In the Dwarfed Garden Once More

The iconic Kapurpurawan view 

Now a horse landscape

It was also my third time in Kapurpurawan (Ilocano for whiteness) rock.  I am always fascinated by the landform and its landscape even though it is slowly deteriorating with the addition of attractions, just to make it tourist friendly. Now they have a pedestrian walk and a horse path going to the white rocks. When I first visited, I wore out the soles of my slippers walking through the jagged edges of the craggy surface. It in itself was the adventure as the ordeal took me almost more than 20 minutes.  Now you glide your way to the end. They removed the rough part, the fun of the experience. 

The many pools against the dwarfed greens

Dwarf linu

Bantigue looking like grass

This time I still took the same amount of time because I was admiring how beautiful the landscape still is.  It is indeed a unque one, with species which I know as large trees or shrubs were growing much smaller, almost hugging the ground.  Almost all the surrounding landscape has dwarfed flora, probably because of the limited soil, the strong winds and the turbulent influx of tides. Small tree species like bantigue (Pemphis acidula), linu (Scaevola taccada) and Sophora tomentosa are growing like ground covers. The bakong and pandan even grow taller than the trees, which was quite ironic. 

The dominant bakong

Plant from family Compositae

The extreme naturally bonsai trees (if you could still call them that as they do not appear like trees at all) add an air of mystic to the varied landscape of Ilocos Norte.  I just wish they would stay that way longer.  I would hate to see more structures and hardscape erected to the detriment of its natural environment.

 

White rock Kapurpurawan is famous for