Blogs from Batanes, Philippines, Asia

BATANES. Where beauty and sereneness meet, has an approximate population of 16, 604 (2010 census). It is an island province situated at the northern part of the Philippines. From Manila, it only takes 1 hour and 45 minutes flight to Basco, the main city. I advise you to book very ahead of time (we booked 2 months before and we paid about PHP 6,600 each) because the fare is a bit expensive compared to other local flights within the Philippines. My mum decided to come with us just 4 days before the trip, the fare increased to about PHP 8,000. There were 8 of us so we rented a bungalow with 2 bedrooms and 2 showers. We paid approximately PHP3,000 per person (already includes the accommodation for 5 days, land transportation and tours). The place was ... read more

Finally, I conquered the Northernmost part of The Philippines - ALONE!... 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

After getting rained on in Cocoloco Island in Roxas, Palawan, we were expecting part 2 of our honeymoon to be sunnier and warmer. Unfortunately, it was not. But our stay in Batanes was still lovely and as a good friend told me - be thankful for having experienced Batanes on a rainy day. Not bad, Kate Unlike most of our travels, I was too busy preparing for our wedding to research for a do-it-yourself trip to Batanes. So I speed-dialed Luz Castana’s number, a Batanes-based travel agent recommended by a friend. Having a travel agent arrange your trip to Batanes (especially during peak season) is very convenient because 1) Asian Spirit allocates a certain number of seats for travel agents so you can get a reservation even when it is supposedly fully-booked already 2) same goes ... read more