Five Reasons to Fall in Love with Batanes
I have always heard of the beauteous and breath-taking
Batanes but kept postponing going there for reasons I can’t remember. But out
of the blue, my friends and I decided to visit the place this summer and ended
up falling in love with it.
There are a lot of reasons to love Batanes and you can
scan the Internet for the myriad of them but I have five personal ones. Not
only did they make my trip memorable but I think these are what make Batanes
Batanes which you can’t find anywhere else.
1.
BATANES
RICE
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Copyright Photo: The Paranoid Traveler/PFN |
We, Pinoys, love rice, including those who are on a
no-carb diet. As for me, I thought nothing can ever beat the fluffiness and
stickiness of Japanese rice and the aroma of Hong Kong rice but Batanes rice
has surpassed them both with the same fluffiness and stickiness. It may not be
as aromatic as Hong Kong rice but it makes you want to consume more of the rice
than its equally sumptuous native dishes like the uvud balls and one-day old
flying fish. Add turmeric to it, and you’d go, “Atkins who?” Our tour guide
explained that Batanes rice is not irrigated the way other rice is which give
it its distinct quality. I didn't completely understand the implications but
who cares? Pass the rice, please!
2.
MT.
CARMEL
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Copyright Photo: Evangeline Tirona/PFN |
When you travel anywhere in the Philippines and in
Europe, you just can’t avoid visiting churches that they would all start to
look alike with the appeal waning by the day but my jaws dropped when I saw Mt.
Carmel. It wasn’t as big and grand as other churches nor was it as historic as
it was only built a little over ten years ago but it was the most beautiful
country church I have ever seen with trellis and yellow flowers adorning it. It
reminded me of those English countryside churches. My heart broke seeing that
although it is just a young church, there was already an appeal for funds to
help maintain it otherwise it will go the way of other neglected churches.
3.
COWS
EVERYWHERE
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Copyright Photo: The Paranoid Traveler/PFN |
As a city girl, the only contact I have with cows are
through steaks and movies. Okay, that is an exaggeration as I might have seen
some every now and then but I have never seen them in such regularity. Wherever
I turned, there was a cow or two. I even saw two cows playing like happy dogs!
And then one cow galloped up a hill like an excited puppy about to welcome its
master. I never even knew cows could run. I just thought all they did was stand
and chew grass.
4.
HONESTY
COFFEE SHOP
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Copyright Photo: The Paranoid Traveler/PFN |
This I can say with much confidence: You will never find
anything like this anywhere in the Philippines---a shop that sells the usual
convenience fare but without anyone manning it. It is just you and your
conscience alone that will keep this business afloat. The products and their
prices are laid out for your reach as well as boxes where to put your no-change
payment. I can just imagine this shop to be empty and pillaged if it opens
anywhere outside of Batanes.
By the way, not only was the shop free from security,
even the owner’s house was open to all. Sure, there was nothing to steal but I
cannot imagine leaving my house unlocked.
5.
KIND PEOPLE (THEY STILL EXIST!)
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Copyright Photo: The Paranoid Traveler/PFN |
But most of all, what I left Batanes with is the hope
that people can still be kind. Filipinos especially in the provinces are
generally hospitable and smiling people but the Ivatans take that to a higher
and perhaps even more sincere level. All smiles and chitchats that greeted us
were warm. We did not experience any rudeness or snappy attitude even when
perhaps it could have been called for. Let me explain.
We asked our tricycle driver to wait for us while we go
shop at the market. We walked some meters away from the market as we wanted to
see what else was available. When we returned, we were surprised to see the
tricycle gone even though we had not paid our fare. We deliberately did not pay
to make sure the driver will wait for us.
We waited for a few minutes to see if he just drove around
as the street was one-way but then it became clear that the driver did leave
us. So we texted for another tricycle at the terminal and surprise, it was the
same driver. When we asked why he left us even though we had not paid, he just
replied with all humility, “Akala ko kasi gusto na ninyong maglakad.” (I
thought you decided to walk instead.) Even if that were the case, he decided it
was best to leave than to chase after us demanding payment not only for the
first ride but perhaps even for the waiting time. I have had drivers elsewhere do
exactly that to me including over-charging, berating and cursing---even though
I had already paid.
These are just the five main things about Batanes that I
love but of course, her beauty is not limited to them. They have the rolling
hills that make you want to sing a la Julie Andrews, the cattle-filled Marlboro
country minus the cancer-causing cigarettes, the beaches, the World War II
Japanese cave, the lighthouse overlooking the town, another lighthouse to watch
a spectacular sunset, etc. that all make you proud to be Filipino.
-THE PARANOID
TRAVELER
Now that you want to hop on a plane to fly to Batanes,
here are some things to help you plan:
Batanes Package Cost: P23,000++ inclusive of air fare, airport
transfer, lodging, all meals except snacks, guided tour and travel agent’s
service fee (Perhaps some of you might be thinking you'd rather spend it going abroad but you won't see Batanes outside of Batanes!)
Accommodation: Batanes Seaside Lodge & Restaurant with Wi-Fi,
hot water, air-conditioning and airport transfer
Mode of Transportation: Tricycle at P30 a ride (You need
to text the terminal to get a tricycle. You will then receive a reply
indicating the number of the tricycle that will come pick you up. It’s like
their very own GrabTricycle. You can get the number from any local.)
Where to Eat: Restaurants can only be found at hotels
with prices starting from P120 and up
Wireless Connection: Wi-Fi and mobile signals are
available but they tend to be erratic for Globe while my PLDT wireless and my
friend’s Smart were working fine.
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Copyright Photo: The Paranoid Traveler/PFN |
Must-Buy Souvenirs: Batanes rice, one-day old flying fish
(dibang), vakul (the straw hat and vest worn mostly by the elderly as a shield
from the heat)
Thank-You Gesture: If you want to thank your Batanes
host, you might want to bring Manila newspapers as they don’t sell papers there
at all. They don’t even have a local community paper as no one was interested---that
we were told by a snarling--but kind---market vendor.
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