Batan Island, Batanes: Old Spanish Bridge and House Of Dakay

The misty, winter morn progressed in a whirlwind. A pace that overwhelmed my sleepless being. I awkwardly joined the blithesome chatter amongst a wacky bunch of characters I just met that day. We're all winners of SEAIR Batanes Winter Bloggers' Tour Contest, and were on a road cruise around Batan Island.

Old Spanish Bridge. Journeying James taking a photo of us taking a photo of him.
My half-slumbering brain struggled as it ingested Batanes facts shared by our guide, Engr. Joseph Dy. Like schoolies on a field trip, every so often we hopped off the van to visit Batan's famous attractions. The first-timers' infectious enthusiasm kept me on my toes, and their constant chuckles kept me astir.

Bless and James lovin' the local kiddos.
After an obligatory snapshot at Ivana's welcome signage, we alighted on Ivana Bridge. Engr. Dy pointed at the Old Spanish Bridge (most likely the oldest in the province, functional to this day) across us. James sprinted towards it and the rest of us trudged after his footsteps. We found a couple of local kids crossing to the other side, who shyly posed for our cameras.

House Of Dakay.
Not distant from the bridge is the House Of Dakay, where we headed next. This traditional Ivatan house, one of the survivors of a 1918 earthquake, was named after its former owner Jose Dakay Estrella. Descendant Florestida Estrella, fondly called Lola Ida by everyone, is its lone occupant today.

The house's exterior wall. Beautifully made with unpolished corals.
Though a bit sick, Lola Ida welcomed us in her humble abode. Her old age is depicted in her somewhat sluggish movement, but the glint in her eyes expressed a younger aura. Our party of seven fit comfortably in the teeny, sparsely furnished house. We gathered around her and sat on the floor, mimmicking the set of Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang sans granny's rocking chair.

Lola Ida. Under the weather but on top of the world!
We listened to her recollection of the past, and how she lives her golden days in this renowned house. I must say, she herself is an attraction. How I wish we had more time to stay with her longer, but we had not even accomplished a quarter of our must see list (plus she was in dire need of rest anyway).

Sadly, we bid farewell much too soon. Lola Ida watched us walk back to our van. Her face, illuminated by faint rays, was perfectly framed by the antique window. A picture I was not able to capture with my camera, but is embedded in my mind.

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Snapshot Saturday: Wild Horses

Batanes... Where horses run free. And run away from Journeying James.
The wind hit us hard. I struggled to keep my balance, and so did everyone. We were merry nonetheless, and making the most out of SEAir's Batanes Winter Bloggers' Tour. We ran around Batan Island's pasture like kids, and shrieked with delight when we caught sight of horses grazing.

We screamed our hearts all the more when James took off his shirt and put on a hat to pose as a haciendero for us. And we didn't have to beg much, he's cool like that.

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Batanes' Culinary Celebrity: The Coconut Crab (or Don't Tell A Conservationist I Ate A Coconut Crab)

The guffawing has ceased. After a death-defying falowa ride, and a whirlwind trip of Sabtang Island in the morning, we were all famished. And I was prepared to shove anything edible inside my mouth.

But of course, we got class. Or so we posed as such. We were an entourage of seven, six of us won an all expense paid trip to Batanes via an online contest, and were led by province maven Engineer Joseph Dy (I seriously thought he's Ivatan).

We appeared to be patiently waiting with our uneasy smiles while we snapped countless photos of our hut by Morong Beach where several other groups of travelers dined. As the dishes were served one at a time, we took more photos while craning our necks toward the kitchen, wondering what else will end up on our table.

Coco loco! Coconut crab steamed in coconut sauce.
The seaweed soup arrived first, then the adobo and veggies (which was sauteed onion leaves), then steamed fish and breaded squid, and finally the star of our lunch... the coconut crab, also called 'tatus' (and Birgus latro if you're into scientific names).

My knowledge of the coconut crab was scant, though it was my second Batanes visit. I only knew of the local delicacy dibang or flying fish the first time I went, and loved it. With a hefty price of P600-P1,000 per kilo, I thought the coconut crab better prove its worth.

It looks more like a gigantic bug lobster than a crab. I picked a pincer from the plate and peered closer. I bit off its white flesh sticking out and savored the taste. The coconut crab is named so because it does feed on coconuts (its mighty claws could open a coconut shell). However it does not taste like it, perhaps because apart from coconuts, it also feeds on other fruits and animal carcasses. It is also not as sweet as the common crab, but more tasty than the lobster. In a seafood-y kind of tasty if you know what I mean.

My second bite was followed by a spoonful of turmeric rice. A perfect match. After which I sipped its simple coconut sauce which did not overpower the crustacean, and highlighted its flavor instead.

So did I like it? Let's just say I might (me considering the possibility already means a lot!) ride a falowa again just to have another serving someday. But surely, I can order somewhere else on the island of Batan, yeah? And by the way, its melt-in-your-mouth fat (the aligue) that can be scooped from its abdomen is to die for! Literally and metaphorically. Man, it's got heaps of cholesterol that could do you some serious harm.

Batanes food made us jump with joy (even with our heavy bellies)! Dios mamajes Engr. Dy for this fun photo. Taken at Morong Beach.
Pinay Travel Junkie Trivia: This is officially my first (and maybe last) jump shot on this site. Another trivia: The coconut crab is under the conservation status 'threatened'. Not proven as endangered yet. Even so, after all that I've said and done... Awkwaaard.

Okay, so here's the real deal: As per our guide Engineer Dy who posted a comment below, "There are regulations in place in Batanes to help protect the species. Coconut crab can only be consumed locally and cannot be brought out of the province in any form (live/raw or cooked)." So there. Don't even think of sneaking some bits of the crab aboard your flight!


I got one more reason to jump for!

I finally joined the Pinoy Travel Bloggers Group Blog Carnival. And this is actually my official entry. The theme for July 2011 is "Awesome Food Experience While Traveling In The Philippines", hosted by Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet.




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Sleepless In Batanes

In some parts of the Philippines, the world barely exists at 4:15 AM. Definitely not in Manila Domestic Airport. Its departure area's already a frenetic scene of foreign backpackers poring over guide books and business travelers surfing via mobile web.

The air smelt of coffee. I longed for a cup.

I had no sleep at all. The previous night I sang my lungs out with fellow bloggers Monette and Marky (this guy's more of an audience though) at some cheap karaoke joint. I reassured them, I'd rather be up all night than sleep through my alarm. I've never been late for a flight, and I make it a point that it stays that way. Forever.

On the brink of slumber. Exhibit A.
I was bound for Batanes. It was an all expense paid trip by SEAIR, which I won from a blog writing contest (I almost didn't make the cut, click here to find out why). There were seven lucky winners. All but two of us, who extended their stay at their own expense, already flew the day before.

I scanned faces among the waiting crowd, but didn't see anyone who came close to how Michael looks like in his photos. I haven't met him so I uhm, kinda stalked his Multiply account.

Upon boarding, I glimpsed at my fellow passengers (glimpsed too many times, I think I kinda scared some people) but still didn't spot him. No sign of Michael in the plane either. I actually thought he didn't make it.

Exhibit B. Laid on this bed in the House of Dakay after photo was taken.
The flight was a comfortable one hour twenty minutes. Pinay Travel Junkie Confession: I was terrified of SEAIR's small plane at first (but hey, that's way better than the 8-seater I took from Laoag to Basco years ago). Another confession, I'm scared of flying, period. And I got Nat Geo's Air Crash Investigation to blame. After reading from the in flight magazine about the awards SEAIR won, I relaxed a bit.

A few minutes past 7, Batan Island came to view. Excitement was obvious on everyone's faces. It was a thrill to land on a short runway, with a postard-esque view of cows on vibrant green pastures.

Groggily, I stepped out of the plane. I jolted as the cold breeze bit my skin. Then I remembered I didn't bring my jacket. I rushed to the arrival area to take refuge. I saw a guy holding up a cardboard with my name and Michael's. I introduced myself to him and he told me to just wait outside and that he'll just take my luggage.

Exhibit C. Don't ask, cannot remember where!
And then, I saw James. One of the winners who submitted the funniest entry to the contest. That's not just my opinion. That is a fact. I hid behind a post and contemplated, is my sleepy self ready to have a chat with his hyper self? He seemed very awake and he looked like he already had a long day.

After taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the post's shadow and shouted, "James!". He coolly strode toward me. First thing he mentioned was, he ran from the accommodation to the airport. No "how was your flight?" or "you look younger than 40 something in person (he actually told the group I'm already in my 40s!). He asked about Michael.

That's when we found Michael, by the arrivals exit. He looked at us when James mentioned his name. We exchanged shy hellos, then walked to the van which took us to Hiro's Cafe for brekkie.

Met the rest of the group there: Leon, Izah, Bless, and our guide Engr. Joseph Dy. They were all happy, shiny, giddy people at 8:00 AM. Armed with cameras and armored with jackets, they looked so ready to battle a Batanes winter day.

I, on the other hand, was about to crash. Yet contrary to the photos here, I wasn't able to take a nap, even for just a few minutes. Someone (*cough* James *cough) actually snoozed more that afternoon. Find out how I survived day one as a zombie on the next installment!

A shout out to kompanyero Leon, my paparazzi.

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A Backpacker Mum's Batanes Break

South East Asian Airlines (SEAir) made it happen. This backpacker mum finally had a break from house chores and parenting duties! It felt a bit odd not carrying a heavy bag full of milk bottles, not changing nappies every so often, and being able to chew my food well (because I didn't have to attend to a baby who wants to be constantly carried around)... but it sure was fun taking a breather.

In case you missed the announcement, I was one of SEAir's Batanes Winter Bloggers' Tour seven uber lucky winners.

Morong Beach, Sabtang. Missing my baby Luna.

Three days may be too short a time, but the head of our group Engr. Joseph Dy gave us an action-packed itinerary. We breezed through everything we wanted to see and experience. I had my much anticipated controversial flashback, Izah climbed up a lighthouse, Bless garnered enough info for her online travel agency, James kissed the ground (or was it a boulder?), Leon is no longer an armchair traveler, and... Michael? Well he ate, prayed and L.O.V.E.d!

No minute was wasted idling. We only slept when we were about to pass out.

The epic trip ended yesterday. The whole group headed back to Manila for V-Day shenanigans. I'm itching to write about the silly things cultural pseudo-immersion we've done and been raving about, but that would have to wait. I still got a major vacation hangover plus a connecting flight to another dream destination of mine tomorrow.

I'm kinda spaced out, life's just awesome. So until then folks. For today, I momentarily drown in the abyss of mummyhood.

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Don't Tell My Daughter I'm In Batanes

If I make the cut, that is. South East Asian Airlines (SEAIR) is currently running an awesome contest in which seven uber lucky bloggers will be chosen to join the SEAIR Batanes Winter Bloggers' Tour from January 28 to 30, 2011.

And this new-mom-slash-backpacker is taking her chances.

My only remaining photo of Batanes. Shot from an ancient mobile phone.

The Big 3-0: A Backpacker's Flashback

I turned 30 yesterday. And nope, I didn't throw a big party nor vacationed somewhere remote and exotic. I would have if I wasn't 38 weeks pregnant - or more of, if our family elders didn't disapprove it.

My celebration was very boring simple. With a handful of relatives, we had lunch at a Chinese restaurant in Tarlac City, about thirty minutes away from a small farming town my hubby and I temporarily reside in. Still, it meant a lot to me for it's been ages since I last celebrated with my parents.

'Cave connection' spelunking in Sagada. Back in 2001, when none of us had digital cameras yet. My first backpacking trip.
Yes I may be 30 now, but for me I started living at 21. I started living the moment I wore a pair of borrowed hiking sandals and used an overnight backpack for the very first time.