me alive!
Sorry it has been so long since I updated anything on here, life tends to move at a very slow pace in the Philippines but somehow the days just fly by. I suppose spending the last few days glued to a computer screen writing and checking transcriptions hasn't helped things! We've properly started to get into the swing of things here and working hard, Marvin and Lisa spending lot of time with a misfiring sewing machine (of which I am sure they'll tell more), me in front of a computer screen and Esther building networks and interviewing as many people as possible. Getting to know more and more people as the days go by...its getting increasingly hard to remember all the names and faces! I think we're all learning a lot though, not only about Philippino culture, history and politics but also what it really means to be out here and to be involved in the projects that we are, no matter how well you prepare yourself and plan its not until you get started and you see the situation on the ground that you really know what you've let yourself in for! It's all a learning curve that I think we are taking loads from. I am enjoying the work that is involved (though I might change my tune after 2 and a half months of it!) and my transcription skills have improved dramatically, I think I am taking about 5 hours for each hour of interview now, which is about right time-wise. I think I will improve as I do more though.
Yesterday we went to another patch of mangrove in Ibajay as part of Lisa's project - I came along for the ride and to see some more of the country. That was amazing, a very different project but with many of the same principles such as an in-built appreciation of the importance of community involvement in every aspect of the park, from its foundation through to its daily running. Its really encouraging to see such enthusiasm for conservation and the maintaining of the countries natural resources so widepsread here. Afterwards we walked 4 kilometres to the next barangay (the Philippino name for each seperate village/community) and were treated to a botanical and biological mastrerclass of the local flora and fauna by Bulit, our guide, translator and general man in the know (who, when not with us, also has a job on the side as the Eco-Park manager). On this walk we went past quite possibly the most beautiful beach I have ever seen, this part of the world is so beautiful and I feel very lucky to be involved in this venture! (photos to come shortly hopefully).
Still not used to the mosquito's and sun though, every morning we gasp in wonder at how hot and humid it is, you would have thought we'd learn by now! The mosquitos and ants also are very much appreciating our presence here as we have provided many a good meal for them so far, no matter how much repellent we apply.
So, things are going good here, I'm sure Esther and Lisa can share more about how their projects are going but I think we're all looking forward to properly getting stuck into things over the next few weeks. I had better go now though as said mosquito's are eating me alive!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Video - hopefully it should work
Video - hopefully it should work :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyYwB2sBwgM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyYwB2sBwgM
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Project development. Hopefully.
OK, so another day in Bakhawan eco-park..
These first few days (and indeed those which will follow from now) are (for me and Joe anyway) mostly about grounding ourselves, and learning as much about the community we can from people in key positions. I was really struggling with my project as I've spent so much time with my nose in the literature that I had forgotten how different it was really going to be in practise. My project has changed so many times over the last six months as I've received more information about the community and the mangroves, and it is only now that I can properly create a final draft proposal.. although to be fair, there isn't really time for that. Lisa is struggling somewhat as the areas she planned to sample in are not as she thought they were (she was going to be sampling within three different types of mangrove; pristine (naturally grown and undisturbed), disturbed (by over-harvesting etc) and planted but relatively pristine. The problem is that not all the mangrove are coastal (one of them is a basin, inland mangrove) and this introduces a hoard of confounding factors. So in many ways we are at the same stage in project planning and confusion. There is the possiblity that she could do all her sampling within this mangrove (the orginal 'planted' mangrove discussed) as the three areas which she would like to assess do in fact exist here, but possibly in not as large an area as she would prefer. There is an area of clearly planted mangroves, there is an area which was previously disturbed (by typhoons) mangrove which has naturally regenerated, and there are areas of heavily disturbed (by illegal harvesting) mangroves. Fingers crossed that this could work.
Today really opened my eyes (and Joe's too I would imagine). Avit, a 21 year old from Kalibo (barangay of New Buswang where we are currently based), who works in the eco-park and has been involved in the mangroves through his parents from a very young age, took us (all 4) out to meet some members of the community. We were all under the impression that this was just going to be an informal meet and greet, until he asked me if I had my questions prepared..... We managed to work it well however. We spoke to two different people (with differeing views on the mangrove) in a reasonable amount of depth, just explaining why we were here, and asking a few questions of them. I recorded these sessions and Joe and I transcribed them this afternoon (poor Joe got landed with the longest one, he isn't called my skivvy for nothing :D). We gained quite a lot of insight from these, and possible directions for when it comes to data collection in earnest. Later on I decided it would be a good idea to have a chat with Avit, just informally and ask a few questions. I ended up recording it and we spoke for over an hour, gaining some fantastic insight into the workings of the community and KASAMA, and really contexualising everything which is exactly what we've been needing. Following this I made poor Joe (who isn't actually just a useless primary teacher :P) listen over the recording (and I re-listened) and together we identified the key issues that came out, and started formulating a new direction for my project. Instead of coming at it from a totally theoretical point of view and making a lame attempt to marry that to the community issues, we are taking the community issues and trying to find a theoretical framework which fits them (if indeed one exists - I'm almost sure there will be one). I intended to do start doing a bit more literature review tonight, but we ended up talking too long about possible directions for this project, and muddling together all the previous ideas from my old proposals into something sparkly and new. Instead of taking the angle of whether both development and conservation objectives are being fulfilled, we are going to (potentially) look at putting this project under an umbrella such as incorporating sustainable development and the reasons for lack of participation. Whilst I obviously do want a good grade for this project, I also really want to do something which can help these communities and assist in future development of KASAMA as they are looking to expand the mangrove area, expand the boardwalk, and recruit new members. Ultimately (this came from Avit) they want the community to understand what the mangroves do for them, and what they can do for the mangroves. They don't want for there to be any segregation in the community, and for everybody to reap the same rewards. In order for this to happen, they need to know what is currently standing in their way. Maybe this project can elucidate some of these issues, perhaps not. We reckon it can, so do the park staff and that is all that matters.
More on the actual methods/key ideas over the next few days when we've bounced them around a bit and I've done a few more preliminary interviews with the KASAMA executives and the barangay captains.
These first few days (and indeed those which will follow from now) are (for me and Joe anyway) mostly about grounding ourselves, and learning as much about the community we can from people in key positions. I was really struggling with my project as I've spent so much time with my nose in the literature that I had forgotten how different it was really going to be in practise. My project has changed so many times over the last six months as I've received more information about the community and the mangroves, and it is only now that I can properly create a final draft proposal.. although to be fair, there isn't really time for that. Lisa is struggling somewhat as the areas she planned to sample in are not as she thought they were (she was going to be sampling within three different types of mangrove; pristine (naturally grown and undisturbed), disturbed (by over-harvesting etc) and planted but relatively pristine. The problem is that not all the mangrove are coastal (one of them is a basin, inland mangrove) and this introduces a hoard of confounding factors. So in many ways we are at the same stage in project planning and confusion. There is the possiblity that she could do all her sampling within this mangrove (the orginal 'planted' mangrove discussed) as the three areas which she would like to assess do in fact exist here, but possibly in not as large an area as she would prefer. There is an area of clearly planted mangroves, there is an area which was previously disturbed (by typhoons) mangrove which has naturally regenerated, and there are areas of heavily disturbed (by illegal harvesting) mangroves. Fingers crossed that this could work.
Today really opened my eyes (and Joe's too I would imagine). Avit, a 21 year old from Kalibo (barangay of New Buswang where we are currently based), who works in the eco-park and has been involved in the mangroves through his parents from a very young age, took us (all 4) out to meet some members of the community. We were all under the impression that this was just going to be an informal meet and greet, until he asked me if I had my questions prepared..... We managed to work it well however. We spoke to two different people (with differeing views on the mangrove) in a reasonable amount of depth, just explaining why we were here, and asking a few questions of them. I recorded these sessions and Joe and I transcribed them this afternoon (poor Joe got landed with the longest one, he isn't called my skivvy for nothing :D). We gained quite a lot of insight from these, and possible directions for when it comes to data collection in earnest. Later on I decided it would be a good idea to have a chat with Avit, just informally and ask a few questions. I ended up recording it and we spoke for over an hour, gaining some fantastic insight into the workings of the community and KASAMA, and really contexualising everything which is exactly what we've been needing. Following this I made poor Joe (who isn't actually just a useless primary teacher :P) listen over the recording (and I re-listened) and together we identified the key issues that came out, and started formulating a new direction for my project. Instead of coming at it from a totally theoretical point of view and making a lame attempt to marry that to the community issues, we are taking the community issues and trying to find a theoretical framework which fits them (if indeed one exists - I'm almost sure there will be one). I intended to do start doing a bit more literature review tonight, but we ended up talking too long about possible directions for this project, and muddling together all the previous ideas from my old proposals into something sparkly and new. Instead of taking the angle of whether both development and conservation objectives are being fulfilled, we are going to (potentially) look at putting this project under an umbrella such as incorporating sustainable development and the reasons for lack of participation. Whilst I obviously do want a good grade for this project, I also really want to do something which can help these communities and assist in future development of KASAMA as they are looking to expand the mangrove area, expand the boardwalk, and recruit new members. Ultimately (this came from Avit) they want the community to understand what the mangroves do for them, and what they can do for the mangroves. They don't want for there to be any segregation in the community, and for everybody to reap the same rewards. In order for this to happen, they need to know what is currently standing in their way. Maybe this project can elucidate some of these issues, perhaps not. We reckon it can, so do the park staff and that is all that matters.
More on the actual methods/key ideas over the next few days when we've bounced them around a bit and I've done a few more preliminary interviews with the KASAMA executives and the barangay captains.
Maayad-ayad nga pag abot Joe's first blog (Welcome to Joe's first blog)
Hello from the Philippines from me! Finally getting round to posting up something on here, sorry for the long wait! It has been a very busy few days for us, it feels like we have been here so much longer than 2 and a bit days...we have crammed so much in already. So, today we have had our first walk around the community of New Buswang, which is the Baranguay that the Eco-park is right in the heart of. Escorted by Avit, one of the people looking after us, we met a few of the people that will be involved in our project and we are starting to get a good picture of the make-up of the community here and the important groups within it. They seem very interested in what we are doing over here and especially Esther's community-based project. We will hopefully be able to achieve some really good results and give something back to the local people that they can use to develop the Eco-park and the community in general.
From a personal point of view it is really interesting to be involved with the local people and I am beginning to get an understanding of how society operates over here, the community-led projects of which the Eco-Park is one of, are so important for developing the area. From an education point of view the ideas of citizenship and community based learning that are so relevant back at home can benefit a lot from the approaches taken here. I am really looking forward to developing my own understanding of these factors and gaining a lot of insight that I can take back into the classroom and beyond in Scotland.
I am really enjoying my time here so far, it has already begun to feel like home, with the cafe being used as our base of operations. The people are so friendly and eager to help us! Speaking of which, Annie (who is our surrogate mum over here) has just made us lunch, so I had better go eat :) As you can see from the pictures (more of which will be coming soon) the place is amazing too, its my first time in the tropics and the weather is just awesome, we are slowly getting used to the heat and humidity. The scenery is fantastic too, the mangroves just take your breath away I can tell you. So much effort and time has gone into this project and the changes from how this area looked 20 years ago are just staggering, the variety of wildlife that the mangroves have encouraged are mindblowing.
Anyway, that is enough of my gushing about how amazing this place is just now, it is time for me to eat some lunch (breakfast time for you at home?). Keep a look out for photos and more posts very soon!
From a personal point of view it is really interesting to be involved with the local people and I am beginning to get an understanding of how society operates over here, the community-led projects of which the Eco-Park is one of, are so important for developing the area. From an education point of view the ideas of citizenship and community based learning that are so relevant back at home can benefit a lot from the approaches taken here. I am really looking forward to developing my own understanding of these factors and gaining a lot of insight that I can take back into the classroom and beyond in Scotland.
I am really enjoying my time here so far, it has already begun to feel like home, with the cafe being used as our base of operations. The people are so friendly and eager to help us! Speaking of which, Annie (who is our surrogate mum over here) has just made us lunch, so I had better go eat :) As you can see from the pictures (more of which will be coming soon) the place is amazing too, its my first time in the tropics and the weather is just awesome, we are slowly getting used to the heat and humidity. The scenery is fantastic too, the mangroves just take your breath away I can tell you. So much effort and time has gone into this project and the changes from how this area looked 20 years ago are just staggering, the variety of wildlife that the mangroves have encouraged are mindblowing.
Anyway, that is enough of my gushing about how amazing this place is just now, it is time for me to eat some lunch (breakfast time for you at home?). Keep a look out for photos and more posts very soon!
Friday, June 25, 2010
blogged nose...
hello ladies and gentlemen!
i was asked to contribute to our blog and shall offer you my thoughts on our expedition so far, so here i go!
before i start, excuse me for my running and blocked nasal passageways (unfortunately i sniffed too much london dirt and dust before adventuring over here!).
I'm still amazed that it's even possible to obtain a "cold" in these warm countries! it's soo bloody hot that i don't even dare to touch the touchy mousescreen thingy cause it would boil the first skin layer of my fingers! also i have a small reddish/brown ant running wild across my keyboard which risks being drowned by the droplets of sweat dripping off my forehead. well, actually it's not that bad, i'm not really sweating buckets yet, wait until we start the actual work :P
had our first little walk across the mangroves today and i must say i'm overjoyed to be able to conduct research here! (if it wasn't for that blocked nose... seems to affect my hearing as well,... maybe that's a good thing considering the music here)we went out at high tide and walked along the boardwalk admiring the beauty that these mangroves display! trust me, it's really cool! :D the weirdly shaped trees, the even more weirdly shaped mudskippers and their habit to run over water, the "fish-fingers" (eloooongated fish), the cool crabs, birds and just the variety of life forms that i've never seen before. as you can tell, i'm pretty excited !!! :D this is like a massive playground for me with undiscovered treasures (undiscovered to the extend that they don't know much about the ecology of most things here) no one some peops stay here for long after their actual work is done. if i wasn't stuck in uni i would do the same ;P
that brings me to my relatively poorly dissertation which has to be tackled very very soon (now?!). can't wait to work with the beasties here, although i'm not sure which ones yet. there are some really really tiny white/yellow/orange crabs. they have a so called nursery here only that the little crabs are actually everywhere. they have tiny burrows and make wee mud balls. the males do this little dance (will try and document in a more visual way at some point!) where they lift their larger claw and wave it :) have only seen a couple of large crabs and some hermit crabs sitting in their coneshaped shells. what other amazing stuff have we seen? a small sea-snake taking a break on a wooden log, brown little thing and i hope we won't get a chance to bond with these fellows too much. the most peculiar things however are those mudskippers! muhahaha! amaaaaazing! gotta absolutely love them! they are so funny with their eyes on the top of their head and their fins which magically seem to glue them to even the most vertical piece of wood! they also have the tremendous ability to jump/walk/fly over the water!
also seen quite a few birds in the morning like the massive kingfisher ( alot taller than ours), a sunbird, that fantailed birds (huge tail!) and sparrows (i wonedr if they were introduced here?) oh and that stupid rooster that just crowed now! (i bet he knows when i am planning to have a nap!) i shall keep my eyes and ears open and discover further peculiar and new lifeforms :D
for now i need to wash that grimy sweaty layer of ehm sweat and salt of my face (the feeling of freshness only lasts for approx 2 minutes only) before venturing to town to meet even more people :)
anyhow, i've written enough so i'll bore you a bit more later on with the discoveries of one that goes shopping in a filipino market ;)
until then, cherio!!!
L
PS: sorry for any mispellings, grammar mistakes and such likes, comes with being a foreigner ;)
i was asked to contribute to our blog and shall offer you my thoughts on our expedition so far, so here i go!
before i start, excuse me for my running and blocked nasal passageways (unfortunately i sniffed too much london dirt and dust before adventuring over here!).
I'm still amazed that it's even possible to obtain a "cold" in these warm countries! it's soo bloody hot that i don't even dare to touch the touchy mousescreen thingy cause it would boil the first skin layer of my fingers! also i have a small reddish/brown ant running wild across my keyboard which risks being drowned by the droplets of sweat dripping off my forehead. well, actually it's not that bad, i'm not really sweating buckets yet, wait until we start the actual work :P
had our first little walk across the mangroves today and i must say i'm overjoyed to be able to conduct research here! (if it wasn't for that blocked nose... seems to affect my hearing as well,... maybe that's a good thing considering the music here)we went out at high tide and walked along the boardwalk admiring the beauty that these mangroves display! trust me, it's really cool! :D the weirdly shaped trees, the even more weirdly shaped mudskippers and their habit to run over water, the "fish-fingers" (eloooongated fish), the cool crabs, birds and just the variety of life forms that i've never seen before. as you can tell, i'm pretty excited !!! :D this is like a massive playground for me with undiscovered treasures (undiscovered to the extend that they don't know much about the ecology of most things here) no one some peops stay here for long after their actual work is done. if i wasn't stuck in uni i would do the same ;P
that brings me to my relatively poorly dissertation which has to be tackled very very soon (now?!). can't wait to work with the beasties here, although i'm not sure which ones yet. there are some really really tiny white/yellow/orange crabs. they have a so called nursery here only that the little crabs are actually everywhere. they have tiny burrows and make wee mud balls. the males do this little dance (will try and document in a more visual way at some point!) where they lift their larger claw and wave it :) have only seen a couple of large crabs and some hermit crabs sitting in their coneshaped shells. what other amazing stuff have we seen? a small sea-snake taking a break on a wooden log, brown little thing and i hope we won't get a chance to bond with these fellows too much. the most peculiar things however are those mudskippers! muhahaha! amaaaaazing! gotta absolutely love them! they are so funny with their eyes on the top of their head and their fins which magically seem to glue them to even the most vertical piece of wood! they also have the tremendous ability to jump/walk/fly over the water!
also seen quite a few birds in the morning like the massive kingfisher ( alot taller than ours), a sunbird, that fantailed birds (huge tail!) and sparrows (i wonedr if they were introduced here?) oh and that stupid rooster that just crowed now! (i bet he knows when i am planning to have a nap!) i shall keep my eyes and ears open and discover further peculiar and new lifeforms :D
for now i need to wash that grimy sweaty layer of ehm sweat and salt of my face (the feeling of freshness only lasts for approx 2 minutes only) before venturing to town to meet even more people :)
anyhow, i've written enough so i'll bore you a bit more later on with the discoveries of one that goes shopping in a filipino market ;)
until then, cherio!!!
L
PS: sorry for any mispellings, grammar mistakes and such likes, comes with being a foreigner ;)
First morning in Kalibo..
Well firstly I would like to apologise to anyone actually reading this that all you are getting is my updates.. I shall convince the others to write some stuff soon.
I've just woken and it's a little past 7am, our first morning staying in the eco-park. Outside is already buzzing, probably never stopped.. Last night it was all cicadas, geckos and the drone of mosquitoes.. strange screeches and barks with occasional amourous giggles emitting from the depths of the mangrove somewhere (there is a boardwalk through it, no romantic strolls in knee-high mud). This morning is unfamiliar bird song, some very insistent cockerels, bikes, trikes, water-running, somebody busying themselves in the canteen..cats, dogs, pigs snorting, singing.. it's fantastic.. although Lisa was woken at 5.30 by said relentless cockerels.. (we still haven't quite got over our jet lag and probably could have done with a few more hours!).. on the upside she's been nature observing this morning whilst we all slept and saw some mud-skippers doing their thing in the mangrove. She also saw a kingfisher, a sandbird, a fantail.. we'll (try) to keep you updated on bird species (mum!).
This place is fantastic. We are all in an extreme state of happiness I think. I need to keep this relatively short because I need to get moving.. but I want to get a sense of place across! Better done with pictures which should be up later today (we are eight hours in front of you guys). Perhaps even a video, or a recording of the tropical cacophony.
We flew out of Manila yesteday at around noon, and it was only a 50 minute flight to Kalibo. We arrived and were greeted by Bullitt(sp) (the manager of the park here), Avitt(sp) (not quite sure of his exact position, but also a key player) and Cody (a texan looking at the charcoal briquetting business out here). The heat is insane, but it's not quite as humid here as it is in Manila (or it doesn't feel it, can't scientifically back that up Dr. Barker..). We were driven to Avitts aunts house for our lunch, and she had laid on a feast, including a whole pigs head! I am officially a carnivore for the next two months, I think there is no getting away from it. So far no ill effects from the mountain of meat I've already eaten I don't think, no meat sweats :) Annie our cook is very lovely, we are going to be giving her a list of likes and dislikes today, however, I feel being able to cook meat for all of us will be the most convenient, just as long as there is no fish.. or tamilok worms (we tried to lay down the law about these yesterday!). Anyway..! Lunch was great, we ate with Bullitt who told us all about the park and the communities. He has a very sarcastic sense of humour and it was an entertaining afternoon! The beer was out almost immediately as we arrived (extra-strong red horse (!) or pilsner). Poor Lisa, our non-beer drinker ended up drinking a whole red horse, which comes in a rather large bottle :) Cigs here are insanely cheap, I think around twenty pence. So much for quitting right? Bullitt chains his cigs, and me and Joe are following suit. I think we may have to apprehend that situation .. perhaps a daily run at high noon will be required, so that we have to stop!
After lunch we had another five min journey in the car to eco-park. This place is amazing. We are right on the outskirts of the city of Kalibo in the barangay (community) of New Buswang. The park starts from the road, with a bamboo walkway on stilts. Set back from the road is the canteen, which is a largeish building on stilts. The canteen/kitchen are completely open, but our room (Lisa and I) is off to the back and has 4 walls and shutters. The boys are staying further back into the mangrove at the top of a bamboo building in the attic, large room each with a balcony. We girls aren't allowed to stay back there because they often get undesirables into the park at night. Like I said, we'll get pictures up soon which will be far superior to my rubbish descriptions. Dinner was served at 6 yesterday, and we ate with the founding members of KASAMA (Kalibo Save the Mangroves Association). It was a brilliant evening, we learnt so much about the community, and the problems which they have encountered and are still encountering. It sounds as if our projects could be quite useful here, everyone seemed very enthusiastic about them. We met Allen Quimpo, former mayor, present governor(?) .. very influential and respected gentleman in these parts, and indeed the Philippines (he was part of the presidential campaign). He has such great vision, and it's very refreshing to see someone in a position of power who actually considers his environmental responsibility as a priority. Apparently they are having a press conference about the park, and the mangroves in general on the 5th of July, and we four are to be a part of that..!
The rest of the evening was spent with these people, drinking rum from Manila and learning lots. Drinking is an integral part of life here it seems from what we were told before we came, and from what we have seen. Whilst it is pleasant on occasion, it's going to have to be something we are quite strict about.
I seem to have written rather a lot. Sorry! There is really so much more, but I should get on with my day. Pictures to follow later :)
I've just woken and it's a little past 7am, our first morning staying in the eco-park. Outside is already buzzing, probably never stopped.. Last night it was all cicadas, geckos and the drone of mosquitoes.. strange screeches and barks with occasional amourous giggles emitting from the depths of the mangrove somewhere (there is a boardwalk through it, no romantic strolls in knee-high mud). This morning is unfamiliar bird song, some very insistent cockerels, bikes, trikes, water-running, somebody busying themselves in the canteen..cats, dogs, pigs snorting, singing.. it's fantastic.. although Lisa was woken at 5.30 by said relentless cockerels.. (we still haven't quite got over our jet lag and probably could have done with a few more hours!).. on the upside she's been nature observing this morning whilst we all slept and saw some mud-skippers doing their thing in the mangrove. She also saw a kingfisher, a sandbird, a fantail.. we'll (try) to keep you updated on bird species (mum!).
This place is fantastic. We are all in an extreme state of happiness I think. I need to keep this relatively short because I need to get moving.. but I want to get a sense of place across! Better done with pictures which should be up later today (we are eight hours in front of you guys). Perhaps even a video, or a recording of the tropical cacophony.
We flew out of Manila yesteday at around noon, and it was only a 50 minute flight to Kalibo. We arrived and were greeted by Bullitt(sp) (the manager of the park here), Avitt(sp) (not quite sure of his exact position, but also a key player) and Cody (a texan looking at the charcoal briquetting business out here). The heat is insane, but it's not quite as humid here as it is in Manila (or it doesn't feel it, can't scientifically back that up Dr. Barker..). We were driven to Avitts aunts house for our lunch, and she had laid on a feast, including a whole pigs head! I am officially a carnivore for the next two months, I think there is no getting away from it. So far no ill effects from the mountain of meat I've already eaten I don't think, no meat sweats :) Annie our cook is very lovely, we are going to be giving her a list of likes and dislikes today, however, I feel being able to cook meat for all of us will be the most convenient, just as long as there is no fish.. or tamilok worms (we tried to lay down the law about these yesterday!). Anyway..! Lunch was great, we ate with Bullitt who told us all about the park and the communities. He has a very sarcastic sense of humour and it was an entertaining afternoon! The beer was out almost immediately as we arrived (extra-strong red horse (!) or pilsner). Poor Lisa, our non-beer drinker ended up drinking a whole red horse, which comes in a rather large bottle :) Cigs here are insanely cheap, I think around twenty pence. So much for quitting right? Bullitt chains his cigs, and me and Joe are following suit. I think we may have to apprehend that situation .. perhaps a daily run at high noon will be required, so that we have to stop!
After lunch we had another five min journey in the car to eco-park. This place is amazing. We are right on the outskirts of the city of Kalibo in the barangay (community) of New Buswang. The park starts from the road, with a bamboo walkway on stilts. Set back from the road is the canteen, which is a largeish building on stilts. The canteen/kitchen are completely open, but our room (Lisa and I) is off to the back and has 4 walls and shutters. The boys are staying further back into the mangrove at the top of a bamboo building in the attic, large room each with a balcony. We girls aren't allowed to stay back there because they often get undesirables into the park at night. Like I said, we'll get pictures up soon which will be far superior to my rubbish descriptions. Dinner was served at 6 yesterday, and we ate with the founding members of KASAMA (Kalibo Save the Mangroves Association). It was a brilliant evening, we learnt so much about the community, and the problems which they have encountered and are still encountering. It sounds as if our projects could be quite useful here, everyone seemed very enthusiastic about them. We met Allen Quimpo, former mayor, present governor(?) .. very influential and respected gentleman in these parts, and indeed the Philippines (he was part of the presidential campaign). He has such great vision, and it's very refreshing to see someone in a position of power who actually considers his environmental responsibility as a priority. Apparently they are having a press conference about the park, and the mangroves in general on the 5th of July, and we four are to be a part of that..!
The rest of the evening was spent with these people, drinking rum from Manila and learning lots. Drinking is an integral part of life here it seems from what we were told before we came, and from what we have seen. Whilst it is pleasant on occasion, it's going to have to be something we are quite strict about.
I seem to have written rather a lot. Sorry! There is really so much more, but I should get on with my day. Pictures to follow later :)
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Manila baby!
So we have arrived safely in Manila (one of the most humid cities on the planet!) after a rather tiring journey. No hiccups so far hopefully, except that I (Esther) managed to freeze my online accounts where all our expedition money is stored. Hopefully that situation will be rectified in the next couple of days.. or else we are a little screwed! The heat is unsurprisingly rather oppressive, but it's still brilliant, its about 2am just now, lightning cutting across the pitch black sky but no rain. We are staying in the 'Friendly's Guest House' for tonight, then flight to Kalibo at noon tomorrow. Everyone is knackered, Lisa just went to bed. Football is on though, so Joe is a happy chap, just writing his journal. The three of us (Joe, Marv, Esther) just having a beer before we hit the sack. It's going to be quite an acclimitisation process I think, getting used to the heat, the culture, everything, before our projects commence. It's exciting though.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Pre-departure jitters by Esther
So I eventually got round to setting our blog up.. Probably only because I'm trying to find anything to do which avoids directly confronting my project, which is completely up in the air at the moment. I don't know about the rest of the guys but I'm more scared right now than I have ever been in my life.. no exaggeration. My insides are eating themselves and I'm struggling to do anything but sit and flap my arms and squeak intermittently.
Joe and I are taking the megabus down to London on Sunday at 7.30am (13 hours!) and we all fly out from London on Tuesday evening. I have great plans to visit the NHM whilst we are there, and I think we are all planning to visit the Royal Geographical Society headquarters as they are financially supporting us. Hopefully they should be able to give us some expeditoney-type advice as well.
OK well, nothing too interesting to write, maybe the others can contribute something further. I really need to stop procrastinating and kick project butt.
Joe and I are taking the megabus down to London on Sunday at 7.30am (13 hours!) and we all fly out from London on Tuesday evening. I have great plans to visit the NHM whilst we are there, and I think we are all planning to visit the Royal Geographical Society headquarters as they are financially supporting us. Hopefully they should be able to give us some expeditoney-type advice as well.
OK well, nothing too interesting to write, maybe the others can contribute something further. I really need to stop procrastinating and kick project butt.
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