u/recoveryarea

I've been dreaming of going to Batanes and finally I got here! I visited the 3 islands---Batan, Sabtang, and Itbayat. Each of them has something unique to offer. But I could say that Itbayat gave me the most challenging yet spectacular experience. No pictures nor videos can give justice to show the beauty of these islands; one has to be there to truly appreciate them. I'm really glad to have done this trip, and would not think twice to do it again.

Dates: May 10-16

Traveller type: Solo

Accommodation: Midtown Inn Batanes (around P2.5k/night. Good accommodation right in Abad St and 9-min walk to airport. Decent bfast and nice staff too!)

Expenses (Total = P55k++):

- Flight CRK-BSO: P18k+ (booked Feb 2026)

- Accom: P15K+

- Food/pasabulong: P4k++

- Tours: c/o Bisumi Tours. I asked for a private budget tour since I was solo. They gave me P17.8k+ all in (transfers, fees, lunch, lodging in Itbayat). Tbh, worth it bcs wala na akong inisip and their tour guides per island are all knowledgeable. Sir Ryan Cardona is extremely accommodating and he checked up on me on my trips. I have no bad review.

They said a better month to visit is Feb para green pa yung mga bundok like Rakuh a Payaman. Plus the weather at that time will be cold. Something to consider!

Feb 2025, I was walking when I heard a cat in the bushes. Like cry for help. Sinilip ko, bulag na sya bcs of sobrang puss sa mata. Tinry ko syang kunin with bare hands kaso nasa kalagitnaan sya tas ma-sanga ung kung nasan sya. Eventually, nakuha ko din sya. Wala akong pic nung unang unang time na nakuha ko sya, I just want to clean him up and feed him. So the 1st pic was 3 days after. Umayos na ung mata nya ng slight.

In just one month, comfortable na sya saken. And then he eventually owned me 😂

This is Tofu btw.

It’s humbling to realize na hindi ako makabili dati ng plane ticket kung walang seat sale. Yung aabang pa ng 12 mn para makasecure ng slot. Ngayon, comfort na ang priority. Kahit last minute magbook, okay lang at hindi na nasasaktan ang kalooban ko dahil afford na. 🥺 Also touching down in Haneda is a game changer!

Sobrang proud nya tas ako naparanoid na sa lahat ng dark places 🥲 miming naman e

Ako na lang ako sa floor nakakahiya naman

This is my nth time rewatching the series but I still get that awww feeling whenever I see this scene.

I still miss her. I still can’t look at her photos and videos without feeling emotional. I feel like moving on is still a cr!me.

Background: My mother had a stroke and since then, her ability to move around is challenging. She relies on wheelchair if too much walking. Generally, we also need to adjust our routes like using ramps to reach places. In a way, this was delimiting so most of the time, she didn’t want to leave the house and cause hassle.

But my parents are old so I want to maximize the time with them. I booked a trip to Boracay (they’ve never been).

Sa airport palang, inassist na kami ng mga crew. Hinatid kami until security checks, then assisted again during boarding gang sa door ng plane (front rows na binook ko).

Deplaning, pinaupo sya sa wheelchair, and 4 men carried her pababa ng plane (stairs kasi instead of tube).

Going to the resort, the staff also assisted us all the way. Even carried her to and from the boat (grabe sobrang lakas ni manong na nagbuhat, d man lang sya nag flinch 😭).

Sa resort, nakaabang ang mga staff if we need anything (which was their approach to all guests btw).

And we were able to bring her sa beach mismo. Took a while bcs she was afraid. Pero sabi ko di sya makakauwi sa bahay pag di sya dumawdaw sa dagat 🤣

Hindi talaga kami nahirapan masyado bcs a lot of people assisted her. Even if that’s part of their jobs, we’re still extremely grateful to Philippine Airlines and Discovery Shores for making the trip manageable and memorable.