The talk about going to Batanes started as early as September 2022. Back then, Ran and I haven’t even gone to Bohol yet, but he was already teasing me about going to the northernmost islands of the Philippines. I cannot blame him though. Batanes is a fabled location in the Philippines, one that sure is on the bucket list of every Filipino traveller. It is located on the extreme north of the country, set apart from the rest of the mainland Luzon. In fact, the farthest point of Batanes is nearer to the island of Taiwan than the province of Cagayan in the mainland.

We agreed to go to Batanes during the summer months, either April or May. The main consideration was the budget. Reaching Batanes is not easy. With limited flights going in and out of the islands, plane ticket costs are somehow relatively more expensive. Apart from that, Batanes is reputed to be the favorite playground of typhoons due to its location in the middle of the vastness of the sea, hence the moniker home of the winds. As such, factoring the weather in choosing the month to visit the island is not optional, unless one would fantasize being stranded for days.

We were not able to make it in either April or May, because we pushed through in March, on the weekend that followed our epic Cordillera road trip. Ayaw namin magpahinga.

Doing DIY tour is prohibited in Batanes, hence having a tour services provider is mandatory. Thankfully, it didn’t take long when we stumbled upon and engaged the services of Naidi Hills Tour Services. It would be a four day, three night tour and stay for two. As we go along the Batanes chronicles, you will see how superb their services are.

Our flight was scheduled on a Thursday, at 05:10 AM via Philippine Airlines. In order to avoid any potential bumps along the way, we decided to leave Malolos City at 11:00 PM the previous night and would just try to grab some sleep in the airport. Mahirap nang maiwan ng eroplano. Flights to and from Basco, Batanes are only once a day, and given that only the smaller Q400 planes have flights to the islands, rebooking could be very difficult and potentially expensive.

A little past midnight, we have reached NAIA, courtesy of our friends, Ajei and Juan. There we tried to get some sleep, until we received our boarding call around thirty minutes before our scheduled flight.

Since Q400 jets are too small for a jet bridge, we had to ride the airport bus that brought us to where our plane was waiting.

It was a first time for both of us to ride a Q400 plane, hence adding to the excitement that the trip had been giving us. It was small, with just two seats per side of the plane and with propellers on the wings. So cool!

Actually, another reason why we were excited with the Q400 was the contest of Philippine Airlines where contestants who would be able to take a selfie before a Q400 would have a chance at winning 10,000 miles. Desidido kaming sumali. We wanted those miles!

As soon as the plane took off, we cannot help but notice the beauty of the sunrise breaking in the horizon. We caught the twilight in action!

Soon enough, Ran has completed the elements! Not only has he shown his mastery in sleeping in the car or on a boat: he has proven his worth on air!

The flight from Manila to Basco takes a little less than two hours, hence a lot of time to appreciate the sea of clouds surrounding us. It was as if the skies have been giving us some preview of the marvels that await us in the northern isles.

After a while, gising na si Ran. All the more that he became sober as soon as the islands of Batanes started peeking through the clouds. Ang ganda na sa itaas pa lang!

We touched down in Basco Airport a little before 07:00 AM. As soon as got off the plane, we waited for the people to subside for us to get a good angle with the plane for our PAL selfie contest entry!

We then went our way through the airport, which is small in size but features Ivatan design. It was cozy, to say the least. Its one-storey structure is a practical testament to how typhoons usually batter the islands.

When we got out of the airport, our assigned cogon trike driver and guide, Kuya Bhong Alcantara, was already waiting for us. He was waiting together with other cogon trike drivers who were also waiting for their own visitors. For a small island province such as Batanes, tricycles are the common means of transportation, with cogon roofs that are usual even in the Ivatan houses.

Kuya Bhong informed us that our official tour will begin at lunch time, with meals that Naidi Hills have prepared for us. Since it was just 07:00 AM, he first brought us to our accommodation. Check-in times in the hotels in Batanes are way earlier than the typical ones in the mainland as they synchronize operations with the once-a-day schedule of the commercial flight.

Ran and I had roughly five hours of free time. We both tried to get some sleep, then prepared for the afternoon ahead. Our day was just about to begin.

We finally made it to Batanes, the home of the winds.