Cut off from the rest of the country, and shrouded by storms, Batanes ...

LOCAL BaTaneS foR BegInneRS
“you have good timing,” our innkeeper, Manang Lydia
Roberto said of our arrival, as she supervised her waitstaff
with our breakfast of fried rice and fried flying fish dipped in
vinegar and Batanes’ strong garlic. Apparently, this is the perfect
time to travel to these parts. Unlike the rest of the philippines,
Batanes has practically four seasons. Because it’s so
far up north, its climate is more temperate than the rest of the
country. In what locals like to call winter (yes, winter!), cold air
traveling down from Siberia, China, and Taiwan goes down
to Batanes. Taiwan is a near neighbor, separated only by the
Bashi Channel. In fact, the Ivatans are close kin to the Tao
people of Orchid Island, Taiwan’s southernmost territory.
“It’s great that it’s sunny, but I’d love for you to experience
a storm here,” said newly elected Basco mayor demy
Narag later when we met up with him. “Storms are different in
Batanes.” How different? you only have to look at the traditional
Ivatan stone houses, which have thick walls to keep away
the cold winds and rain in winter to realize that the weather can
get pretty extreme. And what happens in winter, we asked the
mayor. “we close our windows,”
he said, smiling. The best time
to be here though is in summer,
roughly March-June, when the
weather is relatively mild. The rest
of the time, the weather is apt to
change from rainy to sunny at the
drop of a hat.
Surprisingly, “we get a lot of
local tourists,” mayor demy told
us. “The ones who like to see
untouched or unusual places.”
Batanes has these in abundance.
Being away from it all is part of
Batanes’ allure, and jaded city-
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dwellers will certainly feel recharged here.
wide-open spaces, and a 360º vista
ensure that even the most stressed-out
urbanite will be able to slow down. In
the 2002 census, Batanes had less than
20,000 people spread over some 200
square kilometers. Untouched rolling hills
and cliffs just beg to be climbed, and kilometers
of open road are perfect for cyclists
and road-trippers. Just get on your
vehicle of choice and explore. Or just opt
to walk around, even though distances
between townships can be daunting to
walk for people used to the convenience
of small city blocks. however, you won’t
have trouble getting from one place to
the next. There is ample transportation
around. And it’s practically a rule on the
islands for motorists to give people they
meet on the road a lift, as we tried to do
with a group of kids walking home from
school. But the kids, shy of strangers,
politely declined, preferring to walk the
long way home.
The islands that comprise Batanes
have a different topography from the
rest of the country. By some geographical
quirk, the province feels more like
the Orkneys in Northern Scotland, with
its craggy cliffs and rolling hills, than the
philippines. Batan and Sabtang islands
have gentle rolling hills and slopes and
friendly beaches. Meanwhile, Itbayat, the
most remote of the three, has no natural
shoreline and is full of craggy cliffs, prompting someone in our group to quip,
“It’s not a good idea to go to Itbayat when you’re depressed. you just might
jump off one of the cliffs!”
The second day, we crossed to Sabtang on a fallowa, an outriggerless
boat common in Batanes. while most of us were accustomed to riding
outriggers in our travels around the country, it was a bit daunting to be in
a small craft in the open sea without the slim protection of, well, the actual
outriggers to balance our weight. But our guides say fallowas can ride the
waves and outriggers are not ideal for Batanes’ choppy waters. An hour
later, a bit deaf from the loud engine and more than a little nauseous from
the engine fumes and the swaying of the boat, we hit land. Immediately, we
spied a picturesque lighthouse on a cliff, one of several such structures dotting
the province.
The famous Ivatan stone houses in barangay Savidug were our first
stop. Though a lot of Ivatans have modern houses, especially in the capital,
many of these stone dwellings are still inhabited by locals. Savidug looks like
a place where time stood still. Except for occasional reminders of modern living—a
sari-sari store sign, and radios in some houses—the village must have
looked the same a century ago. what adds to the aura of being stranded
in time is the fact that the village and the rest of Sabtang only get 12 hours
of electricity daily, restricting access to a lot of modern conveniences. Many
of these houses were built during the latter part of the 19th century with the
help of masons and carpenters from Cagayan valley. Traditionally two-stories
high, the houses have meter-thick cogon roofs that can last decades and
meter-thick walls of pulverized limestone. Locals quarry the rock, which are
then burned at high temperatures and pulverized. The resulting powder is
mixed with cogon grass and used to plaster the walls. Not far from Savidug
we chanced upon an archeological dig of a burial site jointly sponsored by
the University of the philippines, the National Museum, and the Australian
National University. The scientists were on a break so they didn’t mind showing
us around their campsite.
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