Before our boat arrived at the port, we quickly passed by the San Jose de Ivana church to say a quick prayer and take a few photos.
We then make our way to the Honesty Cafe across the street from the church. This store is such a great concept, and it is a true testament to the honesty of the Ivatans (or the Batanes locals). There isn't always someone tending the store, but purchase instructions are provided. Every item for sale in the store has a marker indicating its cost, and all you need to do is write in a small notebook what items you got and how much they are in total, then you drop your payment in a payment box. If you need change, you can knock on the door but if nobody answers, anything on top of the cost of your purchase will be considered a tip. We ended up getting a couple of shirts and leaving a small tip. We also borrowed a vakul - the headgear used to protect the Ivatan from rain, wind and sun and which are used by women (the counterpart for men is the tagulong) - for a quick photo op inside the store.
We then boarded the boat that would take us to Sabtang. I think it was about a 45-minute boatride, but our Sabtang tour didn't start out well for a lot of folks in the group though as the water was quite choppy, leaving several of us quite seasick. We needed several minutes to kind of regain our equilibrium. So while a lot of the folks were resting, we decided to take some photos around town.
Once everyone felt well enough to move, we headed to Savidug. This beautiful barrio of stone houses is very quaint, and walking through the very clean streets makes you feel like you have gone back in time. I really think Savidug should be declared a World Heritage site!
I could have spent more time exploring the barrio but we needed to get a move on since it was almost noon. Our guides stop at a location that offered a lot of great views (we also had some snacks while here to tide us over 'til our late lunch). Again, we headed up and down the hills where we took several photos.
There was a small beach on the other side of the hills and it was a bit tempting to head down. Unfortunately, the slope got too steep closer to the bottom of the hill and there was no way to get to the beach so none of us did. Instead, we enjoyed it from a distance. :)
We get back on the mountainside zigzag roads and find our way to Chavayan, another barrio that seems to have been frozen in time. Chavayan is set against an brilliant backdrop of lush mountains.
Once again, I would have loved to spend more time here but our earlier delay meant that we were about an hour behind schedule and lunch would soon be waiting for us on the other side of the island. Nevertheless, I found time to visit, and have my photo taken in front of, the Sta. Rosa de Lima church with its unique thatched roof.
Our lunch was set up in Nakabuang beach. And what a gastronomic feast it was! Highlights of our meal included the local delicacy coconut crabs...
photo courtesy of Noli Gabilo...and lobster.
A few of us then hit the water after our meal. It was quite good to cool down after being under the sun all day. A major landmark on the beach was the Nakabuang Arch. Before we left the area, we took a big group photo under the arch.
It was late afternoon when we headed back to the Sabtang port. Thankfully, the waves were a lot gentler at that time of the day and no one got seasick on our return trip. One day left in Batanes, and while it meant that we didn't have a lot of time left in these incredible islands, I was definitely excited to see more amazing scenery.
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