Philippine Travel Notes

Sabtang is southwest of the Batanes Island Group. It is a smaller island than Batan. Because of what folks in Basco were telling us, we decided to go to the island and check out what really is there to see. We were told the beaches are better and the stone-houses are in abundance. They assured us that the stone-houses there were still built just the way they were done years ago – unlike in the more “urban” towns of Basco, Mahatao and Ivana where houses already incorporate new styles, concrete balusters, jalousies and balconies plus even different hues of Boysen paint. That is what they all told us! So one early morning, we “stylishly” departed from the resort in a shining new Mitsubishi Adventure courtesy of our new-found friend, the bank manager. We were herded to the little strip of a beach across the street from the Ivana Church. This was the jump-off point to Sabtang, where everyone must take a boat-ride across the deep and dark sea waters of the Sabtang Channel. This is part...

Panoramas everywhere – for the eyes, for the intellect and for the soul! Skirting around Batan was such an extraordinary tour that took us to most parts of the island. This is the island where Basco, the capital, and some other towns are settled. Batan is still too far from the northern-most island of the province and yet also already too far away from the main island of Luzon! Early one morning, the resort crews woke us up to breakfast and advised us that the ‘commissioned’ vehicle, actually the same sarao jeep that met us at the airport, was ready for a tour around the island. Breakfast was more than continental! It consisted of our canned goods (corned beef, sausage pork-and-beans) plus fresh eggs, bread, fried rice, dried fish, fresh fruit-juice, hot chocolate and coffee from the resort! We requested that lunch be packed for us and loaded unto the jeep as we were told the leisurely trip would take a whole day. Aside from the driver, another of the resort’s staff went ...

Our “heavy” meal under the moon and the stars was a fine dinner like no other! The resort’s crews were clever enough to have turned-off our cottage “outside lights” – so that the candle-lit dinner table had a more fabulous feel! AND, as we had fun recalling the day’s activities and talking about the various sights we have encountered so far, dinner progressed into a “social drinking session”. We had beer from the resort’s bar and of course tequila that we brought along from Manila! Before I divulge our “drinking session”, let me first set the tone of how the night was in Basco! Electricity is “turned-off” at about midnight – not by the various households and establishments but by the power company itself! So imagine the whole town being pitch-dark every night. But many houses and of course the resorts do have their own generator sets if there would be a need for them to have electric power until the wee hours. Our resort rooms thankfully did not have radios or television ...

The Basco Walk Having seen how far (or just how near) the town proper was to Batanes Resort, we decided we would all walk our way to see the town of Basco that afternoon. At first, the resort crews protested as it was some two or three kilometers away. But, we the guests, prevailed! We wanted to catch the natural scenery on the way to town. So walking was the best option. All they could say was, “if you get tired, just tell those passing tricycles to advise the resort and we will fetch you wherever you are”! Walking around the town of Basco is like doing it in many of the provinces around the country. There are a scattering of little sari-sari stores, bike-shops, hardware stores, snack bars, etc., every few meters. When visitors (that’s us) are passing by, people would usually pause from whatever it was they were doing then nod with smile or actually greet us “hello”! Not once did I get mobbed by hawkers like the ugly way it is at the Batangas Pier! There is also a scatte...

“ Welcome to a different Philippines ”! If I were from Batanes, that phrase above would be my welcome greeting to anyone who sets foot on this group of islands. Batanes is one paradise that even Filipinos themselves will have a hard time believing there is such a beautiful place in their country. To be in Batanes quickly, best option is by air! Easiest would be to fly from Manila to Basco (capital town of Batanes) via at least 2 airliners that ply the route – CHEMTRAD and Asian Spirit. A third, Laoag International Airways we have to check if at all it is still being allowed to fly its planes. It uses aircraft about as big as those of Asian Spirit’s but definitely older, and dirtier – probably even scarier since they are the last known airliner with an aircraft that dove into the Manila Bay shortly after take-off! CHEMTRAD uses small aircraft that passes via Laoag or Tuguegarao where maximum number of passengers is just about 8 or 10. You can actually go by boat. But for tourists, it is...