No guide to the Philippines would be complete without a mention of Angeles located next to Clark Field in Pampanga.
This is the number one girlie bar district in the Philippines, probably getting it's start during the era when the US had the Clark air base at airport there.
In 1991 Mt. Pinatubo erupted speeding the evacuation of the base and perhaps giving the US less incentive to negotiate a deal to remain there.
For whatever reason the base was returned to the Republic of the Philippines in 1992 and is in the process of being transformed into Clark Freeport.
This is intended to be an international trade zone and it looks like it is beginning to take shape.
The airport itself has been renovated and international flights are increasing.
New high rise hotels are being built along Fields Avenue and the red light district is loosing any character that it might have had.
In it's defense it must be acknowledged that many foreign men have found the light of their lives in these bars.
Many girls have come from the provinces and cast their lot with one of the many men that have come here looking for a girl to take home for keeps.
Of course many relationships have soured and many never got past the business level.
Some of the girls are quite content to earn a few bucks and send the money to the family back home but others are desperately searching for a new life.
Most of these girls are quite on the game and it is not a matter of "rescuing" them like some of the good people try do.
Many of the girls are successful and move on to a new life in Europe, Australia or the US.
Sometimes it is the guys that need "rescuing" but everyone has their own life to live.
Jimmy of the Blue Boar has a site - www.harrythehorse.com that has a lot of in depth information about Angeles.
I have chosen to concentrate on other parts of the Philippines and its various cultures and islands and leave Angeles to the others. In the old days this place had so much character but it is no longer interesting to me.
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