Talakag Christmas Lights 2014

These are just some of the lights on display around the Plaza in Talakag this Christmas.

 

 

Wishing all Talakagnons

 

a Merry Christmas

and

a Happy New Year!

Scenic Drive to Basak, Talakag

Yesterday, we went for a drive and (for a change) we drove beyond Talakag Poblacion towards Sto Nino.

Field being prepared for Pineapple Plantation

Dwarf Papaya Plantation

Since the road is now concrete, we continued for a bit and before we realised it, we were already in Dagumbaan.

Pepper Plantation in Dagumbaan

 

Eventually, we got to the Y-Junction looking at the signpost Cosina 22 kms straight ahead but the road looked rough and muddy.  So we decided to follow the concrete road to the right leading to Dominorog 35 kms, Ticalaan, Miarayon, Kalilangan 70 kms, amongst places listed on the signpost.  I have visited some of these places before but haven't been back for a very, very long time.  Driving around the bend took us downhill where you can see the winding road below.

This led us to Tal-uban Bridge.  We used to picnic at this river or even fetched water from here during the drought spell some 40 years ago ;-)  Unfortunately, the river is brown today due to heavy rain the previous night but you can just imagine its beauty if the water’s clear.  I heard there's a cave around here and it's known for a certain type of bats that can only be found in this area.  I've never been to the cave but if any of you out there have, please share your experience here.

The road across the bridge is concrete too so out of curiosity we decided to drive on, just to check out how far the concrete road goes.  We saw this jeepney coming so we followed it.

We drove past Basak and found that concrete road ends there so we turned back and were greeted with these awesome views.

Mt Kitanglad on the Horizon

Winding Road between Basak and Dagumbaan

Looking at Tal-uban Bridge from Basak side

On our way back, we happened to spot along the way the Contractor who was supervising some culvert work in the Basak area.  We got talking and he told us that some parts of the road after Basak are already concrete but some parts are still work-in-progress.  He estimates that it will take 2 hours to drive to Miarayon at its current state but said that the whole project will be completed by 2016.

You can follow the progress from this Blog.  I will be organising a circular convoy road trip from Talakag to Miarayon to Valencia, Malaybalay, Cagayan de Oro and back to Talakag once the whole concrete road is complete and officially opens.  I hope you will be able to join us.

So watch this space!

Talakag Celebrates its 4th Annual Farmers Day

The rains didn’t stop the Talakag farmers, their associates and the public from celebrating today.  The Programme started an hour late due to poor weather.  The grounds were wet and slippery but the rest of the morning remained dry enough to still allow us to do a shopping frenzy.

 

The Booths were full of fresh farm or garden picked vegetables, fruits, poultry and some handicrafts.  The prices were affordable too.

 

Dan Croft's Display of Animals



Bighoop Products Made by Local Women's Livelihood Programme

Bighoop Staff

Dole's Booth

Del Monte's Booth

Flavoured Milk Products

Photos below show some of the Barangay Booths displaying their products.




Here's some interesting and unusual finds.

Vegetables planted inside a piece of split bamboo pole.

Vegetables planted in recycled straw bags.

Red & White Beans and Miarayon Coffee

Simply grown from the back garden.

Handmade flowers and hats from corn husks.

Native Ampalaya

The purple vegetable tastes sour and can be used in sinigang dishes or inun-on.

Here's what I bought today:

Bulanghoy (Puto Cassava)



Sweet delights from Dole

Homemade Goats Milk Soap from Bighoop

Salad Vegetables from Dole

I have been coming to the Farmers Day for 4 years now.  It's an ideal opportunity to catch the experts and seek their advice on anything to do with agriculture and crafting.  As you can see from the photos, the products are varied and there's always some new ideas to try at home.  Hope to see you all again at next year’s Farmers Day!

Talakag, the Big Winner at Kaamulan 2014

Talakag bagged 2 major trophies during the Kaamulan 2014 Competition held in Malaybalay City, having won the following:

1^st place for the Float Category

1^st place for the Street Dancing Category

This achievement is very special as Talakag did not only beat all 21 contingents (usually there are only 7 competitors at the Kaamulan every year) but also won it during Bukidnon’s Centennial Year Celebrations.  This will certainly be recorded in our Talakagnon history.

Well done Talakag!

See Bukidnon Online for a complete list of winners.