Arrived safely yesterday afternoon after a 3.5-hour drive. The “safely” part is always in doubt, especially when my driver is in heavy traffic on a two-lane highway. He gets pretty damn aggressive; passing on the shoulder, tailgating, and cutting it close when passing in the face of oncoming traffic. Ah, well. It was exciting at least.

I always enjoy seeing new places, partly for the experience but also to see if it may be a potential alternative should the need ever arise for me to relocate. Bauang, the actual city I’m in within the province of La Union, is a pretty enough beach town. There is an elderly expat community and a few bars to serve them, including a couple of girly bars. So I guess I’d fit right in. What I don’t like is being so far away from everything else. In Barretto, I’m just over an hour from an international airport and 20 minutes away from malls and grocery stores that cater to my needs. I just don’t think I’d deal well with feeling so isolated. That’s my first impression at least.

And now it is beer o’çlock and my Hash mates are waiting. More to come!