(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.