Island Cove Adventure: Snakes & Crocs

We silently entered the hut leading to the Crocodile’s lair. Once inside, we saw a brave man casually handling a yellow python as shown by the pix below. For a fee, we were able to have our pictures taken with the snake wrapped around us.

Yellow Python, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Aside from the snake, there is also a baby crocodile which is also being handled by the same man. The baby croc’s mouth was taped shut so that it woudn’t be able to bite off the tourists as they have their pictures taken while carrying it. Look at those menacing eyes. I guess it’s not happy to have its mouth taped off.

Small Croc, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Finally, we beheld the stars of the show — the big crocodiles. We noticed that some of the crocodiles were very still with their mouths wide open. The zookeepers told us that it was their way of releasing heat since they don’t sweat. Interesting bit of trivia there. In addition, for P80 only, you could feed the croc a dead chicken. We got curious so we tried it. The zookeeper tied the chicken with a rope while we held the other end. Slowly, we lowered the chicken. Even before the chicken hit the water, the croc jumped up and snatched the chicken with its powerful jaws. It was action-packed but a bit too barbaric for our taste.

Big Crocs, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Finally, we’ve completed our tour of Animal Island and on our way out, I took a picture of the big gates and I could not help but be reminded of the movie King Kong:

King Kong’s Gate, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Thus ended our wonderful and very interesting tour of Animal Island and of Island Cove itself. After having our afternoon snacks and a quick rest, we finally boarded the bus back to Manila.

Island Cove Adventure: A Big Bird, A Quiet Deer & a Playful Monkey

On our next stop, we were greeted by another big, flightless bird which is more accomodating (and sometimes too accomodating) than the proud cassowary — the ostrich. The funny thing about the ostrich is that they are not afraid of people. When the ostrich notices that you are taking its picture then without warning it would look straight into your lens, open its big beak and would suddenly lunge towards you in an attempt to bite your camera. This happened to me not a few times.

Ostrich, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Enough birds already. Our next stop is the humble Philippine Deer. They are quiet and peaceful creatures as the pix below shows:

Philippine Deer, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Our next destination would be the highlight of our Animal Island Tour. But before we got there, I took a snapshot of a playful little monkey:

Playful Monkey, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Next would be Snakes and Crocs… Stay tuned!

Island Cove Adventure: More Feathery Friends

Continuing on, we chanced upon a very serious-looking eagle:

Musing Eagle, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

It seemed like the eagle caught this serious streak from its neighbor, the equally stern-looking owl that seemed straight out of the Legend of the Guardians movie:

Wise Owl, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Moving on to a less serious note, we were happy to see a smiling hornbill:

Smiling Hornbill, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

More animal pix on the next post, stay tuned! 🙂

Island Cove Adventure: An Encounter with Birds

After a great meal and a power nap, it’s time to put on our fedoras and to proceed with our exploration of the island.

The first animal that we encountered is this bald eagle which was as curious of us as we were of him:

Curious Bald Eagle, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Moving along, we were greeted by a large, flightless and proud-looking cassowary. It didn’t even give us a glance as we checked it out:

Proud Cassowary, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Out of nowhere, this duck hurriedly stumbled past us to our surprise and we were almost expecting that it would cry out, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” 🙂

Cowardly Duck, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Island Cove Adventure: A Sad Reality, Four Plants & a Cannon

After circling the cabanas and reaching the edge of the island, we saw a sad reality. In stark contrast with the beauty of Island Cove, the river that runs alongside it is unclean, foul-smelling and full of floating trash. I was able to get a snapshot of a little boy on a little boat as he swiftly rowed away:

Rowing Away, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

It was a tiring walk so after some time we decided to go back to our hut and rested for a while. While resting I caught sight of these four plants all in a straight row:

Four of a Kind, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Our next stop is the Animal Island. A giant cannon greeted as as we entered:

Cannon, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Pictures of the animals will be next. See you in the next post!

Island Cove Adventure: A Giant Chess, A Lake & Circular Stuffs

It was a great sunny day and it’s very nice to roam around. There was another company also having a teambuilding so we decided to go where there were fewer persons around. We immediately saw the giant chess pieces right outside the entrance to Oceania. Those chess pieces were just screaming to have their pictures taken. Afterwards, we went around some more and saw the edge of the island near the lake and beside the cabanas.

Here are some of the shots that I took during this time:

Giant Chess, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Seeing Through, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Choices, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Island Cove Adventure: Trellises & Creepy Things

Our first stop were the trellises. I like trellises. They have an air of mystery around them. One could just imagine the creepy vines as they weave their way in and around those posts with some even breaking through the concrete. The interweaving shadows that were created as the sunlight hits the parallel wooden bars and the old, rusty wrought-iron lamps added so much to the ambience. The occasional flowers that have sporadically sprung forth gave an overall feeling of loneliness and solitude to the place. And that’s what makes it a perfect subject for us shutterbugs.

Trellis, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Blooming, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Old Lamp, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Inception, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Island Cove Adventure: Teaser

Last Saturday, we went to our Company Outing at Island Cove in Cavite. We had a great time, not just because of the free food and the R&R but because it was also a great time for photography. Here are some teaser pictures. Complete set in upcoming posts.