BYAHILO?s second Batanes Travel

Travel to Batanes was never included in my travel calendar this year. But who could have thought that I have already been to this UNESCO World Heritage Site nominee twice this year? It seems unbelievable but it?s real.

Batanes has this unique character which evokes a sense of mystery for many. A province so far that it is actually nearer to Taiwan than Manila. Its landscape is very different from the other cities I have been to. The people, known as Ivatan, are chinky-eyed like those of the Chinese. Its dialect is undistinguishable, unlike the Cebuano, Ilonggo or Kapampangan.

Batanes is where the Pacific Ocean meets the South China Sea. To say that the waves are big is an understatement. But because Batanes is composed of several islands, seafoods are always guaranteed fresh. Swordfish, flying fish, lobsters, and coconut crabs are always available anytime.

Life in Batanes has always been very laid back. Time in Batanes tends to move very slowly. It?s simple living at its finest. Only the basic neccesities are there. Television and radios, and a handful of Internet shops. No Shopping malls, not discos, no bars or cozy coffee shops. Just parks, basketball courts and open spaces where neighbour can meet and chitchat together.

The environment is pretty intact. The areas are still covered with lush greeneries. Wild flowers abound even at the side street. Cows carabaos goats and chickens are just running wild and free.

The people are very warm and friendly. Very hospitable, in fact. They make sure to greet you with a warm welcome or ?Good Morning? when they get to see you. Crime is not a word in their dictionary. The province has an almost zero crime rate and their jails are empty.

I hope that Batanes would remain this way so that the younger generation could still enjoy this wonderful place. It is my fervent wish that birds and the goats and the cows could still live there unhampered by progress and development. It would be good to see the roads there paved, but I just hope that no trees or animal would be sacrificed in the name of convenient transportation.

Many many thanks to SEAIR for bringing BYAHILO to Batanes for the second time around. Thanks also to Columbia Sportswear Phils.