Itbayat Chinapoliran Port
It was a little past 6am and there’s already a hive of activity at Basco Port when we arrived. We were looking for the person holding the ticket and found him sitting by the port ledge. “Punuan na po, me nakalista na wala pa dito. Malilista kop o kayo pero wag kayo magagalit kung di kayo makasakay (We’re full. We already have a list of people even if they’re not here. I can put you on wait list but don’t be angry if can’t ride)”. It wasn’t like this before last when I went to Itbayat. I can buy tickets at their office and that would assure me seat. After hearing that, I thought our chances were nil seeing all the cargo and locals pouring in. I was already devising a Plan B in mind if ever we can’t go to Itbayat. It’s a good thing Oggie decided to inspect the large M/V Misubi craft. It seems luck is still on our side.
Mt Iraya in view as we leave Basco
M/V Misubi doesn’t really ply the Batan-Itbayat route since it sails from Currimao-Itbayat. But with the outpour of passengers from the smaller M/V Itransa, M/V Misubi decided to ferry these passengers ready to go home after the revelry in Batanes. We were just excited as we paid the P400 ticket each and got inside the cabin. It was spacious and had fans. As the craft starts to make its way, a man was distributing barf bags and say “Baka sakali (just in case)”
Excited kids at M/V Misubi
I never liked being inside the cabin. Its stuffy air was more puke-inducing and the boat’s motion wasn’t to my tummy’s liking. I went outside but there were several people already positioned there. I was yearning for the wind, the air. One thing I learned from traveling on boats was getting as much fresh air as I can. Don’t eat too much as well or you’ll feed that to the fish later. I have nowhere to stand there so I went inside.
M/V Misubi at Itbayat Port
It was surprising that even locals weren’t all susceptible to barfing. A girl across the row looks so sick she may have barfed half of the bag already. I plugged in some music to my ear and tried to doze off. I soon saw the island’s tall limestone walls and got our stuffs ready. Three and a half hours was a lot faster than my ride before. I was also itching to go out of the boat soon as the cabin slightly reeks of sourness already. Probably, because I’m seated near the garbage bin where people throw their barf bags.
Itbayat has no shoreline and is surrounded by cliffs
Going down this large craft was a lot easier with its sliding bridge platform. After all the passengers have disembarked, M/V Misubi sailed back to Basco immediately. Chinapoliran Port, found mid-west of the island, hasn’t changed much from what I remembered. Being one of the largest uplifted coral in the world, Itbayat doesn’t have shoreline. People constructed this large sloping port to ferry in people and goods being distributed to the island. A truck pulls a wagon up and down the slopes filled with items.
M/V Intransa with people getting off the boat
Staying for a while at the port, we saw M/V Intransa arriving with a large cargo/passenger falowa boat. We went down the steep stairs of the port to observe how people would disembark and assorted cargo removed. Each side had support as people had to time their jump with the swell of the waves. Seems dangerous but we heard no one has died here yet. Though a couple did fall from the stories we heard later, yet survived it off with a laugh. It’s a regular thing here.
Itbayat Chinapoliran Port disembarking boat video
It was almost noon time and we started our trek to the town.
Usually smaller crafts are less stable. I wouldn’t be inside too, and how did you manage to be seated next to the trash bin? That wouldn’t be my first choice, nor yours I would assume.
Was this part of your photog seminar>?
I could almost smell the vomit with the way you wrote this piece. haha
Hi Photo Cache! I actually prefer riding the falowa than this craft but we had no choice. I had no idea it was a trash bin for barf-bags at first. And it’s near the fan so I chose to sit there. Nope. This isn’t part of the workshop anymore.
Haha! Shows how I felt at that time Benj
oh, i thought this was still part of the photo-seminar, hirap tyak nyan kung kasama mga students because of the almost 4 hour boat ride. btw, ayoko din ng nakaconfine sa loob ng ship, nahihilo ako kaya dapat talaga sa labas pa rin
great shots as usual
Hi Oman! Nope, the Itbayat trip was for our exploration purposes after the workshop. But we’re planning to include this on the next Backpack Photography Batanes
AH! This brings back memories.
When we left Basco for Itbayat, a storm had just passed and the sky was blue, the weather sunny and hot. I got sea sick while inside the falowa. Fortunately, some of the crew invited me to go on the roof. Sitting on the roof of the rocking falowa was a lot of fun. While my sea sickness went away thanks to the refreshing winds, I nearly went overboard several times as the falowa listed on port and starboard!
When I arrived at Itbayat, the weather had become stormy once again. The sky was grey, the water was black and rough. Very rough at that! I had to jump off the falowa to the wet rocky outcrop at this port. It was a great experience even if it meant being drenched in sea water when the entire falowa was swamped while on the way to Itbayat hehehehe!
The name of the falowa I rode was M/B Ocean Spirit – a name that does not inspire confidence at that!
Great pictures!
Thanks for the video! I was wondering how passengers disembark. I think I’d be one of those who’d fall into the water hahaha
Haha no problem Mustachio