Highlight * Adventure to the Northernmost Inhabited Island of the Philippines * Wow Philippines! * Itbayat, Batanes (April 2012)

I can never forget our adventure to the northernmost inhabited island of the Philippines, called Itbayat Island, in Batanes.

The weather is cooler than the rest of the Philippines and the surrounding terrain is just so different, I feel like I'm in another country.

First of the adventure was the 3-hour boat ride across the rough seas in a Noah's Ark-like 30 capacity boat. For a moment there, you will feel the vastness of the world enveloping you, and you can just surrender everything to God and Mother Nature. It's definitely not for the weak at heart.

Upon docking, you'd have to time yourself with the waves as you jump off, so as not to fall off into the water. Then a uphill trek along a very narrow pathway of 14 zigzag sections, up the steep mountain to await the open dump truck that served as our transport in the island.

For the night, we stayed in one of the homestays in the island and was taken care of by the locals, who were very friendly and caring people.

At Itbayat, you can really experience the outdoors as you catch your breath with all the beautiful sceneries around you. We started our 3-hour hike to the cave underneath the Torongan Hills (shown in the left middle area of the photo) and emerged into this beautiful sight as we circle our way to see the traditional boat-shaped burial markers (dark gray rocks at the lower left of photo) which were believed to belong to the ancient settlers here called Austronesians.

You can also read my detailed trip report on this adventure:
Itbayat, Batanes: Adventure at Sea

Itbayat, Batanes: Homestay and Beautiful Landscapes

Note:  This highlight also appears in AFAR Website

Wow Philippines * Itbayat, Batanes: Homestay and Breathtaking Landscapes

No pain, no gain!  No guts, no glory!  Well, this is how I best describe our experience in Itbayat.

The pain and the guts part refers to our adventure at sea, as we journey to this northernmost island of the Philippines.

Read more about our sea adventure entitled Itbayat, Batanes: Adventure at Sea

Now on to the gain and glory :-)

After a challenging journey to get here, what's a better welcome than a warm reception from our homestay host, Nanay Cano of Cano Homestay.  Nanay Cano is the overall coordinator and tourism officer for all the homestays in the island, but lucky us, we get to stay at her home.

With a bit of lull time after a hot meal of pork sinigang soup (sour Filipino soup made from tamarind) and fried fish, we began to explore the town and headed out to the main municipal plaza, which was just a block away from the homestay.  The town was quiet with a few curious local kids wondering around.  As we were observing the short bonsai-looking trees along the  plaza, I suddenly glimpse a pair of knees up above the tree, and heard some giggles.  Here's what I saw :-)

Now, Itbayat used to be a coral, and is now considered one of the world's biggest uplifted corals.  No wonder we see the short trees and glimpses of rocks around.  The gardens at Cano homestay is an example.  The short palm trees are popularly known of Vuyavoy, which is actually the palm leaves that are used to make the traditional Vakul.

The white church outlined in red stood out in the town center.  It was the old Spanish church of Mayan, and today is still led by a Spanish priest, Fr, Dennis.  We headed to the main church door, which appeared to be closed.  A plaque stood by the wall indicating the church was built in the 1800's.  Suddenly, a small shy girl came strolling along the church grounds and we asked her if the church was open.  She didn't seem to know the language, but clearly understood why we were there.  She led us through a small alley by the side of the church to the side entrance.  Beside the church was a house, with a tall swing.  A few bunches of onions, garlic, and corn lay on the floor which were obviously being put out to dry.  A rooster sits by the garden, and her father was working on some handicrafts in a nearby hut.

The shy little girl who welcomed us to the church

We entered the church to get a feel for what this meant to the locals, a pride and joy that represents the loyalty and hard work of the people who built this in the 1800s via an assembly line of people from the port, transporting building materials to the church.  The church is big, considering the small population of the island, but is simple and emanates a warm comfortable feeling.  It was also interesting to note that there were two altars, the inner one was built in front of the old one when the church was renovated in the 80's.  I forgot the reason behind it, but today, you could actually see two crucifixes.  We paid our respects and took some photographs and headed back just in time for another adventure on the open truck.  It was a struggle just to get up and down from the back of the truck, but our driver was clever enough to park near the wall of the homestay close enough for us to use it as a step to the stool nearby.

View from the back of the truck where we stood

Our goal was to get to Torongan Hills before sunset.  Our truck brought us to the jump off point where we would trek about an hour to the cave via a supposedly short-cut path amongst trees and rivers.  Like children, we would frequently ask our local guide the favorite question "Are we there yet?" haha!  And he would always reply with "malapit na" which means we're near.  But 10 minutes after, we were still walking and the same reply would come when we asked.  I guess the word "near" is relative and it means differently to someone who treks these paths everyday and someone who comes from the city.  After a few more ten minutes, we were finally at the entrance of the cave.  But wait, there's more, we have to hike down the big boulders to get there!   With some patience, we finally got to the bottom and the cave looked like a huge round ampitheater and at the far end of it was a big hole in the cave that overlooks the deep blue sea.  The cave was believed to be the old dwelling place of the Austronesian aborigine migrants 4000 years ago, and you could see a small ruin of a stone wall that once stood at the entrance of the cave.

That's us at the path, photo by Ferdz Decena

Entrance at the top of the cave

Mouth at the far end of the cave that overlooks the blue sea

Stone Wall at the entrance of the cave

After some spelunking, we headed up to the hills above the caves so that we could see the burial markers of the Austronesians.  Vast plains of lush green hills met us as we emerged from the cave down below.  We could hear our breaths as we become awestruck from the view we see before us.  We got to the top where we can see the Eastern coast of Itbayat, the Torongan cliffs, and the nearby island of Dinem, an uninhabited island.  For a moment there, the cliffs that met us looked like the famous Moher cliffs of Ireland, a place I've always seen in books and magazines, but never visited yet.  My mind wanders and I begin to imagine a scene where I'm a tiny being standing so small on tip of the long stretch of island on top of the cliffs, and looking out to infinity.  Literally breathtaking, from the tiring hike up, as well as from being in awe at the scene we see in front of us.

Torongan Cliffs, Eastern Coast of Itbayat

Up a bit further, this path leads us to the Burial Markers, 7 of them, all boat-shaped facing the sea, which ancients believe that will take them to the afterlife.  Although most of them have been damaged, you can see parts of it but can't make out the shape for most.  It is an interesting history where this northern island was part of Spain, then fell into the Dutch hands who were finally expelled by the Chinese.  Taiwan (Formosa) is actually much nearer in distance to Itbayat than the main islands of Basco and Sabtang.  Only traces of the language remain in the form of Ivatan, where some words resemble the language of the Austronesians.

Path leading to the burial markers

One of the remaining burial markers on the left

At Torongan Hills, view of Dinem Island at the far end

View of the Torongan Cave and the Cliffs on the Background

The following morning, we went up to Mt. Karoboboan for the sunrise.  At 4am, we had to get ready in the dark as the power has not come back on yet.  It is common in places like these to have a schedule a limited operation for the power generators only on certain time of the day where it's needed most. We arrived at the view point on Mt. Karoboboan, just in time to see the sun rise.  It was magical.  As we satisfy ourselves with all the shots we've taken, breakfast was already waiting for us, a huge portion of rice wrapped in banana leaves, and adobo pork.  Yummy!

At the viewpoint, at the hut where we had our breakfast

White snails, edible local delicacy, Mang Tobias had been picking them while waiting for us

My photo of the white snails that got featured in CNN Go program: Eye on the Philippines

Before heading back, we made a last stop at Paganaman Port, a fisherman's port.  After a tiring two days, I decided to stay at the top of the hill and enjoy the breeze while the others headed down to the port.  A lone fisherman was skin diving, trying to make his catch while another perched off the docks below.  The views from up above were magnificent, and once again, I find my mind wandering beyond the infinity of the horizon up in front of me.

Path down to the docks

Fisherman skin diving

Down at the docks, a fisherman perches over to make his catch

Magnificent View

And so, here ends our adventure in this interesting island which stands at the edge of our beautiful Philippines.

And here's my My Tripadvisor Review of the Itbayat Burial Caves


You can also read my other trip reports on Batanes:
Sabtang Brought Me Back In Time

Wow Philippines * Itbayat, Batanes: Adventure at Sea

My adventurous heart yearned for an unforgettable experience in Batanes and our journey to Itbayat sure gave me that boost of adventure that challenged my urban self.

Before the trip, I was having second thoughts about joining the Itbayat leg of our 3-island photo tour.  I was told the journey via boat takes 4 hours and the ride could be treacherous due to the open sea, and thus the typical tourists wouldn't go.  But, the whispers from my adventurous heart won that argument for me.

So here we are at the port in Basco where a 30-seater old wooden boat that looked like a tiny Noah's Ark awaits us.  It was the early part of the Holy Week and many locals are already travelling back to their hometown.  Cargo items ranging from sand and gravel to furniture to huge cans of biscuits were being loaded in what seemed like an infinite storage at the boat's hull.  More people came and I began to wonder if they will exceed the capacity limits of the boat, a very common practice in some of the ports in the provinces.  As we boarded with our orange life jackets, we soon found our little spots on the boat's floor, just enough for us to sit with our legs bunched up.  As soon as the coast guard gave his go signal, we were off.

View from the back of the boat where I was seated

One of the boatmen started to distribute plastic bags which we later realize was heavily utilized as passengers donated their breakfast to the sea.  As time passed, the ride became a roller coaster ride, rocking from left to right, up and down, except that we didn't have seat belts or safety bars.  The boat was covered left and right with a tarpaulin cloth to keep us from getting wet and all we do it peek through the small slot in front just to see giant waves which seemed to surpass the height of our boat.  The roller coaster ride went on continuously for what seemed like forever.  Everyone beside me was throwing up and for a moment there, the clear smelling breeze had turned into a mixture of sorts.  All I could do was surrender to the forces of nature and pray to the God up high.  This moment reminded me of how small I am in this vast world of ours, and even with all our might, we can only do so much. The only consolation we have would be to see the calm reactions of the boat staff, as if this is nothing, since they have maneuvered much worse conditions in their numerous runs.

Two hours later, we spotted land and there was a big sigh of relief.  We were informed that we will dock at an alternate port, called the Mauyen Port, which is southernmost part of the island where the waters are smoother, instead of the usual port which will take another 2 hours.  However, this means that we will have to do some heavy duty hiking up the cliff, via 14 zigzag steep narrow trails with nothing to hold on to, and with all our stuff to carry.  For someone who's not a hiker, this was really a challenge for me.  But luckily, my group was supportive enough and we paced ourselves for a slower hike up.

Mauyen Port, where we got off, there wasn't even a proper dock

As we emerged on top of the hill, all I could see were empty plains, and I felt that I was in Africa.  I also noticed that there were a few lone palm trees but they were unusually short.  We all plopped onto the ground tired and exasperated. Even the sun shining bright on our faces felt good.

That's us waiting for our ride at the top of the cliff

View from the top of the cliff, with the path where we hiked up from the port below

After an hour, an open truck came to pick us up and we all stood at the back. The locals seemed to have mastered the art of balancing more than us urbanites, as they didn't seem to need to hold on to anything as the truck moved through the rough road.  One could easily fall off as the sides of the truck are only as high as our knees.  Definitely an adventure!  I could only smile and say to myself, what better way to have an open top 360 degree sightseeing tour!  And this was our ride for the rest of the trip.

As if there is not enough adventure, we would never have expected the experience that will soon meet us in this uplifted coral of an island.  From a warm welcome from our host at the homestay, to the hidden gems deep in the cave beneath the hills, to the breathtaking view of what seemed like the Moher cliffs of Ireland, and to the history of a people called the Austronesians, these made us forget about the adventurous boat ride and the tiring hike up the cliff.  This was by far the best part of our trip.

You can read more about our experience at the island in my blog entitled Homestay and Breathtaking Landscapes.

Chinapoliran Port

Ironically our trip back to Basco was smooth sailing, reminding us how drastically things change over a short period of time.  Except for a surprise shout by the fishermen upon catching a big fish on our way back, the ride was quiet and we had space to lie down on the boat.

Our boat, back to pick us up

Poor cow, probably suffering from sea sickness after being transported on the boat hull

Smooth waters, beautiful views

Boatmen trying their luck for lunch

And yes, there were in luck!

Time passed quickly this time, and soon, we wake up from our naps to see a familiar view, the Naidi Lighthouse back in Basco, Batanes.

Naidi Lighthouse, Basco, Batanes

Naidi Lighthouse, Basco, Batanes

Challenging as this adventure may be, I wouldn't give up this experience for anything.  Till the next one!