Up at Clark it's not easy to find great food. Dining out is not easy. You have to search for a few good restaurants and you will end up haunting them until you leave. They do a pretty good job of Chinese food in the Philippines. Wonton soup is perfect there, but beware of the portion sizes.

Leisure activities are scant unless you like sweating like crazy on a golf course or hiking up to see Mt. Pinatubo. Of course, as I mentioned, there is quite a nightlife, but it is not for everyone. Anyone that was or is in the military has probably heard many stories that they may find inviting to this kind of lifestyle, but it's important to know that it exists.

I did not have my children with me, but the school situation up at Clark is not what it is in Manila. There are no expat schools. Children will have to be enrolled in the local school system or sent to a boarding school if American schooling is the preferred choice.

Be prepared to head into Manila to "get away" from time to time. There are now a couple of decent movie theaters up in the Clark area and a couple of malls as well, but Manila has it topped. One word of caution in the movies -- it is LOUD! Wherever you go, be prepared for the need to bring ear plugs when you go to the movies.

The Pampang Market is the place to go to find good produce and if you are so inclined, there is a wet market with meat, fish, poultry and pork. The newer local supermarkets are fairly well stocked now also. (Continue)

A previous poster stated that the schools there were not too good. I would strongly disagree. For about $800 a year I send my daughter to a very good private school there and after her first year she spoke and could read and write English almost as good as I. I was truly amazed at how well she was educated. Six years old and she could read almost anything. Her writing lags behind her reading somewhat but she certainly can read quickly and her pronunciation is excellent. It's mostly at university level where the schools tend to fall off. Also there was a comment about the girls in the bars wearing numbers? I've been in AC for 15 years and a lot of that time I was in bars, never have I seen a girl wearing a "number" they do wear a government issued ID that shows they are at least 18 years of age and can legally work in the establishment. The numbers thing is in Thailand, not Angeles City, Philippines.

The Philippines is a very poor country to you have to be streetwise and on your guard but it's not unlike living in most older US neighborhoods. Given the oportunity the filipinos will try to take advantage, as they themselves say "It's our culture".

I like it there and where else in the world can you live quite comfortably on $300 a week and get by speaking English? (Continue)