Rina

The little fishing village of Diura, located in Mahatao municipality, Batan Island, is where we learned about traditional fishing for dorado. Dorado fishing season lasts only from March to May, and the village kicks off the season every first Sunday of March with a ceremony involving a sacrificial pig and a "shaman" making predictions on whether the year's catch is going to be plentiful. Our very knowledgeable but also quite irreverent guide Byron noted that when he witnessed such a ceremony a couple of years ago, the shaman seemed to know how to play it safe, assuring a bounty but well, not that much. In any case, everybody gets a share. Dorado fishing in Diura is a communal affair, people have specific tasks and basically gets paid in dorado. Dorado is not sold fresh but rather dried and stored until the end of the season. When we visited there, fishing has been going on for three weeks and there are already plenty of dorado hanging out to dry. The fish dry out in the sun for a week or so. Afterwards they are stored inside the house, usually above the stove where they also keep the firewood, the whole setup doubtless adding a certain character to the fish's flavor.

The village basically has just one major street around which the houses are clustered. As usual, the people were very friendly, and the kids such a delight to photograph. It had been a hot day, one of us wistfully said something like "sarap ng buko" and before we knew it, buko had appeared from somewhere and we were enjoying the refreshing drink straight from the husk (or the nut? basta straight from the coconut-nut!). The going price for buko in Batanes is P10, and it easily became our favorite refreshment throughout the trip. We also visited the shop of a boat-maker, and I was thinking, wow, what a souvenir this would make! (Kaya lang 10 kgs lang ang allowed sa Asian Spirit, mwe he)

After that lesson on local fishing practices came a lesson on archaeology. At the end of the paved street of Diura we followed a path leading up to the hills, which is the site of a pre-Hispanic settlement. A few of the columnar stones used by the inhabitants in erecting their shelters can still be found in the area, as well as a stone grinder and pieces of pottery. All these, by the way, co-exist quite peacefully with the pechay and okra and other vegetables that the villagers have planted in the fertile area. Probably a nightmare for archaeologists :)

The so-called Spring of Youth was just around the corner, where the site of a natural spring was developed - concrete, pooled area, that sort of thing - but we sort of ignored that and went straight down to the natural beach, where, after a few minutes of taking photos, we made our way back to the village by way of the water. The water was cool and clear, Mt. Iraya can be seen in the horizon, it was a beautiful day, I was wearing sandals and had no problem getting my feet wet, and it was one of those moments, those countless, countless moments in Batanes, when I was thinking, "Wow, I'm so happy to be here."