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!