My high school days were in St. Teresita's College in Lubuagan, the capital then of Kalinga. Lubuagan was two mountains away from Taloctoc. For a seasoned hiker, the trek took only 4 hours; but for me, it was a 6-7 hour-hike to home. I was always asked to take the lead during these hikes as they knew I would be left behind and "lost", if I did not. I was considered the "weakling", not so much used to the rigors of Taloctoc life. This is because I stayed in the city of
The trail was narrow and treacherous, winding its way through the mountains. We passed by waterfalls, streams and a variety of biota, plants I have seen only there and the view had always been breathtaking whenever we reached the summit. At the peak, we can view the little barrio nestled at the foot of the opposite mountain like a miniature toy, with the coconut trees jutting among the less than a hundred nipa huts.
It was a welcomed rest as soon as we reach that point, as we know the trek downhill was easier. I remembered getting so hungry, (I forgot to bring something to eat) but it was no problem as guavas and blueberries grew everywhere.
At the end of the hike, before we could reach the barrio itself, we have first to cross the raging currents of the
The
The barrio folk would wait patiently by the riverbank every Friday evening to ensure that their kids were back home safely. During inclement weather, all of them would be there shouting assurances to us and to those who were assisting us across the river by the use of rafts and pulleys.
Those were the days.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
THE TREK FROM LUBUAGAN TO TALOCTOC
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MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD
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4 comments:
I found you, finally. No wonder you lost your blog site before.
Anyway this trek was very long and treacherous that I can remember.
he he he, yeah, slowly building it up again. Laborious indeed
jean walker,
you did a dijavu there for a while. it took me a long trek around goole world to track you down,what happened? nice to know you are back.
Some form of depression, he he he...thanks for looking for me guys...and giving me inspiration again.
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