BATANES... a piece of Paradise

July 26-29, 2013

 

OVERVIEW*

 

The Province of Batanes (Tagalog pronunciation: [ba'tan'es], (Ilokano: Probinsya ti Batanes), (Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Batanes), also called the Batanes Islands, is an island province comprising ten islands that are located in the Luzon Strait between the islands of Luzon and Taiwan. It is the northernmost part of the Philippines and is also the smallest province, both in terms of population and land area.

The island group is located about 162 km north of Luzon and about 190 kilometers south of Taiwan, separated from the Babuyan Islands of Cagayan Province, Luzon, by the Balintang Channel and from Taiwan by the Bashi Channel.

The provincial capital is Basco on Batan Island and the only other inhabited islands are Itbayat and Sabtang. The northernmost island of the province, making it the northernmost island in the Philippines, is Mavudis (Y'ami) Island. Other islands in the chain are Misanga, Siayan, Ivuhos, and Dequey.^[1]

The province is officially in the region of Cagayan Valley.
The islands are part of the Luzon Volcanic Arc.

 *credit to Wikipedia

 

THE ARRIVAL

 

Basco Airport

Early morning of July 26, 2013, we took a direct flight from Manila to Basco via PAL Express at NAIA Terminal 3. Departed on time, after an hour and 40 minutes in the sky, a glimpse of paradise in the sunrise approached us as we glide towards Basco Airport. The weather was good, SUNNY. 

 

A tour agency from Manila arranged our package in Batanes, greeted with a very warm smile of Ate Remy Santos, our tour guide in our 4D/3N Batanes escape. We proceed to Batanes Seaside Lodge to freshen up, leave our things and get ready to explore Northern Batan Island.

 

Only few airline companies fly to Batanes. PAL Express recently ventured into reaching Batanes with three weekly flights available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Sky Pasada have regular flights from Tuguegarao City however, Skyjet and Seair both have no flights during this time.

THE TOUR

Day 1 (July 26, 2013) Northern Batan Island Tour   

 

Clear blue sky and bright sunlight was with us despite the heavy rains in Visayas and Mindanao.

Seaside view

 

 

A private tour was organized for the six of us that started at 9am.  Itinerary covers most part of the Northern Batan Island. The view is really stunning. Every twist on the winding Batanes highway, a spectacular view is chasing us as we drive. 

 

All you can say is "WOW"! You can't stop yourself from clicking your cameras, taking pictures on each view as we move ahead.

 

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Tukon Radar Station

We headed up to the hills where we visited Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Tukon. The Church was built by Abad Family for the residents of Tukon for them to celebrate the mass near the area instead of going downtown. It was a very beautiful Church built on the hills overlooking the West Philippine Sea on the left and the Pacific Ocean on the right. A fabulous view of Mt. Iraya on the other part of the island. Stunning view awaits when we further drove up for a quick visit on the Tukon Radar Station of PAG-ASA. A breath of fresh air despite the striking heat of the sun in the near mid-day. Sunblock is really a must since you can't stop yourself from exploring every angle of the place.

 

Fundacion Pacita

After minutes of stay at the shed near the Radar Station, we went our way to the most famous Fundacion Pacita. It is owned by Abad Family. This resort was once a studio and being developed to offer a very relaxing and comfortable tourist accommodation on the hill. 

 

A very narrow paved street connecting the resort from the road, greens are everywhere, gardens are soothing with the fresh air coming from the ocean. Though the resort was closed during this season, we were given a chance to take a peek at the some parts of the resort. Never ending picture taking, click here, click there, pose here, pose there. The place was great, far from the town, far from the noise. I can just imagine stargazing at night, feeling the breeze, having coffee with the moon, how romantic!  

 

inside Japanese Tunnel

Just a short distance from Fundacion Pacita lies the Japanese Tunnel. We went into an entrance on one side of the mountain and came out on a 45-60 degrees angle climb in order to reach the other side. There are lots of rooms in the tunnel, maybe used as quarters, storage and sleeping areas by the Japanese during the World War II. Until now, these tunnels are still there, with bats and other insects residing. 

 

It is safe inside, flashlights are provided by our tour guide. Maybe snakes were being driven away before we went inside (you can't help but think of possible creepy crawlies and snakes since caves are their favorite resting areas). But in this case, since these are one of the tourists attractions, authorities might as well ensure safety of the area.

Valugan Boulder Beach

It's almost mid-day and were heading to Valugan Boulder Beach. It is one of a kind wherein huge rocks of different colors and shapes are in replacement of the usual fine beach sands. You may be wondering as to where did this stones come from, I myself also asks this question. 

 

It's a long stretch of this kind of beach in the area. Swimming maybe allowed here, just be careful not to hit the strong waves that will drive you towards the stones. You can't go farther also since there are selected water currents in the area. Such a nice wonder, such a nice place to relax, breathing the fresh air from the sea, enjoying the heat of the sun. 

 

Brgy. San Joaquin fiesta

After all those nice sceneries we have witnessed, it's time for us to energize for the afternoon's event. Lucky for us, Brgy. San Joaquin celebrated its fiesta. Ate Remy asks us if we want to go to a fiesta. Since we want to experience more of Batanes, we immediately agreed. We come to taste Batanes delicacies, know more of their culture. 

 

We visited Ate Remy's friend, fortunate to be their first visitors and being welcomed with a very warm smile. The food is ready, smells so good, looks so delicious. It's our first time to use bread leaf (leaf of the breadfruit) as our plates. They served us with some Batanes delicacies like Yellow Turmeric rice, meatballs (i forgot the name, made of one part of banana mixed with shrimps and etc) UBER delicious, who would forget the kare-kare and the buko pandan.

 

Vayang Rolling Hills

Mouth watering feast helped us regain our energy. Got fueled-up with delicious food from the fiesta, we're back on track with our exploration. We're going straight back up the hills, following a road leading to nowhere until we saw ranch. It was located on top of the hill where all we can see are the vast greenfield, clear blue sky and the very inviting blue ocean. Vayang rolling hills offers a lush green pasture with healthy cows freely roaming the area. They really have good source of food as the grass were all green and healthy too. When we got out f our van, a feeling of FREEDOM awaits us as we want to run free on the greens. We went to one side of the hill where we can see a beach, the views were really stunning. I can't help but sit on the hillside.

 

Despite the heat, you can't feel it as the wind blows freely and took away heat of the sun. Spent quite time in Vayang Rolling Hills, enjoying the tranquility of the place, the beauty of the clear blue skies, the clouds on the mountain top, the horizon where the sky meets the ocean, the nearby islands, the vast greens and the cows, who would have thought a paradise in the northern part of the Philippines exists. Can't barely describe the feeling of what the nature had offered us. From the hustle and bustle of the city life in the Metropolitan to the ever simple life in the rurals, enjoying natures gifts, what a life!!! A simple treat to ourselves!

 

Naidi Lighthouse

Our journey continues to the ever-famous Naidi Lighthouse. Located on the hill near Basco, can be reached through bicycle or even a 20-30 minute walk from the center of town. Naidi Lighthouse is overlooking the sea and Basco seaport. 

It contributed the additional feature of Basco having a very nice lighthouse within its vicinity. It has also a cafe near the location, unfortunately it was closed during this season. I am not sure if during peak season they will be opened because it's nice to unwind near the area. 

Naidi Lighthouse during sunset

The lighthouse, though not functional is very well-maintained. They have just put a fence for the cows near the area cannot stay within its perimeter. As Batanes is known for stone houses, lighthouse also is made out of big stones. Typical Batanes feeling as you can see most of the structures are well within the same features.  

We went there at around 2pm where we got to see the lighthouse under the blue skies. Nice facade and simple garden surrounding the lighthouse. With less than an hour of exploring the place, we decided to go back to our hotel for us to rest and be back during sunset. 

Strategically located up the hill can capture a fantastic view of the sunset. Walking back to the lighthouse from our hotel, it took us 20-30 minutes. Sunset in the area was amazing, we didn't get a chance to go inside the perimeter, we just roamed around the area. Gone farther near the cliff, we heard the sound of the gushing waves. Had several shots we then opt to walk back to town to look for Pension Ivatan where we planned to have dinner.

Coconut crab

Situated near the airport, we reached Pension Ivatan at almost 7pm. Along the way, passing a sari-sari store selling fruits so we bought bananas. Barbeque on the street also is delicious. Basco doesn't have street lights yet we felt safe in going to Pension Ivatan. 

At the restaurant, we immediately ordered Ivatan Platter.

This Ivatan Platter offers a wide variety of Batanes delicacies all in one platter that is good for six persons. As per recommendations from Tripadvisor and other blogs, a must-try in Batanes is Coconut Crab. It has a unique flavor in which you can taste the richness of what's inside the shell. Got the chance of taking a picture of this crab since we ask the restaurant attendants to show as a live one. 

We called it a day at 9pm, have a few drinks at our hotel for a sound sleep and be ready for the next day's adventure.

Day 2 (July 27, 2013) Sabtang Island Tour   

Faluwa boat

Morning wakeup call is set at 5am for us to prepare and take breakfast because we need to be at the Port of Ivana to catch a ferry going to Sabtang Island as early as possible. Sabtang Island is a 30-45 minute Faluwa boat ride from Port of Ivana.  Ferry trips are scheduled usually in the morning, and the last trip from Sabtang will leave their post at 2pm. On certain water conditions were two bodies of water meet creates the current that  is one of the factors of having a longer boat journey.

Weather conditions greatly affect the situation that sometimes during typhoon season, no boats are allowed to sail. Coastguards are strictly on posts avoiding overloading on each faluwa. Even sitting on the roof is not allowed but when we got farther from the port, I let myself enjoy the view on the roof with other locals.

Arriving in Sabtang, our van meets us at the port. Immediately, we went to their tourism office for registration. Have a glimpse of their office that ensembles a typical Batanes stone house. As we got a limited time in Sabtang, we directly went ahead to Brgy Savidug to experience the Savidug Vernacular Houses.

  

Savidug is a small village with stone houses on the row. Cogon grasses are the distinctive roofing on each of the vernacular houses. It is said that the life of the cogon grass as a roof will take 30 years. Each house in the community have their schedules as to when the replacement will happen. The village people will help each other for the roofing until such work in a house will be finished. 

Savidug Vernacular House

All labor is for free and everybody is doing the job as well, "Bayanihan"!

These houses are built decades ago or even century with using any cement. Note that Batanes is frequently hit by typhoons yet their building can withstand this kind of weather they have. Villagers just have to cook the lime to be used.

We roamed around the small community, seems so peaceful in the place. A Chapel in the village is just a walking distance from the road. A vacant house beside the chapel is available for viewing so we went inside. Took some pictures from outside like we’re the owners of the house watching over the window.

With time constraints, we dropped of the lime kiln where they are processing and preparing the lime adhesives for their homes. Just a small open area, near the bay, overlooking the Idjang fortress. Despite the heat of the sun and the humid weather, knowing the life in Sabtang is very interesting. To think that they only have 12 hours of electricity but they managed live a happy life in the place.

Chamantad-Tinian Viewpoint

Moving our excursion to a mountain view near the ocean, a place called Chamantad-Tinian Viewpoint. Such an extravagant delight that really captured our very own eyes when we got to the place, but before we went down the hill, got a chance of having a fresh buko juice sold in one of the sheds in the area, with a delicious freshly-cooked camote-cue, such a delectable snack in the morning.

Chamantad-Tinian Viewpoint

Felt rejuvenated, we rushed down the hill, taking pleasure on the vast beauty of nature. One rock beside the cliff attracts me as I would want to have a picture on top of that rock, in which I really did it. Nice view also on the cliff where we can see the gushing wave bumping on the rocky cliff and stone sands. 

Not contented on this view, we right away rushed to one part of the hill where we saw a nice view of heaven! Such a wonderful cove with white sand, blue waters and nice ambiance to swim and on the edge are the rocky hill and stone formations with lush green grass and other vegetations that adds to its astounding magnificence. Awesome panorama of the place is ahead of us. The sky, ocean, the horizon, mountains and the waves are very inviting. The place is so peaceful, far from the busy metropolis, pollution and noise. All you can hear are the sound of the wind blowing, the gushing waves on the shore, the echoes of the cows, the chirping of the birds. What a wonderful gift of nature.

Not feeling the heat of the sun, we don’t want to leave the place. Since we have to rush to the other side of the island for our lunch, we proceed to Chavayan Village. This village was nominated to be one of the UNESCO Heritage Site. The village is so quiet. Their means of livelihood is fishing, farming and livestock. There are lots of trees near the area, they also have great seashore ideal as a fishing village. Chavayan is just a small community, a nice place to relax with a breezy feeling. 

Chavayan is the last Barangay in the area reachable by public transportation. On-going road concreting in the area is in progress to cater the needs of the locals mainly on transporting their produce to markets. Easy and convenient for the residents as well as the tourists.

Nakabuang Beach

Morning activities are tiring as we are also in time constraint, our lunch was prepared in Nakabuang Beach and Arc. It was a 40-minute drive from Chavayan. It’s almost 11am when we left Chavayan so we are expected to arrive in Nakabuang beach before 12 noon. There we got a chance to enjoy the beach, swim to our madness as the beach was so tempting. 

Reaching the vicinity, we immediately ate our lunch. The food was good, it’s delicious. Coconut crab was served with chicken adobo and sauteed vegetables.   

We didn’t waste any time, change with our swimming gears and off to the beach. Not minding the striking heat of the sun on a mid-day, we have fun in the waters of Nakabuang beach. With the white pebble sands, calm waves and fresh cool seawater, another gift of nature we’re enjoying. We didn’t have enough time to swim since we need to catch our boat back to Ivana. Yet with the shortest swim on the beach, we managed to enjoy it.We don't have to worry on our trip back to Ivana since we got a very nice sunny weather, no signs of rains nearby.

Near the port of Ivana is the most famous Honesty Coffee Shop. This store was owned by an old couple. From the name itself, all visitors and customers of the shop must be honest. There is no attendant, it’s a self-service store. You just have to get what you want, there is a pricelist, a logbook on the items you bought and a drop box to put your payment. There is an instruction, if you need some change, you just have to knock on the door. We had a coffee inside the shop. There is a ready to use utensils, a water heater, a stirrer and a table to sit. It’s just a normal store, only the difference is that everything is self-service.

After we had our coffee, we drove back to our hotel, we continued our swimming on the beach at the back of our hotel, it was a black sand beach yet the water is crystal clear. It was fun, all our laughs are loud, took several photos, pose here, pose there. 

At 5am, we fixed ourselves to attend the evening anticipated mass. Thanks it was an English mass. 

Ending our day with a treat to ourselves… LOBSTER feast. Ate Remy cooked for us a lobster, and we ate it at our hotel. So yum!

 

 

 

Day 3 (July 28, 2013) Souther Batan Island Tour

It’s Sunday morning yet it feels like Monday as everybody is excited for today’s itinerary. Originally, Sabtang tour should be on our 3^rd day but we decided to do it on the second granting a good weather is at hand since we will be crossing the sea. Covering today’s tour, we’ll be roaming around the south of Batan Island. Batanes has a lot to offer, with its natural beauty, who would have thought this piece of paradise have the charisma showcasing Mother Nature at its best.

Off we hop onto our van and let the excitement begin! We made it to start early so we can have ample time for other viewpoints that we’re able to pass by during our first 2 days of exploration. First stop is the Chawa View deck. It is just near Basco. A constructed view deck with bench available in the area, just along the highway going to the south. All you can see from this view deck is a vast blue sea, the horizon, also Itbayat Island. Stairs are built going down the rocks below the view deck. It’s a remarkable feeling when you got to the bottom, feeling the huge waves bumping on the rocks.

Homoron Blue Lagoon

I really love the sound of it. 

Several steps climbing back to the deck, adrenalin rush is felt as we’ll have to proceed to our next stop. We had a peek at the Homoron Blue Lagoon. It’s a fantastic place; we’ve just seen it from the top. Swimming is actually allowed at the lagoon. The waves are calm; it has a shore, rock formations and clear blue waters.

Boat Shelter Port

Just near the area is the boat shelter port. It houses the boats during typhoon season. We described it like in the movie “Waterworld”, has a deep water bed and several docking areas. It is really a place to hide the boats during bad weather conditions. 

Few kilometers further down the road is the white beach. There is no clear entrance on the beach, we just have to walk on some grasses and there we found the stretch of white sand beach so inviting. So refreshing as we immediately plan for a swim after we finished our itinerary, unfortunately, we haven’t had enough time to comeback in the afternoon. The beach is so attractive, with its white pebblesand crystal clear waters, how I wish we had a dip.

Old Spanish Bridge

As per history, in the 17^th century, Spanish claimed Batanes as part of the Philippines, that later drove away British power in the island. Spanish introduced several methods and techniques that one of these is the use of lime technology. There is no cement during their time but they have constructed a very strong bridge with the use of their lime technology. This Spanish bridge is built in the 17^th century and still existing and functional to date. 

Lime technology is not just used in their bridges but on other concreting works as well. Most of it was the stone houses that are still up and standing nowadays.

House of Dakay

Just walking distance from the Spanish bridge, we were very lucky to pay a visit to one of the oldest stone houses that was built in the 18^th century, the House of Dakay. Inside the house is just plain and simple. You cannot see any room, just a floor, bed and other things. I really appreciate how they have preserved their house despite the advancement of technology nowadays. The real beauty of the house lies in its history. The fact that until now, it is still livable; no other new and modern constructions can pair this home. Unfortunately, the owner of the house was not there since she was being brought to Manila under the care of her children. We still thanked the kin who had welcomed us and lets us experience how life was like before with the house.

Along the way, we stopped at Sitio Song Song, which is just beside the highway. This is a ghost town now as nobody is living in the area. This had been hit by a tsunami mid of 20^th century. There were no casualties as they seek refuge at the nearby higher place when the incident happened.

Listed further on our itinerary, we moved further down south to reach Alapad Gorge and Long Range Station (LORAN). Not quite far from Ivana and the road conditions are very good, all concrete. Reaching the viewpoint, very spectacular scenery awaits.

It is said that this place was used in the movie of Richard Gomez and Dawn Zulueta “Hihintayin Kita sa Langit”. Such a remarkable view of the rock formations, the green grass, the shore in LORAN, the mountain view with horses uphill, really such a wonderful place to relax.

This place is so romantic, no wonder this had been used in the shoot.

It’s almost mid-day and we have to rush to the hill for another dazzling surprise from nature. Following the road to the mountain, on-going road concreting projects in the area, it took us maybe around 20 minutes to get to a waiting shed. 

Welcome to Racuh-a-payaman… known as the Marlboro Country. As you can imagine what Marlboro country is, it is typically the Batanes version of what it really is. Nice green grass covering the hill, with cows in the area. The view from the top of the hill is so astounding. The location is so pristine, untainted, free from pollution and so heavenly. Just a short walk from where the shed was, you feel the fresh air blowing, breath in breath out, what a refreshing feeling. The beauty of the place can’t find boredom a place. You may be quiet; you can’t help but imagine living in such a great place like this. 

Marlboro Country

We went down from hill to catch a view and see what’s in store for us.  What a nice landscape with the curves of the hill, not minding the amorseko (crab grass) I can’t help but laid down the grass. What a superb feeling. I felt like shouting “I’m FREE!” 

The slope on the hill is just tolerable. But there are portions that it’s very steep. Just be careful if you are wearing slippery foot gears. If you have water, might as well bring it with you. On a sunny day, sun block is a must since there is no shade in the place. Bringing an umbrella might help but if the wind is strong, it might break your umbrella as well. The place is so nice fronting the ocean with a view from afar the Mahatao Lighthouse.  Down the hill is the Diura Village and on one side of the hill is the fountain of youth spring.

Seems we had enough of the Marlboro Country and we’re already starving, got back to our van and started rolling down the hill to Diura Village for our lunch. The caterer is already preparing for a sumptuous meal. Fresh fruits are on the table with a fresh buko juice also. Same as the fiesta, we’ve been using bread leaf as our plates. So nice that we can experience this as in our province, only banana leaf is used, so unique of the bread leaf that it’s thick. 

Served with beefsteak (pinoy style), grilled liempo, and fried big talakitok with sauce, shrimp, yellow turmeric rice and upland sticky rice… who would say not to eat. With hungry stomach and delicious food, we’ve finished everything. Maybe we’re preparing for the said 1 kilometer walk going to Fountain of Youth. 

Have rested for awhile, we then proceed to fountain of youth to take a dip at the beach and the spring. It was low tide that time that we can’t find a good place to swim at sea. There were rocks and white sands on the beach but the water is hot since its mid-day and the gushing waves cannot reach the place where we are. Just spent several minutes looking for a good place to swim, we decided to take a plunge at the spring. 

The water is so cold, it’s flowing. With the humid feeling while exploring southern part of the island, we have refreshed with the spring water. It is also tasty and safe to drink.

Our tour will not be complete with the souvenirs. So from the Fountain of Youth, we went directly to Mahatao Lighthouse for a quick visit.

The lighthouse is situated on top of the hill overlooking the ocean, can be seen from Marlboro country on the right. It is strategically located that it will be visible to ships at sea. The environment is nice, there is no usual road going to the structure itself, its like you have to pass through a private property with tall cogon grass on the side. That makes it more beautiful. 

It is well-maintained when in fact they have planted some flowering plants around the area. It is green everywhere. Took several photos and we’re ready to go.

Drove down the road leading to San Carlos Borromeo Church, it’s an old catholic church in Mahatao with the old Spanish lighthouse still standing on the side. Such a great wonder that they have preserved it. 

 

Last destination for the day is the souvenir shop. They have several kinds of souvenir. T-shirts,  key chains, ref magnets, bags and other forms of souvenirs are there. Its cheap and of good quality. You can bargain if you will buy more. Some souvenir shirts sold in Sabtang is from Basco so expect a difference in price.

Were taken back to our hotel full of smiles on our face but its sad to know that we’ll be leaving Batanes the next day, we will miss the place and we will miss our very nice tour guide Ate Remy. Our tour finally ends here at the hotel. We then said our goodbyes since only the hotel will take us to the airport tomorrow. We decided to take one last dip into the beach at the back of our hotel.

We really had a wonderful stay in Batanes. Such a paradise in the north.

Our tour will not be complete without this gadgets. Batanes experience is not this worth without taking photos. Jump shots will not be successful without these. 

Once was a dream destination, now I really have experienced what is Batanes, what Batanes has to offer.