Escapade #1: MOOOOO-re Fun!

Now that you more or less familiar with each of our dates and the sweet surprises they had in store for us...this question must now be bugging your mind, our dear reader: “So where did we end up going for our date?” Well, wait no longer for we have reached the final chapter of our story. From this point onwards, we will be revealing to you each of the places we went to, as well as the many surprises we encountered.

Before the start of this adventure, each one of us strangely felt the same emotions. We recall the excitement building up in us more and more as the days went by. A lot of planning was done before the trip. Despite the many things we had to do to plan, we all agreed that anticipating the date felt like an eternity-- we could hardly wait! All of us started to imagine what we would see and learn. We could all imagine the endless fun we would experience as we went on our dates together with the Almaciga love-bugs, the Love Guru and a few of his friends. Before the day of the trip, we expected that we would learn and obtain much knowledge and be able to enrich our minds even more. We also expected ourselves to be responsible by listening intently and taking down several notes for our diaries. Lastly, we all expected to have loads and loads of unforgettable moments and tons of fun!

Now, on to our first destination! Together with our dates, we headed to the Dairy Training and Research Institute located in the University of the Philippines Los Banos or DTRI for short. Just by the sound of the name of this place, we all made guesses as to what to expect. Could it be “to learn how milk is produced, the different gadgets used to milk the cows and how dairy products are made and processed”?

Upon arriving, the excitement was undoubtedly overflowing within us. When we, with our dates and Almaciga love-bugs, were settled in this enormous room, a person we had never met before entered and introduced herself as Tita A. She was unquestionably friendly and well-educated on dairy training and research. As she began talking and explaining, no one dared play around or disrupt Tita A. The talk she gave was very interesting that each tried his or her best to scribble down, as swiftly as we could, the words and explanations that she spoke. We all found out brand new information we never knew before. 

Did you know that there are actually 2 types of cattle? These would be the dairy and beef cattle. While beef cattle produce only milk good for one glass, the dairy cattle is capable of producing 8- 25 liters of milk!! Imagine how many thirsty children that can satisfy! Before, we all thought the milking a cow is as simple as ABC and 123. But it's not. There is a specific machine needed for milking cattle. And it was only here where we found out that it is not enough to just grab the udders of cow and start milking- you have to accomplish several steps before this. So milking cattle is definitely no joke! Tita A explained that they use Artificial Insemination. Why? For 1 main reason – so that more cattle may be produced. And dear readers, did you know that cows and bulls don't eat only grass? There are other kinds of food they eat besides grass to make them high in protein and other areas.

During our stay here, we did not only learn about cows, bulls, milk and the matters related to those. (We think you guys are already familiar with stuff like those.) Along the way, we encountered various organisms that greatly caught our attention.

Kantutay- an enchanting sight

The Kantutay. It is a small but an enchanting sight. It is actually the first organism that made us stop on our tracks to take the time to appreciate its beauty. People in the scientific field would know this to be the Lantana Camera. This yellow and pink colored flower is a producer like other plants and may be used for medicine. Check out the family information of the Kantutay:

KINGDOM- Plantae; PARTITION- Magnoliophyta; CLASS- Magnoliopsida; ORDER- Lamiales; FAMILY- Verbenacae; GENUS- Lantana; SPECIES- Lantana camera

Santan- the majestic red boquet

The second interesting plant we encountered was actually a common plant to most - the Santan. Its bright red colors would attract many to it. The Ixora coccinea is usually grown in gardens or yards. This producer is used for protection in very warm climates. It was the color that made us write about this plant. Here are more scientific stuff on it:

KINGDOM- Plantae; PARTITION- Magnoliophyta; CLASS- Magnoliopsida; ORDER- Gentianales; FAMILY- Rubiaceae; GENUS- Ixoras; SPECIES- Ixoras coccinea

Bull- a helpful creature 

Thanks to James, we were able to find a bull in this haven. The friendly creature is a herbivore which is very helpful and needed in the beef and dairy farming. We chose this to be included in our diaries because of its color, and robust body. 

KINGDOM- Animalia; PHYLUM- Chordata; CLASS- Mammalia; ORDER- Artiodactyla; FAMILY- Bovidae; GENUS- Bos; SPECIES- Bos tarus

Cow- a gentle organism 

Besides the bull, we also found a cow and chose to feature it in this blog. Thanks to another good old reliable herbivore friend, we have the best of meats and milk, ice cream and cheese to keep us all happy and healthy. Their scientific specie name is the Bos tarus. Other facts are:

KINGDOM- Animalia; PHYLUM- Chordata; CLASS- Mammalia; ORDER- Artiodactyla; FAMILY- Bovidae; GENUS- Bos; SPECIES- Bos tarus

Cattail- the attractive plant

The last organism we spotted and encountered in this area is none other than the Cattail. (Typha) It was a peculiar looking plant, so we approached it. It was very interesting in shape and color. This producer not only beautifies the environment but helps keep us alive through the oxygen it provides.

KINGDOM- Plantae; PARTITION- Angiosperms; CLASS- Monocots; ORDER- Poales; FAMILY- Typhaceae; GENUS- Typha

Before we close, we will clarify possible puzzling questions some of you may have. Could it be that you are wondering why in the world we would go on a date to this place and do such activities? Well, we had this date, which really turned out to be more like an exploration, to be able to experience something new, something out of the ordinary. 

We went on this date because of several wonderful reasons: 1) We wanted to be exposed to more of God's beautiful and wonderful creation. 2) We desired to learn more about the rich biodiversity we are blessed with. We realized that our beautiful country, the Philippines, is rich and abundant with many of this. We might not believe this due to the fact that we are surrounded with factories, industries, steel infrastructure, and yes, even over crowded communities. But if we took the time to explore our beloved country, we are sure that everyone will be in awe as we gaze upon the beautiful richness of our biodiversity. We joined this trip to be able to appreciate it, learn more about and lastly, find more ways to conserve it. 3) Finally, we went on this most special date because we wanted to share all of these experiences with the people closest to us (next to our families)...and this time it is not our dates, but our fellow 'Tree' love bugs and Love Guru and our other “guro's”!!!