Like Sweetened Lotus Seeds...

Hi All!

Ok the title may seem really weird BUT I'll explain it to you in a while alright? Once again, apologies for the long period of absence (Common Tests, School Work UGH...) been really tied down by slews of activities since the start of June and it probably would not abate till the END OF NOVEMBER. In any case, I managed to squeeze in a visit to the LOST COAST! That's right! The really isolated Eastern shore. Was expecting a long trudge through the forest and shrubs and mosquitos BUT to my HORROR, this experience was about to change entirely... :(

The characteristic open country landscape has given way to urban redevelopment! AUGH!!!

 The Lallang Fields, The Rhu Tree Forests (AKA in layman and inaccurate terms, Tropical Boreal Forests), The creek-of-no-source, ALL GONE! JUST LOOK! >:(

 Bare. Earth. Sand. Whatever. I'm Horrified.

 But to the east lies a remnant parcel of shrub-land. Interestingly, there's a unique purple flowered herb that dominates the landscape and has aromatic leaves and flowers. Anyone knows what that is...? :/

 And yea... though forests are gone, there now lies a distinct path to the shore. Here's the Northern (?) section and...

 the southern shore to the right. Lovely BUTTERFLY CLAMS of all colours, patterns and sizes litter the wrackline and a whole lot of other unusual shells hide among the shell mounds as well...

Tons upon tons of SMOOTH BEACH CLAMS, waiting eagerly for any sheller to make it his or her own. :)

 Shell sand everywhere! You'd kind of feel guilty stepping on them but they're just too darned many shells!!! Everywhere! XD

 This baby is a keeper! A PERFECT, BI-VALVED RAYED WINDOW PANE SHELL! Never before have I seen a perfect Jingle shell, let alone a BI-VALVED jingle shell! (*PLONKED INTO MY SHELLING BUCKET!*)

 Just chillin' by the coast~ (plus the darned sandflies! )

 Looks like someone just couldn't bear to part with his television... It's amazing how coastal debris of all sorts can find its way to our shores! It's important to remember that the ocean is NOT A dustbin!

 Strombus canarium , or more commonly known as the DOG CONCH or the GONG-GONG.

 The SCREW PINE! Keep away, far far away from it's leaves!

 And it's only now do we begin to question... WHERE DO ALL THESE LARGE AND EXOTIC SEASHELLS FROM!?!? like this COMMON DISTORSIO...

 Or these COMMON FIGS AND JAPANESE BONNET???

 This KITTEN PAW!? We'd almost never see these critters along our shores...

 And a huge huge huge Distorsio...

 On a side note, here's a live DOG CONCH. Threw it back into the sea since it still moved when I touched it...

 Presenting to you: LAND'S END, SINGAPORE HAHAHAHAHAHA Ok lame but yea... they look small but that's probably an understatement... they're taller than me, or twice of me I have no idea.

Hmm... An exposed root mat. Lovely. :)

 As we progressed up the shore, we approach a small bend where the water turns clearer, and the currents come into conflict...

 WELL! What do you know? A RIVER. In a recently established piece of land.

 And it is gorgeous. Give it a few more years, it would be a mangrove-lined nursery for all varieties of fishes, crustaceans (Like those in the Caribbean? :/ Who knows... :) )

 ~~~~~~

 This is one of a kind discovery that was probably thought to be impossible to find 10 years ago. Brechites penis, or the WATERPOT SHELL. In all seriousness, it's actually a BIVALVE with a pair of greatly reduced shells that no longer serve any purpose... (?) How wonderful is this?

 WATTLE WATTLE

 

And only now do we realise...

THE RECLAIMED LAND IS THE TREASURE TROVE OF THESE UNIQUE SHELLS. DOZENS OF THEM HIDDEN WITHIN THE CLIFF, WHILE COASTAL EROSION SLOWLY CHISELS OFF THE CLIFF AND REVEALS THEM! HAHA

 



 In any case, a quick shower and off to the BIODIVERSITY SHOWCASE AT VIVOCITY!

 and WHOOPS, forgot to mention the BELONGKENG SHELL found (at the expense of a muddied and soggy shoe)

And look at all these MUSHROOMS. Lost Coast is very much ALIVE!

Like Sweetened Lotus Seeds. What does that mean? Well, not sure if you have eaten these before but they are preserved lotus seeds coated with a layer of sugar. Generally bitter, the sugar injects a hint of sweetness into snack. Likewise, the Lost Coast may have been lost, but it is through this do we decide to sharpen our senses and pay more attention to our surroundings and only is it then can we find things we've never seen, hear sounds we've never heard, and experience things we've never even encountered. That's the beauty of Sweetened Lotus Seeds.

Turn Back the Clock~

Hi All,

Ok I know this post is long overdue... almost 3 months. Apologies once again. ._. It's been a really hectic 2014 so far, with all these induction programmes, lectures, CCAs and random activities that pop up here and there. That aside, the 1 week March Holiday has given me some time to squeeze in this blog post. Well, as mentioned every semester break would encompass a blog post on an overseas shelling destination. This time, were landing ourselves on the Isthmus of Kra (Aha! Big words for a non-geography student :P), on the Western coast of Krabi, Thailand! Yes! Koh Poda, Koh Kai, Koh Phi Phi etc... I believe that's what is going through your minds now but SORRY TO DISAPPOINT YOU. This December Dream nearly turned into a disaster. Yes, the usual flu, diarrhoea and headache... I even almost lost the energy to shell... And to make matters worse, the December Christmas peak season meant that most of the shores were wiped clean of any beautiful pickings... Tragic. :( Nonetheless, here's a quick summary of the whole trip, though it may not seem wonderfully glorious as it was thought to be... :'(

 Ok, this is the left wing of the famed Ao Nang Beach... It's a little hazy though but in any case, the view is something that is worth a snapshot...

 The sunset... Right wing of Ao nang. The shore is parked with numerous long-tail boats, quintessential of Krabi and other coastal tourist destinations in Thailand.

 And of course, the Cabaret Show just down the street...

 No shells collected on the first day, but spotting this brown tree frog just outside by room brought a little sunshine to the rain...

 I could even hold it... :D

 Spider Frog~ Spider Frog~

 Day 2: My parents decided to be adventurous so the family booked a package to experience some White Water Rafting! Mind you this  river is in the middle of Phang Nga, 3 hours away from Ao Nang so if you're just interested in rafting, it's highly encouraged that you visit somewhere else.

 THAT BEING SAID, it was a really WONDERFUL experience, getting to swim in the rapids and stuff...

 This is the entrance to the waterfall. Sounds wonderful eh?

Sadly, NO.

 Another sunset shot of Ao Nang... Yea the rafting was fun but... it the sense of fulfilment does not strike you when you do not get at least a decent shell.

 Loads of shell sand though. Mainly COCKLE and VENUS CLAM shells. Occasionally you'd find some Murex pieces in the pile.

 Low tide reveals some promising evidence of a better shell haul...

 Shell art at Susan Hoi (Shell Cemetery)

 Now, some online research revealed that this beach could yield some promising specimens. Nopparat Thara Beach.

 Another Long-Tail Boat...

 Magnificence of the sun... Look at the purple hue of the sky.

 And of course, not a gem but at least something that's of collection standard. A MARGINED CONCH.

  Also, in a desperate attempt, we (Dad and I) decided to shell at 1a.m. after our Thai massage. By the way, that's what I found. A PEBBLE CRAB. There were dozens of these critters scurrying beneath the surf, only to get stranded on the shore once the waves retreated.

 Morning on the last day, and to my surprise, this shore is teeming with life. Low tide does present so much more...

 TIGER MOON SNAILS, HUNDREDS OF THEM all across the sand. I found one of these recently at PULAU UBIN. The Tiger Moon Snail has a geographic range that spans nearly the whole Indo-Pacific region. Apparently, it is also consumed as street food in some parts of Thailand... :/

 What are they doing? I have no interest whatsoever in finding out. ;P

 JELLYFISHING JELLYFISHING! A HUGE JELLYFISH! This guy is massive. I tried to place him back into the sea but ended up decapitating his head from his tentacles... :(((

 

Ao Nang, Right wing...

 Two different species of MOON SNAILS. :)

 The headland that separates Railay from Ao Nang. :)

 ROCK SEA SLUG! Look at it's camouflage!

 

WHOOPS!

 Railay~ Unvisited though. ._.

 and the mystical cave!!!

 MMHMM!

 These TROUGH SHELLS were also a common sight along the beaches. :)

 Tried to save another...And guess who decapitated another Jellyfish? ._.

 Sand Dollar Test!

 And yes, this is the end. P.s. while flying back to Singapore (Entering from the South), we passed some islands that had beautiful waters!!! YES I have no idea what these islands are but if anyone has any knowledge of them, please feel free to post a comment! Your help is greatly appreciated!

Ok, so that's all I have. On a side note, I chanced upon the INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEAN-UP SINGAPORE webpage while doing some background research for my PI. Yes! Do participate in this meaningful activity! Personally, it doesn't matter whether you sign up or not but as long as everyone does their part in keeping our shores clean, it will definitely make a profound difference to our coastlines and all its inhabitants (And that include seashells too! :) )