The Province of Zamboanga del Norte is often referred to as the Twin-City Province. The moniker is owing to it hosting two popular cities, which I myself term as the Dip–Dap Cities: the Orchid City, Dipolog; and the Shrine City, Dapitan. Both cities are located on the northernmost part of the Zamboanga Peninsula, providing the perfect oxymoron for this part of our journey: the northern part of the south. It was such a delightful experience hence that we were able to visit the twin cities during our Zamboanga Peninsula adventure.

It took us around four hours and 20 minutes after we left the provincial capitol of Zamboanga Sibugay before we finally reached the welcome arch of Dipolog City. The heat of the sun was already piercing hot, but it would not be complete without souvenir photographs of the boundary marker.

Mainit? Laban lang!

After our photo sessions by the welcome arch of Dipolog City, it took us another 40 minutes of road travel until we finally reached Travelbee Heritage Inn in Dapitan City. The inn, a member of the Travelbee Budget Inns and Hotels group, is located in a residential area in Dapitan City, conveniently within a 10–minute walking distance from the city center.

From the outside, the inn gives off a cozy vibe with the foliage growing on its walls. Inside, it features a rustic and vintage charm, complementing its location within the heritage city of Dapitan. Many of the accents inside the inn immortalizes the memory of its most famous adopted son, Jose P. Rizal.

The foliage-laden exterior of Travelbee Heritage Inn in Dapitan City.

The rustic and vintage interior of the inn.

Very much like when we were about to explore Zamboanga City a day before, we first unloaded our things to our room, then prepared ourselves o make the most out of the remaining hours of the day. It was a quick unpacking for Ran and I, then we waited for our service vehicle at the inns lounge area.

One may validly claim that our itinerary en route to Zamboanga del Norte was too tedious, taking more than nine hours since we left Zamboanga City, then with only sufficient time to unload our things, we would be hitting the road again. True, and if we were at a different place and a different time, we probably would just spend time taking a nap. Renegade Junctures, however, is not new to such kind of hit-and-run mode of travel. That was basically how we finished our Ilocandia, Apayao and Cordillera trips, among others. Besides, the point is to travel, to see and experience firsthand whatever a certain place in the country has to offer. For that, rest is best willingly traded for, if not just pushed a little back. In fact, we were about to go where relaxation cannot evade.

A little before 02:30 PM, we were back on the road, on our way to see a renowned beach resort. That was what I was talking about. Some piece of peace was about to go our way.