THE TAVERN

Back to Home           Angeles City, Philippines      Back to Home

                                                                      2009

     There is only one country in the world where the nightlife can rival that of Thailand, and in my opinion, that would be the Philippine Islands. It has been about 6 years since I have been there so I figured a visit was due. An eight day stay in the Philippines, specifically Angeles City, for a diversion from the usual Bangkok nightlife was in the offing and a couple of friends would be there as well. I am not a big fan of Manila so the new direct flights from Bangkok to Clark (newly named the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport) were a godsend, eliminating the one and a half plus hours from the capital to Angeles. In addition, the fares on Cebu Pacific were extremely reasonable. Flying three times a week (recently pared back to twice a week,) the airline lands just a few kilometers from Field's Avenue, also known as The Strip, where most of the nightlife and hotels are located. So reservations were made and we were off on a new adventure!

      The check-in and immigration procedure at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok was straight forward, and we soon found ourselves at the gate boarding the new A-30 Airbus.  I normally travel between Bangkok, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam which are an hour or so long.  This flight to the P.I. would be over three hours long. I was not looking forward to being cramped in economy for that length of time, but the flight turned out to be less than half full so there were plenty of empty seats. I didn't need to squeeze between other passengers. That didn't help the "leg room" issue, but I couldn't complain. On Cebu Pacific they have this game on the flight where they ask for items and the first person to produce it gets some inane "prize." (A free round trip would have been better!) I wasn't paying attention until they called one of the passengers, a Filipina, to the front of the plane for some kind of question and answer game. They asked some background questions. Then they asked about her boyfriend and where they met and where he came from, etc. etc.  At that point, the boyfriend came to the front of the plane. Down on one knee and in front of everyone he asked if she would marry him! She said yes and everyone clapped.  I thought it was a bit corny, but then again, I have never been accused of being overly romantic.  I can just see the grandchildren asking where "grandpa proposed," and grandma replies, "It was on an airplane and in front of everyone, so I could hardly say 'No,' now could I?" Ahhhh, how romantic! At the time I wondered if they do this on every flight. ("Sorry sir, but there are no marriage proposals this week so we won't be flying.") A short time later, we touched down at Clark.

Clark Air Base

     For those who have never been to Angeles City , a little background is probably in order.  Angeles City is the name of the small metropolis immediately adjacent to the now defunct U.S. Military Base named Clark Air Force Base. At the time when the air base was active, a strip of bars and restaurants sprang up on Field's Avenue just outside the main gate of the base. When the base closed, the area was destined to evolve into a vacation place known for its nightlife.  Since there is nothing else in the immediate area to attract tourists, there was actually not much else the local merchants could do. And so bar after bar opened attracting many of the local beauties in search of the elusive boyfriend/husband or, more importantly, their fortune. You can take it from there!

      The origins of the American military presence in the area date back to 1903 when President Roosevelt commissioned Fort Stotsenberg on the tract which would ultimately house the base. In 1919 the only runway was officially designated Clark Field. Runways were added, and the base grew until hostilities with the Japanese Army forced evacuation on December 24th, 1941. On January 31st, 1945 American forces regained control of the facility after four months of intensive air raids. A joint agreement in 1947 between the U.S. and the Philippine Government established a 99 year term for American use of its bases.  The controversy surrounding the Vietnam conflict and subsequent political instability during the Marcos years led to a rethinking of US presence in the Philippines. Ultimately in 1979, the 1947 agreement was modified to transfer command and security off all US bases to the Philippine authority.

      The US continued to utilize its bases for the next 23 years until wisps of smoke began emanating from Mount Pinatubo several miles away in April of 1991. Evacuation of the base started on June 10th in anticipation of a major volcanic event. The "big one" occurred between June 12th and 15th when Pinatubo erupted throwing megatons of ash and steam miles into the atmosphere. This drowned the entire area in soot and ash. However, Mother Nature was not through yet. Typhoon Yunya then dumped inches and inches of rain onto the unstable ash creating mud flows called 'lahar." These lahar flows swept down the slopes inundating entire villages as high as the second floor. Single stories are left with only their rooflines protruding to this day. Angeles and Clark were far enough away to avoid the lahar flows, but the ash and rain combination were too much for many of the homes which collapsed under the weight. The destruction was enough to convince the USA that maybe it was time to go.

Welcome To The Former
CLARK AIR BASE
Republic of the Philippines
________________________________________________________________________

THIS WEB SITE COVERS THE PAST AND PRESENT HISTORY OF THE FOLLOWING.
CLARK AIR BASE - ANGELES CITY - BALIBAGO - AND OTHER SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES

     On September 16th the Philippine Senate rejected the "extension of base" agreement and on November 26th Clark Air Base was officially transferred to local authority. Predictably, extensive looting began immediately thereafter. The looting extended to any and everything of possible value.  The looters pulled bathroom fixtures off the wall and copper wiring/pipes from inside the walls leaving buildings as empty shells. Ultimately, the last US forces from nearby Subic Naval Base were withdrawn on October 1 of the following year.

Angeles Today

      The evolution of Angeles since the withdrawal of US forces and by inference US dollars has been gradual and continuous. The difference from six years ago is extremely noticeable with more hotels and bars including those catering to a higher class of clientele (read more expensive!)

      The official currency is the Philippine peso, but many rates and prices are given in US dollars, especially on the Internet. The exchange rate has been about 48 pesos to one US dollar give or take a peso or two. Decent hotels can range from a low of 25 dollars to the higher end of 80 to 100 dollars. I stayed at the Royal Amsterdam which has a great location on Field's Avenue, well appointed and clean rooms, good air-conditioning, good cable TV and a DVD player. Their link is below. I would recommend spending the little extra for the premium rooms (1900 pesos per night) as the bed is bigger and the rooms in better locations and quieter. Note that there is no swimming pool at this location.

     Friends of mine were staying at the ABC (Angeles Beach Club) Hotel which is more expensive but noticeably more posh than most other hotels in the area. Complete with pool, rooftop bar, and free soft porn channel, this place would be highly recommended at the 5000 peso plus per night you are going to spend.  Another popular hotel is the Wild Orchid Resort.  Be careful if  booking on-line as there is an Orchid Resort (not recommended for the price,) a Wild Orchid Resort and another Orchid in Subic.

Angeles Nightlife

Above    

     To say that Angeles has a few bars would be the understatement of the year. They have go go bars: they have hostess bars: they have show bars: they have restaurants: they have "specialty" bars. Unfortunately they don't have too much else. They do have a relatively new mall complete with theaters that play English speaking movies. They have an expensive golf course and an second one purportedly coming soon. And then there is always the beach at Subic Bay, a mere one and a half hours away.

      The nightlife gets going around 8 PM.  Since there is little to do during the day, one tends to sleep later and stay out later. There are several 24 hour bars and a few restaurants that stay open all night. One of the few bars that gets going early is Gecko's on the main street. It usually hits its stride around 1 PM and thins out about 9 PM. The staff there are very friendly and efficient.  That is usually where you can find me in the afternoon although I don't start as early as one in the afternoon.

Click above or Below for More Information

         Another bar that starts a bit earlier is the 6-8 PM happy hour at Roadhouse. Just down the street from Gecko's, Roadhouse offers two for one on all drinks during happy hour as well as free crackers, sausage and cheese.  What really sets it apart is that the dancers are choreographed to perform a certain dance step to some really good old rock and roll music.  You can always tell the new girls because they are a little off on the dancing and watching the other girls to get their cue.

As the night progresses there is no shortage of bars from which to pick.  Several bars in town a run by American ex-patriates and tend to be frequented by expats of all nationalities.  I don't like to sterotype, but I feel that these bars tend to be better run and less likely to try to cheat you on your bill.  The favorite method of cheating is when you hand over a large note and they come back and tell you that you only gave them a smaller note. For example, you give them a 1000 Peso note on a 300 peso bill and they bring you 200 pesos in change. When you politely tell them you gave them a 1000 note, they insist that it was only a 500 peso note.  A word to the wise.

     Below are several links to some of my favorite bars in Angeles.  If you would like to see more of the bar scene, go to the websites and peruse the pics and info.  There is no shortage of places to down a few pints and get merry!

Bar and Restaurant Combinations Below