Batanes (Day 2)

Our second day in Batanes is all about roughing up. We woke up at 4am and hurriedly prepared for our Sabtang Island tour. Sabtang Island is a 30 to 45 minute falowa ride from Mahatao town. Falowa is a boat without an outrigger so it can freely glide along the strong waves of Batanes. Riding the falowa is an adventure itself. I didn’t get seasick but I got a bit scared during the 45-minute boat ride as the strong waves crash against our boat. Falowa would look like paper boat cruising against Batanes’ big waves.  After surviving the grueling boat ride, we finally arrived in Sabtang. Sabtang is known for the heritage towns of Savidug and Chavayan which are famous for its stone and lime houses (bahay na bato).

Arriving safe and sound in Sabtang

We had a stopover at the tourism office to register and recover from the boat ride. Just a few steps from the tourism office is the Sabtang Church. The church was built by the Dominican friars in 1785.

San Vicente Ferrer Church

Barrio Savidug

Although some stone and lime houses were not preserved, it was a sight to see the rows of centuries-old bahay na bato still inhabited by local Ivatans. The village is a candidate for the UNESCO World Heritage List. We got the chance to enter one of the houses and we saw a little boy watching Cartoon Network (note: they have a satellite dish). It was good knowing that technology has reached even the remote islands of the country. We toured around a few more houses and we boarded the jeep to get to our next destination.

Posing before traditional Ivatan houses

Bahay mo ba'to?

Savidug Idjang

Kuya Roger pointed to us a mountain range as we were passing on an unpaved road. It was Savidug Idjang. During times of tribal conflicts between the Ivatans, the stone fortress served as a shelter to the tribes. I had a hard time concentrating during the tour because of the very bumpy ride. I think only 10% of the roads are paved in Sabtang.

Chamantad-Tinyan Sitio

After the seemingly unending bumpy ride, we arrived at Chamantad. This is my favorite place in Sabtang Island. It has a certain rustic feel and provides a great panoramic view of the Sabtang coast. You have to climb steep mountain slopes to see all the views. Every angle is picturesque; any photo taken looks very natural and could pass for a travel magazine cover. 

Chamantad Arc

View from the top

Happy day ;)

Chavayan Village

In Chavayan, we were welcomed by the sight of stone houses lined up along the narrow streets of the village. We had fresh coconut for refreshments. We also had the chance to wear the traditional vakul, a head-gear worn by Ivatan women to protect them from the rain and heat. We also met the oldest Ivatan who is 103 years old. We asked Lolo what his diet consists and he gladly answered “camote, ube, and togue”. We passed by several more houses until we reached a small chapel at the far end of the village

Lovin' my new do

Quaint Ivatan stone house

With the oldest-living Ivatan man

At the spur of the moment, we decided to ride in the topload of the jeep on the way to Nakabuang Beach. It was such a liberating experience.  Everytime our jeep had to make a curve, my heart skipped a beat. It was like living on the edge.

Spur of the moment ride

Nakabuang Beach and Arc

We had our seafood lunch at Nakabuang Beach. The beach is known for its natural arc formation. After our sumptuous meal, we headed to the beach. Yihee. Beaching in Batanes finally. Batanes doesn’t have white powdery sands like Boracay or Palawan but it sure has character. It was low tide so it was impossible to swim and there were corals. So we just waded in the water and enjoyed our time.

Natural arc formation

Beachin' in Batanes

Going back to Batan Island

Around 3pm we headed to Batan. Unlike our morning boat ride, the waves were cooperative this time. We arrived in Basco in less than an hour and we asked Kuya Roger to dropped us at Café Napoli – the only pizza place in Basco. Batanes has no fastfood restaurants and we were craving for some comfort food. We decided to take home the pizza and eat at the lodge.

"Prime" banca seats

The one and only pizza place in Batanes

Our day was full of adventure, starting from the boat ride, visiting the heritage towns of Savidug and Chavayan, climbing up slopes in Chamantad, beaching in Nakabuang, and our spur of the moment topload jeepney ride. Need I say more? 

Batanes spells a-d-v-e-n-t-u-r-e!