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NAGA |
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Centrally located in the province of Camarines Sur and one hour's
journey south of Daet, NAGA is one of the country's oldest cities,
established in 1578 by Spanish conquistador Pedro de Chavez. Although
there's not a great deal to see, the city is a clean and friendly place
with a dash of metropolitan style, and makes a good place to spend the
night before striking out for the islands of San Miguel Bay. Naga's main
sight is the cathedral , just off Plaza Rizal, a charming baroque
edifice, originally built in 1595, but destroyed several times down the
centuries by fire, earthquake and typhoon, and last rebuilt in 1890. The
town's other main draw is the annual Penafrancia Festival , celebrated
every third Saturday of September. The festival is preceded by a novena,
nine days of prayer, in honour of the Madonna. On the ninth day, an
image of the Madonna is taken downriver in a barge to its shrine. The
colourful evening procession consists of numerous boats, lit by
thousands of candles.
Naga's bus terminals are on the southern edge of town, across the Naga
River. A tricycle or jeepney from the terminals into town will cost
about P10. Naga Airport (also known as Pili Airport) is 12km out of town
to the east, along Panganiban Drive.
Hotels in Naga get booked out in advance for the Penafrancia Festival,
so if you plan to be there, you'll need to plan ahead. One of the
cheapest places to stay is the Rodson Circle Hotel (tel 054/473 9828;
under $10), which has clean and spartan rooms. Sampaguita Tourist Inn
(tel 054/473 8339; $20-40), in Abella Street, has long been a popular
place and offers small but clean rooms, though some are near the disco.
Slightly less monastic is the Moraville Apartel (tel 054/473 9537;
$15-20), a functional concrete place in Caceres Street with smallish
rooms. The Villa Caracas Hotel (tel 054/473 6532; $5-40), on Magsaysay
Avenue, in the Pequena area of the city, has air-con doubles with
private shower.
Naga is not known for its cuisine , but you certainly won't go hungry.
There are numerous fast-food outlets and dozens of Filipino-style street
stalls, where you can pick up a plate of the local speciality, a fiery
concoction of pork, vinegar, soy, chilli and bagoong (fish paste), known
as Bicol Express, after the train that used to run from Manila through
Bicol. There are plenty of restaurants around Plaza Rizal, in the centre
of Naga. Carl's Diner is a long-standing and popular American fast-food
style diner. Most hotels have restaurants or coffee shops and there's a
good Chinese place, Ming Chun Foodhouse, on Penafrancia Avenue.
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