Batanes Trip - North Batan

This is a diary of my travel to Batanes.

Basco Airport

We landed at Basco Airport at 8:28 AM. Similar to Caticlan Airport, it was a small airport with one landing strip. After getting off the plane we were asked to register before reaching the arrival area.

It was drizzling when we arrived. Or maybe it was the low clouds. Either way, you're bound to get cold and wet with this kind of weather.

After arriving at the hotel (which was only a few minutes away), I was given some papers to fill out. I was then escorted to my room. The room was pretty decent and had the basic necessities - comfy bed, lights, hot water (yes, it's a must!). It also comes with an air conditioning unit, which I probably won't need given the weather.

A few minutes after settling in, the innkeeper knocked on my door and said that breakfast is ready. It was a standard breakfast - longsilog - with either coffee or milo. I heartily gobbled up my food, and afterwards went back to my room to get a little bit of my much needed sleep. At around 11:30, I got a knock on my door. It was Rommel, my tour guide. He was fetching me to start today's tour. For my first day, he will tour me around North Batan Island.

Our tour started with lunch. We stopped by octagon bed and breakfast, which served a couple of delicacies. Each meal costs between 200php to 300php, and is big enough to be shared by two. However, since I prepaid for everything before getting to Batanes, I was served a set meal. I had soup, rice, sweet and sour fish, and calamansi juice. I was probably still full with the breakfast I ate because I didn't feel so hungry, but still I was able to finish off my meal.

Mt. Carmel Chapel

After the heavy breakfast, we proceeded with the actual tour at 1 PM. Our first stop was the Mt. Carmel chapel. It was a chapel owned by the Abads. As I found out, Secretary Abad was from Batanes, and they were the one who buit the chapel. According to Rommel, mass is held on this chapel only once a month.

Not far from the chapel was the radar station (Radar Tukon). The stationnwas originally used by the Americans, but eventually the Philippine Government took over. It's now used by PAG-ASA, where they take weather readings.

Fundacion Pacita

Our next stop was Fundacion Pacita, the one and only resort hotel in Batanes. It was named after Pacita Abad, a world-renowned artist from Batanes. She is also secretary Abad's sister. She has already passed away but her legacy lives on through her paintings and her unique style which was adopted by Ivatans.

After Fundacion Pacita, we then headed to the Japanese hideout. Contrary to the name, the place is actually not used by the Japanese, but the locals. During the war, the locals dug a hideout in the mountains to see any incoming enemy troops. According to Rommel, it was never really used for that purpose, but the locals hid in the caves anyway as a precaution.

Boulder Beach

Next on our list was the Boulder beach. This beach is different from most because of the "sand." According to Rommel, the smooth rocks (boulders) from this area actually came from the nearby volcano, which is now dormant. It was like the volcano was playing marbles and deposited all those smooth rocks there.

After the Boulder Beach, we headed back to Basco. There we visited the Santo Domingo Church, which is the main Church in Basco. Unlike Mt. Carmel chapel, Santo Domingo Church has mass every day, with more masses being conducted on Sundays. The Church has undergone multiple renovations over the years in response to natural disasters, and has been modernized. Today the church is made of modern materials, and even has LED monitors for song lyrics and responses.

Rolling Hills

Our next stop was the rolling hills. From the name itself, the area is filled with hills that appear like they're rolling. It's like waves and waves of hills. The wind was strong in this area, so if you're on the light side like I am you have to be careful or you might get literally blown by the wind.

Our last stop was the Basco Lighthouse. Rommel said that the lighthouse is situated on a private property. It hasn't been properly maintained, and is no longer operational. There aren't a lot of areas in the Philippines that have lighthouses that I'm aware of, so it's still a sight. Beside the lighthouse are a few buildings which was previously used as storage. One of them used to be a dining area for special occassions, but it has been closed off. At the ground floor of the lighthouse is a souvenir shop, which lets you buy mostly keychains, ref magnets, and Ivatan headdresses.

Since we finished early and dinner was still far off I decided to head back to the inn to refresh, and get a bit more sleep. At approx 6:30 Rommel fetched me and we headed out for dinner.

We had dinner at Jeunesse. It's actually a spa of sorts, but they also do catering for tourists. They serve Ivatan food. I had beef stew, salad, and burong. They also served camote cue and bananas for dessert. Most of the food served is available in the mainland, except maybe for the turmeric rice and the burong.

After dinner, my travel guide escorted by back to the inn, where I spent the rest of the day.