Kap Pa

I don't know what to call these clams. "Clams" is way too general and I do not have a more specific English term at my disposal. I'll just adopt the Hokkien name for these. Kappa/Kap Pa. Kappa is a brand. So Kap Pa.

They live in muddy beaches. And when I say they live in the mud, I mean they live IN the mud. You won't get to them unless you wade your way through the sticky, gooey stuff and stick your hands straight into it. I fully understand why most of the people I know do not fancy digging for these. As for me, I spent a large chunk of my childhood digging at the beach and messing in the mud. My dad says I even caught crabs when I was little, but I have no memory of that.

So before I leave for Perth for the second leg of my adventure, I decided to relive part of my childhood. At the same muddy beach I dug for Kap Pa more than 10 years ago.

The place did not change much.

One thing did change though. The Kap Pa were significantly smaller compared to those found during my excavations 10 years ago. The locals told us it was due to development close by. The bigger ones appeared to have left for greener pastures. Or greyer pastures, since it's mud they live in.

The bigger ones selected for a photo. 10 years ago, I would have called these "small".

We all know who did the selecting...

Dad said, remember to bring your kids to dig for clams. Other kids would probably never get a chance to be so close to nature.

I said, kids? Wait till I get some of those. :P