More of a loop-de-loop than a bend, but what do I know?
Shenandoah Bend is one of the more interesting streets in the neighborhood, and not just because I live there. It twists and turns and circles around unlike any other road I’ve seen. If anything made any sense in this subdivision (or country for that matter), this would probably be three separate streets. Not that it matters. Another factoid is that there has been more new construction on Shenandoah than anywhere else in Alta Vista. I’m not sure why, but it does have the highest elevation and best views, so maybe that’s it.
Here’s an example of a typical view from Shenandoah.The beginning (or end) of the Bend. It was where I started today. And as we’ll see, the other end of the street has no end.There are no subdivision houses down here, but there are several “squatter” shacks out in those woods. I’m using that term squatter lightly because I have no reason to believe the residents don’t legitimately own the property. You can walk out the back side (we’ve hiked back there) but Shenandoah affords the only road access. I’ve noted that the guards allow the residents free access to the ‘hood.Heading up the street. I understand a Hasher from Angeles recently purchased two lots off to the right. At least he won’t have to worry about someone building right next to his house as we have seen throughout the subdivision.Houses on the hill. We’ll get to those. A newly completed house. In fact, the people who used to live in my apartment had it built. When they moved out, I moved in.Another bend in the road.A house in the earliest stages of construction.Another newly completed residence. It’s massive and really quite beautiful. The construction workers let me do a walkthrough when it was nearly completed and it is quite impressive inside too.Across the street is this fine home. I know the owner, Jeff, who also owns the Treasure Island Resort on Baloy Beach.The house next door to my place. It’s for sale for 12 million ($240,000). Been on the market for a couple of years with no takers. My upstairs neighbor offered to rent it for $1000. a month but the owner wants to sell. Hmm, I’d love to have that place. Maybe I’ll offer her $1200. a month. I ain’t buying nothing here though. Want to be able to flee when the Chinese take over.My humble abode. Well, the bottom half anyway.“Come on and ride the wind, we’re going up around the bend…”Yet another house completed in the past twelve months…Yet another bend in the road…And here’s what’s around the corner.This house has a downstairs apartment as well. I briefly considered it, but it was too small for my overly ambitious lifestyle…That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!A rare straight stretch leading to…What kind of madness is this?Turn left you are on Shenandoah…Turn right you are on Shenandoah. Why I’ll be! You got me going in circles now!More new construction underway. I sheltered in that carport the other morning during a heavy rainstorm while I was out walking the dogs.Okay, see that street down there? That’s Shenandoah. And I’m standing on Shenandoah. It’s like being in the Twilight Zone.Does any of that look familiar? We were just down there a few minutes ago. Yep, that’s Shenandoah too.I really like this house a lot. You are probably asking yourself why? Well, you need to see it from the lower part of Shenandoah……see what I mean? Just about the right size for me and features those million-dollar views.The house next door has almost completed construction now. It’s been going on for almost two years. It is probably the largest house in the subdivision.Way out of my league!Another recently completed house.Here is how it looks from the back…While that last house was being built I kept thinking about the frequent landslides I see during rainy season. And this house is right next to a hillside that appears prone to collapse. They did some half-assed measures to prevent that, but I’m not sure how effective that will be. I can see there have been some small slides already, and we haven’t had a real typhoon yet. Good luck!I’m not sure what happened here. They were going gangbusters and then everything just stopped. It’s been almost two years now with no activity. Perhaps the owner is a foreigner stuck back in his homeland because of COVID. Anyway, I’m not going to include it in the house count at this point.And that brings us to the final bend in Shenandoah. Unless you want to circle back.
This also concludes our exploration of the Alta Vista de Subic subdivision. It was a good experience for me as a resident to take the time to really observe my surroundings. Hope you all enjoyed it too.
It can get a bit rocky sometimes up here on Shenandoah, but it’s all good.
And here are the final statistics for whatever they are worth:
13 houses on Shenandoah Bend. (Somebody build another one quick!)
13 streets in Alta Vista. (Yikes! They should have named another cul-de-sac.)
64 houses, including those under construction now.
No idea how many lots are still vacant, but I’m guessing the subdivision is probably only at one-quarter capacity.
6 thoughts on “Alta Vista: Shenandoah Bend”
Well, thank you for the tour! And I can experience your neighborhood in the air-conditioned safety of my office, without having to deal with heat and humidity. I’ll call that a win. Some of those houses do look really nice, but I just can’t see myself ever living in the PI.
Thanks for the grand tour of Alta Vista. It’s a great place. How is the safety aspect compared to the rest of the town/city?
I know y’all are technically a gated community but the roads that lead to your hiking trails 👣may also allow interlopers. Compared to other subdivisions , is this safer because of the guards at the gate or just being remote and tucked away in the mountains â›°?
I’m wondering if anyone can just wander through the streets on their way to another place or is it so far away that anyone who ventures out there has some kind of business in the area ?
Too many questions
But I am just curious how those huge mansions coexist with the relative squalor down in the main road and still maintain a peaceful quiet atmosphere
Bob, great questions. I feel secure here and would venture to say it is probably safer than the rest of town. The guards at the gate do ask unrecognized visitors where they are going, but I’m not sure that stops anyone. When I was first house hunting they always let me in to just walk and look around. The guards also regularly patrol the subdivision on their motorbikes. You are correct though, I know of at least four footpaths into and out of Alta Vista. Construction workers regularly come and go via these routes. I don’t see many people using Alta Vista as a shortcut to somewhere else, but during the lockdown, it was a way to avoid the checkpoints blocking passage between Barretto and Subic.
All that said, security is ultimately your personal responsibility. You’ll notice almost all the houses are walled and many are equipped with CCTV. I’ve even seen a couple with electric fences. I got robbed (I say robbed because I was sleeping in the house at the time) a couple of years ago. They were in and out in five minutes (my dog barked and woke me, by the time I got downstairs they were gone) with my laptop and cellphone. I’m pretty sure it was an inside job, I had hired some construction guys for work around the house. They would have noticed that my sliding doors were not properly secured. Lesson learned, had new door locks installed and didn’t have a problem again.
I feel safe here. Yeah, it is a comparatively rich enclave, but I’ve never got the feeling it’s a target. I hear of more burglaries in town than I do up here. I walk through the squatter villages nearby and the people are almost always friendly. I’m surprised that despite the poverty there seems to be little crime and almost no violence. I honestly feel safer here than I would in most American cities.
Kev, the PI is definitely not for everyone. Adapting to a third-world environment was more challenging for me than the weather. Yeah, it gets hot and wet, but never snows, so there’s that. Hope you’ll visit someday. We do have a couple of months that are comparatively moderate.
John, thanks for the tour. Enjoyed it!
Re: Living in a third world country. As an expat, I think it can be advantageous to be relatively “unaware” of what goes on compared to a native resident. Ignorance is bliss in this case. I am sure that there is a lot of day to day stuff that drives Filipinos mad (culturally, politically, economically, etc) but an expat is able to avoid it for the most part. Of course, that attitude means that you will always be an “outsider” and not quite fit in, no matter how long a person stays in country.
I suppose it is similar to when someone comes to the US. There is a lot of partisanship, etc., but if you float on the surface and dont do a deep dive, you are able to stay above that and everything looks great.
Brian, yeah, that’s right. We are not invited or allowed to participate in anything political here anyway. And staying on the surface of the culture is much more comfortable for me anyway (no Red Horse drinking parties!). But it is a beautiful place and the natives are friendly, so I’m happy!
Well, thank you for the tour! And I can experience your neighborhood in the air-conditioned safety of my office, without having to deal with heat and humidity. I’ll call that a win. Some of those houses do look really nice, but I just can’t see myself ever living in the PI.
Thanks for the grand tour of Alta Vista. It’s a great place. How is the safety aspect compared to the rest of the town/city?
I know y’all are technically a gated community but the roads that lead to your hiking trails 👣may also allow interlopers. Compared to other subdivisions , is this safer because of the guards at the gate or just being remote and tucked away in the mountains â›°?
I’m wondering if anyone can just wander through the streets on their way to another place or is it so far away that anyone who ventures out there has some kind of business in the area ?
Too many questions
But I am just curious how those huge mansions coexist with the relative squalor down in the main road and still maintain a peaceful quiet atmosphere
Bob, great questions. I feel secure here and would venture to say it is probably safer than the rest of town. The guards at the gate do ask unrecognized visitors where they are going, but I’m not sure that stops anyone. When I was first house hunting they always let me in to just walk and look around. The guards also regularly patrol the subdivision on their motorbikes. You are correct though, I know of at least four footpaths into and out of Alta Vista. Construction workers regularly come and go via these routes. I don’t see many people using Alta Vista as a shortcut to somewhere else, but during the lockdown, it was a way to avoid the checkpoints blocking passage between Barretto and Subic.
All that said, security is ultimately your personal responsibility. You’ll notice almost all the houses are walled and many are equipped with CCTV. I’ve even seen a couple with electric fences. I got robbed (I say robbed because I was sleeping in the house at the time) a couple of years ago. They were in and out in five minutes (my dog barked and woke me, by the time I got downstairs they were gone) with my laptop and cellphone. I’m pretty sure it was an inside job, I had hired some construction guys for work around the house. They would have noticed that my sliding doors were not properly secured. Lesson learned, had new door locks installed and didn’t have a problem again.
I feel safe here. Yeah, it is a comparatively rich enclave, but I’ve never got the feeling it’s a target. I hear of more burglaries in town than I do up here. I walk through the squatter villages nearby and the people are almost always friendly. I’m surprised that despite the poverty there seems to be little crime and almost no violence. I honestly feel safer here than I would in most American cities.
Kev, the PI is definitely not for everyone. Adapting to a third-world environment was more challenging for me than the weather. Yeah, it gets hot and wet, but never snows, so there’s that. Hope you’ll visit someday. We do have a couple of months that are comparatively moderate.
John, thanks for the tour. Enjoyed it!
Re: Living in a third world country. As an expat, I think it can be advantageous to be relatively “unaware” of what goes on compared to a native resident. Ignorance is bliss in this case. I am sure that there is a lot of day to day stuff that drives Filipinos mad (culturally, politically, economically, etc) but an expat is able to avoid it for the most part. Of course, that attitude means that you will always be an “outsider” and not quite fit in, no matter how long a person stays in country.
I suppose it is similar to when someone comes to the US. There is a lot of partisanship, etc., but if you float on the surface and dont do a deep dive, you are able to stay above that and everything looks great.
Brian, yeah, that’s right. We are not invited or allowed to participate in anything political here anyway. And staying on the surface of the culture is much more comfortable for me anyway (no Red Horse drinking parties!). But it is a beautiful place and the natives are friendly, so I’m happy!