I just got back from a 5 day trip to the northern most tip of the Philippines – Yes. Batanes islands.

If you’re an avid reader of my blog (like that will happen) you probably read my first post about Batanes. When I finally found some time to write about it after 2 years.

So why go back to Batanes? Aside from the obvious reason – it rocks! I needed a well deserved rest away from the jungle – from the civilized yet primitive world. And of course, I wanted to fly my kite.

This was the first flight of my kite – the famous white beach at Sabtang Island. This shot was taken under the arc that you probably see on most pictures of people who took the slow 45 minute boat ride from Batan Island to Sabtang Island.

The kite didn’t fly as high as I hoped it would. I tried several times… I did – promise! I don’t think it even flew more than 5 minutes. The wind kept changing direction. I gave up after an hour when I realized that it was high noon and getting a nasty sunburn on the first day… will suck!

Moving on, 2 years ago this is where we camped out – under the lighthouse. It was a truly unique experience. Falls under the “when was the last time you did something for the first time” category. We had a few of these experiences during this trip – I’ll talk about that on my next post. Flying a kite on the beach, the mountains, under a lighthouse definitely meets the requirements.

Anyway, this was also a failed attempt – only a few meters up. No worries – I had a feeling that my 3rd try will be a success. Besides, 3′s a charm.

On the 3rd day, we went back to Batan Island for my 3rd and final attempt to fly my kite – Marlboro country. A government reserved area where carabaos were free to roam the land. Ain’t that sweet. If only we could apply the same concept to our society – a place where we can dump all the people who are full of sh!t so they can freely sh!t at will (*wink).

A quick glance at this picture and you know immediately that all elements for a successful lift off are there. Just like in life – nice steady direction, a good support system, a plan of attack, and some good old friends.

There she goes – a successful flight. And it stayed up there for a really really long time. A quick tug every now and then, left to right – and we’re smooth sailing. As if nothing could go wrong. The wind was strong but consistent.

This is the life! A nice view, laid back without a care in the world, kite is flying high, friends running around glancing up every now and then just to see if your kite is still flying high (and that’s what friends are for).

Batanes doesn’t have all the luxuries we have in Manila but that’s the beauty of it – it changes you and it stays with you. This is a “civilized” society where people care for each other. Only the basic necessities.

Allow me to end this post with a short message to all who have future plans to visit Batanes: Please do not try to change their ways. Do not abuse their kindness. Do not influence them on what you think is right – take a good look at the world you move in, it can’t be all right.

The locals there are well educated – their educational system is solid and just by talking to them you will realize that what they have is how things could have been… for all of us.

Monster Recommends:

• April 8, 2008 — Batanes 2006 Adventure (2)
• August 20, 2011 — Misibis Bay Aug 12-14, 2011 (0)
• July 23, 2008 — Batman – Dark Knight, Freaky Good Movie (0)
• June 22, 2008 — Kung Fu Panda – Awesomeness (3)

Funny that it took me 2 years to finally put this up on a blog – I guess its because I was sure that I will never forget it. I’m also going back in a few weeks, so might as well get this out first. Here we go…

Batanes is located on the northenmost tip of the Philippines – you can actually see Taiwan from one of the islands – Itbayat. That’s also the reason why they have towering lighthouses spread across the islands. Its a place frozen in time where true Filipino culture like Bayanihan still exists.

The picture on top is a lighthouse located on Sabtang Island where we camped out for 2 nights – must try. At night, you can see all the stars clearly like a blanket of crystals scattered across a black velvet sheet.

First stop is Batan Island where the airport is located. Here’s where you can check out the famous Marlboro country.

You’ll be amazed with the stone houses where most of the locals still live. Batanes is frequently hit by typhoons – tip: open up your schedule, you will never know when you’ll be stranded. As soon as the winds start to pick up – all trips are cancelled.

You should also check out the Mahatao fishing village – a place truly frozen in time. Here you can trek to the fountain of youth – with natural spring water flowing endlessly. Take a sip – its all good.

Sabtang Island is a boat trip away, here you will be mesmerized by what I dubbed “Toilet Duck” blue water. My father told me that the sea reflected a rich blue color because of its depth. You will also notice that when the water hits the islands it creates what I could only describe as “Frosted Glass” color. Pardon me for the descriptions – as much as possible I’d like to describe these things with objects/colors that we, city folks, can relate to or imagine. Just like in the Photo below:

Sabtang hosts a secluded beach front where you can safely take a dip without risking getting pulled out to sea. We camped under a lighthouse where we had access to an enclosed secret beach accessed by carefully desccending down a steep hill. With a little effort you can venture to the right of it and find sort of small ponds where you can sit down and relax as if you were in a jacuzzi with a front seat view to the splashing waves – just be careful not to get too close.

Word of caution – the locals will always tell you that the next town is just a few minutes away – NOT! We tried to trek around the island under the assumption that the towns are just a few minutes away from each other – without water, it took us 4 hours just to get to the next town. The spectacular views kept us going, but its not an easy thing to do.

When we reached the very last town, after 4 hours of walking – we had no idea how we were going to get back to the town proper where we left our bags and setup camp under a lighthouse. We also lost communication with our host and couldn’t even imagine trekking back. So we gathered what’s left of our sanity and decided to make the bold move of riding a small fishing boat back. I kid you not – this boat is so small, you can probably just fit 5 people in it. There were 3 of us and 2 boatmen, they have a buddy system – WHY? The question we didn’t really bother to think about BUT its because its dangerous and you can easily get lost at sea – that’s why they travel in pairs.

One more thing, it was already dark so twice as risky – I recall seeing huge rounded waves hurrying towards us. They use the moon for navigation, we were always facing the moon. My hands were hurting because I had a hard sturdy grip on the bottom of my seat and no plans of letting go. Water was splashing everywhere – I started thinking, what if the boat cap sized? Hmm.. we were always close to the shore I could probably swim to safety, then it dawned on me – the loud splashing sound actually came from the waves hitting the sharp edges of the side of the island. Hey, but we survived – back from the trip when I told my Dad (retired Captain) about it, I saw a disturbing change in his face… That’s when I realized that the risk we took during that trip was real. Eeeks.

On a lighter note, the locals are proud of how they run things, no corruption – zero crime rate. Even if there are only a few vehicles on the Island -all the streets were paved.

Itbayat Island is a small plane ride away. Its fun to listen to the stories of the pilot, in one occasion, he had to skip through the airstrip to avoid the cows.

For accomodations, just ask the locals – they are always willing to be your hosts. They won’t even charge you for it.

The best way to go around this island is by renting a motorcycle, unfortunately, they come with wacko drivers that apparently have mastered their way around the island.

My driver was obviously drinking before we went on our way – he smelled like gin. When we were going down a steep road to the port (if you miss the turn, you fly out to sea) he said: “Wala yata tayong brakes (I think we don’t have brakes.).” We were really going fast and at the very last moment we took a really sharp turn to avoid going over. Whew! Then he turned to me and said: “Mahina lang pala and preno (Weak brakes? – not sure how to translate that). Anyway, cool adventure.

We were on this island on a Sunday and exactly 6-7pm, all the houses were empty, everyone was at church.

To wrap this up, Batanes is a must visit travel destination.

1. Safe – you can leave your bags on the street, no on will steal it

2. Culture – imagine how hard it is to be a kid there. You have to go to all the elders when you pass by them and show your respects (Mano po’).

3. Scenery – they say its like the country side of some European countries

4. Experience – this will open your eyes to what being a Filipino is truly about

Here are some other highlights of our trip that I skipped:

1. Willie got hit by a big wave and had to get stitches on his shin – they didn’t charge us for it.

2. Quincy got bitten by a cat that he accidentally stepped on and got some shots for it – no charge also

3. Our host was Noli Gabilo (google him and be amzed).

4. Coconut crab on Sabtang Island – one crab was enough for 4 of us.

I’m so excited to go back in a couple of week. I’ll try to get better photos.

Here are more photos of our trip:

[Show as slideshow]

batanes06 (10).jpg

batanes06 (11).jpg

batanes06 (12).jpg

batanes06 (13).jpg

batanes06 (14).jpg

batanes06 (15).jpg

batanes06 (16).jpg

batanes06 (17).jpg

batanes06 (18).jpg

batanes06 (19).jpg

batanes06 (2).jpg

batanes06 (20).jpg

batanes06 (21).jpg

batanes06 (22).jpg

batanes06 (23).jpg

batanes06 (24).jpg

batanes06 (25).jpg

batanes06 (26).jpg

batanes06 (27).jpg

batanes06 (28).jpg

Monster Recommends:

• June 12, 2008 — Chillax at the T House Tagaytay – weekend getaway (4)
• May 12, 2008 — I went back to Batanes to fly a kite (6)
• August 20, 2011 — Misibis Bay Aug 12-14, 2011 (0)
• August 10, 2010 — Funny Pinoy Signs / Bloopers Part 1 (4)

[Show as slideshow]

Batanes

Batanes

Batanes

Batanes

Batanes

Boracay

Boracay

Boracay

Boracay

Boracay

Puerto Galera

Puerto Galera

Puerto Galera

Puerto Galera

Puerto Galera

Puerto Galera

Bohol

Bohol

Bohol

Palau – Micronesia

Monster Recommends:

• May 12, 2008 — I went back to Batanes to fly a kite (6)
• April 8, 2008 — Batanes 2006 Adventure (2)

[Show as slideshow]

Batanes

Batanes

Batanes

Batanes

Batanes

Batanes

Monster readers also read: