Sunday, February 10, 2013

Mitchi Chronicles 1: From The Queen To The Orchid Garden

Paper planes aren't meant to fly high....

Because if they do, I would not have been able to fly to the Orchid City of the Philippines, Dipolog City. Technically, riding on an airplane was my second time, but doing so on my own was a first. It was also my first time travelling by myself.


I will not share the whole story as to how I was able to familiarize Dipolog City, but I will just put in my chronicles of my Mindanao journey, which occurred last December 7 to 10, 2012. It took me this long to write this blog because I was also waiting for something else, but I never got to do it, so I thought of just sharing exactly what I had compiled.



December 7, 2012, Friday.


I will not give the entire details of my flight because I might sound ignorant, but the first thing I felt when I entered the aircraft was I felt suffocated. I know. I do not like closed spaces which I think have less oxygen supply, which is why I hate dressing units and tunnels. Nevertheless, the flight went fine because I was able to get a glimpse of Cebu island from my window seat.


First stop after the airport was Hotel Camila 1. I got in room 330, the room that my friend and boardmate, Marife, who is working as a cashier in Sunburst Fried Chicken downstairs, had booked for me. Because I was travelling on a conservative budget (and I dare not consider this as shoestring budget), I booked the cheapest room, the one which costs Php750 a day. When I got inside the hotel room, I was surprised to see how elegant my room was. Not bad! And for a price of Php750, it was like hitting the jackpot.



Room 330 of Hotel Camila 1, Dipolog City... 2 beds for only Php 750? 
대박!

I stayed in my hotel room for a couple of hours until Riza, my other friend and boardmate, and I decided to hit the streets. Marife aka Yang-yang was not able to join us because she worked straight till ten at night. It was just me and Riza bonding.

At first, we decided to visit our former landlady's house, which was located at the back of the Capitol building, but she was not around as she attended her daughter's school activities. I guess that if Christmas is coming around the corner, schools are going to get busy with different activities such as Family Day. Because I was not successful in meeting our former landlady, Riza and I decided to chow at Jollibee.

Dipolog is relatively a small city, and if you ask me, one can cruise or stroll around most of the top spots in the city proper in a day. Personally, I prefer strolling in the morning when I can see where I am going. Anyway, Riza and I strolled near the city hall. The city hall in Dipolog is one of the few political arenas where I want to hang out during the Christmas season for its decors that spell magic. The city hall is located a few meters from Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Cathedral. By the way, just a trivia. The altar in the Cathedral was designed by the national hero, Jose P. Rizal during the time when he was in Dapitan as an exile.


Imagine if stars were that close... and form a bridge of arc above your head...


The manger scene near the city hall


If trees should bear stars for fruits, there will never be dim nights.


One of the places where we often hang out some years ago was the boulevard. Because the vicinity stretches long, there are a lot of businesses such as barbecue stalls opened to accommodate space. There is also some kind of a "park" where different themes are put up during the Christmas season.

Yang-yang told me years prior that when she and her friends would gather at the boulevard, they would plan to gather around a certain landmark, which actually bears the details of the Seawall and Foreshore Development. As the landmark has a very unique appearance, it will not be hard to locate it and gather around. Due to the length of the boulevard, it is necessary to meet at a certain landmark.


The Seawall and Foreshore Development landmark.

This is the caption stated on the face of the landmark.



No matter how much I would love to stroll around for some more, my body could not take it anymore. I had a long day, so the next thing we did was hit the hotel room and bond. What better way to bond than to chatter and catching up while watching TV shows?

What goodies awaits me for the next day? Stay tuned?


좋은 하루 되세요!!!!





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