Batanes Day 3: Back to Batan (part 1) – 12/10/09

I actually had a good night’s sleep in the Tourism Office in Sabtang.  This was unusual for me because I usually have difficulty sleeping when I spend the night in an unfamiliar place. It’s probably a combination of fatigue from the tour and the excellently filling dinner I had the previous night.

Batan island as seen from the Tourism Office veranda

I woke up at around 6 am and walked around Centro.  I tried to do my usual exercise regimen but my aching joints seemingly protested even the easiest warm-up routines.  From my conversation with Joaquin the night before, we most likely would not be able to catch the first trip going back to Batan so that means I have enough time to walk around Centro before the second trip.  I used this time to take pictures of people going about their daily lives, as well as the surroundings.

Batanes Day 2: Touring Sabtang (part 3) – 12/09/09

Stomachs bursting with a very filling lunch, we resumed our tour towards the other side of Sabtang to visit the towns of Sumnanga and Nakanmuan.  For this, we had to enter Baranggay Malakdang (one of the twin baranggays that compose Centro).  The first stop was the nearby Nakabuang Beach.  This was a white sand beach that is famous for a natural rock formation which resembles a 15-foot high arch.

The Nakabuang Beach

Batanes Day 2: Touring Sabtang (part 2) – 12/09/09

Most blogs are near-unanimous in referring to Chavayan as the town that is closest to what the old Ivatan culture was like before the onslaught of modernity hit Batanes.  Even the province’s official website recommends staying overnight in this old village to complete one’s Batanes experience.  It is on the strength of this recommendation that I initially wanted to find lodgings here for the night.

The Chavayan town marker

Batanes Day 2: Arriving at Sabtang (part 1) – 12/09/09

I woke up at around 3:30 am on my second day in Batanes owing to the fact that the jeepney that would bring us to the port of San Vicente leaves Basco at around 5:30 am.  By 4:00am, I was already outside my inn and doing some stretching exercises while waiting for Joaquin.  Later on, he showed up and we made our way towards the jeepney stop.