Views, Comments & Feedback
from people who visited Batanes


saw batanes last holy week. got beautiful photos which i would like to feature in this web page. i believe they are the most recent photos of the beautiful islands i call God's country. pls don't allow that the place be spoiled by introducing the items that dehumanized places like the major cities of the country. -"Valencia"

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We are so happy and entertained by the recent photos in Batanes online.
Couple of months ago, I e-mailed you about how excited I was to see
those photos and requested if someone can post more from our beautiful
Batanes and there you go.

Our special thanks to our fellow Ivatans who worked real hard to keep
us alive as if we are living there. Roland Delatado we loved your
photos at the Batanes resort, the photos are inviting and cool. We can
almost feel the cool morning breeze and the smell of the sea.

I hope more photos will be posted.

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Just got back from Batanes, it is very cultural, scenic and adventurous. Big thanks to Mayor Viola, Mayor Cielo, Mayor Gonzales for the warm welcome and Dr. Hornedo for the very inspiring, enlightening, and educational talk. May we be the kind of leaders you want us to be. :-) And Big Big Big thanks to the people of Batanes who are really really all warm, kind and nice to all visitors.

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Just got back from Batanes and the water is deep blue and reminds me of the Ligurian Coast of Italy. People there are so honest they leave their homes unlocked. Batanes resort which is the best place to stay and it charges a very low rate of P800/triple sharing. All cottages face the beach area (China Sea) and the snorkeling grounds are truly delightful with their varied marine life, corals are sharp though so wear your water-reinforced socks/shoes. Sabtang Island is simply picturesque and the coastline is like Maui or Oahu. You can order seafood meals at least 2-days in advance as there is no market or any concept of a market day, they get food when they need it from the sea, talk about sustainability of marine
resources. Cooking is very simple but prices range from P100-150 per meal. All islands of
Basco source their vegetable and most groceries from Laoag by ferry. Itbayat Island is a four hour boat ride and the island has no seashore and is shaped like a bowl and the main "bayan" is located in the center. Chemtrad flies to Itbayat at P1500/two way. You can also do an island tour of Basco in about 4 hours. The sights are Tukon radar, Ivana, Itbud and Imnajbu where you get to see the simple housing structures of the Ivatans. I heard Ivana has a silversmith. Local Colour magazine features Batanes (Nov-Dec 2000 issue).

Restaurants should be advised in advance if you are dining. The Cathedral at the Plaza is charming and the resident Monsignor has a very good sense of humor. Generally, the barrio and municipality tours feature amazing coastlines and ridges reminiscent of Scotland and Ireland. I truly enjoyed my stay and the place really grows on you. Some people I have talked to are not original Ivatans but they fell in love with the place the moment they have seen the
coastlines from the Laoag International Airplanes (40-seater and P3900/Manila-Basco flight). The Mt. Iraya climb is rather strenous and not very scenic because of the thick foliage. They are planning an alternate trail that will feature springs instead and not an assault climb al throughout--climb is about 4-5 hours befoe the summit peak--clouds and fog can block the
view.

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Batanes is really great and all the LGU are doing their jobs very well in recieving visitors. Disapointed land ako sa mga trash beside the mountains.

We met Dr. Hornedo and listen to him well, as we want to become the future political and economic leader the way we dream of.

One more, in Las Pinas Bayan, if one wants to build a building he/she must make it look like intramuros type of buildings to preserve the culture. Batanest don't have to get coral rocks from the sea for a new building, imitations will do, not to loose the cultural heritage, Unesco just around the corner.

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Please thank Mr. Teddy Baldemoro and the DENR personnel and the Mayor of Basco for assisting us. We truly enjoyed our stay.

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Just got back from Batanes last Thursday and we had a great time! Like many visitors, I must say I got awed by the place. Makes me want to stay longer, but unfortunately, we were there on business and couldn't force ourselves to stay even if we wanted to.

We were able to talk to Gov. Gato, George Reyes of the DENR, Ferdie Elica of the BDFI. Demy also took time to bring us around Batan Island and help us out in our Internet requirements. We missed Dr. Hornedo who just left for Manila a day after we arrived. We did get to talk to some more people, most especially Cong. Abad, who gave us slices of life stories about Batanes.

I was able to visit Itbayat and it was something I won't soon forget. We've seen how Batanes has started to transform itself into a place that will welcome tourists on a regular basis. Unwillingly or not, the Ivatan may have to face the fact that many people, especially foreigners, will want to visit. It is entirely up to them, with the help of gov't and NGOs, to make sure the influx is controlled and won't contribute to the degradation of the province's beautiful environment.

I've told all my friends that they need to visit it at least once in their lives. I may have to schedule another trip, this time purely to relax and recharge, sometime in the near future!

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Seeing new places and meeting new people has allowed me to look at things from multiple perspectives. Take for example yung sa Batanes nalang, di ko na ikwento yung sights since nakita mo rin naman kung gaano kaganda and inspiring yung actual experience.

Nakakwentuhan namin si Mang ______ , yung bangkero namin from Sabtang going to Ivuhos
island, yun, ni-relate nya yung day-to-day life ng isang mangingisda, mga considerations, mga takot...namasdan namin kung gaano sila magpuyat (kasama ng misis nya) sa pagaayos ng gamit pangingisda (sa ilalim lamang ng ilaw ng kanidila) dahil maaga pa siyang papalaot kinabukasan.

Kinwentuhan kami ni Mang ______ (aming local guide) kung paano sya magpursige na pagkatapos ng trabaho sa araw ay mangingisda naman sya sa gabi, para lang tuluyang mapagtapos yung dalawa nyang anak na parehong nasa kolehiyo dito sa maynila... isn't it amazing that from their lips spring an abundance of lessons, hard-earned from their experience, freely given to us who merely spend the time to listen... lessons not really specific to their craft, but applicable to life in general... In short, those people and places has POSITIVELY affected and directed my thinking and maybe my life.

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See also pictures of Batanes taken by a visitor of Batanes.


The above comments were compiled from email messages sent to BatanesOnline.com. It is being featured with a view of providing future visitors a glimpse of Batanes based on what others have experienced. It may also serve as a feedback to the community for those who want to hear what our visitors are saying.

BatanesOnline.com would like to thank all those who have visited Batanes and took time to send their comments and pictures. We also thank you for your cooperation in helping us to keep Batanes a safe and relaxing place. Dios Mamajes!