Delving the Dignified Dapitan and Dipolog

"Very early in the morning, before daylight, Jesus went off to a lovely place where he prayed. . .
 "Let's go to the nearby villages so that I may preach there too; for that is why I came."

Luk. 4:35,38

Dapitan and Dipolog. What is common about them? Well starter, both names begin with letter D. On a serious note, both cities are part of ZaNorte.

Punto del Desembarco de Rizal. Located at Dapitan. This is where Rizal first set foot when he was exiled.

A cross in front of the Rizal Shrine. I don't know which was made first or why would they built a cross in front of Rizal Shrine. It is still a mystery for me.

Church of St. James. This church is located just near the famous Relief Map of Mindanao by Rizal. The map was molded by Rizal for his geography class to the boys in Dapitan. It was also a part of the beautification project of Rizal in Dapitan. Talk about hitting two birds with one stone.

The bell tower and St. James. Notice the lamp post? One of the things I noticed when I was in Dapitan was the old stylish lamp posts around the city.

Inside the St. James the Great Church. This church was built by Jesuits on 1871. Funny how they came up with an Alice in Wonderland like ceiling. Fascinating!

The altar.

During our stay in Dakak, our package includes a free lunch out of the resort which we availed during our Dapitan tour. We were transported by a boat just like in Loboc. I forgot the name of the restaurant but this is also managed by Dakak. What I cannot forget was 10-15min serene boat ride along a river in unknown Dapitan.  It was priceless!

An ancestral house in Dapitan. It felt like we were transported back in time when Rizal was in the area when we saw this house.

The heart shaped rock. Are you familiar with this rock? Try to remember from your Rizal classes during college. Oh yes, it was where he dragged his writing table and chair on top of the rock and wrote "Mi Retiro". A poem he later sent to his mother after her eye operation.

Have I told you that I had this light fascination when I was in Dapitan. This one is a smaller version of the lamp posts seen at Baywalk in Manila.

Gloria Fantasyland. The rides are nothing like Enchanted Kingdom but the landscapes and lights are well executed. The picture on the bottom right is part of the courtyard for their Horror house.

Superb food at Gloria de Dapitan. I forgot the name of the pizzeria but we ate here two evenings in a row. The food is that great!

From Dapitan to Dipolog. We were dropped off by Dakak shuttle at Dipolog airport. We opted to be very early so we could stroll around Dipolog for a while. Our first destination was Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral.

This church has been through a renovation. The altar has undergone more renovation because of its deterioration. The original altar was designed by Rizal himself.

This cross is along Rizal avenue facing the Holy Rosary Cathedral is a marker planted by the migrating Boholanos in Dipolog during the early 1900.

A snapshot of the busy Dipolog River.

As I was waiting for takeoff bound for Manila, I suddenly remembered my high school days in the seminary. For our finals in our Spanish class, we were required to deliver Rizal's "Mi Ultimo Adios."

All these familiar words came rushing out of my lips:

"Adios, Patria adorada, region del sol querida,

Perla del mar de oriente, nuestro perdido Eden.

A darte voy alegre la triste mustia vida,

Y fuerra mas brillante, mas fresca, mas florida,

Tambien por ti la diera, la diera por tu bien.

En campos de batalla, luchando con delirio,

Otros te dan sus...sus...susmaryosep!

Bawal ang pork, bawal ang beans.