#ThisIsItPancit #DreamVacation #PostBirthdayCelebration
SPUR OF THE MOMENT
Early November last year (feeling mo ang tagal na, eh ilang buwan pa lang ang nakalipas), I was thinking of where to spend my birthday. Just like my 2014 birthday where I went to Puerto Galera on my own without anyone knowing where I was, I wanted to celebrate somewhere where I could be alone, far from the metro (pero hindi naman masyadong far like overseas, medyo domestic mode lang). Then a thought popped out (#LightBulbMoment). I remembered I had a big chunk of PAL miles which I earned when I flew to the US for a business trip (and a bit of pleasure on the side) around Halloween of 2014. I was in the office when I had that thought (holiday support ata ako that time), so I immediately checked Philippine Airline's guidelines in redeeming miles. When I checked their domestic flights list, I was surprised, ecstatic and uber happy to see that PAL flew to Batanes, and that my miles was sufficient enough to earn me a Manila-Basco round trip ticket!
I hastily phoned PAL's hotline to redeem my miles and book a ticket. When I spoke to an agent, I learned that there was a catch. I won't be able to fly on my chosen dates for free (originally, I chose travel dates where my birthday, November 30, would fall on). For my ticket to be totally free (as in super libre, walang additional bayad), I had to choose a departure flight date which is at least ten days from the time of booking. If I'm not mistaken, I made the call when I was the office support during the APEC holidays. If I'd still want to be in Batanes on my birthday, I had to pay an additional $30. Being the intermittent "kuripot" that I am, I settled for a travel period on December 2016. I just said to myself that on my birthday, I'd volunteer again for holiday support to earn a CTO (offset) since at that time I was still on probationary. The day after I made the call, I went to PAL office along Ayala and got my ticket! (yey me!)
Travel Dates: December 12 to 16, 2015 (with 10 kgs. check-in baggage for both flights).
TRAVEL PREPARATIONS
After successfully booking a flight, I reminded myself not to tell a soul about it (I have this thing to keep it a secret to myself or to a very limited number of people dahil praningning mode ako na kapag ibinulgar ko yun sa world, the universe rather, hahahaha, na mauunsyami ang aking mga plano. phew!). I used GMT to plan for my trip... (GMT stands for "Google Mo Tonge" #euphemism, which I learned from a movie na pinalabas sa TV kanina. harharhar. #corny). From the internet searches I made, I was able to choose my accommodation and tour service in Batanes. Both responded to my inquiries in a jiffy through text and email.
EARLY MORNING FLIGHT
My flight to Basco, Batanes was on a Saturday morning, 6:00 am at NAIA Terminal 3. The night before the trip, I went grocery shopping to buy food supplies (kahit na nakalibre ako sa pamasahe, tipid mode pa rin ako. maraming bayarin!). I had my NetSuite backpack (where I put my stash of food, ticket and gadgets) and a travel bag for check-in (where most of my clothes and travel items were placed). PAL flight 2085 was on time that day (btw, as far as I know, PAL flies daily, once a day, between Manila and Basco, Batanes, while Sky Jet Airlines flies once a day, MWF). We arrived in Basco airport a few minutes before eight in the morning, the weather was okay, it was a little cloudy. Later I found out that the weather in Batanes is unpredictable (super moody, parang babae ika nga nila. #rawr).
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| Basco Airport Arrival Area Entrance |
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| Kuya Sundo/Driver from Crisan Lodge (my home-stay accommodation in Batanes) |
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| Ate from BISUMI Tour and Services where I availed my tour package in Batanes. |
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| Obligatory "Welcome to Batanes" selfie (please excuse my ridiculous-looking hairdo) |
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| Nuns who were on the same PAL flight (sosyal sila, may Krispy Kreme na pasalubong) |
From the airport, I, together with a group of ladies who were also tourists and were staying at the same home-stay accommodation (see Kuya Driver's photo above), was driven to Crisan Lodge, a couple of minutes away from the airport. I was greeted by Ate Crisan herself when I arrived at the lodge (which is actually their house turned into a lodge). She directed me to one of the rooms on the second floor. It turned out that the room actually had two bedrooms and one shared bathroom with a living room/dining area.
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| Inception: rooms inside a room. Living/Dining area. |
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| P400 per night per pax fan room (with hot/cold shower!) accommodation with free breakfast |
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| My [double-deck] bed. I had the room all for myself. I think this room is good for four people but would comfortably be occupied by two [and most certainly a solo traveler like me!]. |
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| Fan Room. The room has an AC installed (as seen in the previous picture) but it was Baguio-ish at that time so the fan was enough to keep the air circulating and the temperature inside the room cool and comfy (energy conservation ftw!). |
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| OOTD (feeling gypsy/pirate) |
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| View from my room's veranda. Notice the trike's roofing? |
When I searched the internet for a budget friendly tour package in Batanes, one name came up on almost every blog that I read: Ryan Cardona (owner of BISUMI Tour and Services). Before I flew to Batanes, I made arrangements with his company, thru Kuya Lex, and availed their three days group tour package.
I decided to join a group tour instead of booking an exclusive tour (meron din kasi silang tricy-cool tour good for 2-3 pax pero pwede rin 1 pax) due to budget constraints plus, it's more fun and interesting to meet new people and fellow tourists/backpackers.
DAY 1 - NORTH BATAN TOUR
From Crisan Lodge, I was fetched by the tour van going to our meeting place at Vunong Dinette to meet my fellow travelers and start the North Batan tour with a lunch.
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| Lunch at Vunong Dinnette |
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| Our lunch wrapped in breadfruit leaves |
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| Turmeric rice and ulam (composed of meat, fish and uved balls) |
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| Fern Salad |
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| Tour group mates: Newly Weds (L) and the Lopez's (R). |
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| Ivatan Tour Guide (sorry I forgot his name) giving us a briefing |
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| Tour Van |
After having lunch with my tour buddies and the usual "where are you from and what do you do" introduction, we hopped onto our van to start the North Batan Tour.
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| 3rd Stop: WWII Japanese Hideout/Tunnel |
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| Tunnel Entrance. It's very dark inside so ready your flashlights. At the end (other side of the tunnel), you need to [almost] crawl your way out which is a bit challenging especially for tall and elderly people. |
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| Foraged ferns for salad (just like what we had for lunch) |
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| 4th Stop: Boulder Beach in Chanpan Valugan |
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| 'Twas super hot at this time (my eyeglass lenses transitioned to black because of the scorching heat and blinding light of the sun) |
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| "Tingin Sa Malayo" Shot |
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| 5th Stop: Basco Town Proper. (photo-op in front of Sto. Domingo Cathedral) |
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| The ten commandments in Ivatan |
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| 6th Stop: Vayang Rolling Hills. (The "Mahangin Ba Sa Labas?" shot) |
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| Lopez's enjoying the lush green scenery |
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| Tour buddies following the trail towards the viewing point/tourist site. |
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| When in Batanes... Jump! |
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| "Mukhang froglet pero okay lang dahil ang saya saya ko dahil nasa Batanes ako" jump shot |
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| Panorama View at Vayang Rolling Hills (ayun ulit si Mt. Iraya!). This Batanes tourist spot is one of my faves! |
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| "Wish You Were Here" shot |
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| Final Stop: Basco Lighthouse at Naidi Hills |
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| "Hagardo Versoza pero masaya pa rin" shot |
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| Souvenir items for sale inside the lighthouse |
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| Panorama scene at the lighthouse's view deck (super effort sa pag-akyat, pero it was worth every breath!) |
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| Locals selling the souvenir items |
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| "Kanina sitting, ngayon standing naman" shot |
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Dios Mamajes Literally: "God reward you with goodness" or "God bless you"
Usage: Used to show gratitude to someone; "Thank You"
Dios Machivan Literally: "May God go with you"
Usage: Used by the person who is staying behind |
After a tiring yet visually fulfilling half day North Batan Tour experience, we were driven to our respective hotels/home-stays.
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| Crisan Lodge. They have a mini grocery store at the ground floor where you can buy your toiletries, snacks or what-nots. |
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| Dinner at Beehan. Since I was on a budget, I ordered a simple meal of pork adobo and rice (with free soup). This restaurant was suggested by my rommates ("kapit-kwarto") at Crisan Lodge who I'll be mentioning in a later post. |
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