Postcards from South Batan

Batanes - a breathtaking blue and green wonderland. A place that lets you believe that postcards are real. Let's start 2018 with a #travelinspo ayt? If you've never been to this place, I highly recommend it for your 2018 #travelgoals. 

Funny, I almost never made this trip if not for my brother barging in my room at 4AM to get something leaving me with just enough time to gather my things and book an Uber for a 6AM flight. Yay! It's probably my first flight without uhmm shower but thankfully, the tour at 9AM gave me enough time to prepare after the 1h-hr flight. The first day started with a tour of South Batan, the most inhabited island of Batanes. Here goes...

Chawa View Deck. On the way out of Basco the capital, the first stopover of South Batan tour is this lookout of the West Philippine Sea. From here you can take 100 steps down so you can the adjacent cliff to enjoy the rocky coast below. If I could go back to Batanes again (please, please!), I would schedule a visit here during sunset. 

Mahatao Shelter Port. Studying the pictures before the trip, it seemed to me like an ordinary boring port for boat docking (lol, sorry!) but when I got there, I was quite stunned of its appeal in person. It's basically an infrastructure for supporting the fishing industry and safeguarding the marine resources of Batanes and yep, a must-see! ;)

Hedgerows. This wasn't actually part of the tour but I just had to ask my tour guide to stop for a photo-op on the way to the next stopover. What a labyrinth!

Tayid Lighthouse. This modern 21st century structure was built on the opposite side of Batan island facing the Pacific Ocean. There's just something so charming about lighthouses with their red and white painting and the view they offer, no? This sentinel is not available for climbing though but the other one is - Basco Lighthouse in my next post. :)

Mount Iraya. Standing at 1,009m, this active volcano's presence is imposing (it's the first sight that greets you at the airport) and is considered one very important landmark for the Ivatans.

Marlboro Country (Racuh A Payaman). The name was given by the American tourists but it didn't strike me as landscape for a cigarette advertisement (ugh!). Seriously, they should change this name. The very thought of associating its fresh air to smoke, it's repulsive. 😤 

This is actually where the set lunch is served for the tour and later that day, I was informed that this is where the Anne Curtis "supposedly" chose to get married (which we know we didn't happen). But from the actual location in Wellington, I could surmise that this was an option. Up until that time I traveled, mobile data (of any network!) is not available in Batanes. I know, I can't believe I survived two days either, haha! But if I wanted solemn without mobile interruptions, I'd totally do it here and in colder months. (Groom, please? Haha!)

I traveled solo on this trip and since I didn't wanna join a big crowd, I opted to get Kuya Dale's (+639176197009) tour service. He does it in this unique trike with the cogon-roof style that's imported from Sabtang island (see post here). It maybe not so skin-friendly (slather on sunscreen) but I love that it's very stylish and that he took all these amazing photos. :)

Top: Zaful; Skirt: Zara; Shoes: H&M

Sabtang Island

Being the smallest of the 3 inhabited islands of Batanes, the usual tour reco for Sabtang is only half a day. But if you wanna enjoy their beaches (something that I wasn’t able to do coz by mistake I booked ONLY a 2-day trip, HAHAHA *facepalm*), then you are most welcome to homestay in their well-preserved villages/ stone houses - the most unique attraction of this island. It certainly feels like stepping into another world in the Savidug Village.

Here, you’re free to explore rows of centuries-old lime stone houses with their trademark cogon roofs in all its rustic beauty. And what better way to do so than wearing/ renting some of the locals’ traditional costumes that serve as protection against the weather – the vakul (headgear for the women) and kanayi (vest for the men). Batanes being the northernmost part of the country means it’s one of the most typhoon-battered island (atleast 25 average in a year). But don’t be fooled by these simple houses with narrow doors and windows – their materials are all weather-proof. And the vakuls/ kanayis made of indigenous materials have become the symbol of the Ivatan’s resilience.

My male models are a group of gay besties I met at Chavayan Village 

Or...if you wanna complete the romance of the rolling hills, you may don the vakul/ kanayis in Chamantad-Tinyan viewing point. Aaaah, my most favourite part of the tour. But seriously, you have to wait for my first day post and be in awe at the other beauties I saw there. *wink* In general, I love a tourist spot when it’s (1) utterly huge. Meaning I will never ran out of space for photo-ops without having to elbow out other tourists, lol (2) offers physical activity. Aside from some relatively challenging hike that you need to do on this place to take in more breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean, you can just simply take off your clothes and run down the hill (see video below at 00:24) to swim on the glistening water. 

And I swear, from where I was sitting above, it’s just too inviting in that 10-ish morning. I did have my swimwear but unforch, the tour wasn’t done yet. In retrospect, I could’ve asked for the guide to take me back there or the Morong beach instead of lunch. Coz of course, between food or swimming? I’d def choose the latter! It's a no-brainer. Hehe.

In the usual itinerary, Morong beach should be the last stop but my guide took me here first thing because he didn't want me to compete with the other tourists at the Ahaw arch formation. Lol. Part of this beach is also where I had my set lunch. It was the last stop since the faluwa (boat) that would take me back to Batan island is scheduled on 1PM. I did try to get some outfit change for some beach appropriate shots after my meal though.

For other areas of Sabtang that weren't covered in this post, I made an amateur video below. I wouldn't make any conclusions about my short trip since this is just like a quarter of the trip. I hope you enjoy the clip below and get as excited as I am about the post on Batan island. :)