Angeles

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Angeles City is in Pampanga province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. It is rich in history and heritage, with old and historical significant buildings dotting its landscape. In 1899, it became the seat of the Philippine government under General Emilio Aguinaldo and the site of the first anniversary celebration of Philippine Independence.

Angeles is a thriving city often compared to the Philippine capital and largest city, Manila. The city is a booming nightlife center and tourist destination, while the adjoining Clark Freeport Zone is the site of world-class resorts, casinos, duty-free shops, and beautifully landscaped golf courses. Its capital, Balibago, is especially known for its bars and nightclubs, thus tagged the entertainment district. The city, and the rest of the Pampanga region, is known as the "Culinary Center of the Philippines."

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

Angeles is served by the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clark Freeport Zone. The airport is where budget airlines like Air Asia (from Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu) and Tiger Airways (from Singapore and Macau) fly to. Also, it receives direct flights from Hong Kong and Korea from current carriers like Asian Spirit, Asiana Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, South East Asian Airlines, and Tair Airways. Non-international flights are offered by Cebu Pacific.

[edit] By bus

This is the most common and economical way to get to Angeles from Metro Manila. Several air-conditioned bus lines ply from Manila to Angeles route with terminals scattered across the metropolitan area. It takes 1 to 1 and a half hour to get to Angeles by bus. Longer than that would be most likely due to stopovers along the way. Provincial bus companies have scheduled trips from Manila to provinces to northern provinces and key cities.

[edit] By car

The best way from Manila to Angeles via car is taking the North Luzon Expressway which extends until Sta. Ines in Mabalacat, Pampanga. You may take either the Angeles Exit or Dau exit to get there. Another motorway, though narrow, is the McArthur Highway and visitors need to pass through the province of Bulacan to get to Angeles on both routes. It usually takes about 45 minutes to travel but it’s twice the travel time if you plan to take the McArthur route due to heavy traffic along its stretch. Rental car companies can be found all over Manila and Angeles. If you don't know the routes, you can hire drivers by asking the attendant of the rent-a-car shop.

[edit] Get around

[edit] By jeepney

To hop on a colorful jeepney (small bus) is certainly the most affordable way to get around downtown. It’s available 24 hours a day and it is the most famous mode of transportation in the country, which connects towns and cities together. Tricycles (motorcyle with a side car) and the rare calesas (horse-driven carriages popularized during Spanish colonization) also abound the city and are usually only used for very short trips. They take you to the exact places that you want to go but these may not be convenient for most foreigners, as these can only accommodate 2 persons and are cramped so they're designed for people of small stature.

[edit] By taxi

Though it’s more convenient for tourists, taxis are less common in Angeles and is not usually used for travel outside the city. Simson’s taxicab terminal can be found particularly next to Clark Freeport’s main gate in Balibago.

[edit] See

• Post Office Building - constructed in 1899, it was used as a jail house for recalcitrant U.S. troops during the Philippine-American War. It is now the site of Angeles Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Center.

• Museo ning Angeles - used to be a municipal hall, it periodically features exhibits on the history, culture, the tradition of the city and its people.

• Fort Stotsenburg - named after Colonel John M. Stotsenburg, a Captain of the Sixth U.S. Cavalry, it was the location of the first permanent quarters of the American forces in Angeles. It is also known as the "Parade Ground," which served as a venue for many important celebrations by the Americans.

• Old Pamintuan Residence - was the seat of government of the First Philippine Republic under General Emilio Aguinaldo. It is now the site of the Central Bank of the Philippines in Region III.

• Don Juan Nepomuceno Residence - is the oldest building in the city, built in 1824, by the city founder, Don Ángel Pantaleón de Miranda.

• Holy Family Academy Building - was served as a military hospital of the U.S. Army in 1899, and later as the troop barracks, officer's quarters, and arsenal by the Japanese Imperial Military Forces in 1942.

• Bale Matua - was the residence of the founders of Angeles City, Don Ángel Pantaleón de Miranda and his wife, Doña Rosalia de Jesus.

• Camalig - was built in 1840 by Don Ciriaco de Miranda, the first Gobernadorcillo of Angeles and was used as a grain storehouse along Sto. Rosario Street. It is now the site of Armando's Pizza and Camalig Restaurant.

• Bale Herencia - was built in 1860 and is situated in Lakandula and Sto. Rosario Streets. It is a picturesque house with the unsavory reputation of having been built for the mistress of a parish priest.

• Holy Rosary Church (a.k.a. Sto. Rosario Church) - was used as a military hospital by the U.S. Army from August 1899 to December 1900. Its backyard was the execution ground to the Spanish forces in shooting down Filipino rebels and suspects.

• Juan D. Nepomuceno's Center for Kapampangan Studies - houses a library, museum of archives and gallery, research center and theater, put up by the Holy Angel University in 2002 to preserve, study and promote Kapampangan history and culture.

• Lily Hill - is a strategic observation post for monitoring Japanese movement in World War II. Remains of Japanese aircraft and other similar aircraft were found here at the end of the war. Along this hill can now be found Lily Hill Duty Free Store.

• Mount Pinatubo - is now an inactive volcano that brought devastation by its eruption in 1991 and forced the U.S. military base to abandon this city. Trekking the volcano's slope and dipping into the crater's turquoise-blue waters is truly an adventure of a lifetime.

• Apu Chapel - is the shrine of the Our Lord of the Holy Sepulchre (Apung Mamacalulu). Devotees pay their homage to the shrine every Friday.

• Expo Pilipino - is where the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the declaration of Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898 was held. Today, its 35,000-seating capacity amphitheater is a favorite venue for concerts, ecumenical services, and political rallies. Nayong Pilipino is adjacent to this site.

• Nayong Pilipino - offers a good and educational alternative road trip destination in the country. It is slated to open in November of 2007.

• Kapampangan Museum - houses World War II mementos and different helmets used by the Axis and Allied powers of World War II.

• Bayanihan Park (formerly Astro Park) - is home to a year-round mini-amusement park with rides, such as the Octopus and a haunted house, plus it is an ideal spot for sports and recreational activities having basketball and volleyball courts and huge space for jogging and other recreational activities. This is where the famous and historical "Salakot" is now located.

• Salakot Arch - from 1902 to 1979, Clark remained a U.S. territory, guaranteed by the Military Bases Agreement (MBA) in 1947. In 1978, the Philippines and the U.S. agreed to establish Philippine sovereignty over the U.S. bases and thus the Clark Air Base Command (CABCOM) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines came into being, following the signing of a revised MBA on January 7, 1979. To commemorate this event, the government constructed a special structure based upon the design of a native Salakot hat and soon became a widely recognized symbol of this new spirit in the long tradition of Philippine-American relations.

• Clark Freeport Zone (formerly Clark Air Base) - now the site of the Philippine Air Force and once the largest U.S. military base outside of the United States, is now home to a number of resorts, golf ranges, casinos, and high-class hotels. Duty free shops, foreign and local investment companies, and a number of call centers can also be found inside the freeport.

[edit] Do

Angeles has a number of places of interest and a couple of festivals it can call its own.

• Tigtigan Terakan Keng Dalan - this translates to "Music and Dancing in the Streets" and is an annual all-night party on the streets of Angeles, usually lasting 2 to 3 days at the end of October. It features music from amateur and OPM bands and is attended by celebrities and citizens alike. This event is used to celebrate the Octoberfest.

• Sisig Festival - is held annually in the month of December, celebrating the Kapampangan dish sisig, which said to have been originated in this city.

• Philippine International Hot-Air Balloon Fiesta - is held every year between January and February and it features multicolored hot-air balloons with more than a hundred balloon pilots from around the world and considered to be the biggest aviation sports event in the country.

• Mt. Pinatubo Trekking - is highly recommended for trekking or hiking enthusiasts who like to have the most memorable trip to this once deadly volcano. One would have the experience to board a 4x4 which will head to lahar country passing some rough terrain, gray, barren mountains interspersed with green, lush mountains. Upon reaching the summit, you would definitely enjoy the spectacular clear blue, pristine waters surrounded by mountains.

• Visit the Pool Resorts - though Angeles has no beaches, it has a number of resorts to choose from, including Angeles Beach Club (ABC), Clearwater, Fontana, Oasis, Holiday Inn Resort, Amando's, Villa Alfredo's, Villa Antonina, and Greenville, some just slightly outside the boundries of the city.

• Drive Off-Road - an off-road challenge is set in Clark where you can take on a wild, bumpy, ride in old four-wheel-drive jeeps in a safari-like journey across the dusty expanse of the valley to a campsite. It is organized by the Angeles City Four Wheelers Club and is ideal for trekking and be able to see the lahar canyons, Gate of Heaven and other sites in Mount Pinatubo.

• Lawn Bowling - it's the only one in the country and is offered at the Hidden Vale and Angeles Sports and Country Club, a mature 11.34 hectare site which includes a nine-hole golf course, luxurious penthouse suites, and driving range.

• Golf - world-class golf courses, such as Holiday Inn Golf and Resort, Fontana Resort, Angeles Sports and Country Club, and Hotel Swiss Chalet are the recommended golf courses for those so inclined.

• Drag and Go-Kart Racing - a variant of open-wheeler motor sport with simple, small four-wheeled vehicles, you can find this attraction at the Omni Aviation inside the Clark Ecozone.

• Casino - being renowned as a city with high concentration of casinos, such as Casino Filipino-Balibago, Casino Filipino-Mimosa, Fontana Casino, and Casablanca Casino, Angeles offers a variety of activities that will keep leisure travelers definitely happy.

• Play Pool - in a city of great champions like Efren Reyes and Rodolfo Luat, Angeles City has an abundance of pool tables to play all along the Fields Avenue and hundreds of other places in the city.

• Learn to Fly - experience a safe and low-cost flying for those who have an interest in aviation at the Angeles City Flying Club. The area also offers many additional attractions, from diving to cycling to hiking to night clubbing.

[edit] Buy

If you like to shop, Robinsons Place, Jenra Grand Mall, Nepo Mall, Saver's Mall and the SM City Mall are the places to go. These are mostly shopping malls with boutiques, department stores, supermarkets, hardware stores, movie theaters and over a hundred shops and restaurants.

Duty-free stores are to be found inside the Clark Ecozone as well, namely Pure Gold, Oriental, Parkson, Clark Interiors, Liberty, and Arjan that sell imported housewares, cooking items, snacks and branded clothes. Most of which are surplus so they're actually cheaper. Some of these stores have an extensive selection of cigarettes and perfumes as well.

There are many other fun places to shop household items, clothing, including audio-video equipment in a makeshift market called "tiangge" at bargain prices at Apu district every Friday. Twenty-four hour convenience stores, like 7-11, are also found in the city from city proper to Balibago. Most locally owned stores, which they call sari-sari, sell retail terms, especially the cigarettes that you can buy per sticks or per pack.

Handicraft stores sell locally good and export-quality craftwork. The Rosa's Handicraft Gift Shop and Mhea’s Custom Woodcraft have a large selection of gift items and are conveniently located in Balibago district. Stores selling souvenir shirts, woodcraft and other local stuff are also dotted along Fields Avenue and they’re sold for cheaper prices.

For more Angeles souvenirs and products, you may get in touch with the Metro Angeles Chamber of Commerce and Industry at (045) 323-4145.

[edit] Eat

Angeles is known for being the "Culinary Center of the Philippines." This reputation reportedly goes back to the Spanish colonial times where it is said that the Kapampangan cook learned very quickly to improvise on Spanish dishes using local ingredients.

The culinary adventure in Angeles is sure to be an experience of a lifetime. A must-eat dish is "Sisig", from which Angeles is famous for. From its humble beginnings in Aling Lucing's Eatery along Angeles' railroad to its present top-of-the-menu ranking in Manila’s bars and nightclubs, sisig has come to conquer the Filipino drinkers’ palate. It has become the quintessential pulutan fare — the default order that comes with every round of beer.

Other not-to-be-missed local mouth-watering cuisines are Dencio's kare-kare (another Kapampangan menu, which is a Philippine stew made from peanut sauce with a variety of vegetables, stewed oxtail, beef, and occasionally offal or tripe), bringhe (local Spanish paella), fresh papaya lumpia, tilapia in tausi sauce, adobong pugo, burong isda (fermented rice with fish or small shrimps), Aling Luring's batute (a frog stuffed with ground and seasoned pork, then deep fried to a crisp), pork and carabao tocino, Bale Dutung's burong talangka (the fat of salted little crabs, very rich and laden with cholesterol but hard to resist), Filipinized pizza in a bilao at Armando's Pizza, brazo de mercedes, halo-halo from Razon's and Corazon's, Susie's Cuisine's famous pancit luglog (palabok), tibuk tibok (made from carabao’s milk and also known as "maja blanca"), and turron de casoy. If you are a person inclined to drinking beers and eating barbecue, then Frank & Jim, Marisol Steakhouses and the eateries along Angeles railroad crossing are certainly the spots for you. Street foods, such as fishballs and kikiams on sticks, are a must-try at Nepo Compound vendor stands.

If local cusine is not your type, no need to worry as the city has a wide range of pretty decent restaurants to choose from. Fine restaurants and eateries that serve international menus are C Italian, Salvatore's, Zapata's, Cottage Kitchen, Red Crab, Subdelicious, Rumpa, VFW, Chic 'N Ribs, A la Crème, Rib Eye Steak House, Fortune Seafood, Perfect Loaf, Four Season’s Grill, Angeles Fried Chicken, Bretto's, Mar’s, Shanghai, Toll House, Hana-mi, Didi's, Peking House, Mister Frosty and a host of other American, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican and Korean restaurants.

A number of coffee shops are also to be seen even in the outskirts of the city, such as Northern Brew, Baracas, Coffee Overdose, Coffee Outlet, and Beatico, that serve drip regular coffee, decaff, brewed coffee, espresso-based hot drinks, other hot and cold drinks, and snacks.

[edit] Bar-hopping and drinking

Certainly, Angeles is home to many bars and karaoke sites. It boasts of a number of clubs which fit any budget and personality. There are traditional clubs with DJ's and the live band clubs. Such clubs include R&B, Skytraxx, and S.O.S.

Balibago is the place to head for comedy bar shows like Klownz Angeles, dancing and drinking beer - it is a non-stop drinking pleasure seven days a week, everyday of the year.

In Diamond Subdivision across from Marlim Mansion Hotel is a great place with cold beer and mixed drinks. The name of this place is Klub Caterva. It is on the second floor of the building and next to the Topsy Turvy and The London Bar. The bar is new, which was just opened in January. There is a DJ and dance floor as well as a seating area. http://wikitravel.org/upload/en/thumb/b/be/IMGP0045.JPG/450px-IMGP0045.JPG http://wikitravel.org/upload/en/5/58/KC1.JPG http://wikitravel.org/upload/en/thumb/9/98/IMGP0042.JPG/800px-IMGP0042.JPG

[edit] Contact

Internet cafes have become a common sight along university roads, at the malls, hotels, and different establishments. You'll have no trouble finding cheap and fast internet access. Usual rate ranges between PHP15 and PHP30 an hour. You will also find cheap gaming stations aside from internet access.

[edit] Sleep

There are many nice hotels around the city, furnished with the luxury of modern day living with upgraded facilities to accomodate your needs. Some can be found along the Clark Perimeter Road while others within the Clark Freeport Zone. Most of these are four to five-star type hotels by Western standards like Oasis Hotel, Holiday Inn Resort, Angeles Beach Club Resort, Century Resort Hotel, Clarkton, Maharajah and Fontana Leisure Park.

A series of hotels called Patio, Patio II, and Patio V cater to American and Australian travelers, mostly men. Patio V is named after the American VFW post, which is just situated next door.

[edit] Get out

Explore the Philippines and more of Angeles City. There is life outside of Fields Avenue and Clark Ecozone.

WikiPedia:Angeles City World66:asia/southeastasia/philippines/angelescity