Ronnie Oldham
Roadtrip to Dagupan, Philippines
We knew absolutely nothing about the place, except that it was where MacArthur landed in '45. No one we talked to could tell us anything and I suppose that was part of the allure. So one weekend we rode our motorcycles from Clark AB to the city of Dagupan on the Lingayen Gulf in northwest Luzon. I believe the hotel we found was supposed to be a 2 star hotel. It really wasn't bad, except for the lack of electricity. Still managed to have a good evening and headed for the beach the next morning. It seemed like no one there had seen Americans since '45 as they were so keen to befriend us. Neither of us had been in the PI long at this point so it may have just been that we were not yet accustomed to Philippine hospitality. That may even have contributed to the shrimp head incident on the way up, but that's another story. The beach turned out to quite an adventure. We were introduced to Ginebra San Miguel and bangus (milkfish). The locals shared insisted that we share their food and drink and a great time was had by all. The only downside was the vicious sunburn on my shoulders and thighs.
Living in the Philippines
Working at the 374 TAW
Copyright © Ronnie Oldham 1998.
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Revised: December 25, 2007.
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