A Weekend in the Mountains

Aloha everyone! Greetings to all the members of this wonderful community. I have been meaning to share my own weekend story some time ago but I kept postponing because I was quite hesitant. But now, I have gathered enough courage so I am sharing how my recent weekend transpired.

My husband and I drove away from home on Sunday morning (17th October) toward the other side of the mountain because we needed to go and pay our last respects to my uncle (one of Dad's younger brothers). He succumbed to ill health last week and went to his final slumber on Friday. We were very shocked and saddened to learn of his early passing. He was only 58, and the first amongst my father's siblings to leave this world due to sickness. His fourth stroke didn't spare him his life.

As we ascended toward the mountains, we observed lots of vegetable terraces or farms farther away from the main road. I am just glad that some of the pine trees are still maintained and they exist amongst those farmlands.

After driving for about 45 minutes, we came across this carrot plantation by the roadside. I couldn't help but admire how green the farms were and the crops were still healthy and safe despite the recent storm that ravaged many crops downtown. This was captured using my phone camera while I was seated at the passenger's side and the good hubby drove slowly.

Driving farther up, there are more tracks of lands planted mostly with root crops. This part of town seems to love carrots! I am literally in awe because of how those terraces looked from a distance!

We drove for another 40 minutes or so before we arrived at my uncle's place. We were welcomed by these pink and yellow Peruvian Lilies (alstroemeria) along the walls of the roads leading to my uncle's little compound. These might have been planted by my cousins or their workers, I am not sure as I didn't ask. But these blooms surely add colors to the roadsides.

My uncle lives in their own compound together with 3 of their siblings. It is at the same place where my grandparents lived when they were still alive. It is at the base of a tall mountain and an hour and a half drive away from our little kingdom. The main livelihood of people in this town is vegetable farming and the town's produce are called "highland vegetables" and are favorites amongst our countrymen.

We parked along with other cars and trucks in one of the vacant farms. And because the crops were recently harvested, the soil is still loose, hence, the mud on the tires.

The farm boy (my husband) and I then went sightseeing around the vast farms because we know that we won't have another time.

These (below) are called cabbages. They are grown mostly in this part of town and other coldest places because pests tend to stay away from them. They can be harvested 75 days or more after they're planted depending on how they are taken care of.

And here is another carrot plantation. It is one of my other uncle's farms which he let migrant workers cultivate and he would just visit them from time to time as he and his family live in the city.

We basically spent the whole Sunday listening to jokes, stories, and songs of people who came all the way from different places just to pay my uncle a visit for the last time. There were quite a few people who stayed all night and rendered songs and stories among themselves.

My uncle was sent to his final resting place mid-day of Monday and after settling other things, the farm boy and I drove down the mountain and came home to our little kingdom. We have had an exhausting weekend but had some fun spending with our relatives too. I must say that Sunday and Monday were times well-spent.

So yes, that's how our weekend went so far and we came home just in time for me to catch the presale of BCHPad on the SmartBCH network.

Thank you everyone for indulging me and I wish you all a beautiful Wednesday!

Cheers!