THERE IS A VERY NICE and comprehensive article about Batanes in the Philippine Star last week. †It is entitled “Batanes: †Where the Winds Blow” and written by Julie Cabatit-Alegre.
The article reminded me of a trip that me and my ex-girlfriend have long wished for but haven’t found the time to do yet.
Batanes is a place I have always wanted to visit. †Even when I was still a teenager I already wanted to go to Batanes. †I’ve met some really nice people from Batanes in the Science Fairs and Journalism competitions that I used to join when I was a high school student in Isabela (Region 2). †Their stories about their clean and peaceful province have already caught my fancy way back then.
The PhilStar feature story on Batanes mentioned that 2009 has been declared as “Visit Batanes Year.”††Perhaps I should take that admonition personally and therefore seriously plan for that Batanes visit next year. :-> †
Here are the first few paragraphs of the PhilStar article:
Batanes: Where the winds blow†
By Julie Cabatit-Alegre†Updated December 21, 2008 12:00 AM
It would rate between 6 and 7 on the Beaufort Scale, used to estimate wind strengths, where 6 is described as a ìstrong breezeî and ìumbrellas are used with difficultyî while 7 means a ìmoderate galeî and ìinconvenience in walking against the wind.î At Rakuh aí Payaman in Batanes, ìinconvenienceî would be a mild word.†
Working your way up the promontory overlooking the Pacific Ocean, you can easily be gripped by a sudden fear of being blown away, literally. Figuratively speaking, the astonishing view that greets you can do that as well. On one side, the mountain gently slopes down to meet the waves breaking fiercely from the sea, while on the other side is a wide expanse of undulating grassy terrain. This is your quintessential snapshot of Batanes, the countryís northernmost province, closer to Taiwan than to the Luzon mainland.
Two great bodies of water, the Pacific Ocean in the east and the South China Sea in the west, batter its shores. Only three of its 11 islands are inhabited ó Batan, with the provincial capital Basco; Itbayat, the largest island, north of Batan; and Sabtang, the smaller island, to the south. Total population is about 16,000.
Click here to view the complete article in PhilStar.
