Philippine Travel Notes

I thought you said “km 0” is the Rizal monument in Manila (Luneta). Then why is that ass sitting at a “km 0” that does not look to be anywhere near Luneta? Now now, calm down my dear cayvan (that means friend in Ivatan). Especially in this country, there are always exceptions to every rule! The topic we had in the previous entry is if and when you can travel by land from Luneta (e.g., to Pili, Camarines Sur). That 'ass', is sitting at the kilometer marker in front of the Batanes Provincial Capitol which, as we know, is an island way up north, right? That is one such exception. When the province, city or town is on a separate island, what becomes “kilometer zero” is usually the highest seat of government on the island. And in this particular example, it’s the provincial capitol of Batanes located in Basco. That is why you also see “B” and another “0” below the “KM” and “0” because he is sitting at zero kilometers away from Basco, Batanes. He is in the very heart ...

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...