Clark Air Base Scrapbook

by Thomas C. Utts

Sunset on Manila Bay.
 

Looking out of a hotel room at Risal Park with the government buildings in the background.
Most buildings and monuments in the PI looked better from a distance that up close.

This character use to hang out in front of the
hotel across from the U.S. Embassy. For a
few pesos he would pose for pictures.
I think he was suppose to be a
samurai warrior, but we called
him the moon man. His
outfit was fashioned
from old rubber
inter tubes.
 
 
 
 
 
 

It was a July 4th 1972
or possibly 1973. It wasn't
planned, but I suddenly I
was in the middle of the
FilAm (Philippine/American)
Friendship Day parade. Do
they still have that? Anyway,
Marcos had consolidated
power -- for nearly the next
20 years-- and there was
a big parade. He and mum
sat in the stands surrounded
by guards while the military
and units from the different
provinces passed by.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Quit a study
in contrasts.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

One of the most popular day trips on
Luzon was to Pagsanjan Falls. Don't
remember how long the drive was,
probably a couple hours. Once
there you hired a banca boat
and the two-man crew who
paddled up river
to the falls.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Passing boats going
the other way was
always fun because
the crews like to splash
water on each other
and their passengers.
Now this part of the
trip looks easy.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

But when they
reached the rocky
rapids it got more
difficult. The way
the boat crews
lugged, pulled,
pushed and hauled
those boats,
maneuvering
around each other
coming and going,
was nothing short
of amazing.
 
 
 
 

The falls were
spectacular even at
a distance. Unlike in
America, the trip wasn't
not over at that point. You
got to do more than just
stand there and look or
take a picture. Who
wants to get on the
raft for a trip into
the falls???
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

And they didn't just take you past the falls, they encouraged folks to jump in and
swim around. Can you imagine that happening in any National Park in America?
No, No!! It's not safe!! After rafting around the falls, they pulled in behind
and you got to get off on a shelf that was carved out behind and stayed
as long as you liked. All in all, one hell of a ride.