We rushed through the streets of Dipolog City, chasing the glow from the western horizon. The sun was on its slow way down and we were hoping to catch its last gasp of breath, its most beautiful one, before it retires and let the cold white glow of the moon take over.

The perfect place to watch the golden lights is at the never ending stretch of Dipolog Sunset Boulevard and we were still some hundred paces from it when oranges lit the sky.

The Punta Corro towered over us as we entered the boulevard. The Santa Cruz is a reminder of the city’s Christian roots. Crossing Visayan waters, the symbol of Christianity was erected on location by Boholanos 1905 when they migrated to the city.

Our feet hurried forward to the boulevard and the vast expanse of the Sulu Sea greeted us with a warm welcome. The water was painted in golden hues. Children were playing along the shore as ships sail past the calm horizon. The clouds spread forth and fanned the colors of the afternoon; vibrant yellows and intense oranges.
A jetty of stones stretched piled forward offshore, seemingly pointing to the source of that afternoon’s magical light.
The warm colors of the sky waned, burning as fast as it came, and transformed to cool hues of the twilight. I looked at the horizon and found embers still lighting the vast sea, the sun was heaving its last breath.

Evening arrived, our stomachs called and Dipolog Boulevard responded. The stretch of the boulevard is filled with stalls selling roasted street fares; everything from common hotdogs, chicken legs, pork barbecues to the more exotic betamax’s (blood pudding), chickenheads, livers and tinae’s (chicken intestines).

Dubbed as Makdo by the locals, everything here is dirt cheap; the lowest priced stick is only at Php3.00. We piled our orders on a plate and passed it on to the vendor who chucked it straight to the charcoaled grill, lathered it with oil and ingredients known only to them, and roasted them to half-crisp.

Fist sized balls wrapped in coconut leaf were passed around, puso, they said.

Puso translated to English is heart; I didn’t know it also comes wrapped in palm leaves. I was wrong though, no grisly heart is enclosed inside, but simple steamed rice perfect for our barbecued delights.
Our orders arrived, platters of smoking and crispy meat and intestines skewered on sticks. Vinegar, soy sauce, chili and calamansi juice were poured on saucers, barbecues were dipped and the puso’s were opened in half; dinner time!

Dipolog Sunset Boulevard; some call it the boulevard of broken dreams and a few dub it as the longest boulevard. It is a place where friends hang out, lovers meet and families unite. But for me it’s a place where strangers transform into friends and it remains as one of the most memorable place I visited in Dipolog city.

Dipolog Sunset Boulevard Pedestrian Walkway
Address: Dipolog Sunset Boulevard, Dipolog City

GPS Coordinates: 8.587227,123.336918
View Location on Google Maps: Click Here