Zamboanga Del Norte Experience Paper

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Ghienel B. Gustilo Tourism 110 September 8, 2010

OCLA: Zamboanga del Norte Experience Paper

I went to NAIA Terminal 3 three hours before the flight to Dipolog. The line to the ticket

counter was moving quite efficiently. The lady behind the desk was very polite and informative.

There were other AIT students onboard the plane. The seats were comfortable and the 2 hour

journey to Dipolog went smoothly and on schedule.

Upon arriving at the Dipolog Airport, Angelo and I plus five more AIT students went

straight to the information desk to inquire about accommodation options. The lady behind the

desk gave us a bunch of flyers from different hotels, and apartelles around Dipolog. Antonio’s

Pension House was the cheapest.

Angelo and I decided to get the

standard room and split the cost. The

room was nicer than we expected. It

was air-conditioned, hooked up with a

fourteen-inch, cable television, had its

own bathroom, a big enough closet,

Wi-Fi and a very comfortable bed. The staffs were very polite and hospitable. I really

recommend this place if ever you visit Dipolog.



The hostel was a stone throw away from

Sulu Sea Boulevard which was a lot like

Manila’s Dewey Boulevard without the

pollution, trash and the buzz of traffic. It

was very hard to grasp the reality that I

was in Mindanao mainly because Dipolog

looked like Manila- a quieter, less

polluted, cleaner Manila.

We visited Dipolog Church and

got our Rizal Passport stamped.

The church was magnificently

huge. Inside the church was a

beautiful altar, the ceiling

sported a simple yet elegant geometric design and a couple of

sculptures of saints were here and there

We ate lunch at a canteen immediately across

Antonio’s. They serve the most amazing tapsilog on

earth. They also have a series of chili vinegar sauces

perfectly blended to complement the meat. Near

Antonio’s is a local grill that serves a variety of

affordable dishes. The grill comes to life after sundown. It’s a cool hangout place where you can



meet and greet friends, eat and drink while loud soothing music plays. If you’re looking for a

lively night out in Dipolog, then you’ll be disappointed. Strolling during the night will also be

very hard due to the lack of light posts.

August 19, we went back to the airport to

meet with the rest of the students. We boarded the

bus and went straight to the river cruise. The

weather couldn’t have been any better. We ate on

the boat while it navigated around the river. The

food was amazing and the live music was soothing. It

was an experience I would surely want to repeat if given the chance. After lunch, we went back

to the bus and visited different “must see” sights around ZaNorte. Our first stop was Saint

James Church. It was very beautiful but Dipolog church was grander. Saint James church was

frequented by none other than Rizal himself every Sunday. In

front of the church was

the Map of Mindanao

drawn by Rizal. It was very

hard to appreciate unless

you have a bird’s eye view

of the place. I would

recommend an observation tower above the map so people

would see the map at a distance. We also visited statues

both depicting Rizal. The first one looked a lot like the Rizal monument in Manila. The second



depicted Rizal’s arrival in Dapitan. Our last stop was Rizal Shrine Park. The park is well kept by

the Rizalists around the area. The place is perfect for tourists wanting a nature stroll and fresh

air.

After the city tour, we went to Dakak Beach Resort and

checked-in. Fifteen persons were assigned per room. It was

pretty crowded but considering that we will not spend most of

our stay inside, it was fine. We weren’t able to roam around

Dakak on that day because we were scheduled to go to Gloria’s

Fantasy Land. The park is perfect for families with children.

Compared to Star City and Enchanted Kingdom, Fantasy Land

was mediocre. Some of the rides have broken equipments like the laser guns. The Apollo ride is

also worth mentioning because it was a epic failure. It was supposed to be a 3-d ride, complete

with 3-d glasses. They projected a video recorded

“3-d” game but that does not work that way. The

glasses were perfectly useless. Despite that, we

had a lot of fun riding it. We were laughing and

sarcastically screaming joy. Another ride worth

mentioning is the Horror House. You and 6 other

friends have to pay a hundred pesos to get in. The props were awesome and the acting of the

“tour guide” inside was impeccable. If ever you find yourself in Fantasy land, be sure to en ter

the Horror House.



We went to Aliguay Island the following

morning, August 20. The beach is stunning.

White, powder fine sand will greet you when

you arrive here. There were two trips to the

island. I got on the first trip. It was very lucky

because later we were told that the boat, with

the 2nd

trip students on-board, was stranded in midway between Dakak and Aliguay. We spent

the whole day in Aliguay swimming and having fun while the others waited to be rescued.

Dakak beach resort is far from completion. There are still on-going improvements. I was

not happy at my stay in the resort. First of all, there are no available food stalls other than the

one near the beach. Prices are remarkably high so either you go hungry or go broke. The road from the

dorm rooms and the beach was so steep that it looked like an accident was about to happen. Drinkable

water should have been stored and sold in gold bottles because it sure costs a fortune.

If you ever go to Zamboanga del Norte for the beach, find other cheaper accommodations.

There are other beaches around aside from Dakak. Extract more from your hard-earned cash.

Zamboanga Del Norte Experience Paper

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