Dole’s Cabarosak Park

Talakag has now got a Park, thanks to Dole who built it for its workers and opened it to the public as well. Cabarosak Park is located on top of a hill, in the midst of the Dole Banana Plantation in the Malinao area of San Isidro, not too far away from the Dole Packing Station. If it’s going to be your first visit, take someone who’s actually been there before to guide you as the Park is not well signposted. Beware as you could easily get lost amongst the vast hectares of banana trees. Have a look at the photos I’ve posted here and you’ll see what I mean.

Cabarosak Park is built on 3 levels. On the first level, you’ll find the parking area, the entrance, the picnic huts, a barbecue area, toilet facilities, the hanging bridge crossing over a creek, a water fountain, a fish pond and botanic garden. On the second level is the Dining Hall which is screened from mosquitoes and flies. It has bamboo seats, tables and even washing facilities. On the third level, you’ll find a play area with swings, see-saw and monkey bar for the children to enjoy. There’s also a 4-storey view deck that provides a spectacular 360-degree views around Talakag, including the sky, mountains, farms and banana trees as far as your eyes can see.

For a while Cabarosak Park was our best kept secret as we wanted to keep the place to ourselves. It’s a nice and quiet place to enjoy a picnic, read a book, or even a short siesta. Jim and I love going up there during the week (weekends can be crowded nowadays). In as much as I love showing my friends and visitors around Talakag, I have only just recently started to share Cabarosak Park with them. After this post, I doubt whether it’s going to be our best kept secret for long.