Now I’ll have to be really careful to avoid a fall.

As I alluded to in yesterday’s post, I executed a search for a lost trail. Anyhow, I made the bottom-up approach work where I had failed earlier when trying to go top to bottom. It wasn’t easy and I can understand better why it didn’t work out the other day. At the bottom portion of the trail, I didn’t have to deal with that tall thatch grass, but it didn’t look like anyone had been using that path for several months. Covered in leaves and branches and the like. At one point I literally had to tear my way through fallen tree limbs. I couldn’t find the trail the other day because it no longer even looks like a trail. What a pain in the ass it was, but my pride would not allow another failure. At least this time I was pretty confident I’d find my way up without killing myself. And I was right!

My nephew Justin returned from his trip to Manila last night. He’d been there to secure his new work visa from the Korean embassy and was successful in that endeavor. So we did some celebrating with a small bar crawl that was quite pleasant.

I guess I don’t really talk much about the nightlife here, but other than special events like the SOB there’s not much to say. For me anyway, it’s all about the enjoyment of some cold beers after walking so hard during the day. But here’s a brief recap of our night on the town.

Justin took the bus from Manila to Olongapo, then caught a Jeepney that dropped him off in Barretto. I was waiting for him in Cheap Charlies when he arrived. We had some beers for ourselves and Rosemarie and Maya enjoyed some lady drinks in exchange for their pleasant company. We also ordered up some food and shared with the girls who by all appearances must have been hungry indeed!

We then left Cheap Charlies for a bar I very rarely visit–Coco Lips. It’s a girly bar with dancers and loud music which is really not my thing. But I’m friends with a woman who recently started working there as a waitress. Michelle was very happy to see us and of course, we had her join us for some lady drinks. She and Justin actually seemed to hit it off quite well. I held out as long as my ears could tolerate the music, then we moved on down the highway to Alley Cats.

There were no customers when we walked in and Justin’s favorite bargirl, Jerlyn, wasn’t working. I rang the bell (buying all the girls a drink) to liven things up some. The girls rely on drink commissions so it was nice to see their smiles as they enjoyed their beverages. Justin really started pounding the beers (three to my one!) which made me a little nervous, so I suggested we head on home. After we got outside he wanted to pop into Queen Victoria bar to see a girl named Sally. What the hell, the boy is on vacation so I relented.

While Justin spent some time with his favorite I chatted with the bartender and wound up buying her a drink as well. As starved as the bargirls may get for drink commissions, it can be worse for the person behind the bar who is often overlooked. Anyway, she was pleased which pleased me. It was now well past my bedtime, so I told Justin it was time for me to go. He came along and he was surprised when I called for a trike instead of walking home. Yeah, I was pretty drunk.

So, there you have what a night on the town looks like. We made several girls really happy and including the food, I spent maybe $70. Back in my Korea days, I’d spend that much just on me. A normal night here I’d be hard-pressed to drop twenty bucks in the bar. It’s definitely cheaper in the Philippines, which makes it easy to be generous. Everyone wins!

Here are some photos from my hiking adventure yesterday: