But I digress. So, I arrive in Naga City in the afternoon on the day before intended. It is about 35 degrees and the streets are choked with festive/chaotic motorcade-parades in anticipation of the election the next day. Before leaving Vancouver, I did ask where we were staying, but neither the organizer at UBC nor the organizer in Naga could give me anything more precise than the Naga Youth Hostel. Apparently they'd reserved a block of rooms for us. "Just ask anyone for the Youth Hostel. They will know where to take you."
Much to my delight, I discover that no one in Naga has any clue what a youth hostel is, much less where the Naga City Youth Hostel is. Hilarity ensues, involving many different kinds of citizens, several officers at the police station, and tricycle rides all over town, including this memorable scene, arriving at a churchlike building at the edge of the city.
Trike driver: Here, sir, Naga City Apostle.
Me: [It takes a moment for the penny to drop] Oh! Uh, no, not apostle. Youth hostel.
Driver: Oh, I thought maybe you are a missionary. Apostle?
Me: No, youth hostel. Like a hotel, for young people.
Driver: I don't know. [Smiling]
After some more adventure, I find myself at Naga City Hall at 5:00 pm on a Saturday trying to track down Our Man In Naga, Willy (who works in the planning department, and is the organizer of our stay at this end). More hilarity ensues, but, miraculously, Willy and I eventually connect.
It turns out that in fact it's the Youth Centre, not Hostel, we're looking for, but that it's irrelevant anyway because the Youth Centre has been taken over by the Commission for Elections so we can't stay there until later next week. Other arrangements have been made at a local hotel, to which the ever-friendly Willy drives me.
Postscript: Over a week later, we are still at the hotel. The Commission for Elections is overseeing the vote count, but now people are protesting the mayor-elect's eligibility, so the commission won't leave until that is settled.
Welcome to Naga.
