Tag: batanes

Batanes, Day 2

That day was the day we’ll cross water and explore another island, Sabtang. I remember being still in awe and unexplicably excited over this entire trip. The night’s sleep was secondary in priority, but I think I had enough to store energy for that day.

To Sabtang, From A Boat

The boat our group rode on was all-wood, and didn’t really give an impression that we were all set for a safe ride. But heck, these people should know what they were doing already, right? Manong Rogers, our guide, cited that the waves that morning were calm. To Batanes standards, 2-3 foot waves would be calm.

I sat at the tail end of the boat, which meant three of us faced straight vs. the others who sat on the sides. No roof, but the life vests we had had neck shields; I was braving the day minus actual head gear and sunblock. When bigger waves got to the boat, we had the occassional seawater sprayed on us. Of course, I didn’t mind, the ride was enjoyable, and I was snapping away with my cameras.

Sabtang Lighthouse

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Batanes, Day 1

I was at the state of just taking it all in. I believe I was the earliest to arrive at the Domestic Airport, since I did leave home literally a day before, at almost midnight, since I was not sure how the commute situation will be. I’m glad I did though, because I only got to board an FX taxi about an hour later, realizing the provincial buses were not plying their route at that time anymore, and I had to ride a jeep to get near the Malolos/Guiguinto area, where I was hoping early Monday Manila-bound passengers were in my same situation.

Anyhow, the realization that I was finally Batanes-bound came through when I only got my ticket. This was a trip that I was just invited to, unaware of all the other details, but the date, and that I’ll be with bloggers. While lined-up at the check-in line, Markku and company gave me the quickie orientation: this was an Epson-sponsored event, and we’d also be with some press people.

Plane flew, plane landed a bit more than an hour after, and the weather that greeted us at the Basco Airport was glum. Screw glum, I exclaimed, I’m in Batanes.

Early Morning in Basco

Our temporary residence for the trip was the Batanes Seaside Lodge and Restaurant, where we were initially served tinapang flying fish. The place was currently being rennovated (read: pounding hammer noise), and that the flying fish was actually bony, but screw all that, I muttered, I’m in Batanes. After settling in to our rooms, and a brief explanation by the Epson crew of the photo contest theme, we were off to a guided trip around Basco.

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