Fundacion Pacita (photo by WILLIAM HERRERA)

There is a saying among serious cyclists that the bicycle is a "transport of delight." Around Basco, Batanes, whether you’re easing from one end of the most popular Batan island to the next most populous island of Sabtang or further across Itbayat island, there is no better way to travel around the islands than by lugging your own mountain bike.

In all the islands I have visited  in the country where I have tried riding a bike, I was amazed at the level of trust placed in me by the local people I have met especially  in Batanes, simply because I was on two pedal-powered wheels. In these modern times, when we can be familiar with so much of the area from the comfort of our armchairs, experiencing this kinship with the locals is one of the greatest goals of traveling by bike.

On the island

Batanes’ shoreline cycle path draws hordes of two-wheeled-tourists every year during the summer and even the dry spells in between the rainy season.  There is something powerfully therapeutic about pedaling alongside the great shoreline of Batan. From the island’s main road, called National Highway 1, we followed the coastline counterclockwise from Basco to Imnajbu. A gravel and grass inland trail called Imnajbu takes you through “Marlboro Country” and eventually brings you back to Mahatao.

It’s not a particularly strenuous ride but completing the full loop took me six to eight hours of leisurely pace combing the windy island. It depends on how many stops you make along the way.

In Mahatao, you’ll see a paved road and a sign for the fishing village of Diura. The village before was inhabited only during the Durado fishing season from March to June. From the end of the road in Diura, it’s about a half hour walk to the dark narrow Crystal Cave. You can spend the night here especially if you are with a group, with a bonfire and sleeping tents to spread on the idle shores. Batanes beaches are mostly strewn with pebbles or boulders and the surf can be dangerous. The beach in Mahatao and White Beach just south of Mahatao are generally considered safe for swimming. North of Basco, the boulder beach of Song-song Bay is also beautiful.

Mount Iraya, a dormant volcano that takes about five hours to climb and three hours to descend through the summit is usually obscured by the clouds. A bike to the top of Radar Tukon, the abandoned US Weather station on a hilltop almost three kilometers from Basco, offers a magnificent 360-degree view of the South China Sea.  The shoreline is an ideal spot for amateur and professional photographers. For most of its length, the ride follows the sea and is kept in good road condition. It passes plenty of sights worth stopping for. In between points of interest, distances are short and allow plenty of time to explore whatever catches your interest along the shores.

I decided to explore the full spectrum of sights along the National Highway route. Seeing the island on a mountain bike is not only good exercise, but the best way to find those out-of-the way, unspoiled parts of Batan as paths crisscross most of the island. North of the town plaza, Saint Dominic’s Church dominates the local landscape. Also called the Basco Cathedral, this church is the oldest in the province. This church has two round arches for its two bells on the upper portion of the façade and it is one of the first limestone buildings to be built under the Spanish regime. I headed for Mount Iraya for a two-hour trek with a guide from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Less than 20 years ago, I was witness to a reforestation project where thousands of bitaog, palomaria arias, and votajao saplings were planted. It was an almost biblical scene, with dozens of women wearing suot (grass) head dresses to protect them from the sun and rain working alongside local tribal people tending seedlings. These saplings are now grown trees used for building their local boats as well as producing oil extracts for medicine.

After exploring Basco, I headed off to Sabtang Island early morning the following day with my bike in tow. Don’t travel all the way to Batanes and miss the opportunity to spend at least a day exploring Sabtang. Even better, bring some provisions and spend at least a day biking around the island. Sabtang is solitary and peaceful, with some original Ivatan stone villages where life seems to have altered little in a hundred years. Ferries to Sabtang arrive on the island’s northeast coast, where there is another Spanish church, San Vicente Ferrer waiting for a visit.

Back to Basco, I headed off to the Pacita Abad art center called Fundacion Pacita, where the late artist has established an art gallery and a hotel beside it.  The gallery showcases her work mounted in tarpaulin through books and photographs spread inside the walls of the gallery. Though she has done regular paintings and prints of figurative subject matters, she is best known for her works in trapunto which includes traditional textiles and local materials and, seen from a distance, have the appearance of oil paintings, abstract with strong designs and colors.

Aside from erratic flight schedules and foul weather, one other myth about Batanes is its limited variety of food. You are more likely to find ensaimadas, pancit canton, hard-boiled egg and chicken or pork adobo on the menu.

The Ivatans have fresh catch from the sea for their meals, and except for the root crops, most of the produce are imported from Luzon. In all of my travels, I take great pleasure in discovering the distinct flavors and textures of the local cuisine. And in Batanes, forget whatever diet program is in fashion; indulge instead in the island’s freshest catch and bounty! Try their uvi, (yam), camote chips in their biodegradable packaging, yellow rice, lobster, and tatus (coconut crab), a delicacy whose distinctive flavor is enhanced by the pandan fruit on which this native crabs feed). They have their own version of bola-bola called uvod, primarily made of the pith of the banana tree trunk, dibang (flying fish); ground pork; onion leaves, and garlic mixed together and shaped into small balls. Gabi (taro) stalks were sautéed with pork blood and ground fish in a dish called venes.

Also try their arayu, or dried dorado, which is perhaps the fitting symbol of Batanes. It’s another food that will sustain the Ivatans through the stormy months. It is during the month of March when this type of fish abounds. Fishermen bring salt to preserve their catch. Because the arayu is meant to last a long time, it is usually best to cut the dried fish into small pieces and then soak them in water to soften before frying.

Completing my biking tour of Batanes is a stop at the Honesty Coffee Shop. Incredulous as it may sound, there is nobody minding this store. Instead, a clear plastic jar is left on the counter for customers to pay for their snacks and get their own change. There is nothing that could be lost in Basco, except perhaps one’s heart, for one can’t help but fall in love with this magical island, its breathtaking view, and gracious people. “Dios mamajes,” thank you in Ivatan, translated literally into “May God return the favor to you.

Batanes is one province I don’t mind getting stranded in, for its tranquility will undoubtedly infuse into one’s soul.

To experience Batanes by bike, contact Gaia Lopez Herrera, a classmate since elementary days, who has organized regular biking trips to Batanes. She operates a travel agency (RED ROCK TRAVEL PHILIPPINES, INC.) For more information, link up with “BATANES BY BIKE” on Facebook. To book a tour, call (02)2112931 or SMS 09178923516.