Married to Dipolog

CEBU, Philippines – I had first come to the place four years earlier as  a casual visitor. An interesting place, no doubt. But little did I know then that I was about to be hooked to it for good.

My then boyfriend – now my husband – invited me to his home place, to meet his family. The occasion would be intimidating for most girls, but I was so excited. I packed my bags two weeks before our intended departure.

And then there came some hitch on my side of the travel plan. My boyfriend and I couldn’t go together, since I had work and needed to swing a special arrangement with the office. My boyfriend had to go first, since his own work leave was already in order – and I had just to follow, on my own.  

The trip was so important for me, I couldn’t back out. Well, the journalist that I am, I made some research about my destination, in addition to what my boyfriend had volunteered to tell me. Having learned more of what the place offered for visitors, all the more I gained confidence, and interest of course, to go.

Then, I was ready. I was taking the boat on my first time to travel overnight alone. It had been for quite a long time that I had not travelled by boat:  I had this foolish fear when it came to boats. And so this trip was really a test for me.

Dipolog City is the capital city of Zamboanga del Norte. I remember my boyfriend having said that going there would be far from any other trip I have taken, that it would be “an extremely relaxed one.” To know what he means, I would have to find out myself.

I took the boat at Cebu’s Pier One. It was a boat of George and Peter Lines, which I had already taken before. This one was comfortable enough. (Cokaliong Shipping Lines also plies the route.)

The boat ride to Dipolog City takes roughly eight hours from Cebu City. The boat ticket costs between P660 and P2,500, depending on the accommodation “class.” The trip ends at Pulauan Port in Dapitan City, which is around 20 minutes distance by land to Dipolog City.

Plane service is also available. Cebu Pacific has direct flights to Dipolog City two to three times a week. From the Mactan Cebu International Airport, the flight takes only 45 minutes.

My boat left Cebu at 10 p.m. There was a two-hour stopover at Dumaguete. (Certain trips do not make such stopover.) It was 9 a.m. the next day when the boat dropped anchor at Pulauan Port and immediately I began to sense what “an extremely relaxed” time I was going to have, as my boyfriend had promised.

Pulauan Port was spacious and quiet. I couldn’t wait to get down on the ground. I seemed that the whole place was beckoning. Especially when I saw my boyfriend waving at me from afar. Then we headed towards Dipolog.

My boyfriend and I went around the city on a motorcycle. It had a charm of its own. It embraced progress, while at the same time keeping intact its rich cultural identity. Most of the streets were named after Filipino heroes, like Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio; in fact the major schools in the city were also named after the two.

Dipolog City is known as “The gateway to Western Mindanao.” Shopping centers and good accommodation facilities are in place – hotels, motels and pension houses, and fast food places as well restaurants that serve delectable local cuisine. The city is definitely ready for tourists.

But perhaps the best appeal Dipolog has for visitors are the many things to do in the city. As early as five in the morning or as late as eight in the evening, it’s common to see people jogging around, at the famous boulevard right by the beach.

The Dipolog city government prides of how sports tourism has grown in the city and how many people actually go to Dipolog to participate in sports events like triathlons, marathons and fun runs. Some of the city’s good triathletes and marathoners also take part in major sporting events elsewhere, like in Cebu.

Exercising and touring around can even be done at the same time, especially trekking to Linabo Peak, where 3,003 steps take both locals and visitors to a spectacular panoramic view of the cities of Dipolog and Dapitan. Linabo Peak is also especially famous during the Lenten Season among Catholic devotees, for the “Katkat Sakripisyo” (Sacrificial Trek) visiting the 14 Stations of the Cross. This is usually followed with a visit to the beautiful Our Lady of the Most Holy Cathedral, a historic religious structure.

A visit to the city’s Cogon Eco Park is also recommended. It is a perfect camping site with its rich, mature and well-preserved trees. It is also where the famous Sungkilaw Falls is found.

A quick side trip to the peripheries of the city also offers further fun and adventure. There’s just a lot to do and discover. And there’s enough to fuel the body – food! (I gained two pounds within a week there.)

Dipolog City has very rich fishing grounds and agricultural farms. Right in the center of the city is a bustling market where produce, from vegetables and fruits to poultry and seafood, are available at very affordable prices. It is a surprise to find big prawns and fish sold at really low prices. It is possible to have a seafood feast everyday!

The city’s top delicacy is fish… in a bottle. Dipolog’s bottled sardines are known all over the country and even among Filipinos abroad. Every time family and friends in Cebu would hear that I’m going to Dipolog, they would all want me to bring them bottled sardines – whether or not I come back with it!

Food is abundant indeed in Dipolog. At the boulevard by the beach there’s a 1.5 kilometer stretch lined with barbecue stations and other street food stalls. Perhaps why there are always people exercising there, from sunrise to sunset, is to shed off the extra fats gained from all those tempting foods.

The perfect mix of activity and relaxation that awaits in Dipolog is just right for people like me who have spent most of their time in the big cities, like Cebu and Manila. As I have said “I do” to my man from Dipolog, I am married to his birthplace, too. I’m doubly blessed to have tied the knot with such a wonderful man – from such a wonderful place!