I’m on my second day of bliss in Batanes! I was up and about as early as 6:00AM to capture the South Region of Batan Island. Here’s my day 2 itinerary!
October 5, 2013 - Day 2 Itinerary
(South Region):
- Our Own Rotisserie
- Chawa View Deck
- Shelter Port
- San Carlos Borromeo Church, Mahatao
- Ivana Spanish Bridge
- Dakay House
- Radiwan Port, Ivana
- San Jose de Ivana Church
- Honesty Café
- Uyugan Town
- Vitaoy Picnic Site
- Sitio Songsong
- Alapad Road
- Marlboro Country
- Mahatao Lighthouse
- Free Lunch at Eugene’s House (Tour Guide)
To view day 1...BATANES ADVENTURE! (North Region Tour)
To view day 4...BATANES ADVENTURE (Sabtang Island Tour)
Planning to book a trip to Batanes?
Here's a directory to help you get started BATANES DIRECTORY
Planning to book a trip to Batanes?
Here's a directory to help you get started BATANES DIRECTORY
Our Own Rotisserie
It’s a newly opened place along Castillejos Street. I had
their local arrozcaldo and sinigang na isda for breakfast but they also serve fruit shakes and roasted chicken!
Chawa View Deck
First stop! We were so high up on the deck but I could taste the
saltiness of the sea! The rocks and
waves of Batanes reminds me of America's Next Top Model! If
you’re adventurous enough to get that facebook profile ala ANTM there’s a
stairway down the rocky shore.
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| Magandang Umaga Pilipinas! |
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| The Ivatans have been using this text as a road sign several years before the invention of mobile texting. |
Shelter Port
To protect the boats from the strong winds and waves, the
Ivatans created this solace for their fishing boats.
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| Notice how clear and clean the waters are even if it's the port! |
San Carlos Borromeo
Church, Mahatao Town
Built in 1873 A.D. and is made of limestones and cogon
roofing. It’s one of the 26 churches in
the Philippines that is recognized as a cultural icon because of its beauty and
excellent state.
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| my tour ride! |
Ivana Spanish Bridge
Built in the Spanish Era, this bridge was meant for people
headed to and from the church.
Dakay House
Made of boulder stones and corals with Narra flooring and
has been standing for over 25 years!
Radiwan Port, Ivana
Town
The cleanest port I’ve ever seen. The waters are clear with
no trace of any trash or plastic!
San Jose de Ivana
Church
Built in 1784 and faces the Ivana Port. This church was my mark when we came back
from Sabtang Island (more on that on my next blog!).
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| view if you're walking from the altar |
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| praying for my 3 wishes! |
Honesty Café
No one’s manning the store!
If you want to purchase just write down the item that you’ll get, the amount
and drop off your payment at the counter!
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| Feel free to hang out and drink your coffee while waiting for the vangka to Sabtang Island! |
Uyugan Town
I don’t have pictures of this town but most of the houses
here are still made of boulder stones.
They have a separate structure for the kitchen, sleeping area and
comfort room. It’s designed that way to
avoid fire from destroying the whole household.
Vitaoy Picnic Site
The beach here has white sand and it has a cliff where you can have
your jump shots! Gotta have one of those
too!
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| View from the cliff |
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| See...Tita Remy's really game to try anything! |
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| okay...fight scene naman! kame-hame-waAaAaave!!! |
Sitio Songsong
In the 1950s this village was destroyed by a tsunami. Most of the people who lived here migrated to
Mindanao through the government’s aid and was then called a ghost town. There are no ghosts of course, but I opted
not to wander around too much! Hahaha! Okay next Tita Remy let’s go naaa….
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| Sitio Songsong |
This is where Dawn Zulueta and Richard Gomez shot the famous
“habulan” scene in the movie Hihintayin Kita Sa Langit!
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| Kuya Jun's on emo mode while waiting for me and Tita Remy from our short hike. |
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| aww...true love! |
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| View from the edge of the cliff...this used to be the American Base and Port in Batanes |
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| love the lines... |
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| waiting at the edge of the cliff |
Marlboro Country
This is the biggest pasture land for cows. It has a great view of the sea and you can
see the Mahatao Lighthouse from this point.
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| took this shot while lying on the grassy cliff! |
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| tadaaa! haay huhaay! ang sarap ng buhay! |
Mahatao Lighthouse
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| Mahatao Lighthouse...after walking a steep hilly road. |
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| oh! i love you! |
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| Mahatao Lighthouse |
Late Lunch!
It was way past lunchtime when we finished the South Region
Tour but I was fortunate enough to be invited to a lunch. It was Eugene’s (also a tour guide) 9th
day of padasal for her mom who just passed away. I was a bit shy but it's hard to say no to invitations like this soOo! yeah...GO lang! ahahah! The food is served in vunong/ bread leaf and
it also serves as a packaging if you wish to bring home food for your family.
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| rice with turmeric and ground beef |
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| oha! half rice lng...pero ang daming ulam!!! If you can't finish everything you can just wrap it up and bring it home for your family...scroll down! |
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| It's their culture to give pabaon to their guests ...hence the pun "hindi ka pwede mamatay kung wala kang baka" |
October 6, 2013 - Day 3 Itinerary
It's a Sunday! So I just attended mass with Tita Remy, her daughter-in-law and two grandchildren and we had PIZZA for lunch! The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging in my room while checking out photos from my cam and faced a mountain of to do's while on vacation!
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| Sunday Mass at Basco, Batanes |
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| Koocharah Express Pizza! |
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| picture! picture muna while waiting for the pizza! |
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| happy sunday kiddos! |
