(Travel) Batanes

Batanes, as I've heard, is a lot of people's dream destination in the Philippines. The sights are supposed to be breathtaking and the feel of being in a virgin island 600 KM away from Manila is already relaxing to think about.  I've seen a lot of great pictures on the Internet and I don't know what my fascination is with lighthouses that I already marked the place as my proposal destination when the time comes.

Did I mention that they have 0 crime rate?  They leave their vehicles open with the motor running and keys in the ignition.  Awesome!

Day 1 - Northern Batan Tour

Basco Airport

Love and I arrived at Basco airport just past 6:00 AM.  The flights to Basco, Batanes (PAL Express and SkyJet) are scheduled early as far as I know.  The airport was built with limestones like the traditional Ivatan houses. 

Batanes Seaside Lodge

We were booked at the Batanes Seaside Lodge.  They picked us up at the airport and drove for less than 10 min.  The lodge has a nice view of the ocean and our package includes all our meals and a 3-day tour.

We took a walk on the beach before our tour began.  The water was great and the sand was like small smooth stones rather than fine powder (oddly nice).

Mt. Carmel Chapel

 

Our first stop was Mt. Carmel Chapel (Tukon Chapel). It's fairly new according to our guide but it follows traditional Ivatan architecture.  It's like a fusion of old and new. The ceiling is painted with the patron saints of all of Batanes' churches. It looks amazing and I get why it became a popular wedding destination.

 Dipnaysupuan Japanese Tunnel

The tunnel was used by the Japanese as their headquarters during the invasion and it has different entry/exit points that were strategic to them during the war (sniping and vantage points).

Valugan Boulder Beach

This is one of the natural wonders of Batanes.  The shore is made up of large boulders that came from a volcanic eruption.  Typhoon Vongfong made it even more amazing because the waves were gigantic.  This is one of the nicest places we've visited in Batanes, in fact, we came back on our third day using rented bikes (25 PhP per hour) and we had the whole beach to ourselves (can't swim though).

Vayang Rolling Hills

The souvenir shops has a T-shirt saying "Batanes home of the winds", this is where we felt it was true.  It's like being transported to another country.  The wind gave Love a bad hair day and destroyed my waxed hair too.  I think the name tells us what will happen if we fall off the hill's trail.

Naidi Hills, Basco Lighthouse

This was our last stop on our first day.  The cafe beside the lighthouse was closed and under renovation (I could have booked an after-proposal dinner for two). This was my initial choice for my wedding proposal spot since I could propose on the top of the lighthouse a-la Ted Mosby (Love doesn't watch that show).   

Day 2 - Batan Southern Tour

Port of Ivana

That boat and those waves!

We were supposed to tour Sabtang Island on our second day but because of the rough waters we decided to cancel our boat trip and tour the rest of Batan Island instead (there's a chance that we can get stuck in Sabtang if the coast guard stops all boat trips).

Honesty Coffee Shop

The shop is just open without anybody watching the store.  The customers pay for the items they get and log the purchase in the logbook.

I am honest

San Jose De Obrero Church, Ivana

While waiting for our van, we started our tour by visiting the Ivana Church.  I prayed for good weather and a perfect place to propose.

House of Dakay

This is the oldest house in Batanes.  It withstood a number of typhoons and earthquakes.

San Carlos Borromeo Church, Mahatao

Another one of Batanes' century old churches. Still prayed for the same thing (now that I think about it, I didn't pray for the YES, I guess it was implied).

Mahatao Idjang and Boat Shelter Port

We passed by the Boat shelter port on our way to Tayid lighthouse.  Our tour guide said that to create this boat shelter (shelter from hard waves), the rocks were blasted away to create a port for boats since fishing is one of Batanes' livelihoods.

Tayid Lighthouse

My chosen wedding proposal spot.  I hope the owner opens the top of the lighthouse to tourists someday.  We stayed until the other tourists started arriving.  When we went down, our driver asked if we liked the lighthouse since we stayed for so long.  Love replied while looking at her ring, "Opo ang saya nga po e".  



Racuh a Payaman (Marlboro Country)

The place had the Sound of Music vibe (the hills are alive).  We tried to be creative with our panoramic shots but I couldn't move that quickly on uneven ground because of my ACL.  They say that it's called Marlboro country because back then there were a lot of horses in the hills.  Now there are only cows.

Wala na maisip na pose sa pangatlo

Alapad Rock Formation

This is also another top-notch place to look at the ocean.  I thought, "pwede rin pala dito mag-propose"

Lunch at Vatang Grill and Restuarant

Photo: storminmykitchen.com

The lunch stop of our tour that day.  I didn't try the Ivatan dishes but their salt and pepper pork was delicious.

Chawa View Deck

This was supposed to be the first stop of the tour but since we started at the port, it became the last stop.  It has a great view just like all the spots in Batanes.  I was thinking of sleeping on one of the benches (if it wasn't noontime)

We then stopped by the souvenir shop and bought our Batanes t-shirts and key chains.  We also bought snacks for our pasalubong

Day 3 - DIY Itinerary

We decided to skip the Sabtang trip due to post-engagement laziness and because there's a chance that we can get stuck and miss our flight (although the weather that day was perfect).

Basco Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Photo: incept.co

We started the day by going to mass.  The mass was a mix of English and Ivatan.  I thanked the Lord for my answered prayers (both the proposal spot and a partner for life).






After that our itinerary for the day was:

1. Dressed pictorial at Tayid Lighthouse
2. Diura Fishing Village - Hike to the Spring of Youth
3. Lunch at Marconines Canteen, Racuh a Payaman
4. Bike to Boulder Beach

We had an early breakfast the next morning and went straight to the airport at 6 AM.  As we go back to reality (and the start of wedding planning), Love and I agreed that we have to visit Batanes again.

When we return there's still a lot of stuff I want to do in Batanes:

• Buy a painting of the Tayid Lighthouse from the local artist store
• Climb Mt. Iraya
• Sabtang Island Tour
• Itbayat Island Tour
• Stay at Fundacion Pacita (This will be pricey)
• More bike touring

Credits to Crista Hammond-Malupa for all (except the GoPro/grabbed ones) of our pics.  I hope you continue exploring your talents in this craft.

(Wedding) Proposal—The Moment

It was the second day of our trip in Batanes.  The scenery during our first day was great but there were lots of tourists with us and I really didn't want a public proposal.  Waiting for the right moment in a 3-day trip is torture, I almost proposed in our hotel room just to get it over with, good thing I didn't.  I thought, "sayang naman ang Batanes kung hindi gagamitin".

Our second day didn't go exactly as planned either, our boat ride to Sabtang didn't push through because of rough waters due to typhoon Vongfong so we just went on our day 3 tour.

Location 1: Honesty Coffee Shop

Love wore the "Vakul" and I wore the "Talugong". Crista, (our tour guide/photographer) told us that some Ivatans wear these in their weddings. I was thinking about proposing right then and there but it just wasn't the right feeling.

Location 2: Oldest Ivatan House

OK I wasn't really thinking about proposing here but the "harana" shot got me thinking. Good thing I didn't, the lighting was not good and Love was wearing her cap.

Location 3: Roadside Beach

We just stopped by this beach along the road.  We were alone and the view was great.  I was really thinking about proposing right there but I thought that if I was going to propose on a beach I should have gone to Dakak or Caramoan.  It was a close stoppage.

Location 4: Tayid Lighthouse
I saw the lighthouse in a painting in our hotel, it's in the middle of the hills and there were no other tourists aside from us.  This is it 100% go!

While Love was admiring the view, I pulled out the ring box from my satchel. She gave her phone to Crista for our site-to-site pictorial and she headed to the lighthouse.  As I passed Crista, I whispered to her, "kuha ka lang ng kuha".  She didn't answer but I guess she knew what to do (best tour guide ever).  Then I approached Love in front of the lighthouse.

Me: I Love you!
Love: I Love you too.
Me: May ipapakita ako sa'yo
Then I opened the box
Love: Ano yan!!!  (and then some words in her panicky voice I can't really remember anymore) 
I started to kneel
Love: (more panic)
Me: Will you marry me?
Love: sigurado ka na ba? (while panicking and crying) 8 months palang tayo ano ka ba?
I just continued to smile.
Love: (after what seemed to be a long, long pause) Yes!
Whew!  Success!
Me: Antagal mo naman sumagot.

I placed the ring on her finger and it was a perfect fit (the estimation technique worked).  She said she loved it.

After more crying and hugging, she asked me if our parents knew, then I showed her our dinner picture when I asked for their permission.

Then we looked at the pictures Crista took.  She was a natural.  She was teary-eyed also.

We then talked about how I planned the proposal while Crista still took our pictures.

When we return to Batanes, I plan on buying a nice painting of the Tayid Lighthouse for our home. Our best memory so far.

(Wedding) Proposal—The Preparation

We've all seen celebrity proposals and proposals on TV shows and movies and we've all listened to our significant others talk about how great Zoren's proposal was (this remains on top of my list of cannot-be-done-unless-super-rich proposals) or Chito's or John Pratt's.  There're also low key ones like Chiz' or Dingdong's.  There're also those videos in YouTube, the one who made a movie trailer, the one who closed a train station and so on.  With the bar set high by these guys how can the average guy propose and make an impact? 

Remember that it's about getting the YES!  All the planning in the world will be for nothing if she says NO!

Love and I have only been a couple for less than a year but even before we became steady, our life goals were already aligned (she was my office mate for 2 years).  We're open with each other about how we want to start a family, we rarely fight and we resolve well when we do, we both have good careers and we live together nicely.  So why wait?  

A friend asked me this question once:  How do you know if the girl is the one?  

My answer was:  If I don't mind spending on her

A wedding proposal is the production of a lifetime.  It's also a statement of how well a guy can provide for the future family.  They say that the ring should cost at least twice the man's salary.  I think that's reasonable.  I started saving for the eventual wedding proposal and actual wedding as soon as we became steady.

Now that the budget is ready and the YES is at least 80% guaranteed.  Let's get to the actual planning of the proposal.

Have a team

Like most things in life, a guy can't do a successful proposal in his own.  My team consists of:

1. Girl friends.  Their opinion about the plan and the ring is highly valued. They know what women like better than us.
2. A guy friend.  This is more for the moral support and Go Bro! cheer.
3. A jeweler.  As I've learned from asking around, having a jeweler is better than purchasing in a retail establishment.  They're flexible on meetups and they provide sizing tools and insights on ring specs.  They also offer free re-sizing.
4. A close friend of the fiancé-to-be.  They know her taste in jewelry.  We never pay attention to those things.
5. A relative of the fiancé-to-be.  This is essential if the plan involves asking permission from her family.
6. A photographer/videographer.  In our case, she was our tour guide as well.

Public or private?  Private but scenic!
So how do I do it?  What's the plan?  A lot of ideas was thrown around by my council of ladies (from mid-air to overhead crowd pictures) but I wanted something simple and intimate yet memorable.  We like to travel so why not a vacation proposal?  Batanes came to mind, I was hearing about it all around. The view is supposed to be spectacular, perfect to set the ambiance.  One of my friends already went so her inputs were really helpful.  Booked the flight and accommodations a week after.

Get her ring size

There're lots of ways to get her ring size but what I did was I looked for a ring that she wears in her ring finger then I waited when she took a bath then I traced the ring using a pencil.  After that I saw her wear the same ring in her middle finger T_T so what I did was I subtracted 1 whole size from the ring trace size (from 5.5 to 4.5).

The Ring
Then comes ring shopping.  I was fortunate to have a friend who's mom is a jeweler.  She gave me a lot of choices for my budget and I really liked the loose stone she showed me.  I also get to choose the design for the band and she also offered free re-sizing if ever my measurement was wrong.  They say that a single stone with carat x is more valuable (and expensive) than multiple stones with a total carat of also x, so with this in my mind, I just focused on 1 stone.  I asked one of Love's friends about the band design and she gave nice inputs which eventually led to the final design.

Ask Permission
The first person I asked was my mom, she asked me if I was already sure and if I was ready.  When I told her I am, she agreed and was excited on having a grand kid.  Next was my surrogate mother, my aunt, she also agreed.  Then, it was time to ask Love's family.  I contacted her sister to set up a dinner for them including her mom, uncle and other siblings.  I then went to Pampanga (we were fighting that day so she couldn't care less where I was, how convenient) and met up with the future in-laws.  They were excited for us.

The Secret Dinner

The Proposal Plan

Now the actual proposal plan.  

• Should I make a speech?  I actually kinda made a cheezy speech but did not use it :-)
• Where in Batanes should I do it?  I decided to wing it.  Since I can't decide based on pictures alone, I just waited for the right place and right time during our tour.
• How do I document?  This was the most problematic.  There are no local photographers in Basco (I wanted pictures and not video since the background was scenic).  I just brought a tripod and a Go Pro in case we were alone or maybe I can ask the tour guide secretly.  Fortunately for me our tour guide was great at taking pictures!

Some say that the way one proposes is more important than the ring, others say it's the reverse.  I suggest doing good on both. 

(Worship) The Feast

I believe 2013 was a defining year for Love and myself.  She experienced a big life change and I was getting from low point to low point one after the other.  It seemed that the life I was living was immature and incomplete so I was trying to reconnect spiritually.  Then came Love. 

I remember the first time Love and I went to mass together, we went out on a Sunday (it was a friendly date) and she invited me to join her in celebrating the mass in the chapel at Greenbelt.  Hearing mass and having her beside me felt right and I believe it was God who led us there through our experiences.  It was God's perfect timing, any other time before that would've not been successful.

It was also a Sunday when we officially became a couple and we attended our first Catholic prayer gathering.  It's called "The Feast" and is led by Bro. Bo Sanchez. The main Feast we attend during Sundays is at the PICC and runs for 2 hours per session, 1 hour for the traditional mass and 1 hour for the talk.  

Here's the schedule:

Since then, we attend The Feast as much as possible and here's why:

1. The priests leading the traditional mass are great.  My favorite is Fr. Bob McConaghy, and recently Fr. Erick Santos.  The former is deep and the latter is funny.
2. The talks deal with modern and practical topics on how to handle relationships, work, money, time and even stress and health while still being centered in worship.
3. It's well organized.
4. The music is nice.  They have a five to six person choir and a full band, although I'd like it if they sang famous church songs also.  (The best music I've experienced was in the 4:00pm session with Bro. Alvin)
5. Great lay preachers.  They're called the Feast Builders and it's not just Bro. Bo, George and Alvin, there are more great speakers gracing the stage from time to time like J.C. Libiran and Arun Gogna (Feast Builders in other Feasts besides PICC)
6. The community is great.  They have different ministries to join and they conduct focus groups after the celebration.
7. The Love offering we give is being used effectively in great charitable causes, like Bro. Bo's home for the abandoned elderly, orphanage and also his center for pregnant women in crisis.

Some articles I've read states that now's a great time to be Catholic.  This is mostly because we have a great Pope now in Pope Francis.   It's not just that, we also have gatherings like The Feast where we can worship, learn and be entertained at the same time.  They also inspire us to love others and be a blessing to the less fortunate.  I also believe that a relationship needs a spiritual component to succeed.