The House of Dakay in Ivana, Batanes

The "house of Dakay" is said to be the oldest house in Ivana, Batanes. There was once a Lola Ida who lived in the house, and was considered the most photographed Ivatan in Batanes. I read though that she passed away early this year.

I don't know who takes care of the house now.

Tourism is really all about marketing, and how to present things. House of Dakay is one good example.  It could've easily been just one of the original stone houses in Batanes, like the others we saw around Batan and Sabtang islands.

The difference is someone had the bright idea of writing down the history, and for good reason, because there IS a story to tell!

This is a regular photo-op stop now in all the tours I've seen of Batanes.

Even the home we stayed in has a lot of history. It is written down in their "welcome book" for all the guests to read. This type of marketing effort always makes things more interesting and charming.

 Batanes has still more to offer, and seeing the way "house of Dakay" is presented is quite promising.

If someone just digs up more information (and gossip) about the other homes, weave some stories together--there may be other interesting homes to visit.

Aside from who lived here, it would be fascinating to know how these homes were built: how they prepared the stones, how they bonded them together with lime, and other architectural details.

The mayor of Sabtang told us that today, it costs more money to build a traditional stone house compared to building one made of hollow blocks and concrete. Because of this, more people are abandoning the stone houses to build modern homes.

And yet, that's the charm of Batanes--that the province seems untouched by modern conveniences. The stone houses are a reminder of another era.

I hope the ones remaining will be protected the way house of Dakay is preserved and respected.