How To Get To Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte: Embracing the (Mis)adventures

We were invited to witness Hudyaka ZaNorte in Dipolog! Wooohooo!!!  


So how do we (LaiXy-Za and I) get there? Let me count the ways. ^__^

Plan A: 
  • Bus Ride (Iligan-Mukas: 1.5hrs)
  • Barge (Mukas-Ozamis: 20-30 min)
  • Bus Ride (Ozamis-Dipolog: 4-5hrs)
That's like up to 7 loooooong hours on the road from Iligan City. [Um. No. Could there be any other way?]  


Plan B: 

  • Leave Iligan by June 6th. 
  • Sleepover at Oroquieta City.  
  • Be at Dipolog before lunch on the 7th.
[Sounds okay. But there would be too much work to cram for Monday and Tuesday. No.]


Plan C: 

  • Leave Iligan by 4:30am on the 7th.  
  • Quick stopover at Oroquieta City.  
  • Be at Dipolog around lunchtime.
[Um. Not quite. 4:30am is too early. We'd be walking zombies by the time we arrive. No.]

Plan D:  Lai found this forum. OceanJet had an Iligan-Oroquieta route of its fast crafts.  Hmmm. 

  • So depart Iligan at 6:00 am. 
  • Arrive at Oroquieta City by 7:30am.
Enough time to wander around before heading for Dipolog shortly before lunch. 
[Perfect!]





So off to the Ocean Jet office we went. And surprise, surprise!
oceanjet iligan-oroquieta schedule
Photo from PurpleSlipperz
First trip is at noon! There's no fast craft leaving at 6:00 AM! Change of plans...



Plan E: 

  • Leave Iligan at by 12 noon.  
  • Take the 2-hour bus ride from Oroquieta City to Dipolog.  
[Oh-kay. We can definitely work with that. At least there's time to finish up our workload.]


By 11:00 AM, we're practically bursting with excitement.  But on the way to the pier, I received a horrible text message from Lai:  


Cancelled!

Oopsie! Change of plans again. For the umpteenth time.


Plan F:  
Bus --> barge --> bus.  

Well, Plan F is oddly familiar.  Looks exactly like Plan A. Funny how it turned out we didn't actually need Plans B to E.

So... 12:00 NN.  Leaving Iligan finally... by bus! :)


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Fast forward 7 hrs later.  This is what welcomed us: 

Restreto Inn and Cafe


If this is gonna be our home for the next few days, then I'm pretty sure the Hudyaka experience in Dipolog ZaNorte will be nothing short of awesome!  ;)



NOTE
This post is part of a series on the entire Dipolog-Dapitan trip.   Check out the rest of the series.




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Well, here's how we (finally) got to Dipolog City from Iligan City:



   – Iligan City to Mukas

o   Rural Non-Aircon Bus
o   Travel Time:  ~2 hours
o   Fare:  P75

   – Mukas to Ozamis City


o   Barge
o   Travel Time: ~30 min
o   Fare: P25

  •  Ozamis City to Dipolog City
o   Rural Aircon Bus
o   Travel Time:  ~4.5 hours with quick stopovers in Jimenez, Oroquieta, Plaridel, Calamba, Sapang Dalaga, Rizal, and Dapitan
o   Fare:  P235

*All fares as of June 7, 2012
** We transferred buses while in the barge. J












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