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| December 2, 2002 | November 3, 2002 | ||
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The Subic/Asian tourist season has officially begun. Locally new and old faces are starting to pop up again. The seasonal activities associated with the influx of people have also started. We have volleyball at Mango's two afternoons a week. Midnight Rambler has the Saturday afternoon Rat-A-Dome going again. Groups are playing basketball, going on bike rides and hikes. There is a tourist dart league on Friday afternoons.
On SBMA (old naval base) there is a night market. A huge carnival is in full swing nightly through January near the main gate. Weekly concerts are featured on Remy Field. Still everything is muted and stunted since the murderous bomb that rocked Bali. The entire Southeast Asian theater is affected but the Philippines with the Abu Sayaff threat and kidnapping stories rampant probably more so.
The last week of November the Australian and Canadian embassies closed shop due to threatened bombings. These are embassies that until recently have had little need of real security. Still it's a bad sign and one that concerns the Philippine Foreign Affairs Office not to mention tourism. As of this writing both embassies remain closed and many employees returned to their respective countries. Click here to jump to links to embassy sites on this page.
The TLC/ Shrine golf tournament for crippled children was a huge success with over 160 participants. More than a million and a half pesos were raised for the cause ($30,000) Mango's, Islanders and Little Wheel hosted the dinner and award ceremonies.
We visited Pattaya Beach Thailand recently and ran into old friends who have set up in that locale. If you're doing the Asian circuit be sure to stop in the Nevada Club on Post Office road and say hello to Roger. It's one of the premier clubs in the area. Soon to reopen across the street is their other flagship watering hole, Far East Rock. Another hot tip is the Blue Parrot restaurant run by Kevin Mitch. It has extraordinary Mexican food and some tasty blue margaritas.
We recently reviewed the San Miguel Golf course for the Subic Bay Chamber of Commerce. Here is the rundown: Some golfers out there may want some new sights beyond the Binictican Valley Country Club. There are some choices that involve short drives over scenic roads to courses that will never make Golf Digest.
One is the San Miguel Golf Course 23 miles north, along the Zambales coast. You pass through Barrio Barretto, Subic City, Castillejos, San Marcelino and San Antonio interspersed with classic, Asian agricultural scenes. Just beyond San Antonio on the left is what was once an American communication station but now serves as a Philippine navy school. Here you'll find a spunky little 12 hole wonder sitting just off the South China Sea. Closed for the past 18 months for renovations it was previously just 9 holes. It now boasts some new greens and new challenges. Most of the course is made up of 3 and 4 pars. There are a couple of long 5's. This time of year it is nice and green. During the dry season it becomes hard and brown and you get some long rolls. Hey, It's not Augusta or even close But you play 18 (they let you go 6 more) for P200 and your caddy is another P200. So for US $7.50 you can have a cultural outing. Fed Ex used this locale for their golf tournament a few years back. Just outside the base is the FRA (Fleet Reserve Association) and they make a nice burger, beer and bragging stop after your game.
The Mango's/Midnight Rambler kids Christmas party will be held on the Pundakit beach on December 11th. Many of us have started families here and we hold this annually for all of our children and anyone visiting the area with kids. Swimming, trampolines, swings, a Santa and calesa pony rides. Lucky babies.
In case you didn�t know, we have three beautiful studio apartments on the second floor of Mango�s. They are very nice. There is an outside deck with tables, chairs and canopy all overlooking an unobstructed view of Subic Bay. You�re a minute from the bay by stairs but only a second if you jump. We prefer you use the stairs. They are competitively priced by the day, week or month. Besides the single male we encourage small families and have extra beds to accommodate. When you combine the sleeping arrangements with our restaurant, beach and bar, and night club, why go anywhere else! Reservation Information Here.
Like last year we've provided a link to a couple Christmas pages we co-host with our Webmaster. Feel free to use these images and sound files to spice up your Christmas letters or personal websites.
Updated content around the site includes:
| Unions Want Condoms | |
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No Baklas
Allowed |
Mango's Current Local News and Info
| As always several new additions or corrections to the connections page. If you don't have a picture posted out there feel free to send one here. |
| Urine Sampler | |
| Three new humorous graphics |
Last update for the year from us. Have a safe and happy holiday season. It's a wild world out there.
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Before covering the Halloween parties and other fun stuff let�s get security out of the way. The Bali bombings affected us in many ways more than 9/11. It was in our theater. We�ve received email asking if a curfew has been imposed. No. But the city of Olongapo is having extensive security meetings. There are more police and soldiers on the roads than ever seen before. Typically at night there are 3 to 5 roving police patrols in Barrio Barretto.
One day traveling from the Kalayaan gate to
Barretto we counted four 2 man teams of soldiers, with M-16�s, patrolling the
highway. They all had motorcycles or trucks. Entrance to all gates on SBMA
rivals how the base did it in the late �80�s. There are long lines, trunks are
opened and mirrors are passed under the vehicles.
We also received email from an active duty Navy Chief in
Japan who was called back from the boarding gate in Narita and not allowed to
board his flight to the PI. Also from a civilian worker on Guam. Same
restrictions. We have been told we are in a state of �threatcon Charlie.� Only
Delta is worse.
The British did bring a ship called the Diligence
in here last month and they had local liberty but were not allowed in Subic
City. Tourists levels are down about 20% for this time of year.
Security experts we are not. Should you have any concerns before considering traveling here check the news articles on our Local Current News page. We're trying to provide a both sides of the story collection there. Also browse the embassy website for your home country. Some quick links are provided below, just click on the flag or browse the list of Manila embassies and consulates or World embassy and consulate database. These have also been added to our Travel Info page.
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None of this stopped long time Olongapo resident George Saari, of Body Shop fame, who visited for the first time in 8 years. He and his brother and a number of friends made it a golfing holiday.
Speaking of old friends, we recently reestablished contact with Jim Carson! "Papa Jim" was co-owner with us in the Whiskey River & Rock Lobster days. Jim has settled in Scottsdale, Arizona. His email address is listed on our Connections page.
As mentioned in an October email notification to our subscribers, we had a hard drive crash on our host system and lost the entire October update. Our webmaster backs his system up weekly and this unfortunate hardware failure came right after we wrote the update and added new content to the site and just before his weekly backups. We went to great measures to try and recover the data including delivering the drive to the Dell Failure Analysis lab in Round Rock, Texas where it was determined the drive suffered a "dynamic head slap", techno-babble which means the heads crashed into the drive platter while in operation. Many thanks to Wade Zeigler for his efforts in trying to salvage the drive. With the crash and subsequent backups some of the site formatting went whacky, if you see a page which doesn't look right let us know. Please provide the URL.
On November 24 the TLC hospital is sponsoring their second annual Pro-Am golf tournament at Subic Bay Golf and Country Club. (Formerly Binictican Valley) There are a million pesos in prizes and a car to be given away for a hole in one. More importantly, this event raises funds for the Shriner's Crippled Children Fund. For more information on this great charity event please see The Love of Children 2nd Annual Pro-Am Golf Tournament site at www.mytlcmc.com/golf.
Another event coming up is the
VFW Barrio Beach
Bash. This year it will be held on February 21, 22, and 23.
We closed the Rock Lobster Room in Mango�s for 4 days last month and did some extensive renovations. Not the basic premise. The room itself is the same. But we put in a new tile floor, new mahogany doors on the entrance and exit, new computer music system and fixed anything that needed it. We even added a Tequila Girl!
We had Mango�s Kid�s Halloween party on the afternoon of the 31st. There was bobbing for apples and other games. This is one country you don�t send them out trick or treating so this is always a yearly favorite.
The big kids party was as rowdy as ever. More people dressed up. This is one of Midnight Rambler�s premier events and it was just as true this year. You can check out some of the photos for yourself on our Home page.
Updated content around the site includes:
Mango's Current Local News and Info: Another new locals news page. We've archived the old and now have 6 pages of news content dating back to 1999. The most recent news can still be found at Mango's Current Local News and Info. And from there you can get to all the archives. New articles include:
We've added a new page dedicated specifically to our U.S. Navy friends of the Seventh Fleet. They've been friends of ours for 20 years now dating back to the Whiskey River, Rock Lobster and Love Shack days. This page will be a single source of pictures of their visits.
And there's one new question on our FAQ page.
| Any truth to that rumor there's a curfew being enforced there due to all the recent events. |
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We had a surprise visit from "Stonewall Of The 7th Fleet," the guided missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG-62) in August. Nice four day port call from a great crew with some fine officers. The engineering department contacted us prior to arrival and set up a party. They mentioned using our website to find out about diving and other recreational activities on the former naval base. When not eating all our food the Chancellorsville crew also spent some valuable liberty time giving back to Olongapo area residents. Check out their good will gestures here.
A good friend of Mango's, Navy Senior Chief Mike Woodin died August 9th due to a motorcycle accident. Mike had 19 years in and was just a year shy from retirement. Mike had spent a large part of his career in Southeast Asia and was stationed aboard the USS Kitty Hawk homeported in Yokosuka. Mangos Webmaster Tim is Godfather to Mike's daughter Kristine and their families go back over 14 years. A brief article regarding Mike can be found here.
Long time Barrio runner Uncle Bob died in late July. His outdoor saloon on the southern entrance to Barretto served as an early morning meeting place all during the 80's. Back when BGU (Bad, Good and Ugly), was the premier watering hole across the street and National Highway was a dirt road. He was 79 and suffered a heart attack. RIP Bob, you outlived most.
www.orientalhwy.com is a new website focusing on Barretto and other tourist areas (including Thailand). It was put together by Vince formerly of Bart's Resort and is worth a look.
Mt Samat ferry service between Manila and Bataan has posted a new schedule:
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We've said it before, this ferry service continues to be one of the best deals and ways of getting back and forth without dealing with Manila killer traffic. We used it twice last month. They do not run during bad weather so phone first if in doubt. Manila 02 551-5290 or Bataan 0919 282-6952. These are high speed catamarans with all the safety gear, clean rest rooms, air conditioning, TV's spread through-out the cabin, a wet bar with sandwiches and snacks and helpful attendants to assist you. At P190 ($4) one way the 50 minute ride is well worth it. It departs from the Ferry Terminal next to the Cultural Center on Roxas in Manila. Once in Bataan vans offer a transportation service to Subic at P1200. The new schedule is also posted on our Travel Page.
There's been a tremendous amount of email virus activity going on. Mainly regarding the w32.klez.h@mm worm virus. The Mango's webmaster (Tim), has been receiving up to 5 a day and therefore changed his email address. It's helped a bit. Several friends and acquaintances have indicated they got the virus from Mango's in Barrio (Tom), or Tim in Austin, Texas. The truth is that the virus itself is using an address (in this case Tom's or Tim's) from someone else's address book and making it appear that the virus came from us. Both Tom and Tim are running identical antivirus software (Norton 2002), with up to date virus definitions and the maximum incoming and outgoing protection selectable. Tim runs a virus check on his systems daily at 9:00 AM and has never detected a virus. Tom is just about as religious.
If you are using a current version of Norton Antivirus software and have the most recent virus definitions, and a full system scan with Norton Antivirus set to scan all files does not find anything, you can be confident that your computer is not infected with this worm. For your convenience we've cut and pasted some of the less technical jargon and a link to solutions on a temporary page located here. We've even copied a screen capture and activity log from Tim's PC as evidence the virus activity some of you may be experiencing is not coming from Mango's. With over 30,000 hits to the Mango's website this year alone, Tom and Tim's email addresses are very widely known. The last thing we would want is to be the cause of any virus activity to our site visitors. We're not exactly Tech Support type guys here but hopefully this info will help.
Remember Mango's has 3 beautiful apartments overlooking the beach on Subic Bay. A guest who had lived in one for 2 years recently married and moved on. So we're a little more flexible on availability. If you plan to be here in the November through the April time frame we have some weeks not blocked out. Contact us if you need accommodations and we'll help if we can.
Updates around the site include.
Hey Mango's, you #$%&@ idiots emailed me the w32.klez.h@mm worm virus. What do I do now?
I will be spending some time in Barrio Barretto, are there any gyms available nearby?
Mango's Current Local News and Info
Another new Humor Page - 1st jokes to qualify:
And a new link to some Military Humor
The rains have tapered off. It's nice here. See you next month!
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Not a whole lot new for you this month. We had 72 inches of rain in eleven days early in July. Thankfully local drainage was very good. Over the entire nation there was serious flooding and numerous deaths primarily from mud slides. (not the drink) The road to Manila from Olongapo was closed for several days as was the other direction toward Iba.
The price of vegetables soared with the rains. Calamansi was P 87 ($1.70) a kilo. Lettuce topped out at P240 a kilo ($2.30 a pound) To compare chicken is P85 a kilo or 75 US cents a pound. But then the veggies had to come down the mountain from Baguio which was impossible.
A few days after the rain stopped we had the annual visit of American ships as part of the CARAT exercise. It is essentially a coast guard exercise and USCG Morgenthau represented the coast guard. Also present were the USS Salvor, USS George Philip, USS Anchorage, and USS Vincennes. Liberty was limited to Olongapo City and Barrio Barretto.
The new US Ambassador to the Philippines and Palau, Francis J. Ricciardone, visited Subic during the ships stay. He held an open forum with retirees and other |Americans in the area giving a short speech and answering questions. One of the things he said that we found interesting is that there are 120,000 Americans living in the Philippines. He also made headlines and ruffled local feathers with his comments about Philippine government corruption. Read about it on our local news page.
We have previously mentioned things that are good deals here in the Subic area. Another we discovered are car washes and waxing. For $1 you can get your car or truck or van washed completely including tire black. For $4 you can have the wash, plus a hand rubbed, turtle wax treatment. This takes less than an hour as a team of young men work the vehicle. Car washes are a recent phenomena. There are about 10 in the Olongapo area. Usually they are not very busy but after the rain, vehicles waited in line for the service.
The sum of this update is it is still raining. But the longer you reside here the more you appreciate this season and it's cool weather.
What's new around the site?
10
new pictures on the main page. Old pictures have been moved to
Image
Archives.
Again, several new additions to our Connections Page. It keeps growing and yes the gentleman listed as Bill Gates is real.
Mango's Frequently Asked Questions
Talk to you in September!
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About a year ago we did a review of Ocean Adventure after they first opened. We returned with the family this past month and found a vastly improved tourist attraction. It is probably the premiere attraction in the area and not to be missed. There are now so many facets to their park that the experience can last several hours.
To recap, Ocean Adventure is a marine park located deep in the lush jungle of the former naval magazine area at Camayan Wharf. It is run by a talented staff, some who previously worked at Ocean Park in Hong Kong and Disney World and Animal Kingdom in Florida.
Separate theaters have now been built for the whale and sea lion shows. The El Capitan has a 700 person capacity that gives you a front row view of the pseudo orca whale presentations. These are the 'false killer whales' giving professional entertainment. They talk (whale talk), they dance, they give folks rides. The crew who entertain the crowd are as professional as the animals. This thing is choreographed and synchronized. Even the music is mesmerizing. The crowd (and especially the children) have a laughing, wonderful time.
A short walk away is 350 seat Nautilus Theatre. The pre-presentation surf music gets the juices going. Then the well trained, costumed employees introduce you to some adorable sea lions. They are talented, amusing and they make you laugh. The show also works in some lessons on ecology and conservation. Our kids left there after the 40 minute show with permanent smiles embedded on their faces.
Encounter Cove is what separates this marine park from others on the planet who just offer dolphin encounters. Guests here are given the opportunity to spend time in the water with the whales. You can feed and pet and play and swim with them. These animals are in their own habitat and this is what makes the place different from others such as Ocean Park in Hong Kong.
Ocean Adventure also has an animal care clinic, an animal nutrition center and a learning center. You learn about marine mammals and marine conservation. Visitors can watch how animal food and nutritional needs are met and how individual dietary and health needs are provided for.
By far our favorite exhibit is Discovery Aquarium. This 300 square meter ice-cold, air conditioned building has about 20 aquariums. The open glass viewing area for each is 4 x 8 feet. The only light is in the aquariums. The aquariums re-create fresh water and seawater marine habitats pertinent to our local area. There is a sandy, grassy aquarium with it's sea life. One is mangrove (fresh and salt water). One is a sunken ship. On recreates the sea life found on an old post from the Ship Repair area. One is a coral reef. One is a lobster garden. The indigenous fish and life forms relevant to each area are present in each of the displays. We kept coming back to the aquariums because we kept seeing new fish and new wonders in every tank the more we looked at them. The detail here is mind boggling. Two hours in here is not a waste of time.
Ocean Adventure is open daily from 9 AM to 6 PM. It is wise to call and find out what time the shows are each day. The phone number is 047-252-9000. Admission is 400 pesos for adults and 320 pesos for children and it is worth every peso. The following day our kids wanted to know when we could go back.
World Cup Mania rocked the barrio in mid June. Our local cable company helped by canceling the channel that was to broadcast it. Midnight Rambler had already purchased a satellite dish. They promoted the games and became World Cup Central. During the England/Brazil matches shown at 3:30 in the afternoon there were 150 guys in the Rambler. The same for the night game at 7:30 between Germany and the US. Several local Irish priests were in the place watching. Some mighty fine energy passed through the Rambler Pub this June.
After 5 years of bringing beer to the Philippines Budweiser is out of business and out of the country. Miller already gave up. San Miguel Light finally did them in. On Bud's last bottle pick up they brought in a free case of Lone Star beer and said they were promoting that now. I said, "Man if you guys can't knock out San Miguel with Bud you sure can't do it with Lone Star."
The building where Midnight Rambler was located for 20 years is now home to Johannson's restaurant. European food is their specialty. A club that is coming into it's own is Asian Reef in Subic City. It has now started it's dancers at 2 in the afternoon. Be sure and check it out when you're in the area.
Lots of work done on the site the past few weeks, here's what's new or updated:
There's a new baby boy in the family, photos here!
As promised we added the June update on local swimming spots to the Things to Do in Subic Bay page. We'll do the same for the Ocean Adventure info above. In fact the things to do in Subic Bay page is getting full enough to break out into several pages for quicker loading. It's worth the look if you're heading towards Subic Bay and need to figure out what to do upon arrival.
Several new additions to our Connections Page. We had actually considered deleting this due to lack of interest but we continue now to get friends wanting to be added. You may find a long lost friend or even make a new one.
Handy Dictionary to Decipher Personals Ads
Well, shit!
The Official Code of Male Conduct
Man Arrested for Sex with a Dog
Bikini Carwash
All for now - catch you in August
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Not much in the way of a Barrio Barretto update for you this month. But we do have some good scoop on things to do in the Subic and some other Zambales areas. The Philippine summer lasts from the beginning of April until the beginning of June. Not coincidentally that is when children are out of school for summer vacation. April and May days are blistering hot. You get outdoor things done before 10 in the morning and after 3 in the afternoon.
Like all parents we wanted to have a good time with our kids while they were out of school. Our daughters are 3 and 4. So life is brand-new to them. They needed to learn to swim. So for two months we hit the local pools. APO resort is behind Santa Monica subdivision 10 minutes from Barrio Barretto. Besides two huge swimming areas and the toddlers pool, the resort also boasts a golf driving range. APO is grassy and shady and comfortable. There are 3 long slides into the large pool. It is well lighted and night swimming continues until 11 PM. We've attended many receptions at APO. Our oldest had her last birthday party there. APO pool became one of their favorites this summer.
APO Resort / 9 AM-11 PM Open daily / Adults P50 Children P30 / Ph (63-47) 232-2411
Another neat pool is in Castillejos at Country Cottage Resort. Castillejos is 20 minutes north of the Barrio Barretto, through Subic City and over the hill. Two signs alert you to the turnoff. It's then 3 1/2 kilometers. Beautiful grounds. Tropical cool. Green. There is one large pool and one small one for young children. Shaded tables. Barbecue areas. We hit this one several times during the season.
Country Cottage / Open Daily / Adults P40 Children P30 / Ph (63-47) 232-1364
The
other local pool we used this summer was M & N resort in Subic City
(Calapandayan). It's on the side of the mountain and overlooks the bay. Big pool
with a half dozen slides running into it. Child's pool. Shaded patio areas. All
pools were clean. All the pools said they had lifeguards too, but watch your
own.
M & N Resort / Open daily / Adults P50 Children P45 / Ph (63-47) 232-2580
We also wanted to do a few overnights with the kids following the swimming theme. We drove the Zambales coast just past Iba and stayed at Palmera Garden Resort. Nice little cabanas. Gardens, play area with swings and slide and a swimming pool right outside. No small item is that they had cable TV. Without a maid or ya-ya the Disney Channel comes in handy. (When you come to think of it Walt Disney is the world's greatest baby-sitter!) Anyways, the restaurant is in a huge, tropical Nipa hut and the food is good.
Palmera Garden / Rooms from P1000 / Ph (63-47) 811-2109 / palmera@mozcom.com / www.palmeragarden.com
Heading back toward Olongapo we stopped in Botolan. A rustic place right on the ocean is called West Coast. (Formerly Fil-Aussie) A little more primitive. A half dozen rooms. We barbecued fish outside while the restaurant provided rice and vegetables. No cable TV but they did have the requisite pool. It's on the coast so the sunset was sensational. After dark we blasted off a few fiery rockets we had saved from New Years Eve.
The following week we took the kids to Angeles City. Woodland Park Resort is like an island of sanity in the AC pandemonium. Coming off of McArthur Highway through Dau it is a left turn. Two hundred meters and you're in another world. Rolling manicured lawns the size of soccer fields. Palm trees everywhere. More pines than Baguio. Tailored bamboo restaurant next to an Olympic sized pool. Huge rooms with cable TV. There is even a McDonald's down the street and it's the first one my daughters had ever seen. We swam until 11 PM. Woodland Park is nice.
Woodland Park / Family Room P1700 / Ph (63-45) 892-1002 / woodland@mozcom.com
If you're driving yourself to these various places or anywhere for that matter, be safe! A good friend of Mango's, Tom Thomas, was recently in a serious accident. Tom's OK now but really took a hard hit resulting in weeks in the hospital, follow up therapy and such. Wear your seat belt, avoid driving at night and please don't drive if you've had too many. Keep getting well Tom!!!
Very little site maintenance this month. But what we did get done includes:
Mango's Frequently Asked Questions
Mango's Current Local News and Info
Mango's Philippine Travel Information
Admin kinda note: Tim our Webmaster recently deleted several postings to the Guest Log. We'd fire the guy but he works for beer which is cheap here. Everything from 6MAy to 1June was accidentally deleted. So if you posted something important please repost it at https://www.mangossubic.com/Guest%20Log.htm. Or simply mail it to Tim and he'll reinsert it.
Well that's about all we have for you this month. We will be adding all of the above recreational information to our Things to do in Subic Bay page by next months update. Cheers!
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May 1st, 2002
Most of our readers are probably aware of these sites. But they are again worth mentioning. If you are looking for information on the Philippines try www.filipinolinks.com Another comprehensive site is Margarita Station www.theville.com. It is particularly good on Angeles City but also very detailed on a variety of topics such as surfing, Philippine laws, retirement etc.
If you are going to be driving in the PI wear your seat belt. This law is just over a year old. Police officers have taken it as an easy way to get "lunch money". They stand in the shade of trees along the highway and watch and wave over anyone not wearing a belt. This is taking place right on Fields Avenue in Angeles City and also on both sides of Barrio Barretto in Olongapo. The good news is your vehicle can have faulty brakes, no lights, bald tires and be belching smoke like a Kuwaiti oil fire. And you can be blind drunk. As long as you've got the belt on you're good to go.
Tuesday April 9 was Bataan Day and a national holiday in the Philippines. 12 American survivors were in the country to mark the 60th anniversary. The youngest had been 17 in 1942 when Corregidor Island fell. Between 7,000 and 10,000 men died on the death March from malaria, starvation, beatings or executions. Of those 2330 were Americans. A ceremony was held high on Mount Samat on the Bataan Peninsula. Cars were parked at the bottom of the mountain and busses used to ferry people to the top. There were hundreds of aging Filipino soldiers both men and women, legions of boy and girl scouts and huge companies of Filipino soldiers dressed in turn-of-the-century uniforms. For hours people filed out of the busses and filled the outside pavilion.
Photographers and reporters crowded around the twelve Americans for interviews and pictures. These men, some accompanied by wives and children were in astonishingly good shape for being mostly over 80. No walkers or wheelchairs. The American and Philippine ambassadors arrived and did a walk-through of their roles in the event. By the time President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's helicopter buzzed the top of the mountain, the Philippine sun was breaking through the cloud cover.
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The ceremony was simple. National anthems from the three nations. Taps. 21 gun salute. President Arroyo and the two ambassadors then presenting 3 large flower wreaths. The Japanese ambassador looked like he would rather be anyplace else but where he was. In his speech he apologized profusely for his country's atrocities during World War 2. Watching the 12 former American POW's you realized this was not a Honda buying bunch. Not one applauded.
The US ambassador gave a predictable, "Once again Filipino and American soldiers are standing shoulder to shoulder in the fight against terrorism......". President Gloria Arroyo capped off the day with a..."Bringing our three nations together for the future....." This was a 60th anniversary. Those old boys may not be back for the 70th. For an excellent account of the Bataan rescue mission read Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides and published by Little Brown. Stephen Spielberg has recently bought the movie rights to this book. The photos here of the Bataan Day ceremonies were taken by local photographer Kevin Hamdorf. He does most of the photography work done locally and he has a huge library stock of pictures. He can be reached at kevinhamdorf@hotmail.com.
While the American military seems to be all over the PI right now Subic Bay has seen little of them. A ship pulled in on Sunday the 21st and off-loaded men and equipment who immediately moved it north. Much of the Balikatan exercise is being conducted around the old Clark Air base. Many American servicemen can be seen on the streets of Angeles City. The USS Germantown is currently off Basilan in the Southern Philippines. This is an on-going exercise so sooner or later the Navy will visit Subic.
Site maintenance this month includes:
Texas think-tank sees US building forward base here / Apr. 26, 2002
Highest-ranking US military officer arrives in RP / Apr. 26, 2002
Militants score US troops' RP 'nightlife orientation' / Apr. 21, 2002
Bush endorses Filipino vets bill / Apr. 18, 2002
U.S. may extend stay in the Philippines / April 15, 2002
US tourist visa means 30-day stay / April 15, 2002
Girls Trade Sex for Text
Filipinos Pick Strange Names
One tasteless new joke added to Humor III
Good News, Bad News
Don't forget to wear your seat belt. Catch you next month.
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April 1st, 2002
Summer is here big time. The 5 day forecast on this Easter Sunday is sunny 94 degrees, sunny 95, sunny 95, sunny 96, sunny 96.
Even after 20 years, Holy Week in the Philippines never ceases to amaze. It isn't so much the men limping down highways dragging crosses and being whipped. Nor the endless, public, self-flagellation with cat-of-nine-tails by men wearing crowns of thorns. It's not even so much the guy getting crucified for the 17th year in a row. Rather, it's that an entire nation can come to a virtual standstill for nearly a week.
Banks and government offices closed at noon Wednesday and don't reopen until Monday. Nearly all businesses not engaged in tourism close Thursday and Friday. Newspapers don't publish Friday or Saturday and the 6 national TV stations go blank all day Friday but one. The one still on the air broadcasts the most famous, live crucifixion taking place in San Fernando, Pampanga, where tens of thousands gather for the annual spectacle.
Another oddity is that Easter Sunday is no big deal. Friday, Viernes Santo is the big deal. In Subic Bay the roads are bumper to bumper with domestic tourists. Hotels are booked and beaches are packed with refugees from the cities. I've been told that this is one of the most pleasant times to be in Manila because everyone has fled.
A couple of movie companies have been scouring the area for movie extras. They are looking for "Caucasian and African-American talents, male or female, ages 15 to 70 for two upcoming international war films to be shot in the Philippines." The films are scheduled to be shot between April and September 2002. They are in need of 500 plus people for lead, support and extra roles.
The FRA (Fleet Reserve Association) in San Antonio is having their annual Frolics fundraiser the first week of April. Various tournaments and contests are held to help raise money for their children's programs. Back when the San Miguel base was still operational, the FRA did a lot of good combining efforts with some of the active duty Navy associations. Many children benefited from their time and generosity.
Mango's will host the RAO (Retired Affairs Office) quarterly meeting on Thursday April 11 at 9AM. Embassy representatives, including a tax consultant will be on hand to assist people.
Lady Breeze, formerly Gringo's, formerly Rob's Roost, formerly Sportsman, formerly Last Two Dollars, formerly Al's Place has just been renamed.......Gringo's again and is in fact worth a stop.
As things slow in June-Sept we'll deliver the long promised photo essays on the area. Gordon Avenue, Magsaysay Drive, Subic City. If there is something you would particularly like to see let us know.
Our webmaster got around to some important updates on his Tribute to America site. There are a couple new posts on his Read Board, and unfortunately more names, bios and pictures added to his Fallen Heroes page.
We dusted off our Travel Info Page finally. Fixed up some busted links, reorganized the page slightly and added new articles about visa and passport news. You'll also find an article there about a new bus service now available direct from Subic - Manila and back. It departs the Subic International Hotel Daily at 8:00 a.m. to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Makati. Later in the day it departs the Mandarin Oriental Hotel at 7:00 p.m. back to the Subic International Hotel. For further information, call the Subic International Hotel (63-47) 252-2222. FAX 63 47 252 3190. Email: sbfcc@svisp.com. Website: www.subicchamber.org
Other site maintenance includes:
Have a good April!
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The Philippines had a national holiday on Monday the 25th of February celebrating the first EDSA revolution disposing of Ferdinand Marcos 16 years ago. Since all the schools were closed we had a kid's day at Mango's. It's real beach weather now. Our hot months are upon us. Schools let out in mid-March and the Philippine summer officially begins.
3000 people turned out in the Zamboanga capitol supporting the arrival of American troops. Many were former hostages of the Abu Sayyaf. We had occasion to visit the American embassy this month. After watching local TV and seeing pictures in the papers we had visions of huge crowds protesting US intervention in the war against terrorism in the Southern Philippines. There were less that 100 people doing their thing in front of the embassy. This in a city of 12 million citizens. Current polls say 84% of the population supports official government policy. We've got some of the more important news articles on this posted on our Local News and Info Page.
The Barrio Beach Bash was a blast. During the 3 day event expats from all over the archipelago were on hand for the fun. It was old home week. Particularly good events included various talent shows, the beauty contests and the body building competition. We took our Beauty Contest page (which was kinda lame anyways!), and combined it with this years Beach Bash photos and now will keep a single page up dedicated to this great annual event.
About a year ago we let people know about the ferry running between Manila and the Bataan peninsula at Orion. This is still a really good way to get to Subic or vice versa. The day we visited the US embassy we left Barrio Barretto 7 AM and were back here by 2 in the afternoon.
Longtime Barrio runner Kerry Tiller came across our site recently and has offered up some vintage Barrio Barretto pictures and stories. We've got a real nice update with a dozen or so new pictures of Barrio in it's heyday on our Barrio Barretto & Subic City History page.
Other updated pages this month include:
If you have a question about the area write and ask. We'll do what we can. But don't expect us to find Mila who worked at the Bamboo in 1972. She's gone and so is the Bamboo. Catch you next month.
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The VFW Barrio Barretto Beach Bash will be held February 15, 16 and 17 on the beach behind Mango's, Islanders and Little Wheel. Events include pool, darts, horseshoes, dice, body building and arm wrestling tournaments. There will be Little Miss, Junior Miss and Big Miss beauty contests. There will be a dunk tank, live bands, kids games and lots of food booths. This is one of the area's premiere events and if you're in-country or planning on coming it's a good time to be here.
We sometimes get caught up in the night life and bar scene of Subic Bay and forget what a beautiful place it is and how, since the bases left it has been transformed into a recreation Mecca. It's become a wonderful spot to share with friends, children and family. Recently an American man and his Filipina wife visited from San Diego California. They have two children a boy 8 and a girl 10.
The first day they were here they visited Ocean Adventure deep in the old Naval magazine on SBMA. (formerly base lands) They enjoyed the whale show and the aquariums. When departing they were drawn to the shooting range across the road where a competition was going on. Being a retired special ops guy, he was invited to fire some rounds. The whole family enjoyed watching dad blasting away at the targets. They finished the day at the go-cart track near the main gate.
On their second morning they had breakfast at Mango's. They had loved Ocean Adventure and I asked how, being from San Diego and home of Sea World, they could be so impressed. He answered, "The ocean and the mountains and Grande Island close enough to touch is a masterpiece for a background. Sea World doesn't have that." By 8 AM they were water skiing at Baloy Beach. They then went back on SBMA and rode horses at El Kabayo. After that they followed the jungle trail behind the riding stables to a waterfall and deep, fresh water pool for an afternoon dip.
On day 3 they were on the seaplane just after sunrise. They flew over Pinatubo volcano and the surrounding lahar fields. By mid morning they were para-sailing at Aqua Sports on SBMA and in the afternoon they were all snorkeling off of Grande Island.
Their 4th day we had a foursome for golf on Subic Bay Golf Course while the mother and kids shopped the local markets for gifts back home. That night at dinner the wife said, "We've gone to Puerto Galera. We've done Boracay. Once we get the diving and golf finished there is nothing to do. This place has it all and the kids love it." Check out our section Things to do in Subic Bay
Name changes: Gringo's Bar closed last May, has reopened under the moniker of Lady Breeze. It's located across from Night Rider and Midnight Rambler. The old Miami hotel in Subic City (Calapandayan) has just reopened after extensive remodeling. It's called the Asian Reef.
Midnight Rambler outdid themselves with their Britannia party held January 12th. Many people from Europe, Thailand and Angeles City made the trip for this annual event. They had a variation on the 'chickenshit' game using a goose instead of a chicken. They built a 12 foot cage that is 2 feet wide and sits knee high off the ground. Inside the bottom board has numbers painted at random. Numbers are purchased by customers. They then put the goose in the cage. The noise of the spectators causes the bird to run wildly back and forth and eventually make a deposit on the lucky winning number. It was loud and wild and not for everyone. This was a party where one maniac bit the heads off of two live rats and smeared the blood on his chest.
I keep getting mail that asks if such and such bar from such and such year is still open in Olongapo City. I won't be gentle. Not one single bar from the base days is open on Magsaysay, Gordon Avenue or jungle area. There are some bars. Gigolo, Blue Note and Rock Hard have huge followings of young Filipinos. I went to Gigolo one time and it's a crowded dance palace. I was the only expat there. Magsaysay is Domino's and Shakey's pizza, video rental, film shops, tailors, casino, theaters, banks, groceries, billiard halls and money changers. The area where California Jam and Sanitary Bazaar were located burned down a few years a go. It is now a Max's chain restaurant. If it's any consolation Kong's restaurant still has great Chinese food. One last tip. There is OG's. It's right where Dolly's tavern once was on the street around the corner from Station B. They have beer, Mexican food, TV and lots of sea stories.
This month marked the passing of long time resident Van Truelson who owned the San Miguel Beach Resort off the Capones Islands. A memorial service and fund raiser was held at the Rambler on the 22nd.
Last month we mentioned what we said was one final note about recently deceased Boylan Preston. Many Mango's site visitors also visited the Boylan tribute page and some even donated to the fund to help his family. Therefore we thought it appropriate to mention it one more time so folks can see how the fund is being managed by Daryl Clark. First of all the family would like to thank EVERYONE for their generous donations over the past four months. They would not have survived this ordeal without your support! Daryl has been sending $186.00 to Tessie and $186.00 to Mattie monthly. He still has $400.00 in the fund and there is another $275.00 on the way. The new donation comes from friends of Boylan in Michigan (Thanks Brian)! www.boylanpreston.com has gone over 520 visitors in part due to linkage from this site.
Long overdue, we finally put together a frequently asked questions page. Click on Mango's FAQ to get there. Here's what we've compiled to date:
Has the Midnight Rambler moved or folded?
Are there many girls there? / Also any good hotels under $50 USD per night near the beach? / Do you know a bar manger who looks like Mel Gibson? / Is the area safe?
Is it really safe to vacation there with all the terrorism going on in the world? / Is there still any entertainment or restaurants in Olongapo? / What is the crime like there today? / What is the cost of living like. i.e. (cost of a beer and room for a month).
Where can I find a good dentist in the Olongapo area?
Could you please tell me how to get to Subic if we have our own car and we would start from the north diversion?
How much would be the rates for horseback riding on Subic Base?
Will it be hard for my son to adjust if I move to PI?
Are there any special precautions I should consider if I want to move to PI?
We're planning to move to the Philippines. Should we bring a computer with us or can we find them there?
We're thinking about relocating to the Subic Bay area, any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated?
How do I get to Subic Bay?
Our Barrio Barretto Today page was updated with the most recent barrio happenings and some new pictures.
The Philippines has had it's share of international news coverage lately. We've captured some of the more relevant and noteworthy articles and posted them on our Local News page.
Other updated pages include Mango's Jokes and Humor III and Only in the Philippines II
Our webmaster's Tribute to America site has been updated. There's a profile page to America's Fallen Heroes who have died in action in Afghanistan. Take a few minutes if you can to recognize those who've made the ultimate sacrifice.
That's the latest and your trip down memory lane. The truth is it's pretty nice here now too. You can read about it in next months update or you can come see for yourself. Here's a Barrio Barretto postcard we came across should you need further convincing!
Until next month - Tom, Wilma and Your Mango's Staff
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Happy New Year! We hope you had a safe and happy holiday season.
During the first week of December the USS Vandegrift visited Subic Bay for a 5 day stay. They had full, overnight liberty from day one.
We had a letter requesting the ingredients to a couple of old-time favorite local drinks. Here they are:
| MOJO: (1 Pitcher) | BULLFROG (1 Pitcher) |
| 1 bottle of San Miguel beer | 5 shots white rum |
| 5 shots dark rum | 5 shots vodka |
| 5 shots vodka | 5 shots gin |
| 5 shots gin | 2 small cans of pineapple juice |
| 5 shots whisky | |
| 1/2 glass pineapple juice | |
| 1/2 glass orange juice | |
| 1/2 glass sprite | |
| 1 shot lime juice | |
| dash of grenadine syrup | |
| 5 pieces of calamansi or 1 whole lemon |
Note: These both taste better when
served by one of our lovely waitresses!
Caution: Mojo and Bullfrog have been known to cause grown men to do very stupid
things. It is not kool-aid, only tastes like it. Drink with caution.
We held our Mango's Christmas golf outing on the course at Basa Air Base. There was only one other group on the course and it was a cool December day. $5 for 18 holes and $5 for the caddy. The San Miguel course still has not reopened.
The Midnight Rambler and Mango's families held their annual Children's party at Pundakit on December 11. It was a breezy, overcast day with the Capones Islands as a back drop. A trampoline was set up for the kids. A nice play area was available. Joe from Beachside Cafe did a great job as Santa.
Mango's hosted the wedding reception of long-time barrio resident Steve Jurey and his bride Diana. It was a who's-who guest list of residents. The reception followed a very formal ceremony at the Barretto church. Pictures from the reception are on the main page.
The VFW annual Beach Bash will be held February 14-17. If you are planning a trip to this area this is a good time. It is always a fun event where you meet expats from all over the Philippines. I'll try to have more details of events next month.
Last month we updated you on the Barrio Barretto area. As promised here's the latest on Subic City (Calapandayan) Bars:
Those are all the ex-pat type clubs. There are a number of others including Georgetown and Sweet-sixteen which primarily cater to Filipino nationals. I have been in none of them. As with anyplace keep your wits about you in Subic City particularly late at night. It has much more of the wild-west feel than Olongapo/Barretto which for better or worse is more controlled.
One final reminder regarding Boylan Preston who died in a scuba accident here in the Philippines a couple months ago. Daryl Clark has built a tribute web site to him. You can find it at: https://www.boylanpreston.com. Boylan was a great guy who left behind six dependents.
Site updates include:
We've been doing a lot of behind the scenes site maintenance. You may find some of your old bookmarks or favorites to various Mango's pages are busted. We apologize, but some logical folder and file renaming was long overdue. If you find a busted link or image please send a note to our Webmaster and include the URL of the page with the busted link. We try to keep each page load time to 60 seconds or less for a 56K modem. If you find a particularly slow loading page let us know and we'll see about speeding it up. Of course please keep in mind though the problem could be with your internet connection speed.
It's 7AM January 1st. The air is still ripe with gun powder from exploded fireworks. Things reached a crescendo at midnight when it was nonstop explosions everywhere. We did a mini fireworks display for families earlier in the evening on the beach. Mango's and Midnight Rambler both hosted New years eve parties. Happy New Year. Thanks for helping make our website one of the most popular in the Philippines. Catch you next month.
