Discovering Talakag, Bukidnon. Beyond the Green Imagination

Hello @worldmappin. This is @nilewrites once again, and this is my second time creating a travel blog in this very supportive community.

Visiting a new place for the first time is very exciting, agree? You would be imagining what everything looks like based on the prior ideas you have about that place.

Imagining how Talakag, Bukidnon, looks created an exciting feeling in my head. I imagined lush greenery, small huts along the way, and a few people beside the road, and others on their farm along the road.

We reached Talakag at exactly 8 in the morning. Though the sun was already high, the misty, cold wind greeted us, bringing so much refreshing feeling to our senses. We had to visit my partner’s old friend in college.

We stopped at their municipal plaza when the kids saw their unique benches. Those are uniquely designed benches forming an oval shape, which looks interesting. The plaza was surrounded by tall Indian trees, which made the place even colder and mistier amidst the heat of the sun.

The ground was covered with Bermuda grass that made it look serene and green. Very pleasing to everybody’s eyes. On the other corner was the covered court, standing proudly under the trees.

Adjacent to the municipal plaza is the St. Joseph Parish church in mint green and yellow colors. While on the other side was their Talakag Municipal Hall Building, in white colored two-storey building.

The structures we saw were quite far from what I had in my imagination before reaching the place. The real Talakag showed a developed town, complete with necessary facilities, banks, cooperatives, and other establishments, manifesting a progressive municipality.

We went on with our travel as we were 30 minutes away from my partner’s friend’s home. Along the road, we noticed a small house with a sign outside saying “Sikwate Haven”. The cold feeling made us all decide to stop and sip a cup of hot chocolate. We stopped, went inside that small hut, and ordered our hot chocolates.

The small place was surrounded by papaya plants bearing fruit. The small hut was comfortable, and the cold, misty wind was perfect. It gave us a feeling of serenity and peace as we waited for our food. The kids who were obviously tired of the travel sat comfortably on the portable chairs while enjoying the beautiful, lush surroundings around the place.

Our hot chocolate cups were served along with the puto-maya (a rice delicacy of the Filipinos that is best eaten with coffee or hot chocolate). The kids enjoyed their drink and finished everything inside the cup. They said they love the taste of sikwate.

That small hut satisfied our taste buds and gave us the unforgettable comfort. One day, when we pass by the place again, we will surely stop and have another sip of their sikwate. Talakag is a good place to be.

Our short but memorable stop in Talakag reminded us that sometimes the beauty of travel lies not just in the destinations we plan, but in the little surprises we encounter along the way. From the refreshing morning breeze to the warmth of a cup of sikwate, Talakag gave us comfort, peace, and lasting memories worth coming back to.