The much-awaited trip to Batanes (tickets bought 3 months in advance, hours of research, dozens of emails, may preparatory meetings pa, at higit sa lahat, nagpagawa kami ng t-shirts! Go Team Batanes!) exceeded all expectations. It was, without question, the most beautiful place I've ever been to. The sights, the culture, the people, everything never ceases to amaze. I am so in love. Our group logged 4 islands, 3 round-trip boat trips, countless buko, and 10,000+ pictures.
First album: the sights of Batan Island.
Tidbit: the Ivatan way of saying "thank you" is "Dios Mamajes." It roughly translates to "God will reward you." Meaning, whatever good thing or service that you did for me, God will give back to you. Isn't that great? Just one illustration of how gracious the people are. I love Batanes.
Another tidbit: Batanes has a pretty active art scene. If you're interested in looking at or purchasing or helping promote Ivatan art, you can visit the following sites;
http://mangpus.multiply.com/http://artbatanes.blogspot.com/
