In a nutshell

Batanes rundown.

A feast for the eyes
I can't count how many times we uttered the words "Wow!" and "Oh my god, it's so beautiful" while in Batanes. Interestingly enough, the only other place I can think of that took our breath away this much was Cambodia. The only difference being, Cambodia was full of man-made beauty like temples, and gates, and structures. Batanes, on the other hand, is naturally just beautiful.

On several occasions, we asked our tour guide and driver to stop so that we could get down from the car and take photos along the roads, or in nearby fields.

Batanes really is beautiful, and from every angle.

Animals everywhere!

Have never been this close to a cow before! This was in the first few minutes of our day 1 tour and I was so excited, I had to get a picture.

...Only to find out that we would see animals just walking around, in almost every stop.

This is literally a chicken crossing the road.

We still don't know the answer to why it crossed, though :-P

#ihavethisthingwithdoors and #ihavethisthingwithwindows

Casa Napoli

I have dreams of their garlic and cheese pizza, to be honest.

Beach sunsets

Our hotel (and specifically our room) was right across Chanarian beach. Loved hearing the crashing waves, especially at night. We were also lucky that we got to end the trip with this beautiful sunset.

Ivatan warmth, kindness and hospitality
Batanes is charming and idyllic not just because of its natural beauty and awe-inspiring sights, but because of its people. In general, traveling in the Philippines is great because anywhere you go, people are hospitable. In Batanes though, the Ivatans' demeanor, their honesty, and how they interact with tourists is on a whole other level. Everyone is so kind, they make you feel at home, and its like everyone is just so happy and content. It seemed like no one is ever in a bad mood, or irritated. Its contagious, really. Makes you want to pack your bags, leave the city, and settle down in this quaint town.