OVER THE WEEKEND, we were serenaded by youthful Ivatans Edwin Castillo, Jenny Gabaldon and Charles Ibanez. ?Beautiful Batanes Isles? became our favorite song, and participants in our photo safari hummed it all day. Excerpts:

?Sun-kissed islands of Luzon/ Breeze caressed by Orient seas/ Northern door open to all/ Is a homeland dear to me?/ Mighty waves and thunderstorms/ Heavy clouds and stormy skies/ All of these may come my way/ Still I strive for love of thee.?

The February batch of the safari will show off two of their finest photographs, featuring the hills and seas of Batanes, in an exhibit at DeliFrance, Greenbelt 5.

We visited magnificent churches built in the 1870s. At Rolling Hills, the prayers we shared at sunrise were unforgettable.

Tsunami alert

We did an Immersion Read-Aloud at the Chavayan Barrio School, where William Tan Untiong read ?Tsunami.? Ironically, we almost didn?t make it back to the main island, because the mayor initially forbade us to sail due to a tsunami alert in Batanes.

After convincing Sabtang Mayor Max Babalu that the best place during a tsunami is on top of the ocean, we were given a much bigger boat and sailed under the full moon.

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Join the Batanes Photo Safari on March 19-22, April 1-5, April 23-26 and May 7-8, and the Coron Photo Safari on May 15-18. Visit www.mandynavasero.multiply.com, e-mail mandynavasero@yahoo.com, or call 899-1767.