JULY 2004

I know, based on past experience with the webmaster, that there is no sense wishing everyone a happy 4^th of July as this won’t get out until after that date. But maybe, since John Bee is going to assist this time, maybe it will get out on time.  Tom is just too busy with payrolls and reports at the beginning of each month.  Last month I wrote that Pres. Macapagal had won the election and now, at last, it was officially announced on 22 Jun that the rest of the Philippines agreed with me.  For the tourists visiting here the times are great, the peso rate is favorable, new clubs are opening, and one club has even eliminated the EWR policy, sort of.  For those of us living here full time though the bad news is that gas prices continue to rise and now the electric rates are due to have a big jump as well.  If it continues like this, the bad news is that eventually, the price of beer will go up.  So, quick, book a flight right away while the beer is still cheap.   

We had another case of an Expat being murdered recently and a mate of his asked me if he could write a few words about it.  I am more than willing to spare some space in my column for folks that have something to pass on to the community and to those abroad who might be interested. 

After getting a taste of being surrounded by beautiful, sexy women, Jerry sold his share of Jerry's Café and enjoyed his last day on 31 May; this is definitely the end of an era.  He'll devote all his time to his new endeavor, Cherry's.  All his customers will really miss him, his great personality and of course, that toothless smile.  But, how can you miss a guy that has only moved right next door?  See ya Jerry!  (By the way, you are too late, someone already bought Jerry’s share of the Café) – My goodness, after writing this, a week later I get a message telling me that Jerry bought back his share of “Jerry’s” and moved back there.  Maybe the sight of good looking girls every night was too much for him and he is content to just look at a bunch of old, worn out expats every day instead.  I’ve got to go and talk to this toothless geezer, it should be interesting!

I have not had the time get over to Saver’s Mall to check out “Spenser’s Eatery” which has only been open for a few weeks but I am getting some positive feedback that tells me I better grab Priscilla and get over there next month so I can write about it.  Webmaster Duck has been there and I value his opinion on food and movies and he told me it was worth a visit.  It is an “infusion” restaurant in that they offer a varied selection featuring Thai, Chinese, and Philippine specialties.  If any of you get there before me give me a heads up on what you think.

Pizza, pizza everywhere, at least for one night last month at Kokomo’s.  New manager Stu at Domino’s had an idea for a pizza challenge in town but did not organize it quickly enough so Mo at Kokomo’s joined forces with him and decided to hold one with only those Pizza establishments offering delivery invited to attend.  Participants were Kokomo’s (of course), Domino’s, Sub-Delicious, Pizza Hut, Didi’s Pizza, Salvatore’s and Pizza Zone.  Surprise, surprise, Kokomo’s came in first and Domino’s second and you better believe that Didi’s was dead last (yuck).  Personally, I think that pizza is subjective to individual tastes and that it is difficult to judge one better than another but now I have to go and try a Kokomo’s pizza to see why it is considered better than Domino’s which I favor.  Recently I have met many that swear by the Pizza Zone pizza and some that still like Salvatore’s but since the owner passed away I feel that the pizza is not nearly as good as when Sal was running the place.  No real opinion here, Mo indicates that it was a fair contest we all believe that, right?  Of course!  I will be checking out this number one pizza this month and will time how long it takes to deliver.  Congrats to Kokomo’s and Domino’s for their 1^st and 2^nd place awards. 

I have heard that Peter, one of the owners of the Blue Nile complex is looking to sell his shares in the operation but the price is quite considerable, in the neighborhood of $600,000.  Richard Agnew, one of my favorite owners in town has been keeping a rather low profile of late and many of us miss his presence.  For what it is worth, I always liked Richard because of his energy, ideas and dreams of making Fields Ave a show place.  Regretfully, when one becomes too successful or too visible in this town you become a target for various government fund raisers that can turn your dream into a nightmare.  For some, the nightmare never ends.  Miss our talks Richard, hope to meet you again.  

Before it is finished the Hotel Royal Amsterdam is already garnering a lot of interest.  This is the newest hotel under construction on Fields Ave and it promises to be one hell of a fine dwelling.  The problems that Mark Smith encountered with building permits in June have all been resolved and around the clock work is ongoing so that this four story hotel should be completed by August.  I have not toured the site yet but will do so soon but anyone interested can access their webpage at www.hotelroyalamsterdam.com. 

I have known Dave Donney for quite a few years now but not well enough to sit down and have any long conversations with him.  Conversations usually centered on activities where he worked, i.e., the Narra Swagman, the Patio, a hotel in Manila, and many other places over the years.  One afternoon last month while sitting at the Orchid Inn with friends Dave sat down and started to talk about his jobs and adventures while working in India and folks, I was enthralled with his tales.  It was so interesting that I hope to get him as a guest speaker at my Rotary some time in the future. 

What surprised me is that he and his mates, while working for GE Hydro in an isolated area of Kotla, Northern India read Harry the Horse to keep up with what is happening in Angeles City.  His two mates, Glenn Shaw and Derek Charman are still there and I hope will be reading this so I can tell them that there are a hell of a lot of women here waiting for you lads to come down off the mountain. 

 Their site is really isolated, surrounded by 19,000 ft. mountains not far from the foothills of the Himalayas.  They are 52 miles from Tibet and the only recent excitement they had is when their driver drowned in the pool.  Dave tried to send me a scanned picture showing where they are but it did not come out too well.  Glenn and Derek, if you have a digital camera and have access to the internet send me a few pictures of your surroundings so I can publish them next month.  Meanwhile, be careful when swimming in the pool.

Under construction on Perimeter road is a Thai restaurant that should be open sometime in July.  I review this restaurant as I really enjoy Thai food.  The location is close to the Carlson Water Works, Clarkview which is convenient to those checking out the bars in this area as well as local residents.  Right now my favorite Thai Restaurant is “The Wanjai” located on New York Street, Villa Sol Subdivision.  PornTip is an energetic Thai lady that has been here for years and is a great cook.  She works the kitchen herself and will try to prepare dishes for you that may not be listed on the menu.  The Wanjai is a secret that screams out to be discovered, check it out.

The CDC people on base are supposed to start removing the illegal structures on Fields Ave but I will believe it when I see it.  Already they inhabitants are trying to get a TRO.  Just in case, I photographed the entire side of the street in question so I can have some before and after shots.  It sure would be nice to see them taken down, it would be the third time since I have been here but I do not think they will be rebuilt this time.

One of the pleasures of writing this column is that every so often I get a request to plug an event that I truly believe in and derive great pleasure in passing it along to.  This request to announce the “Annual Christmas in August” fund raiser at the Roadhouse is one of those events.  It is a wonderful endeavor on the part of Mark Smith and company and I personally know that this is not a money maker for Mark, but it is a wonderful money maker for the Bahay Bata Street Children’s Center and believe me, financially, any donations are more than welcome, whether in cash or in kind.  Believe me, the success of this project depends in large part on the generous financial support given to the many tourists coming to Angeles City and the Expats living here that believe in giving these street children an opportunity to have a quality life that will lead to their becoming good citizens as adults.  See you at the Road House in August.

MEET THE TOURIST

	Jose A. Pabon

I had a pleasant surprise one morning when Jose A. Pabon, a Las Vegas resident stopped by to visit me.  He told me that he reads this column every month and wanted to meet “Harry the Horse”. 

After I confirmed that he was not stopping by to kill me I offered him a cup of coffee and found that he is a pilot with World Airways and has been coming back and forth to Angeles City since last Oct.  He plans to retire here and at the time, his favorite bar was “Nero’s”.

 I plan to visit Las Vegas in September (yes folks, no column in October) and hope that I will be able to catch up with Jose and his friend Randy.  I wish more tourists would stop by and say hello as it makes my job so much easier when I do not have to even get dressed to find my “Tourist of the Month”. 

 I particularly enjoyed meeting Jose since he had such a good personality and lives in North Las Vegas, not far from Nellis Air Force Base..

DARTS

The great sport of darts has all but died out in Angeles City.  The only place to pick up a game is at the Blue Boar Inn, just off of Perimeter Road, Clarkview, near the VFW.  There are only three lads that get together to play on a Thursday night, Jimmy D, Danny Jimenez and Tony Powell. 

There is no longer a league in Angeles City, the bars figure that there is not enough income generated to justify the expense and the space required.  We are talking steel tip darts now, not that bastardized electronic darts which Americans like because they do not have to strain their brains to add and subtract and they like the lights and noise that goes with it. 

Anyway, if you want to visit a location where steel tip darts is alive and well take the time to visit Barrio Barreto, Olongapo where they have around 12 teams in the league, including a women’s team.  Once in a while I get up that way on a Wednesday to play with the D’Altos team and the last time I visited we played the Beach Blvd Café (BBC) team.  It was a very entertaining afternoon for me as there was a lot of good fun and darts. 

We beat the BBC team, the 2^nd best looking team in the league and I look forward to a return visit one of these months.  I was impressed with the Beach Blvd. Café and its unique décor.  It was very relaxing and rooms are available, but for sure, not very fancy.  The prices ranged from P600 to P1200 but there are only six available.  Anyone interested in reservations can call 918-443-8930.  Monthly rates are available.

Darts Team Blue Boar Inn  &  Let's throw some darts.

MISSING PICTURES

My June column was a bit of a screw up as far as getting the pictures I submitted to the Webmaster inserted with the items I wrote up.  Six pictures were omitted; two for Hidden Vale for the ladies and men’s lawn bowl teams that will represent the Philippines in England (Ladies) and Scotland (Men); Jim Kelly and Hong Kong Gary who had that challenge match at the Owl’s Nest, two pictures of charming ladies from the Kitten Club and one rather questionable looking “lady” who was calling out “Mo, where are you?”  Hopefully John Bee will be able to get these posted.

Ronalyn, Rosita & Reila		Damien & Peter
Hong Kong Gary & Jim		Welcome to the Kitten Club
Kitten Club's Janie		Mo - Call me!

CLEVER

Folks, I thought this was clever enough to swipe from the AC board and post here.  How do you guys think these things up?

HIDDEN VALE UPDATE

Many times in the past when I have written about Hidden Vale I suggested that current members continue to pay their dues and remain optimistic about this club’s future despite the ups and downs that we have witnessed over the past few years.  Last month I was less than confidant as to what to do about paying the required P3,000 for continued membership by 30 June.  This month I was able to meet with Josephine (Marketing and Sales), Ben (Resident Manager) and only a few days ago Greg McDougal who we all know and was able to have all my questions answered.  I thought I was to meet the members of the new Board of Directors as well but they failed to show up.  I had a very long sit down with Greg and Josephine and we discussed in depth my concerns as well as issues that Greg had in regards to my writings.  Yes, folks, believe it or not, there are times when Greg gets upset with me and Josephine thinks that I tend to write “trash” but criticism must be swallowed along with the good comments as well.  Regardless of what the new Board of Directors thinks of me, I am supportive of Hidden Vale and Greenlands before that.  After discussions with management and also many members of the club the consensus is that the present proposals are more than fair and that I have no problem with paying the P3,000 before the end of June.  Why is this?  Well, the wording asking old members to submit an application for membership in Hidden Vale that required board approval was really meant for new members but for old members the form to be filled out was just to update Hidden Vale records and in no way was meant to mean that our current memberships were not recognized.  Paying P3,000 and then not having to pay monthly dues is more than fair and is being well received from the majority of the members, including myself.  During the hour meeting I had with Greg he laid out the plans that the new investors have for the club and I am willing to wait the approximately two years it will take for all these plans to become a reality.  Some construction has begun already but the transformation of Hidden Vale will not take place overnight; it will take time and require efforts in obtaining necessary funding.  But those are problems for management and the investors, for now all they ask of the members is our support and that seems fair to me.  I will continue to observe and report on the progress of Hidden Vale so that those members who are out of country can remain informed. 

CHEETAH’S CLUB

Irish

The young lady pictured here is Cheetah’s manager’s choice and she is a very good choice.  Going by the name of Irish she hails from Pangasanan, 19 years old, no children and prefers a man “not young, not old” which leaves a lot of us out of the running.  Irish told me that she does not have a boyfriend or children so I do believe that a visit to Cheetahs is in order.  To be truthful, my visit to Cheetahs was not to look for a good looking lady but to discuss with Robert Sullivan the new “no EWR” policy that was put in place. 

This is a new concept for Angeles City bars and will be carried over to the newly renovated Cleopatra Club when it reopens under a new name.  The message boards are burning up with opinions and comments on this policy.  Leave it to Robert to stir up a bit of interest in town.  I can tell you that this concept did not come from Robert himself but he is tasked with implementing a policy that came from “above”. 

The idea is to eliminate the problems that come with a EWR policy and the proliferation of cell phone dates that are becoming a bit of a nuisance.  Management can say that they hire dancers and are not involved in anything else, though the girl, if she leaves work early for any reason is docked her wages for that evening.  Presently that amounts to P150 but could add up to a bit more that would enable the owner to nearly equal what would have been generated if the EWR policy was still in effect. 

One would have to talk to Robert to learn the full details of this policy but I can’t guarantee he will part with the information (if you have access to the AC message board or are a member of go2phil you can read more details as provided by John Bee).  Bear in mind that this is an experiment and who knows if it will work or not; if it provides a bit more protection to the managers and owners of the clubs in town from the NBI and other law enforcement officials, then so be it. 

Like any experiment it needs time to either work or fail.  I have lived under the present system since 1977 and had no problems with it but times have changed and sneak outs have become more prevalent and the bars are suffering more and more scrutiny with each passing month.  Cheetah’s new policy will allow them to collect nearly the same amount of money they would have gotten with EWR’s but now, technically, they do not have barfines or EWR’s, whatever you want to call them. 

You know who will decide whether this is a permanent change – the girls, mamasans and the customers.  An owner can come up with ideas galore but if the people I just mentioned do not go for it, well, time for another change of plans.  By the way, the San Fernando office of the NBI has completed their move to the DFA building at the Clark Economic Zone.  This is one neighbor that we are not keen on dealing with; they are a bit too close now.  Guess they moved here to save on gas during their many trips to Fields Ave.  The price of Christmas has just gone up!   

ANOTHER TOURIST

Normally I would have saved this for next month but I have a special reason for including Philip Brand this month.  Many years ago, well from 1958 to 1962 I was stationed in England at a small site called “Denham Studios” just outside of Uxbridge, Middlesex.  Uxbridge has many good memories for me as I used to go dancing at “Burton’s Dance Hall” every weekend and used to go to the cinema there as well. 

It was the last stop on the “tube” and the central bus station as well.  Every time I meet some one from England I always ask if they have heard about Denham Studios or Uxbridge but this is the first time I met someone who actually lived in Uxbridge for 20 years. It was such a coincidence that I had to take his picture and include him this month.  Currently, he lives in Oxford, England and tries to make it to Angeles City whenever time and funds permit. 

 Since I met him at the Butterfly bar I was not surprised when he said that it was his favorite location for entertainment not only because of the ladies but that Nico (owner) played the music that the customers liked.  Well Phil, thanks for helping me revive a few memories about a very special time in my life, I hope we meet again.

Waiting for you!		The Wild Bunch.

WET SEALS

By now you many of you have read about Annie and Miguel having sold the rights to Wet Seals to two Americans that have gutted the place and plan to open a mega night club costing mega bucks to build.  This is another location that I must visit this month, meet the two lads and snap a couple of pictures.  Naturally, the name Wet Seals will become a memory but there is no need to forget the names Annie and Miguel who came to town a few years ago, bought the rights from Mo and opened Wet Seals. 

This bar was never one of the hot spots in town and its interior was not that great but what made Wet Seals a draw was Annie herself and hubby Miguel when he was in town.  Annie developed a very loyal following and folks went there not so much to look at the dancers but to enjoy the personality of Annie.  She could make the drab interior shine with her smile and would regale you with tales of what plans she and Miguel had for Wet Seals. 

Over time though, it became clear that the task to upgrade this building would be quite expensive and after they bought into an open air restaurant/club further down on Fields Ave they started to think about selling out.  Luck follows Annie and lo and behold, two yanks came to town with tons of money and that all too common goal of wanting to own a bar on Fields Ave.  Annie and Miguel closed the deal in less than a week and laughed all the way to the bank. 

The new owners were anxious to start renovations and only gave Annie a few days to clear out.  She vacated the premises one night at 8 PM and a three month renovation started at 8:30 PM the same night.  They have a 6 million peso budget and plan to have 100 dancers plus four Mamasans as well as four pool tables and a internet café on the second floor. 

The idea is to create a one stop bar hop.  They even have a couple of City employees on their payroll as consultants who are well known to anyone working on Fields Ave. so even though they are relatively new to the nuances of Fields Ave they no doubt feel secure in the advice being received.  Now, why will it not be necessary to forget Annie and Miguel?  Because they have moved their operation, full time to the BMG or Club Amor down the street from Kokomos.  I am sure they will do well because of Annie’s fan club and all the newbies that will wander in off the street.  Annie, Miguel congrats on a good deal and may your good luck and success continue to follow you at your new location.  Meanwhile, the development of the old Wet Seals site by Derek and Clay should be interesting.

THI-HI CELEBRATES THEIR 5^TH

Last June it was a fun day and evening as the Thi-Hi staff celebrated their 5^th Anniversary with cake, booze and plenty of thighs.  Old Las Vegas Deery, as usual crashed about 5 PM and had to go upstairs for his nap.  No problem, Josie (Miss Thi-Hi herself, the real boss) handled the customers with her usual aplomb and a good time was had by all.  Fellas, this is one bar you have to make the effort to visit even though it is far removed from Fields Ave.  You will not be disappointed.

HOW SWEET

Just to show you what you might be missing at the Thi-Hi take a look at this sweet lady that had only been working there a few days when I took this picture.  Her name is Carly, 25 years old and has a one year old baby girl.  No boyfriend and likes guys from 30 to 50 years old.  You know, no wonder Priscilla the Horse lets me out to take these pictures, she knows I am too damn old to get in trouble.  I don’t expect this lady to be around too long, she is simply too good looking and has a very pleasant personality.   

Eddie goes Batty  

You never know what to expect when you pop in for a late night snack at the Hole in The Wall on A. Santos Street.  While consuming a great mushroom burger this guy walks in with a live bat on a string, no doubt hoping to be a “PETA” poster boy.  His name is Eddie and the consensus was that, for sure, Eddie’s gone “batty” at the Hole in the Wall.  As you can guess, the Hole in the Wall is just a down home fun place to hang out, eat, drink and for sure don’t piss off any of the motorcycle buffs that drink there.  If you don’t like the idea of a bat on a string, I suggest you say nothing and leave quietly.  Personally, I would prefer a rat, maybe Eddie can help me with that.

Dare I mention that the Knights of the Brown Ring (AH Club) will be celebrating their 5^th anniversary on Saturday, 3 July?  Why not, and to think I owe it all to Clive at Roy’s Bar.  I have to get out of here as it is getting late and Priscilla wants me at the Farm tonight in order to celebrate 7 different birthdays tomorrow.  I bought the cake, got the cards for playing Tonkin all night and my fingers are stiff from typing all day.  Definitely, right now, I am out of here BUT, remember, be kind to horses.