Take 2! [Boracay]

I'm not in the mood to work now, like I'm having a "travel hangover" -- if there's such thing. I just got back from bora with Lou, Del and some of Lou's officemates.

It was awesome, in spite of typhoon Pedring. Why, I got my primary goal -- to just relax. No tours, no banana boats or what, you know what I mean? Right from the start I wanted it to be my "pre-employment vacation", something just to relax myself amidst errands in Manila, and something to look back to while I'm at a 6-month no-leave probationary period!



higlight 1: Astoria. On our first night, some agent from Astoria approached us (me and lou), and offered us free dinner buffet for two, in exchange for 90-mins of "hotel tour and presentation". They said it was a part of their promotion, because Astoria will have new resorts in Palawan and Bohol soon. Simple, why should we say no?



Geeee this is awesome, annoying and funny all at the same time. Because after Lou and I had a really yummy and sumptuous dinner (take note: BUFFET. FREE OF CHARGE), a "holiday consultant" then took us to their function room, more of a classroom, filled with couples (I assume these couples got the free dinner as well) and other sales agents doing their one-to-one sales talk with these couples. Apparently it was a sales talk session to sell their "Astoria Club membership" -- a pricey membership, ideal for [married] couples or families, offering cheap Astoria rates for the next 30 years.

To cut the long story short, the supposedly 90-min "tour" turned out to be a 2-hour chickahan then sales talk with the agent. Lou and I found the membership cool and interesting, but due to lined up bills till the next N years we didn't take the offer. Anyway, no regrets. if the dinner buffet is worth 2 hours of our precious time, then it's still all worth it. Because the food was really good. hahaha!

(and as what Lou's colleague said, if I can still remember every bit of info about that membership that I can blab about it for the rest of the night to others, then it's also worth it on the part of the sales agent. win-win!)

highlight 2: BORACAY GARDEN RESORT! Lou and I bought his officemate's unused ensogo voucher (here we go with deals again!):

Only P8,008 for a 3D/2N’s Premier Room Accommodation with 4 sets of Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner for 2 persons at Boracay Garden Resort, Boracay Island (valued at P16,544)

It's one of the best deals we purchased! they had awesome, classy rooms and facilities, and their food was good, especially the buffet breakfasts. Most importantly, service was excellent!

I left it with all sadness :(

highlight 3: Typhoon Pedring. The entire stay in Bora wasn't really 100% fun, with the big waves, strong winds and heavy rain on our 3th-4th (day of departure!).



Luckily, our flight wasn't canceled. Thanks to Cebu Pacific who survived the turbulence (haha!), and who gave us accurate info about their flights, through their website and call center, in spite of the chaotic situations in the airports that day. I must say, their service has improved a lot!

Now that I think about it, with the perfect accommodation, safe flights, wholesome rave parties and drinking we did, the entire trip wasn't so bad after all. Actually, it made me decide that from now on, Boracay should be an annual tradition!

P.S. I just realized that this trip CAN'T be "something to look back to while I'm at a 6-month no-leave probationary period" ...I still have my Coron trip next week. hehee.

Sabtang Tour [Batanes]

Sabtang is a nearby island which can be accessed by boat in 30 mins more or less. Although this one can be toured by DIY, Lou and I decided to get the tour services of our hotel (Batanes Seaside Lodge -- details at the end of this post) just to eliminate the possibility of being stranded just because of missed out boat schedules or what. And I thought as well, that in a DIY tour, we can't send immediate SOS having a hotel accomodation in a different island right? haha! The hotel gave us Kuya Narding as our driver from the hotel to the port (about 15-20mins drive), and as our tour guide for the day. They also hired Kuya Mel and his Jeep for our transportation within the island the whole time. How can we miss out scheds in this setup - Kuya Mel happens to be our sailor too!

DAY 2 - SABTANG TOUR

The moment I stepped on Sabtang, I sensed immediately that it wouldn't be like Basco. It's more rural, there are no modern houses, and vehicles are few. I think for our entire tour, I saw just one vehicle in the island -- our jeepney. haha! For a start, we registered as tourists in that hall/structure just right across Sabtang Church or Church of San Vicente Ferrer. I just had to mention that, because the church is really beautiful:



Introducing, Palek!

Before we started with the tour, Lou requested for a side trip to wherever the local wine is made -- we've been planning to get a bottle or two just to make our succeeding dinners genuinely Ivatan. haha! So Kuya Mel brought us to Mang Seraphin - a local wine maker in Barangay Sinakan, who gladly welcomed us to his home (even if it was all impromptu). hehe. He introduced Palek, a wine made from sugar cane. He gave us two varieties - a "younger" palek that tastes like red wine, and an "older" palek that's like a fruity, mild brandy. Both were good, Lou and I liked the former better.




They also showed us this coconut shell which they use as "shot glass"

And so we ended up buying 1.5 Liters of each all for P75 (P25 per liter). We were happy not only with the cheap local wine we just discovered, but also with the entire wine tasting experience. The free shots we enjoyed in a wine maker's old house feels so... classic, genuine, one of a kind!

Savidug & Chavayan

We then stopped by 2 barangays famous the old stone houses - Savidug and Chavayan. Did I mention in my previous post that I went to Batanes just to see rolling hills? Sorry, No, I actually meant, rolling hills and STONE HOUSES. hehe! So this is it, the famous houses made of huge, carved stones built to protect themselves from typhoons. Incredible.



Kuya Mel introduced us by the way to his grandfather, Lolo Marcelo. I think he's always part of the tour. Why, he's already 104 years old! Look at him, yes he doesn't even look 80!



According to Lolo Marcelo, his diet includes rice, kamote and veggies grown on the mountains. For his meat, he eats fish, and NOT pork and beef. Although he already talks so soft and slowly, he can still hear and see us clearly. and he still makes baskets! his latest work is that basket at the left. (I actually doubted his age at first, but how can you be wrong if the locals seem so sure about his age?)

Nakabuang Beach

Next stop is Nakabuang Beach, a shore known for its natural arch.



Amazing isn't it? But what amazed me more was that we were the only visitors in Sabtang that time, so the shore was solely OURS! we enjoyed the dip after the long tiring walks! Of course, given that, I can't leave without a vanity pic ;)



That was a really good finale. Of course the real finale was our sumptuous lunch, but up till now I'm feeling sad that coconut crab was served for our lunch -- we really didn't want it, thinking it would be a contribute to its extinction. Oh well! anyway...

The ride back to Batan island, at around 2pm, wasn't really a smooth one. Waves were really big! But the clouds were fantastic, so I have to share this:



It's so fluffeeey! (Really, I'm amazed that clouds like this are so usual in Batanes!)

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All in all, Sabtang tour was a great experience. It was like being warped to a different place, and to a different era. If you're into old architecture, never skip this tour!

My only regret was that I wasn't able to protect myself from the sun - when we got back to the hotel I had a really terrible migraine (plus sunburn!). So, on your Sabtang tour, don't forget your hat, shades and sunblock :)

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For Batanes Seaside Lodge and Restaurant tour rates -- click here.

For customized tours like ours (tour service on 2nd day only, for example),
contact Roger Amboy - 0918 333 1797
 

Basco Tour [Batanes]

After failed attempts, I finally checked one item in the bucket list - thanks to Lou who loves travel as much as I do, but who's probably more impulsive than I am. hahaha! He got promo flights last January for Manila-Basco-Manila, and had them scheduled on August 20-25. Why not, it was discounted by 50%, or 15k round trip for two people! But the catch was, like what I said, it was scheduled on August - a rainy (or even stormy) month, making the entire trip prone to cancellation. tsk!

Though, after offering a mass prior to the trip, and a sundance before sleeping (LOL), God blessed us with a very very very beautiful weather. And so Leda Lakwatsera adds N more posts to this blog! Okay let's start...

DAY 1 - BASCO TOUR

As what most sites suggest, this tour doesn't take up the entire day. This can be scheduled immediately after settling in your hotel and all, and this can end just on time for the sunset. Because it didn't sound complicated, Lou and I opted to rent a tricycle for this. Thanks to Cris (our day 4 tour guide), he recommended Mang Romy - a trike driver and tour guide in one, who can tour 2-3 tourists with his tricycle, for only P200 per hour. (Contact details at the end of this post)

Tukon Chapel

First stop was Tukon Chapel - a small chapel that's built like the traditional stone houses. When we got there, it was closed, but Mang Romy opened all doors like he owned it -- according to him, anyone can open it anyway. oh. okay. haha!



Before I can comment that it's a very nice chapel for small weddings (it's solemn looking and elegant, reminds me of Caleruega!) ...he mentioned some personalities who recently had their weddings in Tukon Chapel. And that night, before I can share it to my friends who are already engaged, coincidentally Yahoo news published a list of wedding destinations. Yep, because of this beautiful chapel, Batanes is on the list!

Tukon Radar

He then brought us to Tukon Radar Station - just a few minutes from Tukon chapel. I originally wanted to skip this, assuming there's nothing really spectacular in it -- based on blogs and photos. boy, I was wrong! It had a spectacular view!


Actually, from the viewing deck, you'd see Tukon Chapel!

Just FYI, Tukon Radar is actually PAGASA's station, the spot where they monitor the weather, apparently. So what's up with the term Tukon? Mang Romy said it means HILLTOP. Oh, makes sense!

Fundacion Pacita

Next stop was Fundacion Pacita. At first I was hesitant to go inside this awesome bed and breakfast place, after our hotel's operations manager informed us that it's no longer open to non-guests. But Mang Romy's THE MAN, he said that the staff know and trust him, so there's no reason why we can't get inside. Okay sir! hehe!



Fundacion Pacita's as beautiful as it was projected in its website - The landscape is awesome, it has a perfect view of the pacific ocean, and everything inside's homey. That's why I dreamt of having at least one night here. Good it didn't push through -- not only was it expensive, it is also currently under renovation! With the ongoing construction and all, no guest can check-in at the moment. My wish stays the same though -- to have at least one night here, next time, when I'm in Batanes just to relax.

Japanese Tunnel

Then Mang Romy brought us to a tunnel used by the Japanese during WW2. We didn't go inside anymore, but we hiked a bit to reach its top, or the soil above the tunnel. There you'd see the tunnel's 3 windows facing 3 different views: pacific ocean, china sea, and the airport. And yes there you'd see the runway clearly, which is actually just at the foot of Mt. Iraya.


Basco Runway, at the right is Mt. Iraya

Valugan Beach / Boulder Beach

I was so excited to see this one, just from the photos I knew this would be incredible. And I was right, boulders are really massive, actually even more massive than I imagined!



Mang Romy explained that these huge rocks were spewed by Mt. Iraya years ago, and were smoothened by the waves of the pacific ocean over the years. Amazing right? As you notice though, this place isn't a good place to swim, waves are not calm and it requires a lot of effort to reach the shore. It's still pretty in pictures though, so you shouldn't skip this one! :)

(FYI - Dawn Zulueta's ad of ph Care was shot here!)

Vayang Rolling Hills

Now the most awaited part - Vayang Rolling Hills! No, I wasn't excited to see Vayang rolling hills, but I was excited to see any kind of rolling hills in Batanes I mean. Why? Batanes is so known for this, in fact I WENT TO BATANES JUST FOR THE BEAUTIFUL HILLS, they make Batanes Scotland-like as they say. Vayang was just lucky to be my first encounter, making it my personal favourite. hehe!



Basco Lighthouse / Naidi Hills

Now the finale - Basco Lighthouse! One word to describe this: romantic.



Sadly, the lighthouse was closed, perhaps coz it was a saturday? We were really meant to call it a day, besides we were already tired and hungry from that half-day sunny tour. At that time though, I felt sad for the lighthouse - I think it's a really awesome (and again, romantic) spot, it definitely shouldn't be the last destination of tired tourists on their first day.

Well... watch out for day 3, when we went back to this place to experience the beautiful sunset! Stand by, folks!!!

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We do recommend Mang Romy!



Call/Text him at 0949-6923256
(If you can't reach him, let me know)