*Alert alert* call time for the tour is 6:00 in the morning. Me and my travel buddy, Camille, set up the alarm for 3:45 am,but... we woke up around 4:30, (The power of snooze button. HAHAHAHA!) We had to wake up extra early because only God knows how much time we need to get ready. HAHAHAHA!
Anyway, Good Morning Batanes!
Our second day is for the Sabtang Island Tour. By the way, there are only 3 inhabited islands in Batanes; namely Batan, Sabtang and Itbayat.
Kuya Dale arrived on time and of course, we weren't ready on time. (Or should I say I wasn't ready on time. HAHAHA! I'm so sorry!! hahaha) I was just 8 minutes late, no biggie!
Going to the Port of Ivana was quite a long drive, around 30-45 minutes, I think? And guess what, Our hair... the thing that took so much of our time, it got messed up even before our tour started. Thank you Wind!!! Really! hahahaha! I guess we could be on a shampoo/conditioner commercial, it was a perfect example of "Mahangin sa Labas" hair day.
While waiting for the departure of the boat to Sabtang, Kuya Dale informed us that our tour Guide will be waiting in the port, he said that our guide's name is Kuya Gilbert and he is on Tricycle no. 14.
The tourists that will be on the same boat as ours are already familiar. We even met new friends! hehe. (Hi Ate Mel and Ate Guia!).
Kuya Dale arrived on time and of course, we weren't ready on time. (Or should I say I wasn't ready on time. HAHAHA! I'm so sorry!! hahaha) I was just 8 minutes late, no biggie!
Going to the Port of Ivana was quite a long drive, around 30-45 minutes, I think? And guess what, Our hair... the thing that took so much of our time, it got messed up even before our tour started. Thank you Wind!!! Really! hahahaha! I guess we could be on a shampoo/conditioner commercial, it was a perfect example of "Mahangin sa Labas" hair day.
While waiting for the departure of the boat to Sabtang, Kuya Dale informed us that our tour Guide will be waiting in the port, he said that our guide's name is Kuya Gilbert and he is on Tricycle no. 14.
The tourists that will be on the same boat as ours are already familiar. We even met new friends! hehe. (Hi Ate Mel and Ate Guia!).
Port of Ivana
Alright, so the boatmen announced that the boat is ready to board passengers. The boat left around 7:00 AM. It was sunny with a bit of a shower kind-of-day. I always consider those rain showers as God's way of Blessing our trip.
The boat ride lasted for an hour, and yay! Hello Sabtang Island!
Tricycles for the tour were already waiting, and finding Kuya Gilbert wasn't that hard. He approached us first, actually. The tricycles were not your usual tricycle. It was so cute! The tricycle drivers/tour guides have been reminded to return to the port by 1 p.m.
Kuya Gilbert said that the first thing to do is to go to their tourism office and pay for the environmental fee of 200.00 pesos.
Tourism Office
I took this picture while we were waiting for our turn. Kuya Gilbert pointed out the locations that we are going to visit. They were not as many as the tour that we had yesterday but these spots are quite far enough from one another, I even asked if we could finish our tour on time and he answered a big yes.
After we settled the payment, we started to roll to our first spot, It wasn't long until we saw a man in a white shirt and shorts, doing a little bit of stretching and the next thing we knew was that man is Sabtang's Mayor. Kuya Gilbert said, "Sya nga po pala Mayor namin. " , and we were like, "Wehhh!! Cool!!! Galing!!" The three of us waved our hands and said good morning to Mayor. He smiled, waved his hands back and said Welcome. I was already asking Kuya Gilbert some random questions, like, for how long he has been doing this tour, to where he lives and so on. After which, we didn't notice that we have already arrived on our first spot.
Savidug Stone Houses
Sabtang has managed to preserve the traditional stone houses of the Ivatan's . Aren't they lovely??
These houses were made with stones in different sizes, melted corals and dried cogon leaves for the roof. Kuya Gilbert mentioned that these cogon roofs could last up to 20-30 years. He also shared that Savidug has a field of Cogon where the residents could freely get their supply of grass.
Hey there, Camsie!
What a cute Baranggay Office!
Our Signature Pose! HAHAHA!
Let's move to our next stop, shall we?
We were still inside the tricycle when we saw this amazing landscape. Camille and I were already fan girling over this spot. We were like, "Wahhh!! Kuyaaaa!! Pupunta din po ba tayo dun??!!" and Kuya Gilbert proudly answered Yes.
Picturesque!
Can I just say that this place is so perfect? Seriously, without any exaggeration, this place is breathtaking. Prepare your legs though because walking up and down the hills could be quiet challenging (plus the strong winds!); but, I can assure you that the moment you reach the top of the hill, this spot will put you in awe.
Tip!
This is one of the best spot for souvenir shopping! The prices are much more reasonable that the other stores in the main island.
Chavayan Village
Moreee Stone houses here in the Chavayan Village. It's the farthest spot that we visited for the day. Kuya Gilbert mentioned that we might see someone making a Vakul, oooh and I'd love to see that! But awww, no one was making a Vakul when we visited this village. :( Ohh by the way, Vakul is the headgear used by Ivatan women, they use this to protect themselves from the rain and the sun, pretty amazing headgear, right?
Chavayan Church *ding* Trivia! This is the only church in Batanes that still has a Cogon roofing <3
We are now off to our last attraction in Sabtang, the Morong Beach and Nakabuang Arc.
This beach reminds me of a class who used this spot for their Tourism Develompent subject.(I think? hahaha!) Their cheer was in tune of The Gangnam Style song,"Na- na- na- Nakabuang Beach!" Hahahaha! Ohhhh How I miss my college days!
Leave nothing but footprints
The struggle of taking this photo is real. Haha!
Sun kissed
After lunch, we headed back to the port. The boat ride was quite rough, the waves were pretty strong during that time, and yey! thank God because we survived those waves. Anyway, it was another tiring yet fun day! Up next, South Batan Tour!
xo!
Yna~ <3
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