First 18 Years of My Life were in Itbayat

At 73, it's not easy recalling everything that transpired some 55 years ago.  But here goes.

Dinem Island, sometimes called Diogo Island, is located between the islands of Batan and Itbayat in Batanes.  This island is solid rock, a coral uplift, hence devoid of sand beaches.  Instead, it is surrounded with huge boulders against which splashes the hydrological power of the great Pacific Ocean.

Now, a slight reorientation to the left to face the north-north-west, you'll see the faint figure of an island that looks like a caterpillar.  That is the island of Itbayat, and its lone municipality is called Mayan.

This island of Itbayat is a coral uplift and surrounded by high rock cliffs ranging in height from a low 30 to a high 100 meters.  Down below is 3-10 fathoms of sea (Western Philippine Sea to the west, and Pacific Ocean to the east).  On each end of the island is a couple of low mountains.  To the south-eastern end is Mt. Riposed, while to the north end is Mt. Karoboban.

At the western end of the island you'll see a small islet called Mavulis, which used to host a huge population of large coconut crabs.   On another island, Siyayan, used to live a huge population of sea turtles.  In recent years, however, these resources have practically gone because of poachers who have roamed the islets on daily basis.

This falowa plys the Basco-Itbayat route which is about 25 nautical miles of deep and rough channel.  This place used to be called the graveyard of Itbayat locals who use to cross this channel on smaller falowa which they row for at least 12-14 continuous hours.  Today, these falowas are larger and are run by small diesel marine engines so crossing time has been reduced to 4 hours.

A relatively new seaport is the Veranga Seaport, built by the DPWH 10-15 years ago, as alternative to Chinapoliran and Paganaman Seaports about 10-15 kilometers to the north.  The Veranga port has a wider disembarkation platform etched out of solid rock and reaches sea level.  Larger falowas and sea vessels can berth right along the rock so that they become very steady while unloading both passengers and cargo.

This is the disembarkation platform of Chinapoliran Seaport.  From this point at sea level, you have to walk up 100 meters at a gradient of 35 degrees to reach the rest station, them walk up again for another 100 meters at similar gradient of 35 degrees, then turn slightly rightwards for still another 100 meters at a gradient of 30 degrees.  Only then will you find the road to Mayan some two kilometers northwards.  If you're lucky, you walk; if not, you carry your luggage to town.  There are no passenger vehicles there.  If you have friends, perhaps they could provide cow- or carabao-drawn sled for your luggage and perhaps yourself.

The town of Mayan is like a large vat.  All the residential houses are on the rim and slopes of the vat.  At the bottom are the important public infrastructure like the elementary school, municipal building, church, rural health unit, and the town plaza.  

The town is bisected by the national road north to south so that the plaza is halved right at the middle.

Itbayat Island is practically flat.

Coconut Crab Acrobatics 101

Coconut crabs (Birgus latro) are a delicacy in Batanes, especially on Itbayat Island, and other South Pacific Islands.   Ivatans called the coconut crab tattus. The coconut crab is the largest species of the terrestrial hermit crab, the only species of the genus birgus, but related to (as in pinsan) the species of the genus Coenobita.

Coconut is not their main food, so why are they called coconut crabs?  They eat fruits, nuts, and any organic mater.  People in Itbayat, long time ago, always saw these crabs, especially the large ones, climb coconut trees, get mature nuts, bring them down and crack them open (mainly with their pincers) so they could eat the meat.  The people of Itbayat thought coconut was the main food of these crabs, hence they called them coconut crabs.   (Got this from older generations years ago when I was a little boy.)

Handling coconut crabs looks and is actually easy. Make sure you take hold of them from their back rather than from the front, and fast, otherwise they can easily clip your fingers and hands with their tough and powerful pincers.

 Coconut crabs are much like pit-bulls.  They don't let go once they get hold of your fingers.  Otherwise, to free your fingers, either you break the crab's pincers, or  perhaps lose your fingers, or let go off the crab altogether.  You can easily catch it immediately once it lets go off your fingers.

Play with the crab.  Let go off the crab on its back and see how it gets upright.  Amazing capability.

Female species have whiskers underneath the belly.

Coconut crabs are excellent contortionists and acrobats.  They can climb trees and rock, even if they may not run swiftly.  They can even turn into ball-like object and roll downhill just to avoid being caught by hands.

That which looks like the crab's head is actually its belly which contains its delicious fats and aligge. Very delicious, and excellent source of cholesterol.  What the heck, if you have your coconut crab meal only once a month perhaps that's not too much for an asking.  The fat in the crab's belly is good mixed with boiled rice.  Try it.

Somersault completed.

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