Basco, Batanes was our original destination. Days before the flight, I have been monitoring the weather and have been receiving typhoon updates online. I, like all the other media people and bloggers who were invited to this trip, was excited that I would be able to see the northernmost part of the country and experience and witness the rich culture, wonderful landscapes, and endearing local community of a place being championed by many to become a world cultural heritagesite. That and the screening of this movie, set for release on December 5.
Ten minutes before our supposed departure, an announcement was made stating that our flight is indefinitely on hold as the airline company, Asian Spirit, was waiting for weather updates from Batanes. Apparently, visibility in the area, even though it was not affected by any typhoon at that moment, was very low which made it impossible for any aircraft to land in Batanes. An hour later, and several updates later, our flight was announced as finally being cancelled. This meant that our tour of historic Batanes and the screening of the movie Batanes was gonna be postponed to a later date, or a screening wouldn’t take place anymore. I was worried that actress Iza Calzado would throw a fit and be a diva and all that. But no! She was (and still is) actually very down to earth and sincere, but that will be reserved for another post (hint, hint: video blog!)
I knew that something like this was possible. As I prepared myself for utter humiliation and severe disappointment, the folks from GeiserMaclang informed us all that our itinerary no longer holds and that our trip to Batanes was cancelled. That was the bad news. I was fine with it. But no! Asian Spirit, the sponsor for the event, made sure that we would not be left hanging. I actually admire the Asian Spirit staff for the way they work, their innovativeness, quick-thinking and genuine concern for their guests. A back-up plan was drafted right away and we were informed that even if we were not flying to Batanes, we would still be flying. Moreover, the screening of the movie Batanes (starring Iza Calzado and Ken Chu) will push through. As the film says, Love Knows No Borders, Asian Spirit made sure that our appreciation and love of art will not know any borders. ROugh winds may shake our planes to the point of flight cancellation, but our spirits will never be broken.
It was then announced that we will be flying to another location. Another B! B for Boracay! 15 minutes after we were informed that the Batanes trip was cancelled, we started boarding a chartered flight to Boracay.
And that’s where we are now, in Boracay, enjoying the beauty of the beach and the big waves and cold winds - things that we would have experienced in Batanes. Tonight, we will be having an exclusive media screening of a film, which I expect would move my spirit - Batanes.
Batanes in Boracay. Boracay and Batanes.
PostScript
And I must say that the flight was a breeze. I’m not kidding and sucking up when I say that that was the best flown flight I took to Boracay. Ever! Seriously! The captain announced that we were experiencing slight turbulence. Either I was still having post-traumatic stress disorder from my earthquake experience yesterday, or the captain was just so good the flight was very smooth. Something which I did not expect from Asian Spirit. The last time I flew Asian Spirit to Boracay was in 2004 and that was not quite a smooth trip. Oh how things change for the better in just 3 years.
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29 Comments Received
November 28th, 2007 @5:56 pm
too bad Lauren had fever the night before. Now she’s better but feels bad she missed out on this. Maybe next time, we can visit Batanes.
noemi’s last blog post..Links for 2007-11-26 [del.icio.us]
November 28th, 2007 @6:35 pm
Ugh, yer so lucky! Ken is so hot. *_*
poyt’s last blog post..KOMIKON 2007
November 29th, 2007 @8:34 am
OMG i love Ken! as in i watched marmalade boy on channel 7 pero hindi nila tinapos. and i love iza rin. i watched all of Te Amo in part because of her, but mostly because of Segundo.
ingat bading!
November 29th, 2007 @10:40 am
NICKy »
Unfortunately Ken isn’t here. It’s just Iza and Director Adolf Alix. But this sure is worth it. Iza is so nice! Ambait and makwela!
AJ’s last blog post..Erotica: Be Seen, Be Bold, Dare to Bare!
November 29th, 2007 @10:45 am
Ken isn’t here eh. But I’m still lucky!
AJ’s last blog post..Batanes in Boracay. Boracay and Batanes
November 29th, 2007 @10:46 am
Yeah, sayang nga eh. We would have enjoyed this much if she were here.
AJ’s last blog post..Batanes in Boracay. Boracay and Batanes
November 29th, 2007 @11:43 am
Erm… Sir, how come you got those tix and all that?
November 29th, 2007 @11:45 am
ai wait (hina kasi magload nung pics dito sa office
:D :D)!!!
so i guess you bought the package right?
November 29th, 2007 @12:12 pm
wow aj, true ba na kay juday sana yang project na yan kaya lang dahil sa hectic schedule eh si iza na lang ang nirefer niya? tsismis kasi…hihihi
itsonedollarman’s last blog post..Tectonic Earthquake in the Banyo, hihihi
November 29th, 2007 @12:16 pm
itsonedollarman »
Hmmm. I’ll let Iza answer that question for you… Wait for the podcast!
AJ’s last blog post..Batanes in Boracay. Boracay and Batanes
November 29th, 2007 @12:20 pm
Asian Spirit sponsored the event. We were supposed to experience the whole package but due to weather conditions, we were diverted here. Ive seen the itinerary of the package and it’s so more than worth it! SObrang sulit talaga! PRomise!
As per Alma Buenviaje of GeiserMaclang, you can also win the package for FREE! CHeck out Wednesday’s edition of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (It’s also on google: try the keywords, Fall In Love with Batanes),
AJ’s last blog post..Batanes in Boracay. Boracay and Batanes
November 30th, 2007 @10:32 pm
“Ariel James”? =)
McVie’s last blog post..Siege At The Manila Peninsula
November 30th, 2007 @10:47 pm
McVie »
Waahahahah! Sabi ko na nga ba dapat binura ko yun! lolz
AJ’s last blog post..Batanes in Boracay. Boracay and Batanes
December 2nd, 2007 @12:57 am
really!!! wow, lucky day!
December 2nd, 2007 @3:59 am
chase »
lucky indeed!
AJ’s last blog post..Batanes in Boracay. Boracay and Batanes
December 2nd, 2007 @4:28 am
Is there a direct flight from Manila to Batanes? I don’t know much about Batanes other than being some centerpoint of every typhoon, I’d probably start searching on the net about this place!
reyna elena’s last blog post..Be The Blog Awardees
December 2nd, 2007 @4:37 am
reyna elena »
Yes there is! Asian Spirit flies 5 times weekly to Basco, Batanes. They also have an ongoing promo package which includes a tour of Batanes, 3 days 2 nights accomodations, airport transfers, meals, tour guide, souvenirs, etc. Check out Asian Spirit’s website at http://www.asianspirit.com/. I’ve seen pictures of the place and it looks like a world outside of the Philippines! And you should also definitely watch the film (I’ll let you know once they release it on DVD) - you will see the beauty of Batanes in the flesh, err, the film! Sobrang ganda. That’s why I was a bit disappointed that the trip got canceled.
AJ’s last blog post..Batanes in Boracay. Boracay and Batanes
December 2nd, 2007 @6:03 am
GREAT! That’s another exciting place to be! I’ll definitely push that to be in our itinerary when I go home!!!
reyna elena’s last blog post..Be The Blog Awardees
December 2nd, 2007 @7:15 am
Go! Go! Go! Batanes has a lot to offer talaga! And make sure to bring winter clothes!
AJ’s last blog post..Podcast:Iza Calzado and Adolf Alix on Batanes
December 3rd, 2007 @3:55 am
ang gandaaaa!!! really nice!!! mas maganda kesa Thailand and China!!! hahaha! love it!!! thanks for the tip!!!
reyna elena’s last blog post..My Christmas Wishes
December 3rd, 2007 @4:12 am
sobrang ganda no? Maganda itong pangbakasyon ng ating mga OFW at mga kaibigang turista para maiba naman ang destinasyon at makita nila na ang ganda ko, ay, ang kakaibang ganda ng Pilipinas!
AJ’s last blog post..Podcast:Iza Calzado and Adolf Alix on Batanes
December 3rd, 2007 @9:32 am
I go home regularly, kaya I gotta visit this place!!! Me hada ba dun? hehehe
reyna elena’s last blog post..Happy Thanksgiving from Philadelphia: Part 2 of 2 - Thanks for the friendship!
December 3rd, 2007 @9:35 am
reyna elena »
Nakupo! Hada! hahaha. yan ang hindi ko alam. ANg alam ko maraming insulares don. Kung ano man yun, hindi ko mawari, pero sounds like sosyalin. tara na biyahe tayo!
AJ’s last blog post..Cine Veritas Human Rights Film Festival
December 4th, 2007 @7:38 pm
Awaiting the video blog you were mentioning in this post
December 5th, 2007 @2:24 pm
Murali »
I’m still working on editing it. I already have the raw cuts (but one with Iza got accidentally deleted
) and will post the edited version soon.
AJ’s last blog post..PRIDE WEEK and PRIDE MARCH!
April 10th, 2008 @8:23 pm
Hi Guys,
Good news, Asian Spirit is currently celebrating their 12th year anniversary and is offering a reeaaallly good treat for their clients. To all of those who are dreaming of going to Batanes yet finds the regular airfare too steep, here is your chance to get there without spending too much. One of our clients booked and only paid Php 3,000+ for a roundtrip ticket (manila-Basco-Manila), which usually costs Php 11,000! Book here now:
http://www.asianspirit.com/news_and_events.htm
Reservation and booking is available from April 9 to 15. Travel period will be from June to October. Book now while seats are still available.Don’t lose this very rare opportunity!
Worried about accomodations and tours? Problem solved. We have the lowest rates available for your ultimate getaway. Let us know when you’re booked and we’ll take care of the rest! See you here!
Regards,
Batanes Travel and Tours
http://www.batanestravelandtours.com
batanestours@yahoo.com
0927-9655227 please look for Karen
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