Mango's Newsletter 2009 - 2011

   July 2011     December 2010
     
April 2010 October 2009 March 2009

   Newsletter Archive 2008      Newsletter Archive 2007      Newsletter Archive 2006  
     
   Newsletter Archive 2005      Newsletter Archive 2004      Newsletter Archive 2003  
     
   Newsletter Archive 2002      Newsletter Archive 2001      Newsletter Archive 2000  
     

July 2011

Dear Family, Friends, Patrons, Colleagues,

    This will be my final update on the Mango's website. For a number of reasons we have decided to lease out the property. At my age (64) the business was getting more and more difficult to keep up with and to run it right. Without Wilma it has been far less fun and rewarding. To manage a business in a foreign land you need a loving spouse to run interference in ways too numerous to catalog. With the two of us we could brainstorm the business. Ideas, insight and imagination came easily. Not so anymore.

    Mango's needs new energy, purpose, perception and vision. Not only was I unable to provide it, I no longer wanted to. Those of you who know me understand that my focus and interest was more and more on our three children. As a single parent, frankly, I was going nuts trying to manage it all. Mango's was our dream. But the time has come after seventeen years to pass the baton. Mangos' is now leased to an Australian gentleman named Paul Hancock. I believe Paul has the qualities to move it into the future. This was not a rush job. I talked to many people over a period of months. My family's future depended on my decision and I'm optimistic that it was the right one. If and when the children get it back I think it will be a much nicer place than it is today.

    I don't want to get all teary-eyed but many of you have been around at various times for this thirty-year ride going back to even before Mango's. The Dutch years, the Navy base years, The River, The Lobster, The Shack, Pinatubo, Wilma. I/We cannot thank you enough for your friendship and support and love. We have been parts of each other's lives and I'll always be humbly grateful for that. I know I'll miss people but sitting here sorting through the years the folks below come to mind ......

 

  • Tim & Pin Jacobs
  • Tom & Yolly Hickey
  • Bob Scand
  • Smiley's
  • JR
  • Storm
  • Art
  • Casey
  • Mitch
  • Chris Jones
  • Mike Trimble
  • Tim
  • George
  • Ray & Angie
  • Mick O'Brien
  • Mama Beth
  • Rain
  • Amor
  • Menchie
  • KC
  • Chino
  • Brengard's
  • Paul
  • Mike Cohn
  • Daryl
  • Jerry Alexander
  • Tony
  • Kym
  • Bryan
  • Patrick
  • Ski
  • The Goundry's
  • Benny
  • Chris K
  • Nancy
  • Jimskeep
  • Spike
  • Sheeves'
  • Phil
  • The Benjamin's
  • Coletta
  • Doc
  • Kevin
  • John Butt (RIP)
  • Davey Daniels
  • The Bussey's
  • Jimbo
  • Diamond
  • John Jones
  • Captain Jack
  • Dickenson
  • Schad
  • Gringo
  • Rhoda
  • Zapatas
  • Mario
  • Gator
  • The Johnson's
  • Rocky
  • Lizzard's
  • Dan & Nancy
  • Tryge V
  • Ike
  • Gary Parrot
  • Dykes
  • Erle
  • Roo
  • Tacquerd's
  • The Mason's
  • Ron & Jane
  • Davis
  • Purdy & Schmeck & Aso
  • Sourk
  • Greg & Lydia
  • Strand
  • Floyd
  • Wick
  • Winsor
  • Bay's
  • Jim & Patrick Carson
  • Tom Pecora
  • Bruce
  • Tigib & Foghorn
  • Knut
  • Danny
  • Old man Jack
  • The Schribner's
  • All the 80's Seal Team Guys
  • The VFW
  • Palm Tree
  • The Mangos Girls
  • Rock Lobster Girls
 
  • Love Shack Girls
  • Whisky River Girls

    With the property lease moving over to Paul, we will also make some changes to the Mango's website itself. Tim Jacobs built the entire site from scratch starting almost 12 years ago as a hobby with no formal training. While Tim and I haven't maintained it as well in the last couple years as we did the first 10, it still remains a great source for local information. Tim has turned over the entire site file structure to Paul along with the necessary account and domain information. Paul will work with a local website administrator and you can look forward to an even better MangosSubic.com real soon.

December 2010

The VFW Beach Bash will be held February 9 through the 13th. The FRA FRALICS and chili cook- off are scheduled for April 8, 9 and 10. If you are in town both events are good times.

The Mason Pinatubo lodge held a ‘bikini open’ contest at Mango’s in November to benefit their burnt and crippled children projects. Pictures are on our main page.

The VFW post has been operating out of Mango’s for just over a year. The V has just signed a new lease for their new home. It is located on the main national highway strip across from where Dixie Bar once was. Construction is now going on but they should be in operation soon. The name will be WestPac Sailor Bar.

One of the better prices on airport pick-ups is being offered by Arizona Hotel. From Manila to Barretto it is P4200 per person and from the Clark Airport to the barrio it is P3000 per person. We just lined up one of our guests with their van and this is what he later wrote about the experience. "The Arizona van was great. Newer van, arrived right on schedule to pick me up. Aircon and good music for the whole trip. I will definitely use the service on my future trips." Here's their contact information: arizonasubic@yahoo.com | Hotel 047 224 4557 or 4559 | Cell 063 09172577012.

The Barretto Dynamic Women Organization will be having a fundraising volleyball and pool tournament at Mango’s this Friday and Saturday. Two weeks ago they had their bi-annual Bingo fundraiser. This is not some fem-nutty gang. It is made up of local women, most of whom are married, who give back to the community, primarily in the form of children’s scholarship grants. They have 126 indigent children that they provide with school supplies and pay their school fees. In addition they take them on an educational field trip twice a year. At Christmas their families are provided with food staples to enjoy the holidays. The Dynamic Women’s Organization (DWO) is supported by local politicians and service organizations such as VFW. The VFW has in fact been a major source of support and income for them. It is one group that you can trust donating to. For more information contact their President Carmen Hendricks at  carmelitz33@yahoo.com | www.thedynamic.org

Below is a list of the bars, night clubs, disco’s now operating in Barrio Barretto. The ones with a thumbs up have go-go dancers. Twenty-two with go-go dancers and forty over-all. V Max is the only place to take a girl dancing.

20/20

Ajaya

 

Alley Cat

 

Angel Witch

Arizona

 

Bar Barretto

Barrio Beach Resort

 

Bergos

 

Castaway

  Cat Walk

 

Club 1

Down Under

Escape

Foxhole

General’s

 

Heaven n' Booze

 

Hot Lips

Hot Zone

Johansson’s

  Katmandu

 

Keith’s Place

Lips Lower

Lips Underground

Lips Upper

Mango’s

 

Midnight Rambler

 

Night Riders

Office

Oriental Rose

Pirates

 

Rascals

Rum Jungle

Shooters

 

Sit n' Bull

  Surrender

 

T Rose

V Max

 

VFW

 

Voodoo

Wet Spot

 

Our many great restaurants have all but disappeared. We’ll get to some information about those below. The go- go clubs are pretty much covered on the web. What are not included on these web sites are the bars where the locals hang in Barretto. Such as places to find out where to rent an apartment, what dentist to go see, how to get your mail or where the ATM’s are located. 

Katmandu, Heaven n' Booze, Sit n' Bull, Barrio Beach Resort, Pirates and General’s fulfill these needs nicely. And of course our Mango’s beach bar where the Friday Night Happy hour is a 20 year tradition. These are the places the locals go. They all open at 7 AM except for General’s and Pirates which open later in the morning. There is no loud music but the coffee is good, the beer is cold and the conversation varied.

So where do we go to eat these days? 

    Sit n' Bull is far and away the best bet in town. It has an incredibly extensive menu, extremely deep with choices. They have four daily specials. The prices are reasonable. Sit n' Bull is located across from the Westbay Apartel (Old Marmont) where the VFW once was.

    New York Pizza just opened on the left coming into Barretto.  Lots of places serve pizza in town. There must be up to 8 places to get pizza.  New York is very good and not pricey.

    We have mentioned London Underground before. This is really the only place to get authentic Fish and Chips. They are so good that we don’t even feature them on our menu anymore. But we will call them and have them deliver to Mango’s for you.

    Rico’s is next to Corkscrew. They are a Filipino chain. They have Filipino food already cooked and waiting in trays. They are clean, fast, cheap and open air. They are open until 2 AM. It’s an OK quick stop on the way home with a belly full of beer.

    We closed Mango’s kitchen in September and remodeled, doubling the kitchen’s size. We reopened with a new menu and attitude.  We’ve expanded our sandwiches and broadened our entrees selections. We’re leaning heavily to Mexican. Our nightly specials are always a Mexican dish. Our breakfasts are excellent. 

    The Friday Night Mongolian at By The Sea is really, really good. They have been doing it for 20 years and it’s still just P220.

    And that’s about it. There is still the Coffee Shop and Papagayos. Most of the hotels have restaurants. Palm Tree is the best among them. But classic places like Dryden’s went for go-go and changed the name to Surrender.  Dryden’s does still have an outlet on SBMA.

Noy Noy Aquino was elected president 4 months ago. 600,000 new babies have been born since his election. The population now stands at 95 million. It was 12 million after World War 2.

A couple of changes in Barretto are worth noting.

    The last of the old style ‘navy base’ bars closed with the sale of T Rose which was really the child of Irish Rose. The pool table is gone and girls are now dancing inside. The front porch however remains the same and has remained the domain of the "porch monkeys" who spend the sunset hours outside swapping lies.

    Oriental Rose has done a sensational job of renovation. Long time owner-managers Paul and Vince remain on hand to supervise. It’s worth a look.

    Alley Cat is a watering hole a short walk up an obscure lane or alley located between Johansson’s and Cat Walk. There are some cute little entertainers to converse with and beer and local drink prices are very low. Naty runs the place and can show you around.

    Hot Zone is another old style go-go bar and has cheap happy hour prices. It’s a locals spot.

The closing last June of the Kalaklan Bridge connecting SBMA with Barretto and Zambales proper has severely limited the movement of people. It is a giant bottleneck to try and traverse either direction through the city of Olongapo. The main gate bridge remains closed with supposed structural damage which limits access to the base.  The Rizal Street Bridge and 14th street Bridge are the remaining entry points. 14th street was originally intended to be a walk-in gate so is narrow for vehicle passage.

All this has affected business on both sides of the divide. People off base don’t want to go on and people on base don’t want to go off. Practically speaking if you bank on base or shop or want to watch a movie or use a gym or dine someplace new then you make the effort. Still you consolidate the trips and make it a once a week headache. A price you pay to live in paradise :)

Enjoy your Christmas season. Have a safe & Happy New Year and we hope 2011 finds you visiting us here in the Philippines. Remember the first key events of 2001 will be the Beach Bash in February and FRALICS in April. 

April 2010

We had a typical Easter in Subic Bay. Beginning Maudy Thursday the beaches were packed. Good Friday was truly raucous as thousands of people descended on the area taxing all resources. Hotels and restaurants were all bursting with activity.  Roads were a nightmare. The toll booths on the expressway were backed up for hours as people waited to get into SBMA. Barrio Barretto was bumper to bumper several kilometers both directions during the four-day holiday. Simulating the world-wide economic slowdown Subic's tourism has been less than stellar this past year. Fewer people visit, stay shorter periods of time and have less to spend. This applies to foreign and domestic tourism. So a good Holy Week benefited the entire community.

Mango's has been utilizing the beach property next door for these past few months. Volleyball, pageants and concerts plus the VFW Beach Bash have occupied this area making for some nice days and evenings.

Weekly Saturday night concerts by a local reggae band have been very popular. Herb Culture won the battle of the Bands held at the VFW beach bash in February and began playing Mango's. Then on Monday night April 5th we presented a five band lineup led by the A-list Manila band Tropical Depression. Jahmoca, Grassroots, Brown Outfit Bureau and Herb Culture completed the all reggae line-up. 

 The last Saturday in March HBO Asia sponsored an extravagant event promoting their ten part mini-series, The Pacific. Held outside at Mango's Beach Resort it included events for the whole family. Children were digging in the sand for prizes. Mothers were bobbing in tubs of water for tiny grenades. Couples danced the night away to two top local groups, Herb Culture and  Rebirth Polarity Band. Trev Vegerano of Asian Vision packaged the program for the local community particularly targeting retired military members.. Naturally, 'The General' made an appearance in his World War 2 era jeep. The Pacific is based on true stories of World War 2 marines. It draws much from two books, Okinawa by Eugene Sledge and Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie. It was produced by Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman. Band of Brothers author Stephen E. Ambrose served as a consultant. Part one of "The Pacific' will air Saturday, April 10th at 11 AM with new episodes every successive Saturday.

The Fleet Reserve Association annual FRALICS were a success again this year. The chili cook-off had ten teams. Other competitions were a golf tournament held at the nearby San Antonio Golf Course, plus darts, pool, horseshoe and volleyball tournaments. Sunday has highlighted by the FRA Beauty competition with ten contestants.

The golf course most locals frequent is San Antonio. It is located on the former American base, San Miguel Communications Station. The base itself is now a Philippine Naval training school. The golf course is managed by the Philippine military. The US course had just nine holes. In 1999 it was expanded to 12 holes. In the past year it was again enlarged to 18. The latest addition made it much more challenging than it once was. This time of year, with no rain for months, the fairways are dead and brown. But you get some incredible rolls on your drives. The greens get watered so they are bright emerald and manicured. The course is located near the beach on the South China Sea. For this reason the sandy soil drains well during the monsoon season. A round of golf for a non-member is roughly $15 with an additional $6 paid to your caddy.   

We recently leased out the area of Mango's where the Rock Lobster disco was. It has since been re-named Keith's Place. Keith completely changed, modernized and improved the lay-out. Removing the pool table he had a lot of space to work with.  He's got some lovely ladies performing on the new dance floor. Be sure and check it out when you visit the area.

The success of the new Mango's beach bar enabled us to let the disco out. The relaxed atmosphere of that bar has garnered a huge following. Jimmy Buffet, Bob Marley and classic rock oozing from the speakers enhances an already laid back mood. Between songs there is the sound of the waves hitting the sand. There are some gorgeous waitresses to serve and talk with customers. They work an eight hour shift and what they do in their off hours is their own affair. Monday we serve all beers 3 for P99 or in dollars 3 beers for $2 and change.

Long time Barrio resident Tony Bott recently revisited Barretto with his wife Jane and young son Karoo. Tony began living here in the 70's and started the legendary bar Midnight Rambler. Health issues forced him back to Australia in the late 90's. Their return put smiles on everyone's faces.

On May 10th the Philippines votes for President, VP, half the 24 senate seats and all mayors and other local officials. The entire country is papered with election posters. There are no bare walls or poles. There are three front runners for president, Manny Villar, millionaire and senate president,  Noynoy Aquino, son of Cory and a senator not even considered until her death late last year. Joseph Estrada is running 3rd. He was the one chased from office in the second people power revolt and later convicted of plunder. Gloria Arroyo later pardoned him if he promised not to run for office. His motorcade passed Mango's last week. Our own local Dick Gordon, currently a senator is running with only 3%.

The preferred form of campaigning is to get the longest motorcade possible, put people in your campaign color, decorate the vehicles and jam the highways and make as much noise as possible. It then culminates in a city park where the candidates and their celebrity supporters usually sing and dance.  Because of our location on a National Highway all candidates pass Mango's. Gordon's motorcade was at least  10 kilometers long earlier in the week.

Yesterday Noynoy Aquino came by. The campaign is obviously well funded and organized. He stood in the back of a jeep and rolled by waving. I usually don't bother but yesterday I walked out in the highway and high--fived the dude. His aide gave Corina the banner pictured here.

Texas Joe's Masarap

Delicioso, Delizioso, Utsökt, Oishii, Aroi mak, Masarap .... Whatever language you choose to say it in, SBMA's newest restaurant is putting out some top shelf food. Located across from Scuba Shack on Waterfront Road, Texas Joe's took their sweet time getting open. But it was worth the wait. They have mastered all aspects of the food-service business. The equipment was all imported. The ovens they use to cook their meat are Southern Pride Smoke Ovens, which are used by all the top smokehouses in the USA, including Famous Dave's. The rest of their stoves, broilers, warmers, refrigeration, come from the US. You won't find any wok's sitting on a gas burner in their kitchen.

The menu focuses on barbecue. Hickory smoked ribs, briskets of beef, barbecued chicken. Savory flavors that tantalize your palate. All are cooked authentically with smoke, not boiled as is done in some rib joints. The ribs are imported from Brazil and loaded with meat. Joe is selling 1000 kilos a month of these. Menu choices also feature the same meats on sandwiches, dripping in succulent sauces. 

The sidings enjoy the same precision that is applied to the entrees. Corn on the cob that melts in your mouth. Cole slaw that puts that chicken place to shame. Garlic mashed potatoes with distinctive background flavors.

Other bill of fare choices include a chili made from smoked beef brisket. Then there are the nachos. Texas Joe makes his own chips topped with all the good stuff from cheeses and olives to jalapeños and sour cream. Masarap indeed. 

Now for the extras. Joe's staff is well-trained, decked out, dressed as cowboys and cowgirls who know their stuff. They can describe what is available. They repeat your order back to you. They are attentive without being intrusive. The restaurant décor inside and out is straight out of The Alamo. In the background Patsy Cline may croon 'Crazy' or Patti Page may cry 'Tennessee Waltz.' All very nifty.

Like the equipment the manager was imported from Hawaii where Gil spent twenty years learning his trade at Tony Roma's. He brought all those skills with him to Subic Bay and is there to assist you.

Hot tip of the month: Check out Texas Joe's. Closed Mondays. Open weekdays 11 AM to 10 PM. Weekends until 11 PM. 252-3189. info@texasjoes.com  www.texasjoes.com

October 2009

Tropical storm Ondoy hit Luzon and parts of Metro Manila on Saturday, September 26th and brought floods, jammed traffic, landslides, and death. It left a wide swath of destruction. 280 are now confirmed dead. 680,000 people are living in 700 temporary shelters. Rescue efforts saw military helicopters and rubber boats fan out across the sprawling city of 12 million residents to pluck people off houses and car roofs. At one point 80% of the country’s capital city was under water after 13.6 inches of rain fell in a 6 hour period.

 The Zambales mountain range protected the Olongapo area from the worst of the deluge. Still northern Zambales and Botolan in particular were once again whacked by overflowing rivers. Botolan was originally smacked by a typhoon on August 6. This city of 58,000 residents ended up with 16 evacuation centers housing thousands of people. Five hundred families have still not received any relief goods.

 Locally the Retired Services League and the Masonic Disaster Management Committee have coordinated the gathering of old clothes, food and whatever people can part with to try and ease the suffering. The focus is on our neighbors in Zambales who have fallen off the radar screen because of the horrific problems facing Manila. For further information contact Russell Palmer at parrainpi@hotmail.com 

 This year’s 18th annual Barrio Barretto Beach Bash will be held February 3rd through February 7th. Pool tournaments, dart competitions, battle of bands, dragon boat races, trivia challenges, raffles, cheerleading, singing and dance competitions and the grand parade will all be part of the 4 day event. It will again be held on the beach behind Mango’s and Palm Tree. This event is one of the highlights of the year and here you can see why.   

 On Friday night, November 20th Masonic Lodge will host a Bikini Open pageant on a stage located on Mango’s beach. This is one of their annual fundraising events for burned and crippled children.

 The Dynamic Women’s Organization will also be using our beach area for a fund-raising volleyball tournament the day following the Bikini Open. Local schools and out-of-school youth will be entering teams. Two separate groupings based on age will join the matches. This Saturday and Sunday event will also include a pool tournament and dance competition. The Dynamic Women’s Organization manages a host of projects for local children including scholarship, feeding programs, livelihood training seminars and Christmas gift packages for poor families. Funds raised go towards these projects.

 Two new Barretto building projects are in the final stages of completion.

Savers Mart has already opened for business. Specializing in electronics and appliances they also carry a large inventory of furniture. TVs stereos, fans, refrigerators, slow cookers, air conditioners are now right down the street making a trip to Olongapo obsolete.

A huge hospital is also opening right along the highway beside Makinaya creek.  It’s the most ambitious project to ever come to this area. It appears to be about 80% complete.

 Coors Light beer also came to the barrio a few months back. It’s doing surprisingly well especially with the people who had been drinking San Miguel Light.

 Below are three articles originally printed in our local barrio magazine and used by the permission of the author. They give more ideas on ‘Things to do in Subic Bay.” 

El Kabayo Riding Stables

Looking for fun stuff for your children to do? The twenty-eight horses at El Kabayo are waiting for you and your family. Complete with the white fences, corrals and wrangler bunk houses this is a little slice of Kentucky nestled into a valley on SBMA. Leisure trail rides are available as well as riding lessons. The skill level of you or your child is first determined. Then a Negrito hustles off to bring back the horses. A beginning buckaroo has the horse led whereas the experienced wrangler can ride on his own. Safety helmets are provided.

The trails are outrageously gorgeous. Dubbed forests they are still our Philippine jungles. They come complete with the lush greens, muggy temperatures and a stillness broken only by the Tarzan soundtrack playing off in the distance. The sense of solitude is relaxing. Thirty minute rides and hour long excursions are available at P350 and P700. The longer circuits pass by mountain streams. You can visit a waterfall where a dip in the cool, spring water is a recommended option.

If you are just out for a Sunday spin the El Kabayo compound is worth a stop. If you have young children, stroll through the stables and experience the sights and smells of the animals in their day to day environment. El Kabayo is open 9-6 daily. School discounts and outings are available. Their SBMA landline is (047) 252-1050. The main man is a personable Gabby Lao whose cell number is 09-17-834-4054

Zoobic Safari

We first visited Zoobic Safari located deep in the SBMA rainforest, in 2004, when they first opened. At the time they featured five attractions. They now have ten. Upon entering you are assigned a guide who does a brief orientation on what your day will include. You then commence a walking tour of Zoobic Park. You pass all kinds of animals including camels, lions, warty pigs, Bolivian alpacas, miniature horses, an Asian leopard, a puma, an otter, a bear cat and a mouse deer.

There was also a cassowary bird from Australia, the third tallest, second heaviest in the bird kingdom. When disturbed they are capable of inflicting serious injuries on dogs and small children. The other cool animal and crowd pleaser was the Japanese deer. This guy is very still and does not mind people around him. Kids all had to have their pictures taken with him. His antlers felt like velvet.

Still in the forest you now pass into Rodent World and see cloud rats, porcupines, hedge hogs, tree squirrels and ferrets. This is followed by the Serpentarium located in the cool, shaded environment of a former US Navy ammunition bunker. You see corn snakes, milk snakes, California kings, green iguanas, monitor lizards and Burmese pythons. The star of this attraction is the albino python that is nearly orange.

From here you can either take your own vehicle of the mini train (P50) on a short drive to the tigers. Much has been made of the caged jeepney drive through Tiger Park and it is different. Last time they used a live chicken to entice the animals to jump on the jeep. Since then animal rights people have made them use a dressed dead chicken. (Presumably procured following a cockfight)

It's a 50 meter walk to the tiger cages. Their smell is pungent. Our guide said, 'Watch their tails, if they lift and point at you they can let loose and urinate and you smell like pee for days." At one point a tiger just roared at another invading his space. We all jumped. These guys’ heads and paws are huge.

There's a museum with stuffed animals or the skeletons of animals. An odd venue. This is followed by the Aeta trail where the Aeta's do a priceless, entertaining monkey dance. You finish up at Croco Loco where you walk on bridges over the top of 200 fresh water crocodiles. The entire tour took 2 1/2 hours. The kids loved it. Zoobic is open 8-4 daily. Entrance is P449 for adults and P349 for children under 4 feet tall. 

The Quiet Jungle

The newest family oriented tourist attraction on SBMA is Jungle Joe's. Before we visited I asked a father who had taken his children how it was and he answered, "It was hot and they don't serve beer." While both these observations are true it doesn't do the facility justice. Located deep in the Naval Magazine rain forest it is near Zoobic Safari. We arrived at opening, 9 AM, so we could beat some of the inevitable summer heat. The price is 280 pesos a person regardless of age. This included three free coca-cola products at the many kiosks spread throughout the park. In fact Coke seems to be intimately linked to the Jungle Joe operation.   

Located over several hectors a toy train takes you on an overall trip to acquaint yourself with its many facets.  There are multiple outdoor play areas interspersed with air conditioned attractions inside the former ammunition bunkers the Navy used. The outside play areas have the big toys. Logs, ropes, tire tunnels, swing sets, tree houses, playhouses, tunnel labyrinths, climbing walls, forts, slides, hideaways, gym sets, all designed to keep kids entertained and busy. There are also areas with the outdoor inflatables. The climbing walls, springing moon bouncers, jump'n dodge balls, bounce houses and castles. The soundtrack to High School Musical plays continuously throughout these locales.

Another outdoor inducement is the Jurassic Trail. It is a hike along a jungle trail, thick with foliage and old growth trees, spaced with concrete dinosaurs. There are invisible speakers making dinosaur noises. Kind of creepy and kind of cool. Scared our 6 year old.

Spread among all these outdoor play spots are the former ammunition bunkers. All are air conditioned. One has more bouncing toys and trampolines. (Make sure your children bring socks) They must take their shoes off and if they don't have socks mom or dad buys Jungle Joe socks. There is also a raceway in a bunker. There are gravity bikes that go round a runway. The building mercifully has places for parents to sit. One is called Winter Wonderland and does it's best to recreate the North Pole with Santa and his helpers but was not all that interesting. But the Playhouse Theater was. Inside this bunker is a movie house. Disney movies play continuously. The chairs are all beanbags and it's not hard to fall asleep. They do sell popcorn. Several other attractions are under construction. There is a disco and a huge castle under way.

The day involves lots of walking. (They rent bikes) We spent a total of four hours at Jungle Joe's. Unlike the 23 story Hanjin employees dormitory monstrosity being built in the middle of this sacred rain forest, Jungle Joe's is exactly how this gorgeous area should be utilized.    

Macho Dancers Stroke Barrio - When the US Navy departed in 1992 there were seventy-six (76) bars operating in Barrio Barretto. Only twelve of these were go-go type establishments with dancers. Barretto currently has thirty-one bars, seventeen of which are go-go clubs. In the base days there were no saloons with male dancers. We have recently been blessed with our first in the Hot Shot Hooters club.

The lounge is small and has 15 tables seating two customers each. The lighting is adequate and the music is not bad. The dance floor is a good fit for the size of the room. There is only one comfort room. Beer is 120 pesos. Juice is P140. Gentlemen’s drinks are P250. Chicken wings are P210.

 Hot Shot Hooters has twenty male dancers. They seem to be mostly from Manila. They are 18 years old to early twenties. Their costumes are far from revealing. Tank-tops and cutoffs were common. The dancing was not overly sexual. Several blokes could really dance. For the most part however it was the ‘Philippine shuffle’ that is common among women dancers. No one would confuse them with Chippendale workers.

At 10 PM the dancers take the stage. Not a lot of clientele. A small coven of gays in the darkest corner. Around 1 AM the girls started pouring in. Small parties of friends deciding to walk on the wild side. The girls select guys to join them at the table or dance with them. Flirty conversation earns them ‘gentlemen’ drinks. We all wondered if these guys get licenses and are tested for health issues as are female entertainers. A few foreign men of various nationalities were in the crowd. Some had dates. Some did not. Barrio Barretto now has something for everyone. 
 

March 2009

Since our last update  many merchant ships have docked in Subic bay including Pecos, Essex, Harpers ferry, Rappahanock, Bruce Heezen, Stockham, Denver, Concorde, Summer and the West Pac

We currently have twenty-five ships anchored around the bay. These are ships which usually haul cargo throughout Asia. Economic conditions have made them unnecessary. Apparently it is cheaper to anchor them with minimum crews instead of running them.  SBMA is reportedly charging them $800 a day in fees. It’s really a site to see all those vessels in the bay. For more info see a related story on our Local News page.

Rock Lobster held a 22 year anniversary party in November making it one of the longest operating establishments in the Barretto area.  People came out of the woodwork to celebrate. Opening in 1986 at the corner of National Highway and Cagayan Street it continued at that location until the US Navy departed in 1992. Rock Lobster reopened the following year in Mango’s where it currently resides. Check out the festivities photos on our main page.

Bars and restaurants keep opening in Barrio Barretto. Crusty Loaf Bakery became the Mosquito bar. The old VFW canteen building is now called Sit n Bull. Dryden’s restaurant dining room is now the Rum Jungle. A German restaurant has opened above Mosquito Bar and Bretto’s Meat Shop. Islanders Bar moved from next to Mango’s to the location previously known as Mama Mia’s Italian restaurant. It is now known as Horse & Cow. Little Wheel closed. There are presently 15 go-go bars in Barretto and probably at least that many others without dancers. 

Harley’s Sports bar hosted its annual Bobby Walker Golf Tourney in late December. This has become one of the premier golf events of the area. Breakfast was served at 6 AM in Harley’s. The dinner and show were held at Club 1 that night. In between was great golf, beer and camaraderie. 

 A gigantic blow to the Subic Bay area was the departure of Fed Ex in early February. They have been here for the past 14 years. SBMA stands to lose 150 million pesos in yearly revenue. Fed Ex have relocated to China as China accounts for 60-70% of Asian cargoes. Total job loss to the area is around 800 people.

 The book "Subic Bay from Magellan to Pinatubo -The History of the U.S. Navy at Subic Bay" is available again in its 3rd edition. You may remember this book when it first came out in 1991/92. It is the most comprehensive book ever written on the U.S. Navy at Subic Bay. A lot of people asked where to get a copy but it has been out of print for years. This third edition has more information and new photos. Here is the Amazon webpage:

It's been a long time since we posted local news to our news pages but we finally got around to adding some of the more interesting stuff. Between the current page and the news archives we surely have one of the better collections of the past 10 years.

 More than 3000 people participated in this year’s 17th annual Beach Bash sponsored by Veterans of Foreign Wars. Over ninety (90) businesses and individuals donated cash or prizes for the occasion. Lots of photos are on our main page.

Proceeds are used to support a children’s scholarship program, maintenance of the Clark Cemetery, the malnutrition program of FRA and the local outreach programs consisting of dental and medical missions.                                       

 In 2009 the four day line up of events was impressive. Besides the dart and billiard competitions there was a trivia challenge, a singing contest, dance competitions, children’s games, cheerleading matchups, a volleyball tournament and three separate beauty contests. A table tennis tournament had more than thirty participants. One of the major fundraisers was a Texas Holdem card game.

 Fifteen local venues were used for the various contests making it a complete Barretto community enterprise. Major sponsors included San Miguel, Pepsi Cola, Click Internet, Blue Rock Resort, Palm Tree, Scuba Shack, Mango’s, Texas Joe’s House of Ribs, Dynamic Women’s Organization and the cities of Olongapo and Castillejos. 

 A year-long effort goes into the success of this affair. The overall chairman was Ed Spears. Also assisting were Wayne Gordon, Carmen Hendricks, Dennis Doty, Dennis Voge, Richard  Payne, Nancy Mollari, Kevin Donaldson and Herb Schulten,  Rain Fortaleza from Mango's received special recognition for her many years of assistance.

 Recently we wrote about the Olongapo Museum. This month we’ll cover the SBMA museum located behind the Subic Bay Arts Center.

 Some of the two museum’s history overlaps. The SBMA gallery focuses more on the military role of local history. The research angle in the title refers to the study of the indigenous Aetas, their ancestral domain and their hunting, fishing and agricultural pursuits.

 The museum is divided into sections depicting a progression of periods from ancient times to the present. Lifelike statues are used and where appropriate native materials to simulate situations. The signing is well done. Overhead speakers give explanations of the displays in crisp, perfect English.

 The Spanish era begins in 1514 when Subic was first founded as a military garrison. By 1885 the Spanish had begun an arsenal and fortifications to protect the bay with guns on Grande Island. Left unfinished Commodore George Dewey was able to defeat the Spanish fleet in 1898. Many of the documents between the military commanders are displayed in glass cases.

 The American period is well documented. There are excellent photographs and displays. In 1941 following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Subic Bay was also bombed by Japanese planes killing hundreds. Residents of Olongapo evacuated and torched the city rather than let it fall into enemy hands. 

  The construction of Cubi Point, considered to rival the Panama Canal in difficulty, is shown in numerous pictures and displays. The exhibits portray the American presence following the Second World War until the base withdrawal in 1992. Also included are the POW and ‘Hellship’ memorials in this exposition. The story of the ship Oryoko Maru broadcast over the speakers is riveting.

The museum was opened in 1994. It is open to the public daily from 8 AM to 4 PM. Adult admission is 50 pesos and students are 40 pesos.

 

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