Subic Bay
If one could go back in time to pre - 1992, one would find that Subic Bay was synonymous with the US Navy. It was a massive installation and important to all military operations in the Asia-Pacific region. It was the Navy's equivalent of the nearby Clark Air Force base, and to the US Navy the PI meant Subic Bay . Needless to say, all those randy young sailors and marines need places for R & R, as the forces euphemistically call getting pissed and laid! So as Clark had Angeles, Subic had Barrio Barretto and Subic City . Then the Philippines government asked the Yanks to leave, and the less than delighted locals suddenly got very poor.
However, Angeles has not only survived, but in recent years has prospered. Now it seems it's Barrio Barretto and Subic City 's time to come back to life again.
I started out in Calipiyan, which is on the coast road running into Subic City centre and about 15 minutes from Barrio Barretto. I have to say that this is a grim looking area with not many bright lights. The main bright spot is the Winchester Club , which is the final outpost of the Bill who ran a club of the same name in Jomtien. The Winchester , which also has some reasonable standard rooms, is the pick of the go-gos in both areas - simply because it has that many more girls and as long as Bill is there will be a happening spot. Outside in the forbidding street, I tried a few bars and found a strange mixture aimed at Filipinos, normally featuring some kind of exceedingly boring show, expensive drinks, no décor and very cheap furniture. Then there are a few foreigner directed bars, of which I found Kinkys to be the pick. But some pick, since there is a good sprinkling of fully converted and semi-converted former boys! Some are very obvious, but others are not so. Still, at least they were trying and the head "lady" readily owned up to her previous existence a boy, which she says she has now irrevocably put behind her. There were also a few quite attractive genuine girls! Griffs bar has an American owner and about four girls, one of whom had massive assets which she delightfully liked to show off. However, the decor has clearly not been touched since the Yanks went home ages ago. And the nearby Eagles bar with the interesting promotional tag of "Nest with the best" does not look like it is doing more than surviving. The owner is a keen hash supporter. I did notice new bars opening up further down the road towards Subic City and I am told more bars will open in this area in the near future. Some lights and paint would help enormously!
Down the Road, towards the freeport , things in Barrio Barretto look to be positively hopping. This is a full on - well almost - resort town with a clutch of foreigner owned and operated small resorts. The Blue Rock is a popular bar and resort. I had an interesting barbie in the bar of this Aussie run operation, which is right on the beach. See http://www.bluerocksubic.com This is not on the main highway but on a side road going to Baloy Beach . Also on this road is the Harley Bar , run by an English football fanatic; it also has a few rooms. See http://www.harleyspub.com
On the main road there is a plethora of bars which all seem to be tourist orientated. Opposite another popular resort, the Palm Court, are Broadway and Oriental Rose . Both are basically go-gos, with Broadway having a bigger selection on offer and the girls were into formation dancing, as is the want in the Philippines . However, I found Oriental Rose a better option as it seemed more laid back and the girls seem keener to talk. In this area there is also a small clutch of bars set back, including NightRider . There was not a lot of go-go in these bars despite a poles and dance pits: better days for both the bars and the girls seemed to be the reality.
There is much talk about Subic improving when a new fast road from Angeles/Clark is completed and a massive ship building site gets developed. Add that to the growth of low cost airlines operating into Clark , and Subic seems to have a rosy future. And I can assure you that it is not just a seaside spot to take your latest belle. There are more than enough LBFMs here that you can leave home and be assured of company when you arrive!
Angeles City
Back in Angeles there was one new development among several others worth a mention. It is the new Big Easy on the small parallel soi to Fields Avenue from Santos . This is a good change to a standard go-go, with a rock band fronted by a couple of aging Farang rockers (lead guitar and sax) with backing from some younger local talent. Very much a retro band, with bubblegum and 60's standards only on the play list, it is all jolly good fun. I am told the Hollies drummer jammed with them a few nights ago. There are enough dancers who wobble for those who like a little eye candy, and more!
Manila
In Burgos Street , Makarti/Manila, some go-gos have hit on a new way to gouge the punters. The popular bars of Flamingos, Wild West, Mogambos and Banditos are now adding a so called 12% VAT on all bills. There are no signs stating this and the alleged VAT goes on everything, including the 3K bars fines and 300 Baht lady drinks. Since these prices, nor indeed the beer at 120, could exactly be described as cheap, it has visitors and locals alike in uproar. Most are voting with their feet. Since there are plenty of other options, I see no reason ever to set foot in these bars again!
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