ThOuGhTs, iDeAs, oPiNiOnS, cHaTtEr

Dakak: Day Two

Have to wake up early as we arranged for a land tour by hiring a van that will take us to places at Dapitan and Dipolog of special interest. We are to leave around 8:30AM; thus, we have to eat our breakfast around 6:30AM. (The buffet breakfast at the resort's restaurant is from 6:30AM to 7:30AM).

Our first stop is Rizal's Shrine at Dapitan. Dr. Jose Rizal, our National Hero, was exiled at Dapitan. At the shrine are replicas of his house, kitchen and clinic. You can also find there the Talisay's Water System which he built.

Rizal's House. (08Apr2005)


Rizal's Kitchen. (08Apr2005)

We then proceeded to St. James Church where Rizal attended mass. He has a favorite spot at the church: on the left side at the back of the church. Infront of St. James Church is the Mapa sa Mindanao.

Dapitan St. James Church. (08Apr2005)


Mapa sa Mindanao. (08Apr2005)

Next, we went to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Cathedral.

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Cathedral. (08Apr2005)

At the Goodtimes Cafe and Art Gallery can be found several greeneries and pieces of artwork. You can enjoy a cup of coffee while enjoying the tranquility of the place.

Goodtimes Cafe and Art Gallery. (08Apr2005)

We passed by Dipolog's landmark. We asked the police manning the area if our van could stop for a few minutes so that we can take some pictures. (I don't think it is allowed to stop there since it is a rather busy street, comparatively speaking.) The policeman nicely acceded. Although, I don't see his logic that my camera will melt because of the summer heat when I tried crossing to the other side to get a closer picture. I guess, it's his way of stopping me from jaywalking...

Dipolog Landmark. (08Apr2005)

Dipolog is noted for its sardines. The best, according to the local people there, is the Montano Sardines. Thus, off we went to its factory so we can buy some as pasalubong.

Dipolog's Specialty: Sardines. (08Apr2005)

Since it is already lunchtime, we proceeded to Kamayan ni Manay to have a bite. The customer relations officer recommended this restaurant because of the seafood dishes it offers. And she is not wrong in recommending it... (wink)

After lunch, we tried climbing up 200 steps at Pasko sa Ilihan Hill 2004 for a view of Dapitan. Afterwhich, we went back to the resort, but stopping first at it's main reception area. This is used only when there are a big number of guests expected by the resort.

Dakak Park and Beach Resort's Reception's Chandelier. (08Apr2005)

We arrived around 2:30PM. Took a few hours rest and, at the same time, watch the Pope's funeral aired at CNN.

After resting our tired legs, we took a dip at the jacuzzi (again) and had a funny experience this time. Since we like the jacuzzi (plus I don't know how to swim), we spent several minutes (or hours?) in it. When we finally decided to try the beach, as soon as we stepped out of the jacuzzi, two men were running to be in it. Guess, they are afraid that we would change our minds and not leave the jacuzzi... hehehe!

The dinner, this time, was set-up at the beach. While enjoying dinner, there was a cultural show: a luau. A portion of the show have the guests participate by teaching them some steps. The guests were also provided with grass skirts and lei during their impromptu "performance".

Dinner Cultural Show. (08Apr2005)

Day Two is a tiring experience but enlightening... ending it with nice dip at the jacuzzi and a dinner cultural show to boot!

posted by ~GFA~ @ 4/08/2005 10:42:00 PM