Back From Batanes: Images of Batan Island

It has been awhile since my last post. So much has happened: love, heartaches, work and more travels. One of my most recent travel is Batanes, the Philippines' northernmost province, a place of heartbreaking beauty. I was smitten by the landscape, the people, the community, the weather, etc. I love Batanes. As a prelude for my essay on Batanes, here is a preview, selected photographs of Batan Island, the main island of Batanes.

Laidback Basco, the capital town of Batanes, viewed from Pension Ivatan.

The undulating landscape of Batan, seen from a Mahatao idjang where the wind turbines are.

A santacruzan culminates at the Basco Cathedral

A lighthouse in Basco

The fishing village of Diura in Uvoy, Mahatao

Dolphin fish beaing dried in Diura. Here, it is caught by a fisherman specializing in catching dolphin fish or dorado.

Road from Uyugan to Ivana.

A communal pastureland colloquially called Marlborough Country is famed for its beauty.

A spring bursts forth in Uvoy, Mahatao, and flows to the sea. Pools have been built and a grotto with the image of the Virgin Mary placed. It is called the Fountain of Youth.

The beautiful church of Mahatao.

The rolling hills characterize the landscape of Batan Island.

Sunset at the pier in Basco.

Valugan Beach in Basco.

Fundacion Pacita Abad

Viewdeck between Basco and Mahatao.



The church of Ivana.

Boy bathing at the Fountain of Youth.

Goats are a vital component of Ivatan life, as illustrated by the Adolf Alix film Kadin.

Men loading cattles on a boat in San Vicente Port, Ivana, on the way to Sabtang Island.