Top things to do and see in Batanes in 3 days

During the summer of 2005 (10 years ago!), a friend and I visited Batanes for the first time. We loved everything about it – the beautiful landscape, the kind people, the fresh air and the positive vibe.

What I remember most about the trip were:

- the plane was so small (under 20-seater)

- 2 of our tour mates lost their sunglasses – one, during a hiking trip and the other, in a beach.  Hours after, both sunglasses were retrieved and the locals found a way to trace our tour group within the island and safely returned them.  Amazing!

- Sabtang Island only had 1 jeepney. On the day we visited, it was being used for a wedding so they let us use the dump truck to tour around the island. How cool is that? :)   I also found out that if both the jeepney and the dump truck were being used, sometimes, they would offer the island's ambulance!

- We had lobsters for lunch and by the beach!  Yum!

- The flow of novelty goods and modern products to the island was very limited. If a local likes an item that you have, sometimes, they would offer to barter. A local asked one of our tour mates to barter a woven basket for her dangling earrings.  And yes, both were happy with the deal. :)

- People are so friendly. I remember walking by the sea during low tide and a kid offered me fresh uni from a sea urchin he found.  Yum!  Here's a photo from 2005 that morning I walked by the sea.

All happy memories! :)

Because of the wonderful experience, the same friend (whom I traveled with before) and I decided to revisit Batanes this December.  

A lot have changed – bigger planes now fly to Batanes (70+ seater for PAL), Sabtang Island has all kinds of transportation (motorcycles, trikes, vans, sedans, more jeepneys), stores are now selling novelty goods and fashionable accessories and you could spot some modern structures and houses already.  But it’s still a beautiful island and the people are still kind and friendly.

We were in Batanes for a 4D3N stay but since the departure flight on the 4th day is early in the morning, our itinerary is technically for 3 full days.

Here are the top things to see and do in Batanes in 3 days (photos are in random order).

Here's the Basco Cathedral, originally built in 1783.  We were lucky that it was just walking distance from our inn so we were able to hear anticipated Sunday mass here.

Basco Cathedral

We visited a lot of churches in Batanes - maybe 8 - but in this small church in Uyugan is where the Catholic faith started in Batanes.  It is the spot where the first Spanish friar who landed in Batan Island celebrated mass in 1682. 

San Lorenzo Ruiz Church in Uyugan, Batan

This is the Basco lighthouse.   I remember we had our photos taken here 10 years ago but I was looking for a bench because I remember sitting in the photo but I couldn't find any.  

Basco lighthouse

In the following days, we saw 3 other lighthouses - after that, I couldn't figure out anymore which lighthouse I was referring to from my memory.  Memory lapse!  Haha... 

Sabtang lighthouse

When we first visited Batanes, the foreigners we met there said Batanes looks like New Zealand but I've never been to New Zealand yet so I couldn't. Haha...    But the landscapes do remind me of Hawaii and Capri.  Check out these breathtaking views - 

Mahatao Fishing Port

Nakabuang Beach

Beautiful shells at Nakabuang beach

This is in Sabtang and it's called Sleeping Beauty.
Can you spot the silhouette of the face of the Sleeping Beauty?

Boulder Beach. Postcard perfect!

View from Naidi Hills

Blue Lagoon

View from Tinyang

Imnajbu Road Cliff - they say it's the spot where a scene from
Hihintayin Kita sa Langit was filmed. But I haven't watched the movie yet though.

Notice the ridges along the hills below?  According to our guide, they are cogon grass and they serve a dual purpose - as windbreaker and property boundary.

BTW, since we were only 2, it wasn't economical to hire a van so we hired a tricycle! Haha... Check out the beautiful view inside our trike. :) 

The advantage of riding a trike is you can easily stop and go down to check out a view.  In fact, when I see something interesting, I just tap the shoulder of the driver and ask if we can stop and go down like when we spotted a forest nursery.  The forest nursery is managed by the DENR and they supply the trees to be planted along roads and public parks.  That's why if you noticed in our trike window view above, the roads are beautifully lined with trees.  

Here's a photo I took at the forest nursery - they are seedlings of a plant called Arius.

Arius seedlings

You'll find Arius trees all over Batanes - along roads, on the hills and in parks.   In Sabtang, we saw a cogon hut at the Tinyang lookout that sells Arius wine and it tastes good like Mompo.   :)

There's a Japanese tunnel in Batan Island which was used as shelter and hideout for Japanese soldiers during the war.  

Japanese tunnel

It's pitch dark inside but a guide with a flashlight would assist you.   

I think the tunnel has 5 or 6 exits.  Here's one that leads to an exit at the bottom of the hill.   But this passageway is no longer open for exploration.  

The walk inside the hideout is just short - you'll be out in 5 minutes.  And the passageway is big - no worries of being claustrophobic.

Here's the Ivatan version of Adobo.  According to our guide, meat is fried (w/o oil), then salt and garlic is added.  It's cooked in palayok (claypot).  And it's best eaten with vinegar and garlic.  

Lobsters weren't in season during our visit because in December, the wind and waves are strong, thus it's hard to catch lobsters.    

Batanes also has coconut crabs but we weren't able to taste them.  Locals say they taste like gata (coconut milk) because the lobsters feed on what else - coconut! :) 

Coconut crab

Since Batanes is known for typhoons, what better place to visit than the PAGASA weather station. :) 

Basco PAGASA Complex

But guess what? I read somewhere that storms have become less frequent in Batanes.  The last storm that directly hit Batanes was in 1987 (Typhoon Neneng).   When typhoons were more frequent, all they could plant were root crops like ube (purple yam) and kamote (sweet potato) but due to the changing weather, they have been planting rice, corn, mangoes and bananas.

This is probably the most popular store in Batanes - the Honesty Coffee Shop.  

Honesty Coffee Shop today

Honesty Coffee shop 10 years ago!

Why is it called an Honesty Coffee shop? It's not manned....it's self-serve - get whatever you need - coffee, drinks, crackers, candies - then just drop your payment at the counter.   

Honesty Coffee Shop's payment counter

In Sabtang Island, they have a similar store called Conscience Cafe.  :) 

Conscience Cafe in Sabtang Island

The House of Estrella/House of Dakay is the oldest Ivatan stone house in Batanes. It was built in 1887 - everything is original except for the cogon roof as the cogon roof needs to be replaced every 25 to 30 years (it's as thick as 1 foot!).  Most stone houses today though have thinner cogon roofs which need to replaced every 1 to 2 years.

House of Estrella or House of Dakay

When Ivana was hit by an earthquake (8.3 magnitude) in 1918, only 5 houses in Ivana were not damaged.  The House of Estrella (Estrella is the original owner; Dakay was her nephew who inherited the house) is the only one out of the 5 which has been preserved until today.   

During our trip in 2005, there was an old lady living in the house.  She is one of the most-photographed Ivatans too.   Not sure if she's still alive though because the house has been converted into a souvenir store today and no one was manning the store when we dropped by that's why I wasn't able to ask about her. 

If you look closely at the walls of the house, the stones have been exposed due to the rain and strong winds.  It's after all more than 100 years old.  But the walls of a traditional Ivatan house are 2 to 3 feet thick. Whoa....

Stone wall of the House of Estrella/House of Dakay 

Ivatan stone houses usually are composed of 3 structures - the main house (where they sleep), the kitchen and the toilet.   

Here's inside the main house - our guide in Sabtang, Ishmael, kindly let us visit his house in Savidug.

Inside an Ivatan house

Check out the bamboo bench Ishmael designed for his home - 

And the chopping board he made out of driftwood.  Notice how the bananas and kamote are beautifully arranged? :)  We told him he has an eye for design.

Here's inside the kitchen - I think this was in a house in Chavayan.  They hang garlic in the ceiling so they get smoked as you cook.   So if you see brown-colored garlic being sold, they are smoked inside an Ivatan kitchen.  

Inside an Ivatan kitchen

Stone houses are rarely built the traditional way anymore because of several reasons - harvesting corals is regulated already, extracting lime from corals by cooking using firewood is time-consuming (could take months), logging of trees is also now regulated and it takes at least a year for the limestone to be strong enough for people to move in.  That's why a lot of the stone houses today are built using cement.  :( 

This is called a vakul or the head gear of Ivatan women to protect them from the sun, wind and rain.  I asked the makers and they said it takes 1 week to complete one.  I read an article though that the younger generation no longer wear vakuls. :(

Vakul - the Ivatan's protective head gear 

The vakul is made from the leaves of Philippine Date Palm trees or what they call "Voyavoy" - they grow abundantly in the island.  Our trike driver actually stopped along the road and made us eat Voyavoy fruits - they taste like the usual dates, only smaller and they have thinner flesh.

While exploring Batanes, it's so refreshing to see kids at play and have fun - without any sign of electronic gadgets.   Reminds me of my childhood.  Check these out - 

Playing Piko! 

These kids at the plaza made us laugh - pretending to read a book with Jose Rizal.  

BTW, while walking around the plaza, we were able to see a wedding entourage in motorbikes! How cool! 

We just shouted our congratulations to the happy couple as they passed by and they waved back at us.  Haha... 

All over Batanes, you'll see a lot of cows, carabaos, goats and chickens.  Here's a friendly cow we spotted in one of the entrances of a lighthouse.   When you start petting her, she falls asleep!  

This is how I left her - deep in sleep. My friend said she looks dead.  Haha...

Some useful travel tips when going to Batanes:

Is it a good time to visit Batanes in December?  The wind in December is strong which means strong waves when you travel by boat to Sabtang.  I really got scared during the 20-minute boat trip as the waves around us were even higher than our boat!   So if you're scared of waves, I suggest you go to Batanes during summer.  But what you can do to deflate your fears during the boat ride is to look at the face of the locals - if they look calm or bored or they are still texting on their mobile phones, then it means, it's just an ordinary day at sea. Haha...

What's great about visiting Batanes in December?  The grass is very green.  In summer, the grass is brown and dry.

What to bring - shades, bandana, hoodie (it's cold!).   Caps and umbrellas are useless because the wind is really crazy. Because I am tall, I easily get carried away when climbing uphill.  We had to hold on to our guide as we walked towards cliffs facing the open sea.  Otherwise,  we will just probably roll over the hills.  Haha... 

Is 3 days or 4 days enough to explore Batanes?  If you're staying for 3D2N, it's technically a 2-full day tour because the departure flight on the 3rd day is early in the morning. Day 1 is the Batan Island tour and Day 2 is the Sabtang Island tour.  If you're staying for 4D3N, it's technically a 3-full day tour - they split the Batan Island tour into North and South tours (2 days but the tour only takes about 5 hours/day) and another day for the tour in Sabtang Island.  We took the 4D3N trip so we had a lot of time for relaxation and siesta.  I had time to do a Star Wars marathon before watching The Force Awakens. Haha...

      

What's the best way to go around Batanes?  If you're a big group, hiring a van, is ideal.  It costs about Php3k/day without a tour guide.  If you're only 1 or 2, you can bundle the tour package with your lodging but it costs anywhere from Php13k to Php18k for 4D3N. That plus a Php12k airfare would total to about Php30k budget at the least.  If you're on a budget  (like us!), you can opt to hire a tricycle.  It's Php1,000 for the North Sabtang tour, Php1,500 for the South Sabtang tour, Php440 to go to the Ivana Port (though I recommend not to take a trike for this one since there are bumpy parts of the road) and Php800 for the Sabtang Island tour.  The boat ride to Sabtang is Php150, 2-way.  You could also rent bikes at Php50/hour.  My friend and I planned to bike but every time we woke up from our afternoon siesta, it was always already dark! Haha... 

If you want to hire a tricycle to go around Sabtang, I recommend Ishmael.  You may contact him at +639394750654.  

Top things to see and do in Taipei in 3 days

If you're looking for place to visit in Asia where it's easy to go around and people are friendly,  you may want to consider Taipei.  It's so easy to commute and everything is almost accessible by train.

Here are some useful tips from my recent trip to Taipei the other weekend:

1.  How to plan your itinerary.  If you don't have time to research online,  the easiest way is to list down all the places you want to see and ask the front desk of your hotel which MRT exit is the nearest to each target destination.   Get an MRT map from the front desk and encircle all the exits and voila - you instantly know which destinations are located near each other so you can travel more efficiently.   

Here's our map - you may use it as a cheat sheet if you could understand my scribbles. Haha...

2.  What train ticket to buy.  If you estimate that you'll be making at least 6 train rides within the day, get the unlimited day pass which costs NT$150 (you can get it from the ticket counter near the turnstiles).  Regardless of what time you bought the ticket, it's valid until the last train trip for the day which I think is at 2am.

Btw, while in the subway, be on the look out for interesting art installations.  Here are two we spotted:

The Moment We Meet by Huang Hsin-chien.  It's a flip clock composed of close-up shots of faces, each one divided into 100 squares that can flip and form different appearances.

There was also a time my friend and I missed one train stop so we got off in the next station and saw this bronze sculpture entitled Small Park made in 1998 by an artist named Kuang-Yu Lee.  I read the inscription and it explains that the shape of the sculpture is derived from the hand gesture that is used in meditation to stabilize fluctuating emotions.  The sculpture invites tired commuters to take a rest - yes, you can actually sit on it.  We weren't really sure if it's used as a bench until we read the inscription. Haha...

3.  Places to see and things to do in Taipei.    Here are some:

Chiang Kai-Sheik Memorial Hall.   This houses a a musuem documenting Chiang Kai-shek's life. Who is Chiang Kai-shek?  He's a Chinese political and military leader who served China between 1928 and 1975.  Why is Chang Kai-shek highly honored in Taiwan? In 1946, civil war broke out between the KMT (the Chinese Nationalist Party Chang led) and the Communists in China.   The Communists won in 1949, establishing the People's Republic of China.  Chiang and the remaining KMT forces fled to the island of Taiwan. There Chiang established a government in exile which he led for the next 25 years. This government continued to be recognised by many countries as the legitimate government of China, and Taiwan controlled China's seat in the United Nations until the end of Chiang's life in 1975. (Source)

There are 89 steps leading to the memorial hall - they represent Chiang's age at the time of his death.

Spotted Chiang Kai-shek's black 1955 Cadillac limousine with bullet-proof glass donated by the overseas Chinese from the Philippines.   When I read the inscription, sadly, it was only used once by Chiang.

There are lots of memorabilia of Chiang like childhood photos. his calligraphy, books, journals, etc., and there are also exhibits about the war like miniature war planes, tanks, trucks and jeeps.  

There are sections of the hall that are used for special exhibits (not related to Chiang).  We saw one exhibit featuring beautifully hand-painted ceramics.  

If you're interested in learning more about Taiwan's great leader, history and culture, you can visit this place. If not, skip it.    My friend and I just love to wander in museums that's why we decided to drop by here.

MRT exit:  Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station (green or red line).

Din Tai Fung.   If you've ever seen a Din Tai Fung restaurant in any country, you know that the queue is always long.  Why is Din Tai Fung so popular?  It's because it's been ranked as one of the world’s Top Ten Best Restaurants by The New York Times in 1993. Its HongKong branch has also earned a Michelin star for 5 consecutive years since 2010.

Din Tai Fung's first branch actually originated in Taiwan in 1972.  Here it is -

If you zoom in the photo you'll see that the digital counter says "120" which stands for 120 minutes estimated waiting time to get a table. Wahaha....  There's no way we would wait for 2 hours so we just ordered food for take-out which took about 15-20 minutes.   We ordered the truffle and pork xiao long bao (soup dumplings),  spiced pork chop with fried rice and steamed red bean dumplings.  

Din Tai Fung has another branch in Taipei 101 and if you come early on a weekday when the mall opens, waiting time to get a table is only about 10 to 20 minutes.  I tried the crab roe xiao long bao, beef noodle soup, cold-dressed ear mushrooms and sesame mochi in sweet rice wine.

See that tiny yellow thing beside the upper left dumpling?  That's a marker - shaped like a crab, it means these dumplings are crab roe-stuffed.

Is it worth to wait the long queue?  I personally don't know because one, we never waited long, and two, I'm not really picky when it comes to food.  Any freshly steamed xiao long bao or dumpling is yum to me. That's why I won't line up if the waiting time is beyond reasonable and also because I could get the satisfaction by actually eating any food. I am just grateful if I've any food to eat. :)

MRT Exit leading to Din Tai Fung original branch: Dongmen  (yellow or red line)

P.S. Din Tai Fung just opened its first branch in SM Megamall yesterday.  

Taipei 101.    We booked in a hotel near Taipei 101 because we had no idea which area is a good place to stay in.   Here's the view from our hotel.  It's like an 8-minute walk to Taipei 101.

But in hindsight, since it's so easy to commute around Taipei, you can book in any hotel near an MRT station.  :)

What's there to see in the area?   You can go up the Taipei 101 - it used to be the world's tallest since 2004 until Dubai's Burj Khalifa surpassed it in 2010.   But we skipped this because again, the queues are usually long and if you've been to viewing decks of tall towers, you know the experience is similar (though I always find the fresh air exhilarating!).  In my earlier years of travel, I would always endure long lines to go up the viewing decks -  Chicago's Sears Towers, HK's Victoria Peak, KL's Petronas Towers, Macau Tower, Empire State Building, Eiffel Tower... as I get older, I'm realizing that I'm just as happy to see photos of views from the top.  Haha...  But maybe, just maybe, if I get a chance to visit Dubai, I might line up at Burj Khalifa because it's currently the tallest and because of Furious 7. Haha...

Anyway, within Taipei 101, there's a big branch of Din Tai Fung, a big food court, lots of retail stores and you could also buy pasalubong items like pineapple cakes, caramelized peanuts, nougat, tea, beef jerky, etc. In the office section of Taipei 101, they occasionally have art exhibits too like this -

These are wood carvings by an artist named Kang Muxiang.  The sculpture in the foreground is entitled Mother Earth made out of Cypress wood.

There are other nearby malls surrounding Taipei 101 (all connected by a bridgeway) like ATT 4 Fun and Mitsukoshi (they all offer tax refund so bring your passport if you plan to shop).  

But even if you don't have plans to shop, just explore and you might stumble upon interesting things like this Star Wars exhibit at Mitsukoshi.  :)  Can't wait to watch the movie!

Also spotted this Alice in Wonderland-themed restaurant at ATT 4 Fun. See the Alice hologram in the photo?  I actually enjoyed watching (not Alice but) the kids trying to catch her hologram. Haha...

Walking distance from Taipei 101 (maybe about 300 meters from the Din Tai Fung exit) is 44 South Village - it's a village of old military houses.  Remember my story about Chiang above?  When Chiang and the Chinese Nationalist Army fled to Taiwan,  about one million soldiers had to be re-housed and 44 South Village was the first military village of the Nationalists in Taiwan.

Check out the old houses against the tall and modern Taipei 101. 

The village is just small so you can easily wander around within 15 to 20 minutes.  

I peeked into one of the old military houses and saw desks and artworks. This particular one must have been converted into a pre-school. :)

You may also opt to hang out in one of the old military houses turned into a cafe and shop.  It serves and sells organic products.  There are occasional art exhibits too like this Princess Sarah exhibit I chanced upon.  Ultra cute artworks.

MRT Exit:  Taipei 101/World Trade Centre (red line)

Songshan Creative and Cultural Park. This place used to be an industrial village with a tobacco plant dating back in the 1930s.  In 2011, it was opened as a cultural park.  Old warehouses and housing blocks were converted to hold exhibits, classes, workshops and events.

We chanced upon an exhibit mounted by GQ. Check these out -

Within the GQ exhibit, there was also a Star Wars exhibit.   Check out Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber -

Han Solo frozen in carbonite, a scene from The Empire Strikes Back.

The cutest Darth Vader ever - 

Within the compound, there's a modern-looking structure - that's Eslite Spectrum Shopping Mall.  A bookstore occupies an entire floor and there are a number of coffee shops and tea places in the same floor if you want to take a short rest.   There are a lot of activities also scattered throughout the bookstore like art workshops, demos, leather crafting, etc.  

MRT Exit leading to Songshan Creative and Cultural Park:  Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall (blue  line).  It's a long walk though - about 500m from the MRT exit.  

Pingxi District - The Sky Lantern Capital.    If you've seen beautiful photos where sky lanterns are floating in the sky like the postcard below, it may have been taken during Pingxi's annual lantern festival.   

What we know of sky lanterns is you write your wishes, prayers and dreams and release them to fly in the sky so that your prayers will be heard.  But did you know that the original purpose of sky lanterns was as means of communicating military intelligence?  And in Pingxi, in the early days, it is said that bandits would raid the villages and so the villagers would hide in the mountains. After the bandits leave, the villagers who were left behind would fly sky lanterns as a signal (to those who fled) that the bandits are gone and it's safe to return.  Interesting, huh?

As soon as you get off the Pingxi Station, you'll see lots of Sky Lantern stores.  There are single and multiple-colored lanterns.  Each color represents something like fortune, health, career, etc.   But the more colors a sky lantern has, the more expensive it is.  

Before going to Pingxi, I thought that sky lanterns were small.  They are actually more than 3 feet long!  So if you plan to fly one, think about what you'll write or how you'll design it in advance.  My friend and I didn't know what to write so we just had 1-liners on each side and filled it up with symbols and drawings.  Haha...  

And because I don't want to post our sky lantern's photo here (hahaha...), here are some photos of other Pingxi visitors releasing their sky lanterns - 

Did you notice that they are at the railroad tracks?  Yes, the lanterns are being released right in the middle of the railroad tracks. Haha...  Everyone just moves to the side when a train is coming.   

Have you ever wondered how sky lanterns fly?  It uses the same principle as hot air balloons.   The fire heats up the air inside the lantern, making it expand. As the density of the air inside reduces, the cold air moves in and makes the lantern rise to the sky.   To fuel the fire inside the sky lantern, they use 12 pcs of ghost money (representing 12 months of the year) soaked in 50% kerosene and 50% salad oil so that it burns slowly.  I read somewhere that a sky lantern could fly up to 24 hours with 12 pcs of ghost money.  

BTW, while at Pingxi, we were also able to try Taiwan's popular delicacy - stinky tofu! 

If you want to go to Pingxi, you have to dedicate 1 day because it takes about 2 hours (3  train rides) to commute one-way.  That means a 4-hour travel period for 2-way (total of 6 train rides).

MRT Exit:  Taipei Main Station but after getting off there, you need to take another train going to Ruifang Station, then transfer to another train going to Pingxi Station.  

4.  Where to go shopping.  Taipei boasts of a lot of night markets (Ximending, Shilin, Wufenpu) but when we went there, since the weather was getting colder, clothes were mostly for winter which means nothing too useful for us who live in the tropical climate. Haha... 

But if you were to go to one shopping district, go to Ximending - also referred to as Taipei's version of Shibuya.  

Ximending by day 

This is the first pedestrian area built in Taipei and is the largest in Taiwan.

Ximending by night

Shopping in Ximending is a combination of branded stores and generic stalls so you get the best of both worlds.  

At the main intersection, you'll notice this red structure called the Red House.  It's a performing arts theatre and what makes the structure interesting is it's in the shape of an octagonal bagua.

MRT Exit to go to the Ximending Pedestrian Zone:  Ximen station (blue or green line)

MRT Exit to go to Shilin Night Market: Jiantan station (red line)

MRT Exit to go to Wufenpu Market: Houshanpi station (blue line)

5.   24/7 Eslite Bookstore.   Eslite is Taiwan's leading bookstore and they have a branch that is open 24/7. This branch is not really the biggest among all its bookstores but it's the only one that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and management doesn't mind that people stay to read books from cover to cover. 

I wouldn't have really gone to this branch because we've been to the Eslite Spectrum at the Songshan Cultural Park already but I was ready to explore at 9am on my last day (museums are closed on Mondays and malls open at 11am).  Since I couldn't think of anything else to do, I decided to go.  And yes, I finished 1 book while in the store!:)  

But I did buy a book also - I am Malala by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai - which I was trying to buy on Amazon kindle the previous night but unfortunately, there were copyright restrictions for purchases in the Philippines.   Good thing they have it on stock. :)

MRT Exit to go to the Eslite Bookstore 24/7:  Zhongxiao Dunhua (blue line), take Exit 6 

That's Taipei in 3 full days (technically my stay was 5D4N but the first and fifth days were dead days because of the late arrival and early departure).