July 2011
Mango's Newsletter 2009 - 2011
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July 2011
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December 2010 |
| April 2010 | October 2009 | March 2009 |
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 ......
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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.
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.
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20/20 |
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Ajaya |
Alley Cat |
Angel Witch |
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Arizona |
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Bar Barretto |
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Barrio Beach Resort |
Bergos |
Castaway |
Cat Walk |
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Club 1 |
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Down Under |
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Escape |
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Foxhole |
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General’s |
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Heaven n' Booze |
Hot Lips |
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Hot Zone |
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Johansson’s |
Katmandu |
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Keith’s Place |
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Lips Lower |
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Lips Underground |
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Lips Upper |
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Mango’s |
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Midnight Rambler |
Night Riders |
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Office |
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Oriental Rose |
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Pirates |
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Rascals |
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Rum Jungle |
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Shooters |
Sit n' Bull |
Surrender |
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T Rose |
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V Max |
VFW |
Voodoo |
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Wet Spot |
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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.
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
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.
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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