THE EARTH shook momentarily as 24 participants raced across the rolling hills in Batanes in the “Amazing Tour” two weeks ago.

Organized by the Batanes Eco-Cultural Tourism Industry, the “Amazing Tour” was a series of challenges especially designed for the urbanites to appreciate the unique Ivatan cultural heritage.

Six world-class athletes paired with six journalists, each pair accompanied by two young locals, endured the blistering sun to face challenges ranging from planting wakay (sweet potato) to foot races across the scenic countryside.

Planting wakay the traditional way, a staple food for centuries of the Ivatans, is a complicated skill to learn. Wakay cuttings must be inserted between the middle and third fingers, the stems and leaves facing the body, before being shoved into freshly dug soil. Cover the cuttings so that enough leaves jut out from the soil, then step on the soil so it would yield big crops.

Robert Bastillo, acting provincial tourism officer of Batanes, said the race showcased centuries-old Ivatan tradition and culture. “That way, our participants will also learn, firsthand, the Ivatan culture,” he said.

In this province, where cows are sighted at almost every turn, herding is a way of life. So a mere hour away from sunset, participants, most of whom had never stood next to a cow before, ran the steep downhill of Vayang Hills, dragging the beast by the rope. When the cows had been safely pegged down a valley, participants grabbed a piece of wood located nearby and raced back uphill to surrender it to the marshal.

Burial site
Dubbed “tour” instead of “race”—which was what it actually was—the “Amazing Tour” had everyone trekking to the Nakamaya ancient burial site, where boat-shaped burial markers in boulders are found. The only other culture known to have boat-shaped graves are the Vikings, said Toby Martin, lead organizer of the race.

Then, on Valugan Beach (Boulder Beach) the next day, teams recreated the boat-shaped burial markers from 32 rocks weighing no less than 15 pounds each. The challenge: rocks were way down the beach while the mock-up burial site was up near the dirt road.

As always, the fastest and most accurate recreation wins the challenge. Accuracy means having two much larger rocks on both ends of the boat, with the rest of the “smaller” rocks standing upright instead of lying flat on the ground. A boat must face the sea, for it is believed that it will transport the soul to the after-life.

The leg’s final challenge was to return the rocks back to the beach. And what quicker way to accomplish that than to throw the rocks back where they belong? After throwing away the first four or so rocks, everyone feverishly wished they knew how to discus-throw.

Another memorable challenge was the “vuchid” (cogon) activity in the town of Uyugan. In Batanes, where everyone exists through sustainable livelihood, there is still a strong tradition of “bayanihan,” which they call “kamañidungan.”

“Kamañidungan” requires every family member—sometimes even the community—to do a specific task in, say, building a “sinadumparan” house.

A two-sloped roof house of lime and stone with thatched cogon roof, the “sinadumparan” house has a blank wall that faces the wind direction during violent typhoons. Typically, a thick cogon roof lasts up to 30 years.

In this challenge, each participant must run from a make-believe site of a “sinadumparan” house up to the end of the road, and run back down to the “sinadumparan” house carrying the large stack of cogon on one shoulder.

One of the town’s oldest residents, Florestida Estrella, fondly called Lola Florestida, joined the “Amazing Tour.” Teams interviewed her about the town’s historical facts.

Mental challenge

Teams also had a mental challenge at Honesty Café, so-named since the café relies heavily on its customer’s honesty to pay even without supervision by its owner. For this leg, teams must compile 12 different items amounting to exactly P278.

Other challenges included running up lighthouses to take photos of hedgerows, Mt. Iraya, Basco Church and group photos with the lighthouse and blue door as background; racing to the breakwater and more. Bonus challenges had teams taking close-up photos of farmers that also required running down and uphill to get a clear shot.

The final challenge was in Diura, a fishing port. Teams raced along a coastal trail on a hill toward the Fountain of Youth in Racuh a-Idi. Once on location, teams dove into the fountain to retrieve numbers written in small white coral stones that matched their respective team numbers. The Fountain of Youth is believed to make people not only younger but healthier as well.

Team Basco took home the first prize, with paraglider Jason Luengo as lead athlete. Team Mahatao won second place with world champion paraglider Randell Raymundo. World wakeboarder champion Raffy Francisco’s Team Ivana was third place. Other teams were Team Itbayat, with world wakeboard champion and mountain biker Jeena Lopez; Team Sabtang, with Ironman Benson Martinez; and Team Uyugan, with mountaineer Benedicto Dychangco.

Teams were named after different towns in Batanes.

“This is a unique way of introducing and experiencing Batanes. It’s been an exciting event and hopefully next year, we will be capable of hosting an even bigger Amazing Tour,” said Batanes Governor Telesforo Castillejos.

The “Amazing Tour” was co-sponsored by Seair. Winners won air tickets to Batanes.