NOVEMBER 2000

It is nearly that time when those poor old turkeys try to hide before they are slaughtered, dressed and tossed in the oven for that American Thanksgiving dinner.  Thank goodness the pilgrims did not decide to feast on horses.  After that, Christmas, New Years and then another bloody year gone mate.  Time goes fast when one reaches those senior citizen years.  The good news is that I did take the Mrs. to see the Miss Saigon show and it was fantastic.  We stayed overnight at the Swagman in Manila and the price was reasonable as well as the room being comfortable.  One thing I must say though, I do not recommend the bed if both occupants are fat as it was rather small.  The Cultural Center was beautiful; the first time I ever attended a function there.  We arrived a half-hour before the show began and I was a bit disappointed that they had run out of programs.  Imagine that, usually the programs are a source of extra income and they ran out.  A bit of poor planning but then I had to remember where I was and should not have been surprised.  I was appeased by the fact that I saved 400 pesos but it would have been a nice souvenir to keep.   

I must extend my apologies to Ray Souvala at Streetlights for forgetting to mention his birthday party at the Bonanza Hotel in September.  He sent out 47 invitations and 46 people showed to celebrate his 50^th year with drinks and great food.  It was really a very enjoyable event and it was a good mix of people in which everyone in attendance knew each other.  Kudos to the management and staff of the Bonanza hotel, especially Bob and Bones for organizing a very successful birthday bash. 

Many readers will be disappointed to find out that Ken's Silver Fox bar has been closed down by the local authorities.  Maybe by the time this goes to press it will be open again as Ken has indicated that it will be a temporary problem.  

Silver Fox sill closed.

There is a lesson to be learned here for anyone wanting to come to this area and open a bar.  Be careful whose name you put on the license.  So many put the bar in the name of a girlfriend who at the time they thought was the greatest gal living.  Regretfully, when the romance cools off and the relationship sours, problems occur.  To make a long story short, this particular ex-girlfriend decided to make life difficult for Ken and the Barangay officials plus the local police got involved.  Now, regardless of the outcome, Ken has to seek legal help and will encounter lawyer's fees.  He has a good lawyer and has learned how to put the bar in someone's name in such a way that he is protected.  Many of us learn lessons the hard way but for a newcomer, take the time to talk to some of the old hands before you jump into a business in which you could end up with more headaches than profit. 

 Ken's problems were magnified when the Sun-Star paper ran a short article indicating that a 17-year old girl filed rape and anti-child abuse charges against Ken, her foreign employer.  She stated that she was forced to work as a domestic helper and a guest relation's officer (GRO) at the Silver Fox.  Ken Evans, of course, denies these allegations but the sad thing is that the local officials consider him guilty until proven innocent.  This is not uncommon in the Philippines and it is a problem facing many foreigners; whether innocent or guilty, Ken's life is becoming more complicated and, of course, a bit more expensive. 

This must be the season for women turning on their loved ones.  In Subic City a fine English lad, a number of years ago, met and married a wonderful lady that he was very proud of.  He took her to live in England for a few years and returned to Subic to open a bar and to build himself an owner jeep that he was very proud of.  Just a month ago he was telling me what a great job his wife was doing and how happy he was.  He indicated that the Mrs. was running the bar with a professionalism that was astounding.  Now, I have heard that she has done so well that they have officially separated and she is going after all the assets.  This one comes as a shock to me as I have enjoyed the company of both these people and can imagine how devastated the husband is.  No names mentioned here, just another heads up that these fine ladies that a lot of men marry over here, do not always stay so nice.  If they get a taste of the good life, some decide that they want it all and again, when everything is in their name, they usually get it. 

Speaking of headaches, poor Ken and Ted have not been able to open their Music-a-go-go bar because they lacked a building permit.  A great deal of money has been invested in this venture and they are ready to open, but are unable to get the necessary permits because proper procedures were not followed.  When I talked to Ted, he told me that they thought the engineer they had hired had taken care of the required building permits as they had given him the money to do so.  Surprise, surprise - this was not the case.  Now, Ted's days are spent sitting in this completed, empty bar, playing cards with his mate.  I'll add more to this bit of info as things progress during the month. 

I promised Keith that I would mention the Top Hat.  

Actually he demanded that I mention the bar and if you know how big Keith and his mates are you would understand why I am happy to comply.  To be truthful, Keith is a friendly bloke and the 

Superstars and Top Hat Bar

Top Hat is a fine bar to visit.  Sometimes I get so busy trying to cover some of the new places opening that I overlook some of the more established localities.  The Top Hat is not new but I always enjoy having a drink or two as the music is not overbearing, the dancers are just as good looking as many of the other bars, drink prices are not out of sight and the owners/managers provide just the right friendly atmosphere.  It is a place to go where you will be remembered and welcomed by the long time resident ex-pats that frequent the Top Hat.  This is one sign of a place to go, when you notice that the ex-pat residents are steady customers so drop by the Top Hat, say hello to the "big" lads and have a most enjoyable evening.  Don't overlook this place on your "bar-hop".

The Swagman hosted it annual Wet T-Shirt contest on 24 Oct and, as usual, was well attended by many beer drinkers sitting and standing around the pool with their tongues hanging out.  

There was something new this year, for the first time, for $14.95 one could watch the contest, live, on the Internet.  This is a first in Angeles City and we must tip our hats to those clever young men at the Jade Cool site who came up with this brilliant idea.  A nice surprise for those of us living here was that we discovered we could watch the entire event on ACCTN's channel 98.  Many of the contestants showed no restraint in displaying their assets to a very interested audience.  There were 70 ladies competing this year and that is an awful lot of flesh to observe in one afternoon.  As usual the event dragged on a bit too long but there were very few complaints about that.  By late afternoon many were too drunk to notice the time.  It was a great day and for those who missed it, well, there is always next year! 

The Subic Bay Marine Exploratorium opening has slipped from its original opening date due to having to wait for approval on the environmental permits.  A plane has been chartered to bring in the animals and a grand opening is planned for Saturday, 20 Jan 2000.  A soft opening is in the planning stage for sometime before Christmas but no specific date, as the animals must be acclimated to the new environment.  One learns to be flexible with opening dates in the Philippines for as you can tell by our current political climate, anything can happen to cause delays. 

Getting older must make this horse's ears more sensitive.  I have often wondered why so many bars, especially the smaller ones insist on playing the music so loud that one must yell to be heard by your mate sitting right next to you.  The Super Star bar, next to Nero's Forum is a good example of overkill in the loud music department.  I went in there to rest my ears from the pounding they received at the Forum and to check out a location that I had not visited before.  It is a small bar but they have two very large speakers situated at both ends of the room and boy, are they loud.  I am sure it is because the dancers think that they cannot move without their eardrums nearly bursting but from the lack of customers on that night I figure that they left because of non-issuance of earplugs.  The bar itself is pleasant enough and the dancers are not exceptional but adequate.  A mixed drink will cost you P45, which is not unreasonable.  So, unless you see a lady that catches your fancy I rate the Super Star as a one drink and out location (unless you are under 35 years old and can tolerate the noise then stay for more).

At times I encounter professionals in different trades that have impressed me with their work and feel safe in recommending them to my readers that reside here in Angeles City, or may be transferring to this location.  This month I would like to mention Kennedy L. Sicat, an engineer who has a business named Lines & Colours, Architects, Engineers and Planners.  Kennedy has proven to be hard working, reliable and honest which are traits that the Ex-pat community looks for in this area.  Kennedy has completed projects for Road House, Kokomo's and other businesses in Angeles City.  He is currently the project manager for a new apartment complex going up in the Hensonville area.  His phone number is 045-331-4009; FAX - 045-892-0185.  File this one away for future reference.

The many times I have played pool at the Caddy Shack, on Santos Street, just down from Kokomo's I never realized that they served food.  The menu is not extensive but their meat pies, made by Reggie's Mrs. are delicious.  Give the chicken wings a try as Reggie has told me they are quite popular.  I guess the reason I never sat down to try and eat at the Caddy Shack is that I was always trying to get away from the infamous Paul Willis who can talk you to death. 

Opening night at Nero's

On 13 Oct I attended the grand opening of Nero's Forum and it was a fine opening bash.  

Between the dancers and waitresses there were 68 lovely ladies to look at even though a few could have gone on the Adkins Diet.  One thing is for sure; if you could not find a lady that caught your interest here you might as well go home and sleep.  My "pick of the litter" would be a lovely tall lass by the name of Angelica from Negros Oriental, 19, previously employed by the Champagne bar.  She really stood out.  The place was packed and it was like homecoming week as there were so many recognizable faces representing long time residents and other bar owners.  The opening was a smashing success.  Richard hopes that the crowds continue as the weeks/months go by as he has a rather large investment to recoup.  It is said that the total investment is around 4 ½ million pesos with one million spent on the construction of the main bar/dance area.  Check out the full-length oil painting in the men's room.  Believe me, Nero's is a place to visit and it definitely has a 10 drinks and stay for more rating.  

A new butcher shop has opened on Perimeter road located between the Clarkton and Oasis Hotel.  Dan Trotter, an American decided he wanted to jump in and compete with the Meat Co. and Bretto's, two well-established meat companies in town.  Dan has hired the experienced butcher, Alex that worked with the Royal Duty Free Store for 7 years.   They offer U.S. and Australian meat that IS imported as well as Australian beef from locally fed cattle.  They claim that their prices are lower than anyone else right now and will be since they are the "new guys" on the block.  If ordering in volume a 15% discount is available.  The shop is small and clean but lacks adequate display cases and it is a bit too early to determine the quality of the meat.  Hopefully, in a couple of months price comparisons and quality can be determined through actual purchases and tasting.  A follow-up will be necessary, but in the meantime, competition has to be good for the customer.  Good luck Dan.

A Dec 15^th opening is anticipated for a new music lounge and bar (Buzzky's) being constructed on Perimeter road, Villa Sol, on the site of what used to be Marylou's Beauty Salon.  Stopped by to try and find out what it would feature but only construction workers were present.  Did find out that the owner is a Filipina with a Japanese husband.  The entire building has been gutted and the outer façade has a very attractive appearance.  From initial appearances this promises to be a very large, upscale building and I will be trying to get some more detailed information prior to its opening.  

The Good Times bar on Perimeter road has reopened.  Check it out!

Good news!  The Greenlands Sports Resort's clubhouse and swimming pool is open 24 hours a day, which should make its many members and guests very happy. 

For those Domino's Pizza-Checkpoint fans you will be happy to know that more telephone lines have been installed to better serve all pizza lovers of Angeles City, all the way to Dau and Mabalacat.  With the acquisition of the new telephone number 331-4444 trunk hunting lines, they promise to deliver their hot and fresh pizzas in 30 minutes "guaranteed" or get P100 off your next pizza order.  The Digitel number 892-7654 is still a good number as well.  Don't forget to pick up your free V.I.P Members Privilege Card.  With this card you will enjoy a free side dish (Baked Spaghetti or Apple Crumble or Junior size Potato Tots or a Buddy size Pizza).  My suggestion is that when ordering by phone, make sure you do a time check with the clerk before you hang up then start your stop watch in case the delivery takes 31 minutes or more.  This makes pizza ordering more fun and you might get lucky.  Harry the Horse expects a free Buddy Pizza for this bit of advertising Charlie!

The Blue Boar Inn's Asshole Club picked up two new members last month, Alan Scotland and James McClide, two Scottish lads that really "ate up" the initiation rites.  The next meeting will be on 4 Nov, 12 Noon, all potential assholes are welcome to come and join up for some good-natured fun.

Fontana Resorts hosted the Mutya ning Angeles Proclamation Night last month and of course the event itself started two hours late but there were enough beauties on hand to make up for the delay.  Fontana did an excellent job but the Pageant organizers did not have their act totally together.  The biggest mess up was in letting the 500 peso ticket holders know that the dinner they were entitled to was at the clubhouse, starting at 6 PM.  The Pageant was held at the convention center.  Mrs. Horse and I arrived for the buffet at 6 PM and were the only ones there from 6 to 7:15.  At 6:30 we decided to eat for the Fontana staff had laid out a beautiful dinner buffet.  Being the only ones there we had excellent service and finally at 7:15 a few other folks showed up to eat.  Maybe the next time the Mutya ning Angeles organizers can put out better instructions.   

The bridges are not in London but they sure are falling down.  The political situation in the Philippines is in a mess now and so are the bridges in Angeles City.  During the last severe tropical storm the rains caused the controversial Friendship to collapse in 3 sections, the approaches to the new Pandan bridge were eroded so severely that it had to be closed and even the new BamBam Bridge had some experts very concerned.  The Friendship Bridge was no surprise as the City officials have been warned many times of its weakness and nothing was done to alleviate this problem.  The Pandan bridge is a surprise except that it is normal for a construction project in this town to not measure up to its full potential.  It seems that the solution is for the approaches to be extended but then, why was this not done when initially designed?  Once again those residents residing in Timog Park, Carmenville and Sunset must take the very long way through congested Angeles City to get to Fields Ave or the Clark Economic Zone.  Regretfully, traffic crossing the Abacan is now, usually at a standstill, especially during the rush hours.  The new bridge being built in Hensonville is on hold, for what else, another controversy over the letting of contracts.  What does all this mean?  Extreme inconvenience for the citizens of Angeles City with no immediate relief in sight.  Thank goodness the dry season is approaching for then we can cross Friendship as we did after Pinatubo, driving down the embankments, across the water and up the other side.  Guess we should be use to it by now.   

More pictues from recent flood damage

The Wantok Bar is being torn down and has moved to Queen Teller.  It seems that deep pockets "G"  is extending his empire even further with the building of a hotel at that location.  We have heard that the Duke of York will come under the hammer as well.  It seems like some lucky people were able to attend a special party at "G's" residence in Manila, which is described as on the par of Hugh Hefner's Playboy mansion and even boasts three swimming pools.  It seems that Fields Ave is becoming the playground/hobby of just a few key well-heeled entrepreneurs determined to bring a bit of class to the area.  This can't be all bad for Fields as most visitors can see that there is room for improvement, especially on Santos Street and Real Plaza.  The quick buck speculators are disappearing and a few investors with long-term interests are replacing them.  There are always pros and cons to any situation and the jury is out on these latest developments - lets just wait and see what happens next year.  

A couple of members of the Angeles City Hash House Harrier's made the news this month.  One David Runsamon (Doggie Dave) tried to prove that nothing could hurt an Aussie by falling down a 30-foot embankment in Sapang Bato, a favorite hiking area for the Hash.  This was a rather serious matter for as Doggie Dave was lying at the bottom of the ravine, with a broken leg, shattered wrist, head injury and contusions it was evident that his fellow hashers could not get him back to the top and with night fall looming it was imperative that a rescue be attempted.  A few Hashers went to Omni Aviation to seek helicopter support but it was not available;  they were referred to the Commander of the Philippine Air Force Wing at Clark and they were able to send a helicopter rescue mission.  This was done at no charge and it was really appreciated.  What a wonderful job they did and every Hash member continues, to this day, to praise those wonderful PAF folks.  The Dog was treated at Angeles University University and it will take some time for a complete recovery, but according to Hash witnesses, he is lucky to be alive.   On a lighter note, what is this we hear that Hasher K.C. has taken a liking to goosing any lads found bending over or was it just a one-time incident to shake up a senior citizen at Greenlands Sports Resort?  We are sure that K.C. will have to consume a "down-down" for his "mistaken identity" incident. 

If anyone is planning a trip to Correigador, Bataan and an overnight stay is required then it has been reported to me that Yorkies Hotel, Bar and Restaurant is a comfortable, convenient place to stay.  The hosts, Yorkie & Lorna Challinor personally look after any guests and are very helpful in helping arrange transportation to the Island Fortress.  Their rooms are large, comfortable and the prices for food and lodging are very reasonable.  The address is Road 8, Polaris Subd., Mt. View Mariveles Bataan.  The FAX # is (63) 0479354254; Tel #:  09194079289.

For the locals that look for the Baguio Veggie Lady who used to visit the RHUMPA once a week you will be able to buy her goodies every Friday, 10 AM in front of the Hang-out bar on Perimeter road.  This is a popular service used by the Ex-pat community as first class vegetables can be purchased but for a few weeks, the prices may be a bit higher because of the two recent typhoons.  Speaking of the Hangout, Jim Peacock, through this column, sends his regards to Dave White.  Thanks for the good words Jim.  I received an e-mail from a concerned mother in Texas asking to see if I could locate her son, who she had not heard from in some time.  Happily, contact was made with the son and his cellular phone number was provided to Mom.  A Texas bar-b-que awaits the "Horse" if I ever get to Texas.  Your e-mails are appreciated and I try to respond to each one and look forward to meeting folks whenever they make it to Angeles City. 

I spoke to Mo at Kokomo's and he has outlined a Thanksgiving feast that has my mouth watering just thinking about it.  Too early for details but not too early for you to plan on eating a great meal there on 23 November. 

My Dec column will be a short one for I will be heading to Las Vegas, Nevada on 9 Nov, returning on 28 Nov.  Business is forcing me to visit the States at a time I try to avoid, when it is getting a bit cold.  This Horse hates cold weather.  Not to worry, I love Las Vegas and I hope that they will be very kind to horses, especially this one.  To one and all, have a very happy Thanksgiving.