Batanes

April 22- 26, 2009, my mama and I went to Batanes. Jane and Yvette went there a day before. I'm very thankful for Auntie Dolly, Uncle Lou and Auntie Venny, the relatives of Jane, for accommodating us there in Batanes.

Batanes is a paradise vacation from all the islands that I have visited in the Philippines. It is breath taking and no comparison. I highly recommended you to go and visit this lovely place called Batanes.

In this film, entitled Batanes is a drama shown in 2007 about a relationship between a Filipina played by Iza Calzado and a Taiwanese played by Ken Chu of Meteor Garden. The story heartwarming of different cultures. "Loves Knows No Borders."

In the story, Pam (Calzado) meets Rico, an Ivatan from Batanes where she decided to leave the stressful life of Manila to follow him to Batanes. There she met Rico's parent and family. Rico proposed to Pam and got married. She adapt to the Ivatan way of living. She has an issue with the sea especially when Rico has a fishing accident that he dies but never recovers his body. The widowed Pam decides to go back to Manila but, stayed in Batanes to be with Rico's family instead. Then suddenly, on a stormy night, she meets Kao (Chu) who is swept by the sea at shore accidentally and she rescues him. Eventually. as the story goes, they spend sometime together and falls in love despite their different cultures and language barriers. However, the family of Rico and the Ivatans are not happy with it because Pam has just became a widow and having a relationship with an outsider like Kao, a Taiwanese is an unacceptable.

I liked this film because I could see the different places where I went to visit in Batanes. The islands of Batanes, the small churches, the bahay na bato, the beautiful sea, the great view from the mountains to the shoreline and the people are very accommodating and hospitable. Living there is very simple inspite of the island is a typhoon belt. The place itself inspires me to work hard so that I could save and one day I could go back there. It is so relaxing and my spirit renew me to have a perspective way of life. No wonder in this film, Pam did not leave Batanes. I could really relate to her.

Kindly get a video copy of this film, Batanes. You will see for yourself that indeed, this place is a paradise. You could fall in love in this place without borders in Batanes.