Blogs from Batanes, Philippines, Asia

What seemed to be a long and tiring journey finally came to an end at nine o’clock in the morning, when our plane, Laoag International Airlines, made a touchdown at Basco Airport, Batan Island. At last, we were in Batanes. We were met in the airport by (would you believe?!) the Vice Mayor of Ivana, Mr. Saturnino Valones and his wife, Auntie Beth. With them were their other relatives Tita Candi, Joan, Adrian, and the ever-famous… WILLY VALONES!!! (He! He! He!) We were greeted with such warm welcome, to think that we do not know any of our host family. Liezl, who was supposed to be with us, was our only link to them. Her brother is married to Cora, Uncle Vice’s niece. And though Liezl wasn’t with us, our host family still extended their hospitality ... read more

First Part : Second Part : The Sunday Catholic mass was yet another challenge. The service was spoken in Ivatan, a totally different language from the other three Filipino languages I know. But upon recognizing the presence of the ‘tourists’, the priest then carried on with the homily in Tagalog (Philippine National Language) and welcomed us in Basco. Although I did not understand most of what was said during the liturgy, it was one of the most solemn services I’ve attended, clearly not done in haste. It rained the whole morning until it hushed into subtle drizzles later in the afternoon; we were finally able to go biking! I was very much on a biking mode excitedly pedalling on my old Dutch-Style bicycle on our way to the Dipnaysupuan Japanese Tunnel three kilometres away from the ... read more

The windswept city located at the northern most part of the Philippines hence the sturdy stone houses. The mountainous region of Batanes is the country’s smallest province isolated from the rest of the Philippine islands, home to the laid back Ivatans. Only three of the ten islands in the province are inhabited, Itbayat, Sabtang, and the capital Basco; with majority of its population being fishermen or farmers. It's surrounded by vast waters as far as the eye can see and is the only province of the country that experiences four seasons. And with or without a Pacquiao fight, the province is relatively crime-free. I waited for a year for this trip and then there it went…my first ever cancelled flight! I felt totally disappointed, gutted was an understatement. I was totally hyped and excited the previous ... read more

It was love at first sight. After years of pure imagination, I was finally able to set foot on Batanes, a group of islands at the northernmost tip of the Philippines. Three islands are inhabited -- Batan, Sabtang, and Itbayat. It is actually nearer Formosa, Taiwan than Luzon mainland. Together with 4 friends (they just first met one another at the airport), our adventure was one that would be hard to forget. These compressed-amateurish-pictures-lacking-depth do not give Batanes justice. We stayed at a local lodge the first night; the room has a great view but it was a bit cramped. Being on a tight budget, we transferred to a nearby a government-run hostel-type inn (Ivatan Lodge). The room was much, much bigger and better (with 5 individual beds), at half the price. We hired a local ... read more