Lubo and all the Memories It Brings

I previously lived in Taloctoc, a far-flung barrio in the heart of Kalinga. Taloctoc has neighboring villages like Lubo and Mangali. These villages or barrios are an hour or two away from Taloctoc; Mangali is a one hour hike for me, while Lubo, well , I do not know yet, because I’ve never been there. It would only be an hour's trek for seasoned hikers. For me, perhaps 2 to 3 hours?

But I had always wanted to visit Lubo. It was my heart’s desire. Why? Let me tell you a little secret- my puppy love and first love has resided there…lol…. Oooops, that seems like a thousand of eons ago, in another planet..the first emotions of young love are sometimes fascinating.

I am smiling as I write this because I remember how naïve and dreamy-eyed I had been thinking that he could sweep me off my feet and carry me to Wonderland in his shining armor.

In some ways, he did, but had eventually left my young, vulnerable heart broken and torn apart, that I never thought I could recover from. Young hearts may grieve tremendously; however, there is nothing that time cannot heal.

Eventually, I met my one true love - my better half, and realized that my doubts about being able to allow my heart to beat again, is all for nothing. Young arteries and vascular veins heal with the passage of time.

I don’t regret though what had happened then; I had experienced life to its fullest with my moments with him. It was a joyful, thrilling and once-in a lifetime ride.

Up to this day, the shadow of this person from Lubo visits me now and then, and I smile as the memories flood over. After all, he has been part of my wonderful life!

His name? I have forgotten now.

I'm kidding...hmmmm, shall I reveal it? I guess it's safe already. I have silver hairs and gnarled hands now. Old age can give you the license to be "brutally" candid.

It starts with a letter "P". LOL

N.B.

I was overjoyed when I saw this picture taken by a very skilled and talented photographer, Jerry Tieng, who has extensively traveled to Lubo ( I envy you) and has taken numerous stunning pictures of the place. This is a view of Lubo from the mountain top, courtesy of Jerry.



ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER



JERRY TIENG works with Titanium Technologies. Some of his hobbies- aside from photography- are scuba diving, history, geo-politics and mountaineering. He is a multi-talented person.

He describes himself as:

Bootstrap entrepreneur, photographer, web apps developer, database designer, business analyst, frustrated architect, mountaineer wannabe, proud dad of 2 girls...

His photographs are works of art that ought to be displayed to a wider audience. You should visit his website and photo gallery or his Facebook page - facebook.com/jerrytieng.

This generous young man had readily agreed to "lend" me his photographs.

Thanks Jerry for allowing me to use these awesome pictures.

Lubo, Tanudan in the Eyes of Nats

These are scenic views of Lubo, Tanudan from the mountain crest. The scenes are picture perfect and breathtaking. You should see them in person to appreciate them more. These are only some views that can captivate you. Try the bubbling Chico River, the incredible flora and fauna and the amazing landscape, and you will know what paradise on earth means.

Tanudan is composed of three barrios or villages, Lubo, Mangali and Taloctoc. These three places hold their own attraction and natural beauty: verdant, towering mountains, azure sky with white fluffy clouds drifting by, and the clear, rambling Chico River.



Nats Dalanao took these beautiful pictures and I thank him for allowing me to use them in this blog to let other people know how beautiful Kalinga is, particularly Lubo.

Nats says: “This is my job, administering all the computer network infrastructure of the City Hall, making it sure that everybody is connected to the database on the central server...”

I am sure he does his job well aside from being an artist and a superb photographer. Enjoy these pictures, which were taken firsthand by Nats himself.