Batanes

Who would not be curiously enticed by the thought of visiting the last northern frontier of the Philippines? Batanes' charm is undeniably captivating that it had been part of the bucket list of most Filipinos. Since Batanes is composed of three major islands - Batan, Sabtang and Itbayat, I have chosen three photos from our trip up, up north.

Let's count to three.

#1. Batan

Batan is the capital of Batanes where you will find the province's airport. The tour around the island can be divided into north and south, which you can opt to do in a day or just chill out and do it in two. There's the imposing Mt. Iraya that seemingly serves as the island's guardian - that amidst the numerous typhoons that ravaged the province, they remain resilient and strong. 

Veering away from the usual post card-esque shots that you normally see from Batan, the light houses towering over the lush green grass with wandering cows, I will show you one of the most mystifying sunset that I've seen:

Sunset at Vayang Rolling Hills

On a clear day, this scene will soothe all your aching muscles from all the walking you did around the island all day long - including the short trek to this area. Watching this at our country's northern frontier is nothing short of amazing. 

The Journey to 100 Mountains (Part 1 of 6)

To start off this sequel to the 40 Mountains Project, let me begin with one of my favorite quotation from Lao Tzu: 

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" 

So I say, a journey to a hundred mountains start with a single excruciating step. In my case, that was a single step at the Babadak Ranger station in the Ambangeg trail of Mt. Pulag in 2009. A number of years and 40 mountains after, let's continue our journey to the awesome sights that the mountains can offer. 

To pick up where we left, let's start counting at number 41, the most beautiful mountain in the Philippines - Daragang Magayon!

#41. Mt. Mayon (2,463 MASL) via Lidong-Buyoan Trail | Albay

We had the chance to have a first-row seat to see Mt. Mayon up-close during Daragang Magayon festival. The group we piggy-backed in was granted a permit by the local government to climb the restive Mt. Mayon (permits are rarely given, if you do the climb legally). Don't associate Mayon's beauty with an easy, breezy hike since climbing this beauty is far from it (there are no easy mountains to begin with). Take note that this mountain is an active volcano and active volcanoes can erupt without much notice. While many are drawn by its astounding beauty, Mayon has already claimed numerous lives - local and international mountaineers alike.

Mt. Mayon as seen from the water source just above camp 2.