Batanes
SABTANG ISLAND
From Ivana, the town of Sabtang looks ethereal in the early morning sunlight, like an impressionist painting. The ubiquitous Spanish-style church seems to add to this "impressionism".
Though on maps it reads "San Vicente", the town is actually known as "Sabtang", made up of the barrios of Malakdang and Sinakan. On this island there are no motorized vehicles, only carabao and other animals for transport.
Since the only schools are in the town proper, children from Sumnanga on the other side of the island must cross the steep hills twice a day. It takes them about one hour to cover the 6km distance. There are several trails that traverse the island. None are very difficult; all give views worth framing.
At some point along any of the cross-island trails, one will be able to see the neighboring islands of Ibuhos and Dequey, and the "Taiwanese junks".
Apart from trails over the top, there is also a trail that generally follows the perimeter of the island around to the other side. But most locals impatiently dismiss this route, muttering that it is 30km long and not worth taking, more because of the time lost than the distance involved.
Yet, on the mountain trails one sees even the elderly carrying heavy loads on their back, on the way to or from their farmland. One wonders if anyone at all uses the coastal route.
More on Batanes:
This page: http://www.cockatoo.com/english/philippines/philippines_islands_batanes5.htm
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