Back to Subic Bay

Yesterday found us back on the road, this time to Subic Bay, which I visited in November. As seems the norm lately, it was raining when we left, it rained intermittently on our drive up, and it rained throughout the day when we were at Subic. Poor weather, coupled with me forgetting our camera, led to some fairly poor photos, but what can you expect when you're reduced to taking pictures with a phone?

Could the day be any grayer?


We did manage to get some decent photos of the old bunkers, which the Americans camoflauged with plants, and of the roads, some of which are being quickly reclaimed by the jungle.




Our drive down one of these back roads took us to a collection of failed or failing tourist spots, including an abandoned concrete Noah's Ark, a stand of concrete dinosaurs, a small zoo with at least two live tigers but no visitors, and an abandoned museum of Filipino national heroes. It also brought us face to face with a half dozen ostriches, though it was unclear whether they were on display or livestock.


We also made it outside the former Navy base this time, to the neighboring town of Olangapo. We were looking for a nearby fishing village mentioned in the Lonely Planet, but a sudden deluge of rain derailed those plans. We did see this interesting cemetery, which began on the shoulder of the highway and went straight up.




Since it was raining -- again -- we gave up on seeing anything else at Subic and headed north to Angeles, the town outside the former Clark Air Force Base, where there's a tasty little Cajun and Creole restaurant that does a fine imitation of New Orleans, both in food and ambience. The last couple of times we'd been in the neighborhood, they had been closed. (We tried on a national holiday and again on a Monday. Much of Angeles shuts down on Mondays since the city does much of its business over the weekend. After four or five visits to Angeles, I think Shelly is still the only western woman I've seen there. On the other hand, when it comes to white guys visiting girlie bars and hookers? Well, it kind of looks like the USAF is still in business, only they've gone out and recruited a bunch of fat 50-year-olds.) The Cottage Kitchen was open this time, and we ate like we were back in the South, with fried catfish and hush puppies for Shelly and a blackened burger for me. Yum!