Batanes Tour Day One: Northern Batan and Mt. Iraya

Last time I posted about our accommodations at the breathtakingly beautiful Fundacion Pacita. Today I'll feature how the first day of our Batanes tour went. If you plan a similar tour, be sure to wear light clothing and sturdy slipper or tennis shoes, and bring face towel. 

We arrived Friday morning in Batanes. Day One of the Tour--covering the northern half of the main island of Batan where the airport and our hotel is located--started at 2 pm. The sun was at its peak and having forgotten to bring sunblock, I gradually took on a darker shade by the time we returned to Manila.

The first stop: the charming Tukon (Mount Carmel) Chapel located in the hotel grounds. This is where Julia Abad got married.

Next stop: the Basco PAGASA station. School textbooks during my time describe Batanes as typhoon-ravaged, but per our guide this is no longer the case. Many times Batanes remains sunny despite being classified under typhoon signal number 3.

We also took time to visit a network of passages which sheltered the Japanese during World War II.

Our next stop was the Valugan Boulder Beach' located east of the island. The beach is not apt for swimming. We returned here on the third day to witness the sun rise.

The artist community is alive and well in Batan. Below is the Yaru Nu Artes Ivatan (Ivatan Cooperative Gallery). 

I scored some neat souvenirs here, where I got to meet the artist who made them. She shared with us that Ivatan houses are traditionally painted blue and some have no doors.

Below is one of the many paintings displayed in the gallery. Flying fish is mainstay of Ivatan cuisine.

We managed to squeeze in a short stop at the Hall of Justice of Basco.

At the town center is a statue of Kenan, a datu of Sabtang Island, who was executed by the Spaniards for defending his people's rights and freedoms

The artistic community is alive and vibrant in Batan, as shown in the murals along the streets of the capitol.

We also dropped by the first church in Batanes, the Santo Domingo Cathedral (Basco), dedicated to Our Lady of Immaculate Conception. It is named thus in honor of the patron saint of the capital of Batanes, Basco.

Our penultimate stop took my breath away: the Rolling Hills of Vayang.

Out here the carabaos and cows reign, sure-footed as they traipse along  the steep hills.

Mt. Iraya is everywhere in Batan, customarily cloaked in its cloudy veil. 

Another view of Mt. Iraya and the hills, this time with the sea.

Our last stop was the Basco Naidi Lighthouse to view the sunset.

This is where we had dinner, just in time for the approaching dusk.

At this point Mt. Iraya lets loose her veil of clouds.

Our dinner view. After a bit we call it a day.

Half Day Bohol Tour Part 3: Mint Choco Hills

Let's continue with our quick trip around Bohol. Last time we visited the tarsiers in the newly built conservation area and considered some items in the Bohol Bee Farm's Gift Shop. For today we'll drive up the town of Carmen to view the Chocolate Hills. En route we passed by the magical man-made forest, comprised mostly of mahogany trees. Lately they have planted more indigenous tree species.

our faces lit up when we saw this sign

we passed by a few solitary hills, like this one, on our way to the viewing point

the hills are green during this time of year

to get to the viewing point, one can either take the stairs or the ramp

I've learned in my visits that the Boholanos are very religious. I don't know if this
has anything to do with the proliferation of papaya trees wherever we go. 

Bohol is usually spared  visits from typhoons, but during our visit the sky was overcast.
Luckily the sun appeared briefly for a few minutes.

The Imelda Walking Tour

History was not my favorite subject, and I'm not saying this with pride. Looking back, I should have given it more attention. As a nation, we seem to be running in circles, choosing the expedient over the long-term. Through history one gets to know why things are so.

I've always wanted to experience the walking tours of  Carlos Celdran, and I readily accepted an invitation from a mutual friend to his 3-hour Imelda Walking Tour. Carlos describes the tour as a little bit disco, a little bit New Society, and completely Imeldific. We met at the Little Theater Lobby Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the centerpiece of the CCP Complex, one of the projects spearheaded by the former First Lady. From there we proceeded to other parts of the CCP. 

We then boarded the orange jeeps to the nearby Philippine International Convention Center.

Drawing on his experience as a performance artist, the hours zipped by unnoticed. Do book for yourself one of his tours and get re-acquainted with "one of the most controversial periods in Philippine history as seen through the life and ambitions of the lady who defined it for the Philippines."  

For tour dates and rates, click here.

Dance of the Fireflies

Firefly watching is just like cherry blossom season: it's precious because it is fleeting. The Japanese eagerly await the blossoming of the sakura, which lasts only for a few weeks. A tree at dusk coming alive with the sparks of hundreds of fireflies is a sight to behold--I wish I have a picture to show, but even the most advanced cameras cannot capture this.

I first heard of the Iwahig Firefly Watching Tour two years ago from an environmentalist based in Palawan, a biodiversity hotspot. Back then we took the Puerto Princesa Underground River Tour. This year, we made time for the fireflies.

After a 30-minute ride by van from our base in Puerto Princesa, we made it to Iwahig at around 7:30 p.m., which also hosts a prison and penal farm. We could only go so far in the tour because beyond is the restricted area. After registering, we were made to don life-vests and waited for our banca, which can accommodate three persons minus the guide.

A few meters from the shore, enveloped in darkness, a mangrove tree came alive with fireflies. That was only a prelude, the guide assured us, because just after the bend, on our way back, are trees with the most number of fireflies.

The tour lasted a good hour. We were lucky with our guide, who knows just when to regale us with information and trivia, and when to pull back to allow us to marvel at the unfolding of the show of lights. He said that the fireflies are vegetarian, feeding on the nectar of the flowers of select mangrove trees. They are diminutive compared to other species, and are quite a social lot. I was amazed to know that they don't stop emitting light even during the day, and when they do, that means the end of their very short 30-day life.

Before we knew it, we were returning to shore. Notice the light illuminating the makeshift port? It hangs from a century-old acacia tree, rendered small as the brackish water slowly encroached in its area. Through the years it has learned to adapt and survive in its surroundings. This is one thing I wish we as a people could likewise do.