I have been blessed enough to travel around the world. My Northwest card alone has 200,000 miles on it. That is not counting my Lufthansa, mabuhay, Asia Miles, and all the other airlines I regularly use. But despite having seen some of the most spectacular sights on earth, I must say - and I pause for a moment before I complete this sentence - Batanes could be the most beautiful place I have ever been to.

I say that with the deepest respect to all the countries I've visited. It's just that while some places I've seen, like the picturesque villages in Austria, or the snow capped mountains in Italy and the majestic lakes lakes of Switzerland may outdo Batanes for a specific sight, it is the overwhelming abundance of beauty, simplicity, sincerity and climate that makes Batanes such a complete package for nature lovers, and lover's of Mother Earth.

I have just come back from a 3 day stay on the main Island of Batan with my wife, Shelley, and I am still humbled by all that I have experienced.

I would like to thank Gaia and William of Red Rock Travel for making this happen. There was one aborted trip back in October when the flight was cancelled right on boarding time, and it was through their insistance that we decided to make time to make it happen. For that, I will always be thankful.