SAINT Augustine’s uncanny resemblance to Bicol is what keeps me coming back to this place over and over again. When I’m missing Bicol and unable to make the long journey home, this is where I go.

        Saint Augustine is a small town located in Northeast Florida and was built at the same time as Manila circa 1565. It is considered the oldest settlement in North America and was founded by a Spanish explorer by the name of Juan Ponce de Leon who claimed the land for Spain.

        While strolling along the streets of St. Augustine, one will notice the old oak trees -- some of them as old as 400 years. They remind me of the aging acacia trees in Bicol.

        Beginning in the 16th century, this Spanish-built walled town was home to Spanish soldiers and their families. A wall and a venerable fortress named Castillo de San Marcos was built to keep the pirates, French, British and intruders of sort at bay. The thick wall is made from quarried coquina (a solid natural concrete-like mixture of oyster shells, beach sand, etc.) from the nearby beaches. The coquina wall is extremely durable and thick and proved impenetrable by cannon balls during armed assaults by British forces. This colonial Spanish quarters reminded me of the Old City of Naga (Ciudad de Nueva Caceres ) when the Spaniards built for themselves a separate Spanish quarters from the natives at the centro where the main gate at Panganiban/Blumentritt area still stands proudly today . (If only someone will give it an historic importance.)

        The main gate of the city in St. Augustine is located on the North end and the plaza at the center of town.

        The charm and magic of this historic Florida town not only lie on its warm climate and lovely beaches but also in its colonial Spanish quaintness. The traditional colonial Spanish homes are very well preserved and most have been restored to their original beauty. The handsome concrete homes boast old wooden doors leading to private courtyards. The balconied wooden houses are beautiful and seem welcoming. Other homes have elegant, expansive hand-carved wooden stairways. It makes me think back to some of the grand homes I used to admire in Bicol when I was growing up in the sixties such as the Abella’s house near the plaza. On that site now stands the Crown Hotel building.

        Riding the horse-drawn carriage (karitela, there is a couple that looks just like the ones in Naga during those karitela days except that here in St. Augustine, the good old horse is spared from the constant , intense whipping by the “kuchero “. How humane.

        St. Augustine became a sleepy old town towards the late 1800’s when it was bought back from Spain by the Americans until it got its historic reawakening in 1880. A wealthy New Yorker discovered it and turned it into a vacation resort for Northeners to escape from the cold winters. Henry Flagler and John D. Rockefeller, both oil tycoons, and co-founders of Standard Oil (now Exxon), started developing the city. They built two hotels whose historical architectural elegance is very well preserved. The Alcazar Hotel was put up first then later the Ponce de Leon Hotel which became the most expensive hotel in the world during the late 1800’s. These two stunning edifices replete with stained glass windows, hand carved ceilings and railings still lure many tourists and locals alike.

        St. Augustine is not only an example of how to successfully preserve a legacy but is also known for its fine, white, powdery beaches. It has been famously referred to as “43 miles of beaches and the rest is history.” Its continuing efforts to preserve and restore its old world charm are unparalled.

        We can all learn from the experience of this historic city in developing Bicol economically as a popular and attractive tourist destination while respecting its past.