May 31, 2013
Batan Island, Batanes
I have heard that only superlatives can be used to describe a trip to Batanes - the most beautiful unspoiled seascapes and the exorbitant price you have to pay to see them. We were lucky to experience the former and skip the latter. With Air Philippines' recent launch of regular flights to Basco, one can already get to Batanes for more or less 5,000 PHP, a far cry from the 12,000 PHP some of the tourists we met had to pay (and they thought that was already cheap since they booked via a travel expo.)
We reached Basco at 7 AM after a 2-hour flight from Manila. We stayed at Amboy Hometel, a homey home/hotel with friendly staff.
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| Amboy Hometel |
To get around Batanes, we booked a van and a tourist guide. For this day, we traveled around the northern part of Batan. Our first stop was at the stoned-wall Mt. Carmel Chapel, a quaint charming chapel modeled after traditional Ivatan houses. With the painted ceilings and the splendid seascape, this is definitely a perfect place for an intimate wedding.
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| Mt. Carmel Chapel |
A few minutes away from the church is the Basco Pagasa station where the view is simply beautiful.
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| View from Basco Pagasa station |
Afterwards, we went to Dipnaysupuan tunnel which was built during the Japanese occupation. We traversed the moderately difficult (needs some level of fitness) tunnel for about 15 minutes. We then went to see the large smooth rocks of boulder beach at Valugan Bay, a perfect spot to just sit, relax, and unwind.
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| Valugan Bay |
Next in the itinerary was Vayang rolling hills where the seascape is just perfect. I would love to just spend a whole day here just reading.
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| Vayang rolling hills |
We decided to eat dinner at Fundacion Pacita, not for the food - which was good (I loved the lemon squares) - but more for the picturesque view. About the food, one thing to note is that choices are limited or, in our case that night, non-existent. We ate what we were served - I guess since there are only a few tourists at a time in Batanes, restaurants cannot afford to stock different variants of meats and vegetables.
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| Fundacion Pacita |
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