02.01.10
Palawan Ho! Part 3
So I’m gonna skip a little bit and share the stuff on the sea turtles. As I mentioned in the previous post, Arena Island is a turtle reserve (or is it a “preserve?” lol) So after lunch we were shown the turtle things. Here’s a pic with the guide showing us how the turtle eggs are buried.
Can you see the eggs down there? Those little white round balls?
She pulled one out and let us hold it. Here’s Aaron.
The guide told us that since we held onto the egg, it will likely not hatch anymore, but not to worry as this is the same egg they show the tourists, heheh. The other eggs they don’t touch, so they should hatch fine. Apparently, these sea turtles are endangered, and that’s why they have a reserve to help protect the turtles. Around the island are little cages set up just over the turtle nests to help ensure that the nests are left undisturbed. Once the turtle hatch, they care for them for about three months, then release them into the wild. A couple of their turtle confinement cages are just off shore. The elders decided to stay behind, while Aaron and I went out to see them.
If you squint, you might be able to make us out. We are transferring from the little boat onto the turtle cage platform. Here’s what it looks like from the platform.
In order to show the “elders” (tee hee, sorry to keep called them that!) the turtles, we picked out a couple and took them back to land. But first, we were allowed to take pics. Here’s one of the tour-gals holding a turtle.
One of the guys actually climbs into the tank and grabs the turtles for us.
They also had these helmet crabs.
Then they threw them on the bottom of the boat with us to take them back for the elders to see.
As part of the tour, we were given the option to “adopt” a turtle. The way it works is you pay P1,000 to adopt a turtle. They are tagged, so that turtle is assigned to you and then you can release the turtle into the wild. Supposedly, the turtles remember where they are born and when they are ready, they return to the island to lay their eggs. At that point, if they find your turtle has returned to lay eggs, they send you a notice that your turtle has returned. So Aaron adopted a turtle and named her “Paksew” after one of his favorite filipino dishes, heheheh. Here’s a pic of Aaron holding his turtle with the guide holding his adoption certificate.
Here’s a closeup of his certificate.
After allowing us to take pics and touch Paksew, Aaron was allowed to set her free. Here she is going off into the wild blue yonder. . .
And off into the sea she goes!
Bye, Paksew!
I took a lot more pictures, but obviously couldn’t post them all here. I took pics of Paksew’s flipper tracks as she waddled off the island into the sea. Then later we also were allowed to release some tiny turtles into the sea, so I’ll have to make another post to show those pics and a few more shots of the island and the little cottage they have there for $500 U.S. a night (24 hours stay). Yikes! But man would it be lovely to wake up to see the view and hear the waves from there! Definitely tempting. . .
To be continued. . .
Marlakins
marissa said,
February 1, 2010 at 10:47 pm
How often do turtles lay eggs?
patti said,
February 1, 2010 at 11:54 pm
Marla,
I love following your adventures! I don’t even have to go visit there now!
What a fun time that all looks like.
Glad it’s all going well!
patti
Administrator said,
February 2, 2010 at 7:33 pm
Well, Marissa, heheheh, that’s one of the catches. . . some of these turtles take “decades” to reach sexual maturity! LOL So Aaron might be in his 30s or even 40s before he could even receive a notice. But once they reach maturity, I think they lay eggs up to 3 times a year. Supposedly they lay hundreds of them, but only a small percentage actually survive. And I think that’s why they are still endangered. Plus a lot of the coral reefs have been damaged and destroyed by various things like improper fishing or other pollutants, which in turn harm the eco system for many marine animals including the sea turtles. The guide was explaining how Cebuanos are starting to fish in Palawan because they have been damaging their coral reefs and thus reducing their local fish population. So the Palawans aren’t happy about that and are asking them what have they done to their seas? They need to fish properly and not destroy the coral reefs to maintain the abundance and health of their fish.
Hi Patti:
Yes, I think armchair traveling is easier! And cheaper! I’m glad that it’s helping to give you a small tour!
There’s a lot of waiting and much discomfort at times, but personally, there’s nothing like the real thing to really appreciate it! LOL It all depends upon what you’re willing to do and endure. AND what it is that you’re visiting or seeing. I know personally I’d rather be in my warm home to watch the Rose Parade! LOL Been there, and done that, and I don’t like to get up that early in the cold to watch a rose parade. . . But for the sound of the waves and the feel of the ocean wind and the spectacular view of the tropics, pictures just can’t capture it all. It helps that the weather here has been fantastic. But I will admit that it’s not like this year round! We just happen to be here at a good time. The weather is so comfortable it’s no wonder many natives liked to run around practically naked. Too much clothing makes it hot and sticky! There are some places here that are “not” so nice. I tried to take pics of those, too, and will try to upload those eventually as well. Just to try to give a more balanced view. There’s still a lot of the social structure here that I want to understand better. Seeing a lot of the poverty in person also helps to give me a better perspective and appreciation for my own life and reconsider my priorities. Seeing it in person and talking to some people really shows me that money just can’t solve everything.
Okay, take care!
Marla
Kim said,
February 3, 2010 at 10:18 am
Sea Turtles! They are my favorite! These turtles look very good compared to the ones we have seen in Maui. Their shells are clean and you can see their design clearly. Not in Maui, all the bacteria in the water has been a problem and their shells look filthy.
marinel said,
February 3, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Wow! What a great adventure! Maybe Boyet and Vey are sea turtles? Hee! Hee!
Administrator said,
February 8, 2010 at 6:35 pm
Hi Kim! Aren’t the sea turtles lovely? I loved them, too! But that’ sad to hear about the sea turtles in Maui. . . I’ll have to look that up and see what bacteria they’re having trouble with. Wonder how they got it? And what else that bacteria is affecting there? Hope they can save the Palawan coral reefs. . .