More than an Escape Featuring Honest Batanes (Part 1)

For some reasons, my write-up about our Batanes trip has been way too late. And maybe there is a reason why I say ‘You’re my Boss’ movie a year too late.

Because, obviously, that motivated me to finally sit down and recount my experiences about my trip to the beautiful island in the northern part of the Philippines.

Batanes has been labeled so exquisitely as the ‘New Zealand in the Philippines”, a place where honesty is at the core of the residents and a breath-taking place that is more than a nature escape but a serene, sincere view of what life truly is – ‘simple and honest’. (Yeah, some reference to You’re My Boss lines. )

Day 1

So here’s my take on Batanes.

Obviously, we have to start with a haphazardly taken birds-eye-view-in-the-airplane-window-shot. Or whatever you call it. Even from a scratchy window, you can see the lush landscape that is too inviting to miss.

For our plane ride going there, we took advantage of the privilege given to us as PAL employee dependents. For commercial airfare, do a Google search, or ask your local ticketing agents.

  Upon arrival in Basco, Batanes, we were greeted with the stone-house building of the main airport, reminiscent of the old stone houses that we would witness more soon.

 We checked in at Batanes Resorts, which looked like the rest of the old-stone-house we saw at the airport. They want to preserve the legacy of their ancestors and keep the traditional setting for everyone to see and feel. So, luckily for us, we will see more of this kind of buildings while roaming the islands.

 We didn’t want to waste any more time, so a few hours after settling down (we arrived early in the morning, had breakfast, and some of us took a few hours of nap), we decided to go to town and rent bicycles to do some sightseeing on the main island, Basco. Bicycle and motorcycle are some the popular rides you can rent there if you want quick access to the pretty stores and spots scattered in the area.

While we were at it, we went to some tourist destination store in the area that my sister plotted for us to visit.

Right beside that is the entrance to…

You should make a stop here to relax a little bit after a few minutes of biking around town under the hot and humid sun. While here, you would understand why foreigners would die to visit a place like this. Exquisite view of the seas, Batanes Port and the surrounding mountains and coastlines are situated here. Grab a glass of the famous halo-halo and bask in the enchanting scene right before your eyes.

And that was just the beginning. Here are some shots of the breath-taking scenes we saw while riding around the Basco on our bicycles.

The ride took several hours, and we were wholly spent from biking up and down the hills. After that, we had dinner at Pension Ivatan Rthe estaurant which concluded our Day 1 at Batanes. And before I miss it, let me introduce you to Mr. Coconut Crab, one of Batanes’ special treats. He will turn orange when you cook him, just like an ordinary crab but some say he tastes a bit different.  🙂 🙂 

Day 2

Day 2 was when we started our official tour headed by a Bisumi Travel and Tours agent, who was extremely helpful in making us understand the history and underlying stories of each scene and the places we saw. So I guess I’ll quit talking and let the photos paint a better picture. 

Ok. I just realized this is going to be a long post. So I’ll stop here for now, and I’ll show more stunning views on my next post.

Other Batanes Related Posts:

• Beyond the Rolling Hills ft. Honest Batanes Part 2
• 4 Unexpectedly Unique Beauties Found in Sabtang, Batanes
• The Tragic Trouble that Happened in Itbayat, Batanes

Do these photos make you want to go there and see for your self? Because I do! I wanna go back there again!?!