I was out of town most of the day yesterday. Nothing real exciting, just taking care of some business in San Fernando, Pampanga. Anyway, I didn’t get the chance to post some photos from the Hash on Monday, but I’ll rectify that now.
I was surprised that the notorious Leech My Nuggets did a trail that was actually almost pleasant. Only about 6.5K. A 30 minute uphill at the beginning, but not his standard straight up. And the downhill wasn’t insanely steep either. I asked him afterwards what the hell happened and he said “I was just feeling lazy”…Loaded up in the Hashmobile and ready to roll.Goats on the mountain.Not a mountain goat. That’s Bush Diver who comes up from Angeles City every week to Hash with us…“Get a life, get a life, get a life, life, life!…”Just before we reached the top, a strong breeze blew in and a light rain began to fall. It was actually quite refreshing…March on, rain or shine! The vista…These folks are living the high life…Another view from the top.That would be me making my way down slowly but surely…A farmer leading his carabao to greener pastures…I was glad these pigs were penned…they sounded awful hungry when I walked by…Me and Pubic Head back on solid ground. As usual, we were dead last getting to our “on-home” at Midnight Rambler.
And so ended another Hash.
Otherwise, life goes on in the usual ways.
My dog Lucky seems to think my hard working foot makes for a good pillow.
And I may have gotten a little drunk last night.
Poor Maya appears to be thinking “the shit I’ve got to put up with fro a lady drink commission!”
And did I mention I might have been a little drunk last night?
I guess I was bragging about my six pack abs. Sorry, I know that can’t be unseen now. At least I saved it until the end…
I’m going to do the hike with the Wednesday Walkers. Although it is starting to look like rain. We shall see!
That’s certainly a worthwhile goal. At least to the extent we have any say in the matter.
The other day I noticed that the subdivision security guys are now sporting firearms, what appear to be short barreled shotguns. This is a new feature as in the past they only carried pistols. In fact, on many occasions I’ve noticed the holsters they wear were empty. So, I asked one of the guards what was up with the new firepower. He simply responded “to protect lives and property, sir”.
Hmm. He didn’t elaborate, but I got to thinking maybe it has something to do with the recent arrest of an Al Qaeda affiliated terrorist here in Zambales province. Now, he was captured at a hotel in Iba more than an hour away from Olongapo/Barretto. But Iba has no real foreigner presence, so assuming he was plotting to kill us Western types, a trip down the National Highway may have been in his plans. Or maybe the arming of the guards was just a coincidence. Who knows?
Staying alive these days seems to be more and more a matter of chance. I mean, you can do the prudent things to alleviate risk factors, but short of living like a hermit (which to my thinking isn’t living at all) you can not control the timing or actions that may ultimately lead to your demise. Probably the most dangerous thing I do is walking alongside or crossing the National Highway. People drive like idiotic maniacs and it seems pedestrians are just expected to get the fuck out of the way. Even in the bars safety seems to be an afterthought. Cheap Charlies is my favorite hangout these days. It’s on the third floor with one access/egress point and one set of stairs. I guess in the event of a fire (or terrorist attack) you’d just have to dive out the window and onto the highway below. Oops. Choose the method of your doom!
Anyway, I also visited the doctor recently to go over the results from my blood and urine tests. As I had discerned from my own reading, I was in the normal range in all tested categories with one exception–my uric acid level is too high. My doc says this can be caused by eating certain types of foods in excess. Or drinking too much beer. Hmm. I guess I better watch what I eat! Anyway, he gave me some meds to help reduce those nasty acids and seemed satisfied that my health was otherwise pretty good for an “elderly” man. Bastard.
Speaking of risk factors, it’s time to get ready for the Hash. Wish me luck!
Yep, one of those. Did my my morning and afternoon walks. Boring highway hikes. Sunny and hot as well. Took a nap. Hung out on the internet. And that’s about it.
Well, I did find this mildly interesting article “10 facts about the Philippines that will blow your mind”. That’s a bit of an overstatement, but judge for yourself if you are so inclined. A commenter did add these which I found funny in a sad way:
12, The most beggars per square meter than any other place in the world.
13. The most missing limbs, per capita, from dynamite fishing.
14. Largest importer of other nation’s trash and surprisingly, the least capable of properly disposing their own trash.
15. Has the most over amplified karaoke machines in the world.
Especially those last two.
Anyway, that’s all I got. Time for my beer ingestion.
Who me? Um, no. Not yet anyway. How do you define cavorting?
Last night was my first weekend out as a newly free man. As usual, I started out in Cheap Charlies. Got there in time to enjoy the sunset.
Don’t let the sun go down on me…
One of my favorites in this bar is Maya, so I had her join me while I imbibed my beers. Well, she joined me for the lady drink commission, but still. She’s a nice enough gal, pleasant personality, and gives a pretty good back rub. Interestingly, she’s a Muslim. Don’t see many of the pedophile Muhammad’s disciples working in a bar. Although Maya’s drinks are in fact non-alcoholic. She’s sexy enough though and I probably wouldn’t mind “doing her”, but alas, Cheap Charlies is not a prostitution bar. Of course, the gals are free to do as they please before/after work. I kinda got mixed signals on whether Maya would seriously consider a date or if she was just playing me for more drinks. If I had to place a bet I guess my money would be on the latter. Just as well I suppose.
I decided to change things up and visit the recently opened Thumbstar bar. This is your standard go-go bar with scantily clad dancers. And yes, the girls are available for takeout. I was a little surprised to discover that at a little after 8:00 on a Friday night, I was the only customer. I sat down and ordered up a beer. There were maybe five or six dancers on the stage and one of them caught my eye. A tiny little thing, but cute as a bug. She was making eye contact and smiling at me so I knew she was obviously thirsty. Like any gentleman would, I called her down to join me. Oh my. Her name is Rose. At 32 she’s a bit long in the tooth for a dancer, but I prefer the gals to be approximately half my age, so no problem. And damn, she just snuggled right up to me and it felt so sweet and right. I was surprised how much I was enjoying her physical presence. We both had two drinks and then I knew it was best for me to move on. She made me promise to come back and see her again and so I reckon I will.
I then successfully crossed the National Highway without getting squashed and popped into the Alaska Club. Once again, I was the only customer. Well, it is rainy season which keeps the tourist numbers down I suppose. As is my custom, I called my usual dancer down to join me for drinks. Kim always insists I’m her favorite customer (I’m sure I was at the moment anyway). And since I didn’t have my ex with me as I had in the past, Kim was especially, um, friendly. Very touchy feely if you get my meaning. Now, nothing lewd or illegal, that’s not allowed in the bar of course. You have to pay to take the girl out for that kind of thing. And I think if I ever decide to barfine a prostitute, Kim might just be the one. But last night wasn’t the night for that. I’m still not ready to go “there”.
But. It did get me thinking. It might be fun to spend some intimate moments with Kim, or Rose, or maybe even Maya. Or hell, all three (but not at the same time! I’m in my 60’s for crissakes!). Now, don’t be concerned dear readers, I have no intention of making a prostitute my future ex-girlfriend. In fact, I’m trying to get my mind around the idea of living my life without a girlfriend at all. But that shouldn’t mean living without some female companionship now and then, right? These girls might be fun to hang out with for awhile, and then send them on their way. After paying them of course. So we shall see what the future holds in that regard.
This morning I went out and walked the trail I tried to do yesterday in reverse. I had somewhat better success I guess.
The trail I couldn’t find to come down the mountain was somewhat easier to follow going up. Until I got near the top. Do you see a trail here?I could at least see where I needed to go and plodded on, making my own path in the tall grass. And I got to where I wanted and needed to be. But damn, I’m going to have to figure out a way to make sure the Hashers can follow something that has the appearance of a trail. A machete might work. Or might get me arrested. I’ll come up with something I suppose. So the hike today came out looking like this. Adding in the distance from our starting/finishing point at Johansson’s puts the trail right around 6K. That’s a good rainy season distance I think. There’s some ups and downs, but nothing major. Shouldn’t be too bad even when wet.
Progress is being made I guess, on both the emotional and Hash Hare fronts. Let’s see if I can stay strong and get things right this time.
I can’t light no more of your darkness All my pictures seem to fade to black and white I’m growing tired and time stands still before me Frozen here on the ladder of my life
Too late to save myself from falling I took a chance and changed your way of life But you misread my meaning when I met you Closed the door and left me blinded by the light
Don’t let the sun go down on me Although I search myself, it’s always someone else I see I’d just allow a fragment of your life to wander free But losing everything is like the sun going down on me
Out into the heat and humidity on a quest to find a suitable wet weather trail for my upcoming stint as Hare. I figured a portion of My Bitch could work. No real steep hills so should be manageable. A small creek had some running water, but it was easy to hop across. There was some storm damage creating obstacles though:
I reckon I could have crawled over and through the branches but instead I went off trail and stepped over the trunk.The view was still good though.
The problem came a bit later when I began my descent. The path I planned on taking is apparently seldom used. After the rains it was overgrown in that tall ass grass. And I lost the trail. Tried to blaze my own way down but kept getting stymied by impassible obstacles. Finally, I gave up and tried heading back to the top and got turned around somehow and a little bit lost. I eventually got back to the junction and then once again tried to find the trail down. But it was so overgrown as to be invisible. I gave up and did the long walk down Rizal Extension and eventually back home.
That heart shaped pimple near the head of the penis is where my fruitless search for the trail down to Marian Hills occurred. I think I’ll try going up from there tomorrow and see if I can find my way to the top.
I still got three weeks to figure something out.
In other news, today is the anniversary of Buddy’s rescue.
Here his rescuer is showing Buddy the way out of the trash filled swamp waters. He would have surely died in there otherwise.He was cold, wet, and scared when we finally got him out of the water. He’s snuck off a couple of times since then, but never goes too far. He knows where home is now.
He has his “accidents” now and then (like this morning), but he’s a good boy and loves to give me hugs when I come home. Hard to not love him back.
And then there was my drunken snack when I finished my bar crawl last night.
Yep, I baked an apple pie. Well, technically Sara Lee made the pie. But I put it in the oven, so…
Welp, the valley trail I was thinking about for July 22 ain’t gonna work after all. Went out this afternoon for a scouting expedition and it turned out looking like this:
That single line protrusion up top is the result of a dead end. A few weeks ago when I was out there you could find a trail across the rice paddies. Not so anymore, it’s all underwater now.A lot of the rest of the trail was pretty useless as well. It’s rainy season so yeah, you are gonna get your feet wet. But these mud puddles were all too frequent. Hell, one of them was so deep I saw a fish swimming in it. No shit!
Anyway, I’ve got a couple of more weeks to explore some alternatives.
Meanwhile, the dinner I prepared tonight was well worth the time and effort. If I do say so myself.
The baked beans (well, Bush’s from a can) were a welcome addition to my short ribs feast.
And life goes on.
Well baby, there you stand With your little head, down in your hand Oh, my God, you can’t believe it’s happening again Your baby’s gone, and you’re all alone And it looks like the end.
And you’re back out on the street. And you’re tryin’ to remember. How do you start it over? You don’t know if you can. You don’t care much for a stranger’s touch, But you can’t hold your man.
You never thought you’d be alone this far down the line And I know what’s been on your mind You’re afraid it’s all been wasted time
The autumn leaves have got you thinking about the first time that you fell You didn’t love the boy too much, no, no, you just loved the boy too well, Farewell So you live from day to day, and you dream about tomorrow, oh. And the hours go by like minutes and the shadows come to stay So you take a little something to make them go away And I could have done so many things, baby If I could only stop my mind from wonderin’ what I left behind and from worrying ’bout this wasted time
Oh, another love has come and gone Oh, and the years keep rushing on I remember what you told me before you went out on your own: “Sometimes to keep it together, we got to leave it alone.” So you can get on with your search, baby, and I can get on with mine And maybe someday we will find , that it wasn’t really wasted time
Ah well. Another one bites the dust. Sometimes you just have to accept that you are wasting your time. I don’t need a woman who doesn’t want to be there for me. Stupid shit really. So I’ve got to let it go and move on. I honestly think I’m done. There are worse things than being alone. Yeah, I know when it comes to relationships I sound like a broken record. Some fools never learn I guess.
But on a more positive note, the sun was shining when I awoke this morning. I did my routines and rituals, then headed out to scout some trail. Got a text message from Scott (Pubic Head at the Hash) asking me to join him for the Sausage Walkers. He wanted to do a flat trail starting out from the other side of Subic town and walking back to Barretto. I was down with that plan, so I retreated back to the house to load my backpack with snacks and water.
We met up at Angels Bakery then we loaded up in a passing Jeepney for the 20 minutes ride out to our starting point.Then the five of us hit the road. Kids cooling off in the dirty canal on a summer’s day…And onward we walked and walked ignoring the heat and humidity…That’s “Easter” mountain from the previously unseen (by me) backside. Kinda like the dark side of the moon…A farmer working hard preparing his rice paddy for planting…And still we marched on…Despite the heat, it was a beautiful day. The surrounding mountains were resplendent in their shimmering greenness…Eventually we came upon the Matain river…upstream before the denizens of Subic have filled it with trash…A trike driver took the opportunity to wash his machine beside the river.“Isn’t this the bridge you were afraid to cross last time?” Um, no it isn’t. But we are not crossing this one either. We need the next one down river…There’s the bridge we need to cross!A final view of the river from said bridge…Now, this was just freakin’ bizarre. I was just on this trail a couple of weeks ago. The rains this week completed washed it out. Powerful stuff!And then finally the traditional re-hydration at Cheap Charlies… A 10.6 Kilometer hike all told.
And so ends another day in the twisted life of your humble correspondent. But the night has only begun! Time to get out there and see if I can meet my future ex-girlfriend!
I can read your eyes just like a book You tell me different, but I know that look And I don’t have to guess what’s between the lines
So what in the world am I still doing here You push me away when I get too near Saying love’s too simple to analyze
So why do I feel confused Why do I feel so used Like a worn-out thought you threw away It wasn’t what you said, it’s what you didn’t say
Where are the windows, where are the doors? I haven’t the key to your heart anymore I haven’t a clue to what’s gone wrong
‘Cause you look at me sometimes as if I weren’t there You say you’re listening, but you never hear The strains of silence have grown so strong
I never wanted to doubt you But I’d be better off without you I’m no good at looking the other way It wasn’t what you said, it’s what you didn’t say
So look at me one last time With eyes that still know how to shine Hold me like you won’t let go But you let go anyway
No one belongs where they’re not wanted You’re just a ghost, and my heart is haunted When I said goodbye, you didn’t even beg me to stay It wasn’t what you said, it’s what you didn’t say No baby, it wasn’t what you said, it’s what you didn’t say
I have this friend I’ve known for around three years now. Yes, she works in a bar. She’s in her mid-30’s and has FIVE kids, ranging in age from 17 to 9. All by the same Filipino partner, or so she tells me. He’s out of the picture now, and as you might imagine, she struggles to make ends meet on a bargirls salary. She had a Swiss boyfriend who was sending her some monthly support (around $100.) but apparently he decided to end that arrangement/relationship. Hence her financial woes were exacerbated and she was in near panic mode about paying rent, buying food, and keeping her kids in school.
As fate would have it, she’s living in one of the shanty villages right outside my subdivision. I can practically see her “house” from mine. I occasionally walk through that area and will sometimes hand out candy to the kids. It’s a sad situation but I do admire her strong sense of duty as a mother.
I may have mentioned previously that I’ve not been entirely comfortable with the arrangement I made with a small orphanage in Olongapo. My domestic helper thinks I’m being scammed and that the support I provide is not going to help the children. I’m not sure if I agree with that, but I’ve seen kids out on my hikes who appear to be in far greater need than the ones in the orphanage. It’s been in my mind to find an opportunity to provide some direct help to those who need it most.
So it occurred to me that my neighbor’s situation may indeed be that opportunity. I know her well enough to know that my support will not be wasted on selfish needs, drugs or alcohol. There were only eight or nine kids at the orphanage, so providing for her five does not really diminish the overall impact of my contribution. My goal in giving has always been to “make a difference” and I think making my neighbor’s family my primary charity accomplishes that.
We’ll see how this works out. It was gratifying to see the look of relief on her face when I told her of my plan and provided my first installment of cash. One of my long range goals is to help a worthy individual attend college or vocational school. That’s how you can change a life and break the cycle of poverty. We’ll see if her eldest (a junior in high school) studies hard and warrants that opportunity.
It’s probably gauche to write about this on the blog. I’m not trying to brag and act like I’m some kind of saint or something. In fact, my motivations are pretty much in keeping with my selfish nature. By helping a few I am alleviating some of the guilt that comes with living a “rich” life whilst surrounded by poverty.
It was a wet one yesterday, but sort of like my mailman days, we Hash rain or shine. Granted, we do make concessions to the weather as reasonable and necessary. Before leaving the house I made the decision that I was not going to be climbing any mountains in the rain. So I carried an umbrella rather than my walking stick.
Apparently others were of like mind. We had less than 20 in attendance as opposed to our normal group of 30 or more. And the Hares (Demolition Derby and Anal Retentive) had not been able to mark a trail due to two days of heavy rain. As an alternative, they left 30 minutes ahead of the group and laid out an impromptu trail. Alas, it was for naught. Right about the time we departed Johannson’s (our meet up place) a crazy heavy downpour commenced, washing away all of the freshly laid powder. Oh well. Me and a few others hiked around the elevated Alta Vista subdivision for an hour or so before making our way on-home to Treasure Island on Baloy Beach.
Fuck the rain. Let’s Hash!On the mean streets of Alta Vista. No flooding up here.I walk the dogs here most everyday, so it wasn’t a real exciting trail for me.It was nice to run into my neighbor, the widow Heidi. She used to come out and Hash before she got “too busy”. The story I heard is she has a new Filipino boyfriend. But damn, she would have been perfect for me. Too bad she didn’t think so… A little rain didn’t seem to bother the goats or their herder much…Oh by the way, I didn’t take any of these photographs. Credit goes to Pubic Head for that. I really like this one a lot.When it was time to leave Alta Vista we got to experience the joys of getting our feet wet wading through the omnipresent puddles..I had the bright idea of walking to Treasure Island along the riverside. Baloy Beach road is notorious for it’s flooding. Alas, that proved to be a big mistake…The river was running high…How high? Right up to the bottom of the highway bridge…You know, one thing I’ve noticed here in the PI is that parents allow their kids to run free. Kinda like we did back in the 1960s. But this freaked me out some. I mean, I am going *assume* these kids can swim, but even so, one slip and they are in a raging current with nothing to grab onto. They’d be swept out into the bay along with all the garbage that has been accumulating in the river bottom.
No picture of this, but we had to exit the riverbank and walk/wade between a couple of flooded houses. The kids warned us the water was deep. It came up over my knees! Should have stayed on the road, damn it!
We did make it to Treasure Island in one piece. This is what the storm left on the beach. That’s the treasure of garbage the locals routinely through into the river. Disgusting.
I promise I am not going to turn LTG into the weather channel, but damn. Every time I think it can’t get worse, Mother Nature is like “hold me beer and watch this!”
I headed out for my afternoon hike right after I posted yesterday. I was looking for a new back way out of the neighborhood but kept hitting a dead end. Finally I retreated back to the asphalt and then the skies opened up again. I went ahead and walked the subdivision to get my steps in but it was pretty unsatisfying.
Later on, after an indoor shower, there was another break in the action so I made my way down to Cheap Charlies for some brews.
This is how things looked from there at the time. Promising, yes?
Before long it was raining harder than ever. I sat there astounded as within a hour the freakin’ National Highway through town was under water. Shocking really.
I didn’t have much choice but to remain there drinking beer until the rain finally let up and the flood waters receded. After a couple of hours I managed to make my way home safely. And then it proceeded to rain all night long and into this morning.
I did sneak out for a bit today but only got as far as Rizal street.
Which has now become the Rizal river. A couple of feet deep already and the rain continues.
Anyway, I’ll be back with something more substantive later. Yeah, I know. Promises, promises.
If the rain comes they run and hide their heads They might as well be dead If the rain comes, if the rain comes
Can you hear me, that when it rains and shines (when it rains and shines) It’s just a state of mind? (when it rains and shines) Can you hear me, can you hear me?
UPDATE: Well geez, I see I’ve used the “Stymied” title twice before. Back in January when I was trying to find the trail that has now become “My Bitch”. I also used it in July 2016 when I wrote about a sty on my eye. Clever, huh?
