Never had it occured to me that I won't meet or bump into somebody in every place I visit. Like here in Batanes, I was able to meet Ron, an executive from Quezon City who came in the same flight as mine, checked-in the same hotel as mine, and like me, wanted to be alone and away from Metro Manila for a while. According to him, this is the first time he'll be taking his off on a far away land alone. At least, he tried though.
I would admit I felt a little worried of what's going to happen that night Helen struck the whole island. Coconut trees swung heavily in the wind's direction. Tall waves gushed violently on the shore. It was serene, except for the sound of the billowing wind and roaring splash of sea water towards the shore. But it wasn't eerie at all. It felt so blissful. Nowhere in the world you can feel this kind of strange emotion.
Day 4
It was scheduled for my trip to Sabtang but the weather was not permitting. Ron and I had no choice but to sit down together in the hotel veranda and talked about our job, personal lives, and travel plans. That morning, though a gloomy day in Basco, we managed to keep ourselves busy by walking around the town checking out places which might contribute in make this day eventful.
A small carinderia provided us with a starter meal - lugaw with egg. Not much to offer, we left the place after eating and checked out the only Internet shop nearby which unfortunately was closed that time. Ok - so we have to move on. This time, Ron was becoming anxious that the bad weather might persist we may not be able to fly back to Manila the next morning. He was so apprehensive he was practically asking every Ivatan we met along the way about the weather conditions. But that was ok, everyone here greet everyone they meet even if they don't know ech other.
Noticeably, there are only a few original stone houses left in Basco. Most houses were altered by modern materials built other than the traditional Ivatan method. As we moved on, I felt I was in a ghost town - so peaceful and quiet only a few people were out on the streets. Here the students still go to school on storm days and farmers tend to their land to check on their crops.
Lunch at Pension Ivatan was delightful we managed to find a rare delicacy which is truly Ivatan - the coconut crab. It was my first time to see and taste it and I would truly recommend that you should try this. It would cost you but truly worth it.
Had a little siesta back at the hotel. The weather seemed to improve from last night but still we had no electricity. Again, Ron and I decided to go back to town and look for some souvenir items. There are a few stores where you can buy vakul - Ivatan's native hats, among others.
Then there is this Italian Pizza restaurant called Casa Napoli (sosyal ang Basco, ha ha!) which serves the best native Italian pizza I have tasted in a lifetime. All ingredients are fresh and delicious and native and much to my delight. The tomatoes on top tasted so good! Now that complimented the storm and the best conclusion to what seemed to be a horrible day of wind and rain and night of inevitable darkness.
After that hearty meal, we headed back to the hotel, packed our stuffs keeping our fingers crossed for the resumption of flight back to Manila the next morning. Then Ron and I slept so soundedly in our separate rooms.
