We made our way out of the Dornier 328, eager to set foot in Basco. We marveled at the fine weather, a stark contrast to the thunderstorms CNN.com has forecasted. The sun was shining brightly and the sky a beautiful shade of blue, dotted with white fluffy clouds. We went through the small terminal building, which looked more like a resort villa than an airport.
There we met with Tita Remy, the caretaker of Novita House, our home for the next four days. The province of Batanes is a protected zone, and each tourist are required to pay environmental protection fees as they arrive and depart in Basco. The fee upon arrival is Php 50, while the fee when you leave is Php15. Up until recently, flights to Basco are few and far between, so locals who are flying in from Manila usually bring home a lot of goods for resale or for the family’s own stock (much like Filipinos flying to the US with balikbayan boxes full of Lucky Me instant pancit canton and Purefoods corned beef). Unloading the baggages took longer than usual, which is pretty absurd considering that it’s a pretty small aircraft. Soon enough our bags are out and we made our way to Novita House.
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