There are many things not to like about Batanes, lack of good hotels, frequent brown outs, sporadic cell signals or lack of it outside Basco, the capital. Add to it no fast foods, dearth of good eating place, no Starbucks, only tricycles for taxi, jeepneys for travel outside Basco or rent your own van for a day or shorter and P70/liter of gas. Not finished yet, no movie houses, late night entertainment, no shows, malls or place where one can lounge, sip coffee and view the passing crowd.
If you are used to a fast pace of life, phone in your ear for hours in a day, your brain working at speeds akin to the cars in Indianapolis, thinking, networking, and preparing for any eventualities, you have to do it elsewhere, not in Batanes. For this place forces to you to slow down, be ready for at least two hour meals, the only thing fast here are 3 in 1 coffee and instant noodles, everything has to be done from scratch or ordered in advance. Want hot shower? Check if there is electricity, or sometimes even water. Things we take for granted in the city are absent here, or if present seems like a nice view from a speeding train, gone in a few seconds, which makes one appreciate every little comfort one finds in this place.
This place is especially bad for Type A personality, meaning people who are competitive, time conscious, wants to do many things at a time, feeling guilty when relaxed and not doing anything. They will find Batanes like Dante’s 5th Circle in Hell for everything is in slow motion. No speeding even if you have a Ferrari, for you go off the cliff or hit another vehicle head on for the roads are narrow and one or both sides are steep. So, what does one do when driving along a two lane road following someone with no care at all, enjoying the clean air, vast expanse of mountains and pastureland? Gritting your teeth and honking your horn, muttering like Mutley or Grumpy will only result in CHR (Coronary Heart Disease) and stress.
If you are Type A, for your peace of mind, get the next flight home. But wait! I recommend that you spend a few more days, for the wonders of this magical place are not immediately evident for some people. Like some food, one has to chew slowly, thoroughly and allow the enzymes to do their job. Try this the next time you eat bread and you’ll be surprised.
The views are breathtaking, stunning panoramas evoking feelings of serenity and contentment. Couple this with almost docile livestock grazing on seemingly manicured grass, balancing on steep cliffs, even chasing, playing with each other and you wondering how they manage to do it when you cannot even look down the ravine without holding on to something. This is the first reaction of people seeing the place for the first time and if this was all you experienced, you were shortchanged.
For the scenery is just a small piece of the island. You were just presented with a small corner of the picture. The rest will have to come slowly, meet the people, see how courteous, accommodating and honest they are. No excuse of not having any change from tricycle drivers. Meet the children, feel their hands when they offered theirs as if to beg and be surprised when they show respect to their elder. Taste their food, Kamote, Dibang, Arayu, Coconut crab, dishes flavored with native ginger and coconut milk. Further, contemplate on the boulders of Valugan, hear the rhythm, the music of its rolling stones as they are pushed by endless waves upwards and fall back when the wave recedes, see the Philippine Sea on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other, experience riding a boat with a shape you only see in Europe and not in any other place in the Philippines, while crossing to Sabtang, an island straddling the two mighty oceans.
This is still not the whole picture, something happens when you assimilate the place, the people and its culture. Something invisible, even indescribable and it is not even in the picture. Some call it the third eye, seeing or feeling something not ordinary not on the level of consciousness. This place inspires, gives one insight that comes just once in a long while. It makes one bring his flute, camera, easels, brushes and paint, feel things that will be impossible in a crowded, noisy city full of distractions.
Imagine this, In Batanes there is an old Lady, owner of Honesty Cafe, a small 5×4 sqm. store near the Port of Ivana. Open all day and night, no cashier to receive payments or attendants to serve you. You pick whatever you want, coffee, bread, even native crafts all with prices and you pay via a box with a slot. No change given. You can ransack the place anytime, but there is a sign that says, The Lord is my Security Guard, and that apparently deters anyone who wants to cheat, because the Cafe is still in business. A person comes once in a while to wash the cups, replenish the stocks and hot water in thermos.
This lady needs a cataract operation and cannot afford it. She puts up a sign inside the store asking for donation. There was no need for Dr. Adel to go to the store for if the boat was on time, their group just had a few minutes to put on their life jackets and go. The boat was late, Dr. Adel went to the cafe, saw the sign and immediately sought out the owner who was attending Mass at the church. She was with her whole family, husband, sons, daughter in law, grandchildren. Dr. Adel asked the lady if he can examine her eyes and whip out his iPhone, pressed the flashlight mode ala Macgyver, and declared after a few seconds of inspection that her cataract is ripe for removal and he will do the procedure for free. There was silence. The relatives could not believe what they have heard. Dr. Adel had to explain not twice but three times before the family was able to grasp the minor miracle they were given. Jubilation. Perhaps Dr. Adel do this many times a day, but the fact that many events have to come together to make it happen is serendipitous. Patrick told me that Kris passed by the Cafe on her way back to Basco from Sabtang and took care of her plane fare to Manila. Luck? Good things happen to good people.
Imagine this, while watching the sun sets at Naidi Hills, the only sound you can hear is the rustling, whispering of the wind, when suddenly you hear the sound of Londonderry Air from a flute wafting, caressing your senses coming from a distance of about three hundred meters. Artist paints, cameras click, someone singing while others just listen and watch.
Even if one is not creative, this place exudes, peace, contentment and serenity. The whole place is like a cathedral where one can meditate and just relax in this almost mystical place.
Most people go to Batanes to look for views, and while looking some find themselves.
They are the lucky ones.