DECEMBER 2003

Well, HO - HO - HO, here we are welcoming another Christmas month and that means in two more months I will be another year older. My goodness, the years pass too quickly once one is over 60. When I was 15 it seemed to take forever for my 16th to roll around and then even longer to hit 18 and drink legally. Now I drink prune juice, take vitamin pills and wish for a newer improved Viagra pill. Webmaster "Duck" has told me that he is starting up a new site called "doingangeles.com" and Harry will be moving to that new location. Not sure when the actual operational date will be but it will be announced on the go2phil site. The Duck has informed me that this new site will be "HOT!" For those of you that were wondering why the November column was so late it was because the Duck was sick in bed for quite a few days with the flu and was not able to get to his computer. November was a fine month some new establishments opening and a couple of renovated places with familiar names seeking that new look in the hopes of attracting those sought out tourists coming to town. I do believe that December will be a great time for all of you to visit as all the bars and eateries will be working so hard to make your stay extra special. It's still a bit early but let me take this time to wish all the readers of this column a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and folks, I do appreciate your readership over the years and the comments I receive, both positive and negative - without you, my life would be far less interesting.

SPHINX
 

Flexible Body

The following message was sent to me last October by a reader of this column and shortly afterwards Bill, owner of Sphinx, closed his bar for a couple of days to renovate and reopen with a "Coyote Ugly" theme and with ideas provided by Robert Sullivan is attempting to provide various types of entertainment that should give customers the opportunity to see far more than the usual same old semi-boring display of dancers that all too often are more interested in looking at themselves in the mirror than putting any effort into their dance routines. An exception to this is the Roadhouse with Mark Smith making sure that the girl's attention is focused on the customer as they do their coordinated routines on stage. It was pure coincidence that Dave Teribus forwarded his message to me just as Bill and Sullo were planning the new look and theme of Sphinx, that still includes a live band but with many more exciting events that will be interactive with the customers (those brave enough to participate) and will produce an atmosphere of fun-fun-fun. Naturally, those ladies that most folks come here to interact with will still be available as well but fun

A "Mike Caron" type

entertainment for the customers will be a prime objective of the new look Sphinx. Entertainment such as oil wrestling contests (last Friday of each month), Seymour Butt's first ever indoor pool party (5 Dec) and Monday nights ladies night featuring a slave auction where the ladies bid for the guys (50% of all fees will be saved for charity) are the first offerings with more ideas to follow. I hope all these projects are a success, why? Because Bill is being innovative and is willing to take chances and try new ideas even if it costs a few bucks. A man that is willing to take chances and go out on a limb to provide the entertainment requested by customers like Dave deserves a bit of support and Harry the Horse has his hooves crossed in the hope that this time, Bill has hit the jackpot. Good luck Bill!

Dear Harry,

Well thanks a lot for the reply _ I didn't really expect one to be honest, you probably get more responses to your column than you can cope with. Anyway, since you were nice enough to reply, here are a few more comments from me for what they're worth.

Numbers in the big clubs as an attraction factor? Yep, places like the Blue Nile certainly do have an attraction, I must admit, but the smaller places can't compete on that level and will have to offer something different if they want to survive. IMHO a bit more variety from bar to bar would do Balibago no end of good. As it is (or was last year anyway), with a couple of exceptions it didn't matter where you went, everywhere was pretty much the same _ uninspiring music with the girls shuffling from one leg to the other looking a bit bored and admiring themselves in the mirror. Variety could be the key, I think. Anything that's a bit different from the usual. It doesn't have to be erotic; it just has to be fun. I don't think the decor is so important though, at least not as important as the bar owners with their continual renovations seem to think.

For what they're worth, here are a couple of suggestions from a potential returnee:

Music - 1) Some people like really loud bars, but most don't. Personally I prefer the volume to be at a level on which I can carry on a conversation without shouting - talking to the girls is a major part of the fun. I never stay in a noisy bar, no matter how good it may be otherwise. 2) It might help if each bar had a recognizable individual music style meant to appeal to a particular customer segment, rather than them all playing more or less the same. (Harry recommends dropping in to listen to the vocalists in Black Jack) In 2002 the only bar that was consistently playing anything that this particular customer actually liked listening to (60s and 70s rock) was Ayers Rock. More diversity in music styles would mean more customer choice and would enhance the entertainment value of the whole area. 3) Let the girls pick at least some of the music themselves. When they dance to songs they like, you really notice the difference, and the place livens up. In general, whoever it is that's picking the music now in almost all the bars seems to be very much lacking in imagination. How about consulting the customers and the girls every now and again?

Bands _ I have to agree with you here. Although I like live music, this is not the place for it. And karaoke? _ I'm outta there!

Shows - Personally I think "shower shows" look pretty silly, but there's no accounting for taste. Anything with a bit of fun in it that livens the place up and makes it more human is great though, and the more individual _ for instance the acrobatic turns _ the better. I reckon if a girl really wants to draw attention to herself, (Sphinx has one and so does the Gentlemen's Club) which is what the job's about in a competitive situation, chewing gum and shuffling around in front of the mirror is not the way to do it. Anyone with the energy and enthusiasm to do the individual acrobatic turns I saw back in 1995 though is definitely worth at least a couple of ladies' drinks as far as I'm concerned. If the girls are having fun, the customers will have fun too, and they'll stay and spend money. The mood of the customers depends a lot on the mood of the girls - if they're active, happy and smiling, the customers will be happy and smiling too, and the drinks _ ladies' and otherwise _ will flow. If they're bored, unhappy and turned-off, the customers will leave. Well, that's the way it was with me, at any rate. So maybe the message to the managers is to keep the girls happy and the rest will happen by itself.

Cheers,

Dave Teribus

BEN LUCK BAR

This is a small bar that has recently opened on Perimeter Road, close to the Limited Edition. When I visited there around 9 PM on a Saturday night it was absolutely empty and the few ladies on hand were not all that interesting. The Mamasan, Cristy, was friendly enough but could not make any decision regarding whether I could take some pictures of the ladies and the club so that you, the readers, could get an idea of what it looked like. The owner is an Australian, named Ben (of course) but was not on the premises and could not be reached at all. Cristy is separated from her Japanese husband and this is her first job in an Angeles bar. I was not impressed with Ben Luck at all but I must try a return visit at an earlier time, maybe around 6 PM would be better. The only reason I would bother with a return trip is that I read on the message board that this bar was fun and that it was like being in the Angeles City of old. Boy, you could have fooled me as I first came here in 1977 and believe me, this bar does not come close to what was going on in those days. I consider the "old" days to be when the American GI's were here and that ended in Dec 91 when the American flag at Clark was lowered for the last time. But, being optimistic, I feel that I must have just picked the wrong time and day and a return visit is in order, just don't have time to do so for this issue.

MAYBE AND ABSOLUTELY NOT

Just a few doors up from the Ben Luck Bar is the new L PM Club that welcomes locals and

Michelle

foreigners but you may or may not want to go there. It is one of those clubs that attracts a higher income local crowd as they have live music provided by a small combo, karaoke, two MCs and hostesses that will sit with you if you buy them a drink for P200. You can even pay for a private room, including the hostess for P1500 and up, depending on how long you want to occupy the room. Now, normally, I would not write up such a place but the reason it is included this month is that the ladies employed as hostesses were very good looking and quite friendly. The two MC,s, Mariz & Jhay were fun to talk to and they certainly make a customer feel welcome. One can go in and have a drink or two without having a lady sit with you and still be able to enjoy the band, the interaction with the MCs and checking out the charming lasses on hand. During my short visit I discovered my "I would if I could" lady and her name was Michelle, 23 years old, very available, hailing from Pampanga

L PM Staff

 (a local girl). When I told the floor manager, Tess that the P200 for a ladies drink might be a bit expensive she explained that for that price the lady would sit with you for 35 minutes (yes, they time the visit) and that at some of the clubs on Fields Ave many of the ladies would have consumed two ladies drinks in that time. Anyway, that was her rationale and my thinking was that it might be worth a try to some folks visiting here since the quality of the ladies employed certainly were a step above the average. So, maybe, just maybe, some of the readers here might want to visit the L PM which is open from 4 PM to 4 AM six days a week (Closed Sundays).

Right next door to the L PM is "Lady Morgana" and all I will say about this place that had opened its doors earlier in the year, then closed, and has just recently reopened its doors to the public is that this is one place that I absolutely think visitors to town will not be putting on their barhopping list. But then I might be wrong, it may be strange enough to generate some interest but definitely not on a large scale. I did not stay long enough to view what was supposed to be a sexy dance show even though I was a bit curious as I had to get down to Fields Ave to the Roadhouse to check out the 10th year anniversary happenings. Maybe another time, in a year or so!

A SUCCESSFUL TEN YEARS

On 22 November the Road House's Mark Smith celebrated ten years of successful operation and a packed house of happy customers were only too pleased to join in for a joyful evening of free drinks (7-9 PM), snacks (all night), raffles (with great prizes) and of course tons of fun with the ladies in their charming costumes. Mark is a master at organizing a great bash and his events are well attended as no one really wants to miss out on all the action. The happiest group on hand had to be a number of beautiful Road house alumni on hand that were drinking, dancing, singing and just having a fine old time. The clubs on Fields should get together and have a contest on how many of their ladies over the years met and married a customer. I suspect that the Road House would have the most, what say you Mark?

Nice hat	10 down - 10 to go

WORLD CUP FINALS

In was one exciting evening, even for an old "septic tank" like me who doesn't know a bloody thing about rugby but was still wise enough to bet a whole P500 on England to win the World Cup. All over town Aussies and Poms had their eyes glued to the telly and their hands on a glass of cold beer as the match became tied and went into overtime and then the roars of delight as the game became tied during the overtime and then the groans from the Aussies as England, at the last minute kicked the winning goal for a 20-17 English win and the Poms cheered and danced in the streets of Angeles City. I ran into a few celebrants from the English camp in town that sort of represented the English mood of winning this close match and the following pictures speak for themselves. I would have preferred a final with the Kiwi's on board but it was not to be. Old Davey White had to be content with his mob getting an easy win over the Frenchies (not a difficult thing to do) but he got a bit of revenge by betting on the English and winning a ton of money on finals night. It was indeed, a very fine evening with both sides doing themselves proud. Could the American Super Bowl be any more exciting - I doubt it!

WILL KOKOMO'S EVER BE FINISHED?

For the last year, Mo's been constantly working on Kokomo's. First it was the removal of most of the outside walls and the creation of 'The Porch", then he added the 10 hotel rooms. Last month Voodoo moved into a largely unused area at the front and now he's moved the large staircase and is adding a nice outside bar and more table seating at the sidewalk. Word is that the outside bar will be named Lollipop. Lollipop will have GROs and be open 24 hours. I wonder what Mo's going to do next? Any suggestions folks, I know, maybe a 10 pin bowling center on the second floor!

DIRTY TRICKS

There are some real evil folks in this town. Would you believe that last month someone sent a letter to the office of the President of the Philippines asserting that there were two bars in Angeles City that employed under aged girls. The letter was sent to the Mayor's office and the bars were "inspected" the next day. Everything was in order! The amazing part is that City officials would react to a letter with such ferocity without consulting the management of the clubs. Well, based on past experiences, it is not all that surprising.

CONCUBINAGE

That is not a word that commonly crops up in any conversation but it applies to a woman who is not legally a wife but lives with a man and has a recognized position in his household (Concubine). Last month an Expat in town was arrested after his wife (they have been separated for four years) went to the police and charged him with "Concubinage". That is a new one to me and I will be curious to see how this plays out as for now he is free on bail. Is any foreigner, especially a businessman, in this country ever safe from abuse? Guess all the husbands in town that are supporting a second "lady" on the side better hope that their wives do not become familiar with this case. It works the other way as well, for there is one Aussie in jail in Manila that had a business in Angeles City and was having an affair with a woman married to an influential Filipino. The Filipino took legal action and the Aussie received a two year jail sentence of which he has already served one year.

THE NEW STAMPEDE

Friday, 28 November was the opening day for the newly renovated Club Stampede. Regretfully, this was too late in the month for me to include any pictures but I will do so in my January column. I have spoken to Jimbo, one of the three owners and have watched the ongoing renovation where the main change will be that it is being converted into another girlie bar, complete with the stage, dancers and GRO's. The pool table will remain but the kitchen will offer only snacks and sandwiches instead of the full menu offered in the past. Jimbo and Ozzie have been the prime movers (financially and idea wise) of this renovation and it is a drastic change from the original concept that started out quite successfully a couple of years ago but saw business taking a dive after Jerry's Café opened next door and then Jimbo falling ill and not being on the scene to keep the ball rolling. With the new look and Jim being back full time things should look up for this bar, especially with the additional energies of Ozzie being added to the enterprise. No bar, old or new is guaranteed success but an effort is being made to adjust to customer demands and if the Stampede can gather together enough good looking women and keep their bar customer friendly, with reasonable prices, then I think they will be right on.

LAST SUPPER?

This is definitely not a last supper, nor are the lads pictured here on any "wanted lists" put out by Interpol (not yet anyway). The culprits lined up at the table are enjoying the weekly Monday roast lamb dinner put out by Pig (Mike Evans) at the Phoenix Hotel for only P210, including veggies, roasted potatoes, French bread. It is available from 1130 hours until it is all gone but believe me, it does not take long for the lamb lovers to finish off the lot so get there early.

Last Supper?

VISITING "THE C"

Lets dance

First it was the Runway, then the "R" and now "The C" named after the very beautiful, charming owner Charmaine who is also a great hostess that will greet visitors with a friendly hello and a great big smile. It is located along Perimeter Road, next to Bubbles Bar and reopened on 4 Nov with a cozy coffee shop serving, of course, various flavors of coffee and even three types of tea. Don't stop at the coffee because you must try their sandwiches and fantastic entrees. I went for the chicken pastel (P135), various pastas but for sure order the Jambalaya pasta (P155) and the Asian style spare ribs (P155); my drink was a grape mild shake made with fresh grapes and yes, I did eat a lot. I was so full that I had difficulty climbing the stairs to the night club to listen to the Onda Latina band from Manila that specializes in Latino music. They were fantastic and play every Tuesday night starting at 2130 hours to 0200. This was an 8 piece band with vocalist that was top quality and fit in with the upscale atmosphere of "C". There different bands scheduled during the week and Saturday is comedy night. The cover charge is P200 consumable with beer costing P45, any other alcoholic drinks are more expensive but bear in mind that you are visiting a night club comparable to those in Manila with top bands on board to entertain, and believe me, these bands don't come cheap. This is the place for those of you looking for quality entertainment and a change of pace from the usual barhopping routine on Fields Ave. All too often I have heard visitors say that there are no alternatives to the bars on Fields Ave where one can go to get away from the usual routine of dancing girls/GRO's and hustling Mamasans (of course those male visitors with extreme concupiscence have no desire to go elsewhere) but just in case you are looking for a change, try an evening at the "C", I do believe you will like it.

Latino sounds - Onda

DEE BEE'S

"Scratchy" and company

The economy must be picking up in Angeles City as it seems I am doing a lot of writing about new places opening up. I finally got over to Dau one Saturday afternoon to check out an enterprise recently opened by English businessman John Davies. I was able to meet with the Australian butcher affectionately (I think) called "Scratchy" (real name Peter) who is tasked with the responsibility to arrange importation of quality meat from Australia. The establishment is an eatery, entertainment center near the Dau bus depot named Dee Bee's. It is open 24 hours a day, offering a good menu at reasonable cost, expresso coffee, iced coffee, twinings tea and fully imported beef, lamb for the meat lovers and everything is cooked in cholesterol free oil. When water is required for cooking mineral water is used and I can vouch for that as I watched them pouring it into a big pot for the preparation of corned beef. The place is spotless and features a big screen TV and some time this month off tract betting (OTB) will be added to the entertainment schedule. It is definitely off the beaten track and because of the traffic I very seldom venture that way which I regret because I am sure that if it was closer to the Fields Ave area it would do one hell of an expat trade. As it stands

Deli counter

 now the trade is 75% Filipino and that is the target customer base because of the location but expats that find themselves in the Dau area are happy to discover such a great watering hole nearby. 's. Another Deli plus DB's is under construction in the Friendship area and Scratchy has said that all his meat will be imported from Australia but, yes, it will be more expensive than cuts of meat available in town now but the boss believes that folks here are willing to pay a bit more for quality meats. When I spoke with owner John recently, he told me that the meat flown in from Australia will not be frozen but refrigerated, and that it will be available to the public without being frozen. The quality will be the best available and he has promised the Horse a sample cut of steak that, once eaten, will convince me that the extra cost will be well spent. More coverage on the Friendship store will be provided next month. For now - meat lovers rejoice!

Entertainment area	Satisfied customers

LOVED BY EVERYONE

Merry Christmas folks

A year ago I wrote about Jim Farley and by golly I plan to write about him every year that he is still holding down the fort at 3 J's in Villa Sol. This is a man that has a spirit that enables him to keep smiling and also keep everyone who knows him smiling as well. I met up with Jim while he was at PIH getting his three times a week dialysis treatment and despite the surroundings managed to keep me and the medical staff smiling and laughing. Why is Jim special to me? Well, he is so damn inspirational because here is a man that has a congested heart, stomach cancer, messed up kidneys, small tumor on his brain, arthritis, skin cancer and according to Jim, "a few other minor problems not worth mentioning". He takes 37 pills a day and viagra is not one of them. Jim looked at me and said "the next time I die I want to do it all at once, not a piece at a time". Jim wants to wish all that know him a very Merry Christmas and for those that don't know him I can only say that you are missing out on knowing someone very special. Drop by 3 J's, the place where no one is a stranger and say hello to Jim Farley, a man you will never forget.

IN GENERAL

Once in a while, I hear or read something that piques my interest and feel it warrants a bit of comment. Last month two items caught my eye; one, a potential customer for the new Central Park wrote that during his ocular visit he asked one of the employees about the swimming pool and the employee indicated that no problem, even though they did not have one he could use the pool at the Orchid Inn. For some reason, I do not think that would go over too well with the Orchid Inn management team.
The second item of interest is when someone was complaining about two ladies from La Bamba who agreed to be in his company kind of left earlier than agreed upon but he gave compliments to the La Bamba management for reimbursing him for certain expenses. Then he writes "But no matter. My friend, a cute sex bomb dancer at the Bunny Ranch has already done the 'texting thing' and will be pulling a sneak out after her work is over at 3:00 AM and will come over for the balance of the night and the next day". Here is a man quick to complain and ask for a refund for lack of service but feels absolutely no guilt about accepting a "sneak out" and even brags about it. This seems like a case of where the Club owner is expected to take care of the customer but the customer feels like he has all the rights in the world to "screw" the club owner. Bottom line, "runners" and "sneak outs" are, and always will be part of the Angeles City scene but I guess the club owners who invest their money to give the customers what they want are not allowed to complain about the "sneak outs".

Late last month I received a phone call from John, in Queensland, Australia who was at odds with me on last months comments about "KEEP THOSE GUNS", where I quoted a message sent to me about gun control in Australia and its ramifications. I quickly informed John that it had already been pointed out to me that the article was inaccurate and that I had, after the fact, checked out www.swopes.com and was able to get the true story. Now that I have discovered Swopes I do take the time to check out such stories first. In fact, a reader in Las Vegas, NV forwarded me a report on Target Stores, a chain in the States, being unfair to Veterans and when I researched the story on Swopes, found it to be inaccurate so did not reprint it here. Now to all my mates in Australia, as a Yank (Septic Tank) that is easily influenced am I to believe John when he informed me that Queensland was the best area in Australia?

My e-mail address is harrythehorse@harrythehorse.com. For some reason, sometimes it works and all too often it does not. If you get something returned just try to resend it later. I am not all that computer literate so can't figure out what the problem is. Reluctantly, maybe, I will have to give up on my DSL connection.

VIETNAM CORNER

If you enjoy Vietnamese food then check out the new restaurant on McArthur located on the service road a few meters before you turn left to go to the Swagman Hotel. It's a small open front restaurant serving a great variety of soups and some tasty entrees as well. The couple who own the place are very interesting to talk to especially Trang Reyes who hails from Hue, Vietnam but also lived in Cameron Bay and finally Saigon before meeting and marrying Nilo Reyes who is half Vietnamese and Filipino. The prices are reasonable and the food is good, check it out.

A taste of Vietnam

RON THE SHOOTER

Former Angeles City, Balibago resident and long time AH (Knights of the Brown Ring) member, Ron "Super Sperm" Connell, celebrated the birth of his second child, Christine, with Filipina wife Grace. At 66 years of age it's good to see that old super sperm can still shoot the "silver bullet." Ron and family currently reside in Newcastle, Australia.

Daddy Ron & Christine

WISHING YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS

It is that time of the year to throw in a few photos from some folks that I know wish one and all a very happy holiday season - no captions here, see how many of the folks you know.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. The AH Club (Knights of the Brown Ring) will be on 6 Dec and I hope this column will be out before then. I'm a bit late submitting it to the Duck as it is already 26 Nov as I finish up. Got to get the Santa Claus suit out and get ready for a busy month. Yep, that means a very short column in January as these old legs can only do so much. January will see me checking out PIH Hospital to see when I can get my abdominal hernia surgery so am not sure about about the Feb issue if I go under the knife. Next year will see me trying to get a visa for Priscilla the Horse to accompany me to Las Vegas in September, want her to see the States with me before I get too old too travel. Am also hoping that 04 will see some of those projects on base start to develop that I have written about in the past, if so, you will sure have a lot more to do and see when you visit Angeles City. If you get to town, drop by the Blue Boar Inn and let me buy you a holiday drink and if you enjoy darts, I'm available to throw a few arrows with you. Special regards to my mates in New Castle, Australia (is that the best place in Australia?).