After lunch and some rest at Hiro’s Restaurant, we went back on the road to complete our itinerary for the day. If you’re wondering how the national road around the town of Basco looked like, below is a picture:
Our next stop was in Mahatao Church. It wasn’t very exciting for us, since we have seen several in 20+ years of our lives. Then again, we went inside and silently observed what could have made this structure different from the others.
Kuya Lando said that the church retained its original stone floors which dated way back the Spanish era.
I believe, many other churches in the Philippines can boast the same thing. So we didn’t stay here for long. We went back to our ride and head to the House of Dakay.
The House of Dakay was said to be oldest traditional Ivatan house still being used in its original structure in the island of Batan. It was the resident of Lola Florestida Estrella (middle at picture below), the only remaining living relative of Jose Dakay Estrella, whom the house was named after. We were fortunate to meet her and have photos taken with her.
Traditional Ivatan houses were noted for their unique structure made up of stones, lime, and large shells. Yes, shells! In fact when you look closely, you can still see them attached. Those stone walls were built up to a meter thick. Their roofs, on the other hand, which were pretty thick as well, were primarily made up of kugon (cogon) grass or those shrubs used as hedgerows we mentioned earlier (Day 1, Part 1). This architectural style had served Ivatans well against numerous typhoons, as well as earthquakes for many years. The House of Dakay, for instance, had stood since the late 1800s.
We saw other traditional houses along our way to the House of Dakay. This one was a two-storey house:
We wouldn’t want to disturb Lola Florestida too long, so we decided to see another place known in the island, the Honesty Coffee Shop.
It didn’t exactly look anything like a coffee shop; it was more like a mini-convenient store or sari-sari store. In there, one could buy himself some snacks (or even canned goods and other ready-to eat foods) and refreshments.
However, in this store, no one will be there to assist you. The shop was said to function by “honesty system”: you get what you want to buy, and then you pay what you get (signs were posted indicating costs of the items inside). You simply put your payment in a box with a slit on top where you’ll slip your bills or coins inside.
If you need change, you have to knock at the house at the back of the store to ask for it. If no one answers, that means the owners and everyone else in the household was out in the farm. So…it would be one’s discretion whether to still pay without getting their change, or not pay at all (which would be absolutely terrible!).
I’d rather not get anything if I mind my change so much, than to take something from such a store for free. >.<
Aside from food and beverages, Honesty Coffee Shop sold souvenirs, like the Vakul – the head dress worn by Ivatans which serves as a hat or umbrella to protect themselves from the sun and rain. We managed to borrow one, as well as a basket from the store for photo ops!
Here’s one techie Ivatan-wannabe:
The day was going smoothly so far, until one of the tires of our car got loose (?). We were stranded in an area between the Honest Coffee Shop and our last stop for the day, the Marlboro Hills (or Marlboro Country).
Kuya Tope said the car couldn’t be fixed, so he called for another vehicle from our lodge. Mind you, getting him to call for help took some time too, since the area we were in had hardly any mobile signal. The replacement vehicle also took more than an hour to arrive at our place since we were already far from the lodge.
I guess we had so much fun the whole day that the scenario didn’t spoil our spirits. We went out of the car and wandered, while Kuya Lando kept us occupied with his trivia and stories. He was really amusing. There was never a dull moment with him.
We stopped to rest in this open hut along the road whom the owner was greeted in Ivatan dialect by Kuya Lando. He asked permission if we may use his (the owner) hut for the meantime while we were waiting for our ride to arrive. The owner instantly gave us his permission and even asked if we would want something to eat or drink. He was really kind.
Kuya Lando shared that this (above picture) place was where the movieBatanes: Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan was shot. In fact, it served as the house of the leading female character in the movie. It was starred by our local actress Iza Calzado and a foreign (Taiwanese) actor, Ken Chu. I haven’t watched it though, so I couldn’t relate that much.
After an hour or so, our transfer/ replacement vehicle arrived. We were a bit worried that we won’t be able to see the Marlboro Hills properly since the sun was about to set. Luckily, even with cloudy skies, we saw the marvelous Marlboro Hills of Batanes!
We still have to walk our way through the slopes for a better view.
The grasses were kept short by the wild carabaos and cattle that graze on them. I wouldn’t have imagined seeing grazing carabaos could feel so serene.
It was a 360 degree view of pure bliss! We were like kids freed to our dream play land! The scenery was just divine!
It would have been better if the lighting was good, then again, even with a simple camera, the picture could tell it was indeed wonderful! Thanks to Kuya Lando and Kuya Tope for a wonderful job in taking our photos!
We waited ‘til the darkness surrounded us, before we called it a day.
We went back to our lodge were we were served with heavy dinner of sweet and sour fish, sautéed pork sausage-chicken-mushrooms-potato-bell peppers with coconut milk (I couldn’t remember what the dish was called), and sautéed vegetables (string beans and squash) with pork.
Day one in Batanes was AWESOME! We were all excited for the next day…so excited that we hardly get ourselves to sleep!
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