The Rugged Charm of Batanes : A Sabtang Experience, Part I

hot pandesal

At 5am, I was already at Abad St., waiting for the PUJ for IVANA to pass-by.  

Joseph Dy of DNA Travel told me the night before that breakfast will be on the road on our way to Devuk Bay, so I took the time to buy some hot pan-de-sal from this young Ivatan. 

6am came and not a jeep came by.  We waited on the wrong street. No choice but to take a tricyle to bring us to Ivana port where a faluwa took us to Sabtang island.

a faluwa

A faluwa is an oval shaped motorized passenger boat without the outrigger. They are the preferred inter-island mode of sea-transport in Batanes. 

It looks more like Noah's Ark designed for it to just glide along the big waves of Batanes. The usual capacity of a faluwa is up to 15 to 25 people and can even carry motorcycles or cows and agricultural produce. 

Faluwa boat-making, had been a tradition and industry for the Ivatans.  They use the Palomaria wood for the boat.

foot-power!

The boat captain was steering the faluwa by foot!  The seas were choppy as we made the crossing from Ivana to Sabtang.  How choppy, hmmmm, maybe the waves we see every time a storm is coming, but again its relative since to the locals these were just normal waves. 

Looking at the way 'kapitan' was maneuvering the faluwa, told us me to worry. En route, we passed by a pod of dolphins swimming toward the south direction.

sabtang lighthouse

The Sabtang Lighthouse is the most prominent structure that one sees upon approach to the Sabtang Island. It is located on a hill with the entrance beside the NAPOCOR station.  Electricity on the island is powered by diesel and limited.

sabtang tricycles

The tricycle that became my transport in the island was already waiting as we disembarked from the faluwa.  As if to match with the majority of the houses in the island, the tricycles use the same material used by the houses for its roofing, which made them unique-looking and relaxing to ride.

on the road

The roads in the island were a combination of cement and dirt, but both are paved that traveling on a tricycle was enjoyable.  Unlike in Basco where I opted to back-ride with the driver, here I stayed under the roof.  Its scenic enough.

the cliff-road turn

This was one of the more interesting areas en route to Duvek Bay, worth doing a stop over for photo-ops. 

The view of the sea, the surrounding hills, the seas below and the outline of the Vuhus island provides a perfect background for any picture.  

Passing through the channel in between the cliff on board a speeding tricycle was such an adrenaline-rush!  Much like doing the zip-line.  

I would recommend such for any visitors going in the area.  Why?  Its for you to find out ...

The sands in Bgy. Nakanmuan was so fine and powdery.  Such a natural setting.  This barangay is, one of the fishing villages in the island.

white powdery sand

bay-view of Bgy. Sumnanga

Bgy. Sumnanga, another fishing village is the gateway to the Duvek Bay.  

It's also the last barangay in this part of  the island. Beyond this point are two high mountains, the Mt. Alapad and Mt. Aharung. If not for these mountains, Bgy. Sumnanga and Bgy. Chavayan are just beside each other. 

For now, it seems a dead-end after Duvek Bay.

days-old dried arayu

This is one of the MUST-eat food in Batanes and one good 'pasalubong' item to bring home.  

Served with yellow rice and a cup of tubho-tea, a cut of the fried dried arayu makes for a perfect breakfast.

If you intend to bring some home, make sure it is packed properly for a dried arayu will smell. You cannot hand-carry the item. 

serene Duvek Bay

The famed Duvek Bay!  The place was so serene.  Apart from a local or two passing by, it was just me and Joseph who were there witnessing the view.  

Maybe it's the contrast between the rocks, the sandy-beach, the mountains beyond and of course the serenity that made this place so beautiful.  Not much visitor come here, except for the more adventurous ones.

the Lion's Head

At first glance, it was just another in-water rock formation within the bay.  A little while though, the Lion's Head became apparent. It was only much later that I got a confirmation that indeed it was the famed rock.  I did not even thought that the Lion's Head rock was in Duvek Bay.

I took my time in going around Bgy. Sumnanga, marveling at the stone houses in the area.  Those stone walls were really thick, say one ruler's-length or more!  No wonder some structures are still intact even if they were roofless already.  

I was on my way back to the tricycle when I spoted this Ivatan woman. I snapped a few pictures without her knowledge (I don't usually do this) to the point that I was already following her.  She did not mind at all even when she saw me already.  

A short greeting was the only thing I can muster when she eventually smiled at me and showed me some of the onions she was tying.

I eventually ended up buying a few ties of her onions, much to the surprise and amusement of Joseph who came looking for me.

Atanacio Dapilan's former home

I have to ask the driver to stop since my attention was caught by a writing hanged on an abandoned stone house.  

It was the ancestral house of an Ivatan Kulasan singer and composer Atanacio Dapilan.

I hurried back to the tricycle after snapping a few pictures. On the road, I can't help but wonder if the writing on the wall of the ancestral home of the Ivatan singer and composer was a sign that it will soon be restored.  Such a worthy undertaking if it will be.  

We were on our way for lunch - finally!