Last of two parts

Colors of Zanorte: The Hudyaka Festival, dubbed the “mother of all festivals,” is celebrated just as summer comes to a close. Photo courtesy of  Aleksi Gumela/Ambibo

Read part 1.

With the popularity of motorcycles in Dipolog, it’s not surprising that one of the biggest spectacles in this city is motocross, which attracts fans from 6 to 60 from all over Visayas and Mindanao. The annual motocross competition happens during the summer, usually a week or two prior to the Hudyaka Festival, a celebration of the province of Zanorte (Zamboanga del Norte). Well-known racers from neighboring regions come over to join.

Locals attribute the popularity of motocross to the fact that in all of Visayas and Mindanao, only Dipolog City offers a good venue for the race. Big motocross enthusiasts like Nards Amatong, who is past 60 and was one of the pioneering members of the local riding group Dipolog Cycles Unlimited, has been to many motocross venues in Visayas and Mindanao and he swears, not only does Dipolog have the biggest stadium  that’s perfect for motocross, but in this city, spectators can watch all day, rain or shine, and remain comfortable.

In Dipolog, motocross is a family event. Families come in droves, some bringing in packed lunches so they can stay and watch the all-day event. Sisters (yes, girls race too) compete in friendly rivalry. And yes, in this city, they start motocross early, sometimes as young as nine.

So high is the adrenaline for motocross that locals say illegal drugs has never been a problem among Dipolognon teenagers, because they’re addicted to a different kind of speed.

R&R
Because the last movie theater closed many years ago, having lost to the cable companies and bootleg DVDs, those looking for some R&R can go to the nearby Dakak resort to get a good tan, or to other local beaches to swim, play Frisbee, or go wakeboarding, a new pastime that’s becoming popular in Zanorte.

Dipolog, however, is not a destination for shoppers because it doesn’t have the big malls that we have in the metro (and to that I say, thank God!). To me, a child raised in the city and who thinks of malls as the next best place for some R&R, I had to think real hard over what to do in Dipolog other than riding on motorcycles with boys or reading in my hotel room. For some serious shopping, however, Cebu or Cagayan de Oro is the nearest destination. (To hobnob with the literary luminaries of the south, go to Dumaguete or Cebu.)

An attraction not to miss–the Dipolog sunset, seen from the boulevard.

From orchid . . . to fish
Aside from being 15 minutes away from Dakak resort and Dapitan, where national hero Jose Rizal had been exiled, another fact that elevates Dipolog to national notice and being a household name is that a huge chunk of gourmet bottled sardines comes from this city.

Two of the biggest sardines makers—Montanos and Zaragoza—are based here that Dipolog, once known as the Orchid City, has now evolved into being the Sardines Capital of the Philippines.

Locals say that the herring that the sardines manufacturers use starts out as a fry in the Indian Ocean and travels upward and finds its way to Dipolog water. By this time, it is just the right size to be bottled. The word goes that back in those days, there was just so much fish that one could buy a whole pail of them for less than 10 pesos.

Coming back
By the end of my second trip in Dipolog, I was starting to wish I didn’t have to go back to Manila. Maybe growing old does that to us–we cease to be impressed with tall buildings. We start yearning for green and wide spaces. We learn to appreciate the simple joys of provincial lifestyle, when a getaway simply means getting out of the house, and where one can catch a glimpse of seawater without traveling for hours.

Whether it’s my age or this tired traveler now wishes to grow roots, I think I’m going back to Dipolog again, and maybe by that time, I’ll be there to stay.

Thanks to the Ambibo folks for putting up with me.