ANGELES CITY: THE "NEW" OLD HOTSPOT IN ASIA.
Dateline: Angeles City, 27 November 2003

The more things change the more they stay the same...of course it is a cliche but sums up the atmosphere perfectly for this return trip to Angeles City after an absence of over 2 years. There have certainly been lots of changes for the better and some things that never change.

After arrival in Manila, transport by registered taxi van to Angeles was arranged. The posted rate is P2500 but you can bargain down to P2000. If you book ahead, you can arrange transportation to Angeles for P1000-P1500 through Margarita Station and others. The street cabbies can sometimes be bargained down to P1000, but your security is in their hands. The trafic out of Manila and to the North Luzon Highway tollbooth was surprisenly light. It took about half and hour...often it can take an hour or more. There is ongoing roadwork currently taking place on the NLH which may add up to an hours delay to the normally 2 hour trip from Manila to Angeles. This time, however, it was smooth sailing all along the highway and into Angeles.

This trip was undertaken on somewhat short notice so no hotel booking was made untill a day before arrival. The fact that this trip happened to coinside with the Thanksgiving week holiday in the USA may have something to do with the lack of hotel rooms around town. One of the things that has not changed is the lack of decent and affortable hotels in Angeles. The old standbys are still around and getting mustier by the day. There are a couple new smallish botique hotels (details in later reports). Calls were made to the Sunset Garden, Orchid, Phoenix, Apartelle Royale without success. Rooms were available at the Clarkton and the Premeire. The Clarkton quoted a rate of P1250 for a "standard deluxe" room and the Premeire P900 for "standard [all rooms standard]." Having never stayed at the Clarkton before, it was chosen so at least it would be a chance to investigate them. Well, like noted above, some things about Angeles never change and crappy overpriced hotels is one of them. For P1250, you get a smallish room and old bathroom with no tub and minimal space. The bed is about the size of a full or small queen size. The hotel interior hallways have formica tiles and has that hospital corridor ambiance this reporter hates. The hotel has no "personality." It is also, apparently, a favored lodging of those grateful allies of ours, those founding members of the Coalition of the Unwilling, the Germans. On the plus side, if you get rooms that don't front along Fields Aveune (this reporter's), it is pretty quiet and they also run a half-hourly free shuttle van service into town and back to the hotel. This service runs till 3 a.m. so is quite handy if one was to overindulge a little and leary of trusting one's life and wallet to that lower than pond scum specie, the Angeles trike driver.

To this returnee, the passage of time seemed more like 2 months rather than over 2 years. The town has grown but many of the old faces are still around. Many of the mammasans are the same and remembed me from 2 years ago. The same is true for the service staff at Margarita Station...many of the same faces. Even the photo guys and the snack vendors that stalk the gogo bars are the same. It's almost like one never really left...it still feels like a little bit of home. There seems to be more of a prevelance of Germans/Euros than before...but that is just one night's and morning's impression. There are also many more Japanese of Koreans also. Have not determined if these Asians are bonefide afficianados of the "hobby" or daytripping execs from Manila or some of the local manufacturing plants. Initial impression is that Angeles being basically an American, Aussie, Kiwi preserve, with a smattering of Euros and Asians seems to have changed.

Many new restaurants in Angeles and some serious money and time being spent putting food on the punters plates. Of course, these will all be investigated in due course (pun definitely intended). Just after one night, noticed a upscale Euro food eatery and a 24 hour "Subway Delicious" sandwich shop with a ground floor table service and upstairs sports bar lounge and pool hall. A very nice sandwich was had there to fill the belly. There are plush lounge chairs, big screen TV, and maybe 10 small TV around the bar showing various sports channels. Pool is P10 per game. Noticed also a few freelancers hanging around this venue too. Maybe Angeles is developing a fully fledged nighlife scene, with gogos, beer bars (a couple noticed last nigh on Real Street, and a more pronounced freelance scene.

As to the nighlife, IT IS HOT HOT HOT. A quick reconoiter of most of the gogos in town was done the first night and well, let me just put it was a FOUR cigar night. That's how much fun it was. Bought myself a box of Flip cigars for P1800 and just smoked the night away. Many of the "classic" gogos are still around but the real story is the new places. Real gogo palaces...big expansive stages, most 2-stories, really nice decor, and great sound systems. Some serious money [laundering?] being done in this town right now. And the line-ups...outstanding. Several of the new gogo palaces like Blue Nile, Nero's Forum, and Cambodia are better in decor and ambiance than...and I don't think this is going out on a limb...just about anything you will find in Bangkok/Pattaya. Things have really changed in this respect since a visit of over 2 years ago. Back then, it seemed like the town was dying up on the vine. Tired and old looking girls, rundown gogos, lackluster food, and a dearth of punters. Now, the town seems to be running on steriods. New restaurants, a couple new hotels, and big luxe gogos with great line-ups.

You and I see eye to eye on almost everything on the other board and I am assuming you are the same person. I am tired of the old guard trying to convince us that some of the weaker bars are hopping when they are packed with fuglies. Great job.

B,

I know what you mean. I'm tired of their wining about the big show places too. They can stick to their itty bitty bars with their short fattie dancers. Just helps keep the numbers somewhat down in the flash new places.

Will be back in A/C 13-28 Jan. If you are there (live/visiting) let me know and we should try to hook-up.

Cheers,

J

B,

Just read most of your recent A/C report. Great stuff...agree mostly. Only little quibble is with the food and working girls parts. You didn't mention Subdelicious sandwiches. Not bad and open 24 hours, with sports bar upstairs. Pizza was one of my favs in A/C.

Where you say the GROs and waitresses are generally prettier than the dancers...I cannot agree. I generally find the dancers (at least the good looking ones) usually always surpass the waitresses and GROs. I thing the only reason a girl serves or GROs is either because she is cherry, really too shy to dance half-naked, or with or post-child or just plain pangit.

Did take a great waitress out of Cambodia last trip, however.

I will be there on January 26-28....we will definately have to hook up and head out to Blue Nile. IM me and I will give you my PI cell.

Johnnie B, great write up, esp. appreciated your critique of Clarkton as I remember it being recommneded somewhere as a decent alternative. I also spent most of my time at the new go-gos and had a special fondness for BN and Cambodia (Neros was closed that time). BN was an especially awesome set up with its hydraulic dance stage, great lighting and the great looking gals doing those synchronized dances-- spent hours and hours at that place alone and took out most of my barfines from there.

Merlin,

I agree totally. I will be back Tuesday 13 Janaury for most of the month. I will be spending alot of time in BN again. I will give an updated report with pictures (new Canon A-70 bought in Singapore this weekend)!!!

Cheers