Only the braver Ivatans have gone to Sabtang Island. We were no brave people and we were not Ivatans, but Holy Week friends and I went to Sabtang Island anyway. 

Sabtang Island is one of the 3 major islands that makes up the entire Batanes. It's the smallest among the 3, yet the one most nearest to Batan Island (Batanes' mainland).

We left early in the morning with our hosts' nephews, Willy (Valones!!!) and Manong Orland (K ka na ba?!), to accompany us. We had been forewarned by the locals on the typical waves that we would be encountering during the boat trip. Going to Sabtang Island was not a joke, they said, so if any of us had any history of a weak heart or a nervous breakdown, we shouldn't push through. But we were a group of healthy, young and adventurous people, so after reassuring Uncle Vice and Auntie Beth (our family hosts) that we will be extra careful in Sabtang Island, they finally allowed us to go. (Auntie Beth, even, have not gone to Sabtang Island yet.)

Although mostl of us had lifevests on when we left Radiwan Port in Ivana, Batan Island, we were still very nervous. We were all 10 in the group -- 7 Holy Week travellers, Willy (Valones!!!), Manong Orland (K ka na ba?!) and our bangkero -- yet, our banca seemed like it can only accommodate 5 to 6 passengers. Worse, our banca didn't have any 'katig' at all.

The boat ride towards Sabtang Island wasn't really that bad. We had the occasional big waves and we would even get wet from all the big splashes but it wasn't something that we should panic about. In fact, one of my friends, Roselle, didn't even wore her life vest since the sea seemed to be calm anyway.

Or so we thought…

When we were halfway through, the waves started to get big… and bigger… and… waaahhh!!!! The waves were really BIG!!! Auntie Beth was right! She wouldn't dare go to Sabtang Island because she knew she wouldn’t' be able to endure the waves and the boat ride. Now, we know, the locals weren't kidding that going to the other island was not advisable  for nervous wrecks and those with heart problems!

Mommmyyyyyy!!! The waves were REALLY BIG!!! And it's not even an exaggeration. It wasn't really as big as those in "The Perfect Storm,' (well, almost!) but you could see the waves beside you as high as 3 to 4 meters! Nope, the weather wasn’t bad. As a matter of fact, it was a bright and sunny day! Roselle, who seem to be brave at first, finally wore her life vest. Os, another companion, who haven't ridden any carnival ride all her life, could only wish she could say 'para' to our 'bangkero' so she could get out of the boat. And our 3 other companions at the back? Well, they were just screaming their lungs out! Not only can they see the whole boat in an almost vertical position, but they were almost always thrown out from their seats whenever bigger waves would attack us! Yup! The word is… attack!

If during the first few minutes of the boat ride, we were so lax and still taking pictures, by this time, we held on everything stable enough inside the boat. We couldn't care less if our bags or our clothes were already wet, we had no time to wipe our faces, our hands were full holding on to WHATEVER!

Finally, after what seemed like forever (but in reality, it was just 30 minutes), we reached the island! Thank God, all of us were still alive.

You think the torture ended there? Nope… Getting down from the boat was just as hard. We all have to wait before the waves come in so we can jump off the boat! Sigh! What a ride!!! We could almost kiss the Sabtang grounds for getting there safe and sound!

We first went to Bo. Malakdang. The place was more 'Ivatan' as most houses were still those built with thick lime stones, unlike those in Batan Island where they had newer and thinner houses. We must have taken picture of each of the houses on every street. As for Alia, she can't help it when she saw a 'soot' hanging from one of the houses. She borrowed the 'soot,' wore it, and had her picture taken. There… an Ivatan in the making!

After a while, Manong Orland (K ka na ba?!) told us that we should head back to the boat, as we still have 2 more destinations -- Bo. Nakanmuan (at the other side of Sabtang) and Ivuhos Island (where we could swim).

The boat went around the island. The view was just spectacular with the waves splashing against flat rocks. We captured the moment both in still and moving camera. But after a while though, we got tired with the view. Probably because the boat ride was too slow this time. Most of us even dozed off to sleep.

When we reached Bo. Nakanmuan, we searched for a sari-sari store and had a snack. It was almost 2pm then and we were all tired and hungry. After a few picture takings, we headed back to our banca. We all decided not to go to Ivuhos Island anymore and just go straight to Ivana. Uncle Vice and Auntie Beth may have been worried sick about us and we also didn’t want to make a pass on the lunch Auntie Beth prepared for us at home.