The Beauty of Itbayat Island, Batanes

This post is an entry to the #amazingnature contest. To join, you may go to Amazing Nature Contest - October 2019 - #03

I totally support this contest, as I saw its humble beginnings. I used to join by posting a picture or two on APPICS, then using the tag #amazingnature to be found.

From there, it has grown to be an official weekly contest. I congratulate @adalger for that. I'm also grateful to him for inviting me to the Steem Terminal group. More power to this contest! May we all celebrate the beauty of nature in all its form.

I've been a city girl all my life. However, that did not stop me from being a nature lover. We don't get to enjoy a lot of the great outdoors in the city. This being the case, my daughter and I plan out of town trips at least once a year to get closer to nature.

This won't be a one picture post, as it's also my tribute to the beautiful island of Itbayat in Batanes. We visited the island in March of this year. In July, it was hit by devastating earthquakes that brought a lot of damage to parts of the island. That really broke our hearts.

I'd like to look back and remember our unforgettable trip. I hope you'll enjoy the visual tour.
1boat ride to Itbayat.jpg

This was our view from where we were seated in the boat ride to Itbayat Island. From the main island of Batan in Batanes, it's roughly a three-hour ride. That was the first time I've ridden a boat that long. It's not exactly a very comfortable way to travel, but in the end, it was so worth it.

2approaching Itbayat Island.jpg

I remember getting too excited when we finally could see the island so near. If I remember correctly, it took another half an hour at least from this view before we even landed at the port.

3Itbayat Port.jpg

We finally got off the boat after three hours. Turning around, this magnificent view took my breath away!

4Terrace of our homestay.jpg

Our first stop was our homestay, so we could freshen up and get ready for more sightseeing trips for the day. A side trip to Itbayat Island from the main island of Batan in Batanes would mean an overnight stay. That's because there's only one boat trip that goes to the island and travels back after two hours. There's no hotel on the island as well. Lucky for us, our tour guide helped us book this special trip, so we had accommodation arranged in advance as well. That's the view from the terrace of our homestay.

5Lake Kavaywan.jpg

One of our stops was at Lake Kavaywan. Everywhere you looked was so peaceful and serene. You'd think we were the only tourists around, but there were others as well. We had our own tour guide that took us around the island on a tricycle.

6Paganaman Port.jpg

Paganaman Port. It will always be one of my favorite places. It's a steep slope going down to the hidden lagoon. Here, I stayed out too long in the sun and got sunburnt on my right side (arm and leg). I don't think I got my color back to this day. So, it is truly memorable. ^_^

7Hidden Blue Lagoon.jpg

We sought out this place, as my daughter saw it on an Instagram post. She wanted to see the place in person. We called it hidden as the guides don't normally bring tourists here unless they ask for it. We've got more photos of my daughter enjoying the lagoon. I didn't go down as it was a bit too rocky for me.

8Torongan Hill.jpg

More trekking to see Torongan Cave. Before reaching it, we pass through the lovely view seen here at Torongan Hill. That's Dinem Island over there. They say it's uninhabited.

9Torongan Cave.jpg

I stayed outside by the entrance of Torongan Cave, as the climb down was rather steep. My daughter proceeded with our tour guide. She's smaller and slimmer, so it wasn't much a problem when it comes to climbing here and there. She took this photo once they got to the end of the cave. What a lovely window to the sea! The earthquake in July damaged the cave entrance ( according to the news), so we have no idea if Torongan Cave is open to the public once again.

91Torongan Hill photo opp.jpg

Going back up from the cave, we stopped at the hill for some more photos. There's a place where you can sit very close to the edge to have your photo taken.

92church.jpg

We are glad that we made a stop at this church before calling it a day. Sta Maria de Mayan Church was badly damaged by the earthquake that hit Itbayat Island. See photos on the news.

93sunrise at Rapang Cliff.jpg

We retired early for the night, as our call time was around 2:30 am. We would be trekking 6.5 kms in the dark to reach Rapang Cliff before sunrise. Ta-dah! This is one of our many sunrise photos. We survived the trek during the wee hours of the morning. It wasn't that dangerous or rough, but it was a physical challenge if you're not fit to walk miles on end. Good thing I still can and did! ^_^

94Rapang Cliff.jpg

Whereas I passed up some rough climbs, I couldn't just pass up getting atop Rapang Cliff for this shot! That one time when I proved that I could if I wanted to! ^_^ (PS. One of the other guides hinted I couldn't make it as I didn't even try going down Torongan Cave. LOL!)

95view atop Rapang Cliff.jpg

I love this scenery! To me it shows the real beauty of nature. We really should be thankful for our beautiful planet.

96Mauyen Arch.jpg

We made one last stop before heading to the port for our boat ride back to the main island of Batan. This is the Mauyen Arch according to our guide. It's another hidden spot. My daughter seemed to have done her research well and knew what places to ask to see. ^^ We really had a great time visiting Itbayat Island. We hope we could go back again someday. There's an airport there now, so perhaps that's how we'll go there next time. Till our next adventure... ta-tah! ^^

* * * * * * *

rsz_12me_avatar_created_from_bitmoji.png

me avatar created from bitmoji app from my mobile

RRgif

I'm part of Steem Terminal's October Redfish Rally

iSupportSteemTerminal.gif

I'm on Steem 'coz of:

My main affiliate program ===> ClickTrackProfit

Documenting my life's journey:

My main blog ===> Fresh Start

I started a series since October 2018...

'Coz I like Tumblr ===> I Am Raincrystal



0
0
0.000
31 comments
avatar

Congratulations, Your Post Has Been Added To The Steemit Worldmap!
Author link: http://steemitworldmap.com?author=iamraincrystal
Post link: http://steemitworldmap.com?post=the-beauty-of-itbayat-island-batanes


Want to have your post on the map too?

  • Go to Steemitworldmap
  • Click the code slider at the bottom
  • Click on the map where your post should be (zoom in if needed)
  • Copy and paste the generated code in your post
  • Congrats, your post is now on the map!
0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

Another great post, @iamraincrystal.
That's one awesome looking island there...

Oh, that lagoon.... it's just begging me to dive in...

I hoped it would show on the map, but it didn't... I think... Maybe I am looking for it in the wrong place. Google tells me I need to look at the Philippines... is that right?

0
0
0.000
avatar

Yes, it is the northernmost inhabited island in the Philippines. ^_^ thank you for your help!

0
0
0.000
avatar

This trip looks sooo amazing !! You should listen to your daughter every time from now on, hehe ^^ .. especially this lagoon looks like a dream location. Even from up the cliffs you can see to the ground of the water ;) .. you did a really great job with this post, and good that the steemitworldmap worked out ! .. have a great week 😄 .. (you are the first one to get an emoji from me ever)

0
0
0.000
avatar

That's great to hear! Glad you liked it! More success for you and your contest! ^_^

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
TIBLogo

You have been curated by @thekittygirl on behalf of Inner Blocks: a community encouraging first hand content, with each individual living their best life, and being responsible for their own well being. #innerblocks Check it out at @innerblocks for the latest information and community updates, or to show your support via delegation.
0
0
0.000
avatar

Hey @iamraincrystal
Your post has been determined to be
Splat-Worthy!!
Therefore You’ve been Splatted
by the Splatz Curation Trail
A705B77C-E8CA-4B64-85B0-B6D2A965FBE9.gif
@jlsplatts original
Rewarding Your Original Work
With an Upvote
And
Resteem
If you find posts worthy of a nasty Splatin’ feel free and mention @splatz in your reply to their post.
Call me out!!
SPLATZ info

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hiya, @lizanomadsoul here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made into our Honorable Mentions in Daily Travel Digest #660.

Your post has been manually curated by the @steemitworldmap team. If you like what we're doing, please drop by to check out all the rest of today's great posts and consider upvoting and supporting us.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Ang gandaaaaa. Iba talaga Batanes. Magkano po all in nagastos nyo? Hehe

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hello po, kabayan. Salamat sa pagdaan dito. Pwede kayo mag-inquire sa Wakay Tours. Sa Travel Madness Expo namin siya nakuha. Maganda ang naging serbisyo nila sa pagbook ng Batanes tour namin. ^_^

0
0
0.000
avatar

This is really beautiful place and it is so sad to be hit by the quake.

0
0
0.000
avatar

thanks for dropping by! yes, we are saddened by the calamity that hit the area. We heard they are slowly recovering.

0
0
0.000
avatar

What a beautiful place to visit! Thanks for taking us there...
and thanks for sharing on @PYPT #PYPT

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks for visiting! ^_^ I loved this place so much. I felt it needed to be shared.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks for sharing this on #pypt.

All of those shots look incredibly relaxing! That must have been an awesome place to be!

Good luck on the contest!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks for visiting! I will always look back and have fond memories of this place. ^_^

0
0
0.000