Month: November 2012

Rest of Batan: Mahatao

When I think of Mahatao, this simple church is the first thing that comes to mind – not the lighthouse,

Photo taken in 2006.

and certainly not the boat shelter,

An island detached from the main island provides shelter for inter-island vessels.

both constructed sometime around the mid-2000 only.  The church, however, has been a fixture in this old sleepy town since the days of yore and every time I am in Batanes, I get to visit it.

It is, after all, the biggest structure in Mahatao.

San Carlos Borromeo Church is one of the oldest existing church in Northern Luzon that still keep its centuries old features making it a National Cultural Heritage Treasure.

Also part of Mahatao is the Chanarian View Deck.

Another personal favorite, it has breathtaking views of Batan and the rugged cliffs.

Concrete stairs lead down the cliff if one cares to explore the water below.  I prefer the view from the road.

Last May while enjoying the view, I chatted with our guide Mang Rudy about life in Manila.  Life in the capital, as he describe it, is hard enough as a single, sometimes holding 2 jobs just to make ends meet.  When he got married, he knew that it would be difficult to raise a family if he stayed.  So they went back and now that they are settled and has called Batanes home once more, he is happy.  A guide before he left, he picked up where he left off citing that the influx of tourism provides a steadier income.  He is also enjoying the support he gets from his family, friends and neighbors, bayanihan still very much a part of their culture.  Their geographical isolation has a lot to do with this spirit.  He is proud to be an Ivatan, and I can feel his passion.  As a guide he aims to promote his homeland because it is indeed a place so unique and beautiful to be in.

Thor and Anton, taken in 2006 in Diura Fishing Village.  A small village facing the Pacific Ocean and where fishermen perform a ritual to signify the start of another season of fishing.

In 2006, a guy who is not from Batanes, nor is he Filipino brought us around.  Thor, a volunteer is American.  It amused me that a foreigner was showing us around the island, our very own country.   He was then helping the Tourism Office in various projects, one of which is training guides.  I never got to ask Mang Rudy if Thor ever trained him but regardless, I think he will make Thor proud.

And this ends my series on Batanes.  Want a summary of where and what to eat in Batanes?  Check out Batanes Eats at Storm In My Kitchen for some of the island’s gastronomic delights.

Posted on by Jenn 0

Rest of Batan: Ivana

Credits: Template by Jen Caputo; Papers by Scrapmatters by Becca

At the Honesty Coffee Shop, we waited for the boat that plies the Batan-Sabtang route from the port off Ivana.

It was late.  The waves were strong, delaying its arrival and so its departure.  We spent the entire morning waiting to leave for Sabtang.  Having hitched a ride from Basco, we can’t go too far so we stayed put exploring the church across.  We eventually left for Sabtang after lunch.  That was 6 years ago.

San Jose Church in Ivana looks more like a castle to me because of the crenellated walls of the bell tower.

Well preserved, the church is photogenic inside and out.

Today, the church is just as pretty though the recently built port is an eyesore.

Shot in 2006 while waiting to leave for Sabtang.

What used to be a beautiful view of Sabtang and the sea is now partly blocked by the port.

She is perhaps the most visited and the most photographed woman in the island.  Floresitida Estrella, fondly known as Lola Ida, lives in a house known as the House of Dakay – one of the oldest stone house in the island.

Me at the House of Dakay sans Lola Ida.  She was probably not around hence the solo shot.

An earthquake in 1918 earthquake hit the island and leveled most of the town to the ground, this house survived.  We did not visit her this time.

Instead, we headed to Vatang Grill and Restaurant for lunch.

Just along the main road, close to the shore.

Six years ago while waiting for the boat, we had sweet Filipino-style spaghetti for lunch in a small and perhaps the only eatery in Ivana then.

Finally, a good restaurant serving rather good local Ivatan cuisine in this side of the island.

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Rest of Batan: Imnajbu Point

I have taken a photo of this same spot every time I come to Batanes.

Taken in 2006

It is, after all, one of my favorite spot in Batanes because of how the road cuts through the low-lying hill leaving a rugged sculpture by the roadside. I also love the reveal at the turn – beautiful seascape,  winding road, rugged hillside.

It always makes me sigh with wonder and amazement.  Am I being over the top? Probably, but this remains to be a favorite spot in my books.

This is Imnajbu Point; some call it the Alapad Pass.  Imnajbu is one of the 2 major settlements of the municipality of Uyugan along the Pacific seaboard.  The other one is Itbud.

The land is varied and has rocky hills along the coastline that faces the Pacific

and the interior boasts of grassy hills.

Both settlements is said to have the most intact of stone houses in Batanes.

On our way from Mahatao, we met some bump on the road – landslide from heavy rains in the morning, perhaps even from the night before.  It didn’t take long to clear up, just long enough to take photos of the old Loran Station and my favorite spot.

Close to the Alapad pass is Loran Station – a navigation station built by the Americans in the 50s – can be seen from this road.  As satellite communications made Loran System redundant, the Americans left in the 70s.  In its heyday, locals call it “Little America”.

Posted on by Jenn 3