I consider our Batanes trip last year as one of God's greatest blessing in my life. Travelling has become one of my "cravings". I love the idea of visiting new places to just chill or go for an adventure. When I saw the beautiful landscapes and the view of the ocean in pictures I immediately fell in love with the place and hoped to visit it one day. I couldn't wait for that one day to happen so my travel buddy and I decided to book a flight despite of the sky high fares. Our flight was scheduled during the APEC holidays. I was very excited and as usual researched on things to do and see, places to eat and stay. However, weeks before our departure we learned that airlines have been cancelling flights for APEC days for security purposes. I got worried upon hearing this news because I knew our flight may be affected and truly it was. I'm thankful that PAL rebooked our flight without any surcharge. We decided to move it a week earlier instead.
En route to the airport I can't believe the gravity of traffic in Manila. It was 3 in the morning but it felt like rush hour during late afternoons. Trucks were everywhere and traffic was bumper to bumper. I was thankful that we left early and reached the airport with ample time to relax. We had breakfast at Cinnabon and I had a good chat with my friend who I haven't seen for a long time since she's based in Baguio. My mom and her sister who decided to go with us just days before the trip also had a good morning breakfast.
My friend was surprised to see the plane we're riding to get to Batanes was very small. Despite its size, the flight was comfortable and turbulence free. Another thing to be grateful about. After almost 2 hours we were greeted with the beautiful island of Batanes. Upon stepping foot on the ground I already felt the serene province vibe. We were picked up by the hotel's service and a few minutes later we were already at Batanes Sea Side Lodge. I was already very excited to explore the place. It was a dream come true! The receptionist welcomed us and invited us for breakfast at the ground floor. I don't know why but I'm usually hungry after flights even if all I have done is just sit in the plane! Over breakfast we talked about how we're going to tour the place. We wanted to make the most of it and in the end we decided to hire tricycles to go around places to lessen the cost.
For our first we day we did the North Batan tour. It's a good start since it's just a half day tour. We didn't get exhausted that much and the places were near to our hotel. Our first stop was the Vulugan beach. The view was spectacular, I can see a clear view of the ocean with big rocks on the shore formed by volcanic eruptions. We seized the moment to just enjoy the view and of course took photos and videos as these are the best souvenirs we can actually have.
We then proceeded to visit the Dipnaysupuan Japanese tunnel then to PAGASA weather station. Here we just relaxed and enjoyed the ocean view for a good 30 minutes. The place is also near Fundacion Pacita, the most expensive hotel in Batanes. After which we went to Tukon Church, a church made of stone. It was very beautiful to look at. We went inside and said a prayer, I thank God for allowing this trip to happen. It's a trip that I've been dreaming of and I was just so happy that finally I'm here!
After we went to Vayang rolling hills. I'm a scenery person so for me every place we visited in Batanes were really beautiful. The pastures were very green and there were carabaos in the area too.
For our last destination for the day we were brought to Basco Lighthouse. I love light houses! I'm in love with everything that's nautical - anchor, lighthouses etc. We went up the lighthouse and saw a wonderful view of the ocean and the green land. It was also very windy up there.
After the sightseeing we were kind of hungry and asked our tricycle driver/tour guide to drop us of Pension Ivatan first. The price for their food was just right. The food was also very tasty and we enjoyed a wide variety of Ivatan cuisines. After eating, we went back to our hotel to have an early rest.
The next day we did the South Batan tour. Our first stop was Chawa View Deck wherein you can have a very cool view the ocean. Everything's so blue and serene.
We also went to the Spanish Lagoon. We decided to have a mini adventure and go down to reach the lagoon. The pathway was bushy and we were told to watch our steps since the right side area is already a cliff! We had fun while taking photos and just immersing ourselves in this beautiful place.
My favorite destination is the Marlboro Rolling Hills. Pictures won't do justice to show the beauty of the place. We intentionally spent longer time here to chill. I love how I can enjoy the view of the ocean, the hills and the cloud in just 1 sitting. It was just perfect.
We also visited stone houses and the Honesty coffee shop where no one's manning the store. We just listed down and drop the payment for the goodies we bought.
For our third day we visited Sabtang Island which is 30 minutes away from Batan Island via a faluwa. Sabtang can be likened to a hidden gem in Batanes. My favorite place here was the Chamantad Cove and Tinyan Viewpoint. It was like we were in New Zealand. There were also some youths who were taking buwis buhay photos standing on rock cliffs. I'm actually the one scared for them!
We had lunch by the seaside. The sound of the waves was very relaxing. After lunch we head on to the part to go back to Batan Island.
That's almost it for our Batanes trip, a truly wonderful place in the Philippines :)
We then proceeded to visit the Dipnaysupuan Japanese tunnel then to PAGASA weather station. Here we just relaxed and enjoyed the ocean view for a good 30 minutes. The place is also near Fundacion Pacita, the most expensive hotel in Batanes. After which we went to Tukon Church, a church made of stone. It was very beautiful to look at. We went inside and said a prayer, I thank God for allowing this trip to happen. It's a trip that I've been dreaming of and I was just so happy that finally I'm here!
After we went to Vayang rolling hills. I'm a scenery person so for me every place we visited in Batanes were really beautiful. The pastures were very green and there were carabaos in the area too.
After the sightseeing we were kind of hungry and asked our tricycle driver/tour guide to drop us of Pension Ivatan first. The price for their food was just right. The food was also very tasty and we enjoyed a wide variety of Ivatan cuisines. After eating, we went back to our hotel to have an early rest.
The next day we did the South Batan tour. Our first stop was Chawa View Deck wherein you can have a very cool view the ocean. Everything's so blue and serene.
We also went to the Spanish Lagoon. We decided to have a mini adventure and go down to reach the lagoon. The pathway was bushy and we were told to watch our steps since the right side area is already a cliff! We had fun while taking photos and just immersing ourselves in this beautiful place.
My favorite destination is the Marlboro Rolling Hills. Pictures won't do justice to show the beauty of the place. We intentionally spent longer time here to chill. I love how I can enjoy the view of the ocean, the hills and the cloud in just 1 sitting. It was just perfect.
We also visited stone houses and the Honesty coffee shop where no one's manning the store. We just listed down and drop the payment for the goodies we bought.
For our third day we visited Sabtang Island which is 30 minutes away from Batan Island via a faluwa. Sabtang can be likened to a hidden gem in Batanes. My favorite place here was the Chamantad Cove and Tinyan Viewpoint. It was like we were in New Zealand. There were also some youths who were taking buwis buhay photos standing on rock cliffs. I'm actually the one scared for them!
We had lunch by the seaside. The sound of the waves was very relaxing. After lunch we head on to the part to go back to Batan Island.
That's almost it for our Batanes trip, a truly wonderful place in the Philippines :)
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