Cavorting with a teenager

Posted on 12/December/2019 by John McCrarey

I have a confession to make. I’ve been spending time today with a 15-year-old. Yeah, I know how creepy that sounds but I hope you won’t judge me too harshly. After all, you are doing it too. Which is my way of saying today marks fifteen years of blogging here at Long Time Gone.

What a ride it has been! I started this blog in preparation for my upcoming move to Korea way back then. Here’s an excerpt from that very first post:

I have lived a very comfortable life. Too comfortable perhaps. The chance to live and work overseas in a totally alien culture seems to be an exciting opportunity to get out of my box and experience a new lifestyle. Yes, I am looking forward to the adventure. Of course, the nature of adventure is the not knowing how things will turn out. I know I will miss my family and friends and everything that is familiar and wonderfully American. I have made a two-year commitment to the Army, and if I am miserable and lost and lonely, well I will deal with it and learn what I can from the experience. Going in, I have a positive attitude and believe that I have the power to determine what I gain and how I grow as I live this new life.

Yeah, the writing has not improved despite all these years of practice. But it has indeed been an adventure and that adventure continues. I certainly had no clue just what a life-changing event that move would turn out to be. But it’s all documented here in the LTG archives. Along the way, I’ve lost two wives, experienced numerous other heartbreaks, made (and repeated) lots of mistakes, learned some things about myself, and discovered a lifestyle beyond anything I’d ever previously imagined. My only real regret is that I didn’t start this quest when I was younger.

Anyway, there is no turning back. I honestly cannot imagine living a vanilla American life again. As mundane and boring as my daily routines may appear in my posts here at LTG, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Who knows what the future will bring? I might wind up changing it all down the road. Or dying on the road I’m on. It’s all about the ride.

And finally, a big thanks to you my faithful readers. Your support and advice over the years have meant more to me than you’ll ever know. Some of you I’ve had the pleasure to have met in person, but most remain anonymous strangers. That you care enough to stop by and read my diary entries makes it all worthwhile. I’ll keep on keepin’ on! You’ve been warned.

Then take it as far as you see and beyond
With eyes you don’t use enough to gather up strength
As thoroughfare gap, what awaits is whatever you see
When you get there of even before

It’s no matter, no distance, it’s the ride

Unf’n believable

Posted on 12/December/2019 by John McCrarey

Another robbery at the house last night. I woke up at 0400 to the loud voice of one of my domestic helpers. From the sound of it, I thought maybe she was just coming in after a night of hard-drinking. When I finally got up to tell her to quiet down she exclaimed: “I was robbed!”

The other domestic helper came out of the bedroom and said it was warm so she had opened her bedroom window (both workers share the same room). The culprits (there were three of them) climbed onto the roof of the downstairs bathroom and tried to enter through the open window. Gina woke up, saw them, and began yelling. They took off but not before grabbing Teri’s phone. That’s all they got this time.

The security guys came out and did a perimeter search. Came back with a baseball cap, a pair of slippers, and a bag of coins. These were apparently dropped by the thieves as they fled. Turns out there was another robbery in the neighborhood earlier last night and the speculation was the coins had been taken from that house.

The guards pleaded with me not to tell my landlord (who also employs them) because they were threatened with termination after the earlier robberies. Well, I don’t blame the security guards, they can’t be everywhere. And since the subdivision is not fenced anyone can enter without using the front gate. It’s Christmas season and according to lawyer fighting criminal defense claims, here and property crimes always increase as folks turn into wannabe Robin Hoods. They are poor and anyone living in Alta Vista must be rich.

I guess the only positive is that my enhanced downstairs security measures seemed to have worked as intended. When you’ve got the burglars climbing on the roof to get in that’s a sign of improvement. Now I’ll work to secure the upstairs windows better and break down and buy some outside CCTV cameras. I need to make sure my house isn’t the softest target around.

Sittin’ on the dock of the bay

Posted on 11/December/2019 by John McCrarey

Well, it wasn’t a dock but it was docked. The Arizona floating bar that is. Made my first visit of the season last night and it was a pleasant experience. I was impressed that the bartender called out “Zero?” when I boarded. Still remembered my beer of choice after all those months. Or maybe someone asked her how handsome I was on a scale of 1-10. Anyway, I do enjoy sipping a cold one while gently rocking on the water.

***Looking back at the Arizona Resort from whence I launched.***

***There was also a beautiful full moon last night. Alas, my photography skills and/or my camera could not do it justice.***

After drinking my fill, I ferried back to shore and enjoyed the Arizona restaurant’s nightly special–grilled pork chops.

***Tasty they were too. That’s a bowl of French onion soup that accompanied the meal.***

Today I did the Wednesday walk. Some of us did a safe and sane 8K hike. The others sought out additional climbs and distance, so we parted company. That’s how it’s gonna have to be for me in the future. When it stops being fun, I’m going to do it my way.

***Scott will be my co-Hare next week for the Hash. We will be incorporating a portion of today’s hike into our trail.***

***It is much more fun to skirt around the base of Easter mountain that it is to climb it.***

***I make no apologies for preferring this kind of trail.***

***Now, this area proved to be a real dump!***

And that’s the way I roll. Thinking about doing some darts for the first time in weeks tonight. Or not. We’ll see how I feel when I get there. Damn, I might just get used to doing things my way!

Looks like nothing’s gonna change
Everything still remains the same
I can’t do what ten people tell me to do
So I guess I’ll remain the same, listen

Sittin’ here resting my bones
And this loneliness won’t leave me alone, listen
Two thousand miles I roam
Just to make this dock my home, now

I’m just gon’ sit at the dock of a bay
Watchin’ the tide roll away, ooh
Sittin’ on the dock of the bay
Wastin’ time

The needle and the damage done…

Posted on 10/December/2019 by John McCrarey

On the way to buy groceries this morning, I popped into the emergency room at Baypointe Hospital on the old Navy base. I told the doctor on duty I’d been dog bit, but the dog in question had allegedly been vaccinated. The doc said it doesn’t matter, I needed to be shot. For tetanus and rabies that is. Well, I had a tetanus booster last year after my encounter with barbed wire, so I just needed to take care of the potential for rabies.

It seems to me that back in the day a rabies treatment involved like 12 shots in the stomach. I nervously asked what regimen was in store for me? Well, the vaccine dose is predicated on weight and based on mine I need a series of five shots administered once every three days. Then I was asked if I had insurance, which made me a little nervous (I do, but I have to pay as I go and file a claim afterward). Turns out the total cost is $250 so I can deal with that.

Before they gave me the first shot a cute nurse came in and said she was going to test me for an allergic reaction. She scraped something on my arm which hurt more than I could let my male pride admit. After about twenty minutes she came back and had a look at the mosquito bite-like lump on my arm. Does it itch? Not anymore I told her. She had another nurse look, then fetched a doctor. And then another doctor. I guess they concluded that I was allergic so they wouldn’t use that medicine. I still got a shot of something though, and I’ll be back Friday for more.

Pretty exciting, huh? But wait, there’s more! How about some photos from yesterday’s Hash?

***It was a very nice 7 km trail. Very similar to the one I had hoped to use next week when I’ll be a co-Hare. Damn it!***

***Although on my trail I wasn’t planning on squashing everyone into the back of the Hashmobile…***

***Hey, that’s me near the back of the pack. As usual.***

***The Hares promised there was only one climb. That was mostly true and it was only moderately difficult. That’s something this old guy appreciates.***

*We eventually intersected with* My Bitch, a trail I hadn’t walked in quite a while. I was very pleased to see someone had hacked down the thatch grass…

***I guess they hadn’t gotten this far yet though. Burn it down!***

***Probably the nicest view of the day…***

***Made it back before the sun went down which is always my goal.***

***And then we enjoyed the ‘”on-home” festivities from our newest Hash venue, Queen Victoria bar.***

I’m not sure why, but I have the urge to lift my leg when I pee now. Just kidding. I hope.

I caught you knockin’
at my cellar door
I love you, baby,
can I have some more
Ooh, ooh, the damage done.

I hit the city and
I lost my band
I watched the needle
take another man
Gone, gone, the damage done.

I sing the song
because I love the man
I know that some
of you don’t understand
Milk-blood
to keep from running out.

I’ve seen the needle
and the damage done
A little part of it in everyone
But every junkie’s
like a settin’ sun.

I’m fed up, so bite me

Posted on 09/December/2019 by John McCrarey

Interesting morning here. Getting back into my regular routines which are all the more enjoyable after a brief hiatus for travel. The dogs seemed happy to have me back for our walk around the neighborhood, that’s for sure.

Afterward, I went to the new Divimart store and purchased 100 tins of sardines, 50 bags of noodles, and 20 kgs of rice. I found a local charity here that provides food baskets for the poor and that was my contribution. I also wired some money to a chat friend on Bohol to provide a Christmas meal for some school kids in her town. I have helped her out before and she sent pictures so I pretty much trust the money will be used as intended. Anyway, I’m all-in for three hundred bucks. That’s not exactly chump change, but it’s nice that a small donation can make a difference for those in need.

As I neared completion of my regular morning walk I passed by a house with a dog on a chain. I’ve gone this way many times and the dog always barks aggressively but his chain doesn’t reach my path. At least it didn’t until today. I hadn’t even really noticed him (had my headphones on) but as I was moving away he came at me from behind and bit me on the hand. It seems his chain had been tethered to a different post which brought me in range of those sharp teeth. Yep, he drew a fair amount of blood from my little finger.

This incident occurred not far from my neighborhood. So I cleaned the wound, applied disinfectant, and took my helper with me to talk to the dog’s owner. He wasn’t sympathetic, saying (to her in Tagalog) that I shouldn’t have been walking there. I had my helper ask if the dog had been inoculated for rabies and the translated response from her was “not this year”. Hmm. I think a dog normally just gets vaccinated once but I’m not sure. The dog’s owner also helpfully added that his dog has bitten many people and none of them contracted rabies.

So it looks like I’ll be going to the hospital tomorrow to get a rabies shot.

***Sorry, Mary. I wasn’t intentionally mocking you last night when I took this photo of your minions blocking traffic on the national highway. Please call the dogs off!***

Here’s hoping I have better luck at the Hash today.

Haggis

Posted on 08/December/2019 by John McCrarey

It was kinda interesting to see the reverence to which the Haggis above was treated. Brought into the venue on a platter accompanied by bagpipe music. Sorry the picture is so blurry, I might have been drunk.

Anyway, it was a mostly fun and interesting day. We started out with a 6.5K trail that was blessedly flat.

***The trail meandered through fields of corn, grapes, and rice.***

***As seems to be my bane, we had some water crossings on unstable bridges. That’s Slot Licker from Subic encouraging me on across a swaying suspension bridge.***

***Now, this one didn’t scare me at all. Still, I almost lost my balance but made it over with dry feet.***

***And these damn bamboo things just weren’t designed to support my weight. Well, I made it safely–praise be to the Hash Gods…***

Anyway, you get the idea. Typical Hash excursion, just in a new venue. Of course, the big event was still to come: the Haggis games.

***Sorry the picture is fuzzy, there were 12 events in all. Sadly, I neglected to photograph most of them. We were competing against teams from Angeles City and of course, the La Union Hash.***

***The Hash Bash Grand Master of Ceremonies…***

***And I guess it wouldn’t be Haggis without bagpipes…***

***There were over 180 Hashers in attendance. Had to step back a bit to capture the enormity of the crowd.***

We (Subic) were actually kicking ass in most of the early categories and had a comfortable lead in points. This was stuff like the races–dwarf carry (a guy carried a girl), sack races and the like. And then there came the dancing…

***The Subic dancers performed brilliantly. The judges were all from La Union though and they saw fit to award us third place. Totally subjective and disappointing.***

We dropped a couple of other events like pie-eating (meat pie that is). So it all came down to the tug-of-war at the end. Angeles City outweighed us healthy Subic guys on the rope by quite a bit and in the end, they proved unmovable. Ah well, it was all in good fun.

***That’s me with the second place trophy. See you bastards next year for a revenge tug!***

Back home in lovely Barretto again. I will say this about La Union: the women there are on average much more to my taste than what I find in my little town. The waitresses in both Bella’s and Blue Cat were just so damn cute! Not to mention, they provided outstanding service. That’s a winning combination anywhere.

That’s Anne, my personal favorite. What a smile! What an ass! She was really busy on Saturday morning and working alone. I got frustrated and went next door to Blue Cat for breakfast. She was still apologizing to me this morning. I don’t think I’d like living in La Union, but if I had a gal like this loving me there, I might just change my mind.

***I’m a Haggis Basher now! See you next year! You too, Anne. I hope.***

On-On!

The breast of times

Posted on 07/December/2019 by John McCrarey

Yesterday I got registered for today’s Haggis Hash. For my P1000 fee ($20) I received a bag full of Hash trash.

***Said bag which contained my Hash gear…***

***…and of course, the traditional commemorative Hash shirt.***

I’m all decked out for today’s Haggis…

***The shorts are ridiculous, probably the only time I’ll ever wear them…***

***And I’m wearing my Subic shirt to represent my team in the Haggis events this afternoon.***

Last night we did the “Full Moon Hash” which in actuality is a male-only bar crawl. Of course, there ain’t many bars here, but we hit three of them. What was unusual was the “entertainment” provided–dancing girls dancing. Then dancing without their tops. And finally dancing naked! I’ve seen that in Thailand, but never the Philippines which tends to lean conservative when it comes to sexual mores. I know these shows were specifically put on for our benefit, but still, it seemed pretty risky. The doors weren’t locked and there were non-Hashers in the bars.

And I guess I really am turning into a grumpy old man. I like women just fine, even tattooed prostitutes. Their pussies right up in my face? Not so much. Some of the other guys seemed to really be into it though, at least their tongues were. Yuck! Anyway, I find women more attractive when something is left to the imagination. That’s just how I roll.

At the third bar, we did a Hash circle. I’d had a few beers by then and just wasn’t much in the mood for the usual chicanery. At the La Union Hash, they don’t use ice for punishment. Instead, you drink from this:

***No idea what the concoction inside truly is, but obviously it looks like shit. Didn’t get the opportunity to taste any either. I bailed before the circle was completed.***

I’m just too old for that crap. Hope it is more fun today. Stay tuned.

Old folks at home

Posted on 06/December/2019 by John McCrarey

Quiet night here yesterday. Just hung out at the hotel bar and watched the sun go down.

Once the sun’s entertainment was completed, I took some time to observe my fellow patrons at the bar. Damn, I’m old but these guys looked ancient to me! Lots of old fucks in Barretto too of course but I think the oldsters stand out here because there is no infusion of young tourists. Having said that, it appeared they all were making the best of their golden years, enjoying camaraderie and laughs with each other. I was impressed that one guy with non-functioning legs rode into the bar on an electric scooter. Another guy looked like something out of The Walking Dead, barely able to stand, unsteady hands, and a gnarly and wrinkled body. Must have been well into his 80s and yet there he sat enjoying a beer and watching the ocean. You know, I want to live for as long as I can do the things I enjoy doing, There will come a time when maybe some good company and cold beer will be all I need. Hell, maybe that time has already come!

And I’m not blowing smoke!

***That’s vapor, not smoke! I was making an impressive cloud though, wasn’t I?***

Breakfast in the hotel as well this morning. I must say I was impressed with the enormity of the meal:

***Not shown is a heaping helping of beans served up in a bowl right after I took this photo. One of the better breakfasts I’ve had in a while.***

I guess I’m doing alright for an old guy. Think I’ll take a nap.

In La Union

Posted on 05/December/2019 by John McCrarey

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.

This is the place I’m staying. Not up to my standards but convenient to the Hash events. At least I stayed here because it is where everyone else in my group is staying. Very uncomfortable bed though.

***This little bar is right next door to my hotel and I enjoyed quaffing some brews in here yesterday.***

***I asked my waitress if I could get a photo of her uniform. I thought it a little funny that I hang out at Alley Cats in Barretto. Plus, she has a sweet ass.***

The Blue Cat is an expat hangout and also a Hash venue. The guy on the right actually moved here from Barretto six years ago with his wife and child. He says he couldn’t stay out of the bars in Barretto. Well, you see where I met him.

After the sun went down, we moved up the highway to one of the girly bars. I honestly didn’t like it and bailed out pretty early. Got back to Blue Cat before 9 and it was already closed! I guess these old fuckers are early birds…

I was up early this morning and neither my ~~hovel~~ hotel restaurant or Blue Cat was open. So, I walked up the highway looking for a place to get some coffee. Found a nice hotel and they were open for business. Wish I’d stayed here. Next time!

***After breakfast, I took a long walk on the beach. Much cleaner than Barretto.***

***…it was like a ghost town on the beach. I’m guessing damage from a long-ago storm…***

***I live on a bay so it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a surfer…***

***It was a lovely morning for a walk on the beach…***

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

Eisoy pisoy

Posted on 04/December/2019 by John McCrarey

Typhoon Eisoy blew threw town last night. No damage, just some rain, wind, and the requisite power outage that comes when there is more than a breeze. Went to bed in the dark but when I woke up to pee the power was back on. I was pleasantly surprised at the quick fix.

Fixin’ to head on out to La Union. Five other Hashers will be sharing space in my driver’s Toyota van. Done it before and it’s not uncomfortable, but then again, I’m riding shotgun. That’s the privilege that comes with paying.

Had a nice chat with Ilene this morning, she wanted to be reminded what her new Hash name is and what it means. I gave her the generic definition of hot to trot–“ready and eager to engage in an activity” but also felt obligated to mention that the context it is most often regarding sexual activity. She seemed okay with that and mentioned she was happy she didn’t get one of the crude/rude names our kennel is famous for. She also shared this photo from Monday’s naming ritual:

***Hot to Trot on ice. It was nice that we could Cum Together like that. The other guy on ice is our Grand Master, H.I.V. (Humongously Infected Vagina).***

During our conversation this morning Ilene mentioned she has two kids, girls aged 14 and 10. Well, that should be enough for me to keep her firmly in the “just friends” category. Been there, done that, got the fatherhood t-shirt already.

So, that’s it for now. I’ll keep y’all posted on my impressions of La Union and my first ever Haggis Hash.

***Oh, and I baked up some blueberry muffins for the ride to La Union.***

Sundown

Posted on 03/December/2019 by John McCrarey

Feeling the effects of a passing typhoon here today, leaving me a lazy and rainy afternoon to abide. Tomorrow I will be changing my perspective with a four-day visit in La Union. Weather ought to be better by then, if not my attitude. Yeah, I’m in a foul mood. And no, I’m not ready to talk about it.

Here are some photos from yesterday’s Hash:

I was not happy with the trail. Vienna Sausage (Günter) was the Hare and he incorporated four outrageous climbs, including Mother Fucker, into his trail. It was ridiculous and impossible for the walkers to finish before dark. I and many others did some shortcutting (the orange trail).

***The Hashmobile was jam-packed and uncomfortable.***

***We got dropped off and had a short walk on the highway..***.

***…and then began our ascent up the first mountain via these stairs…***

***…the stairs eventually gave way, but the climb did not.***

***After bypassing one of the climbs, we began to make our way back down.***

***Some hazy skies, but still a nice view…***

You often encounter downed barbed wire on trail, but it is unusual to see it at eye level. It’s especially hazardous because most of the time I’m looking down at where I’m planting my feet. I was warned about this strand though so no cuts for me!

Anyway, from this point, the trail went back up again and it was already a little past 5:00 and it gets dark around 5:30. So I was done with the trail and hoofed it back to the on-home at Johan’s on Baloy Beach. I arrived in time to see this:

A couple of points of interest at the circle. We celebrated a birthday in the traditional Hash fashion:

The other event of interest was the naming of a Hasher who completed her fifth Hash. This process involves the unnamed being interviewed by the group and then potential names are suggested and voted on. The unnamed was Ilene, whom I mentioned before as a bit of a (one-way) crush. Anyway, Ilene professed to like horses and I knew she was into running. And she’s attractive. So, the name I came up with was “Hot to Trot” and in a close vote, she was duly named.

That’s Hot to Trot participating in an event known as the “Spartan”. And that’s about all I know about it, other than it involves five contests. Apparently one of them is carrying around heavy shit. I don’t know, I lifted the photo from her Facebook page.

Met a virgin to the Hash named Chris (male) who is a military retiree who just recently moved to Barretto. He did a couple of tours of duty in Korea so we had that in common. He indicated he might be joining us in La Union. Welcome to the Hash!

And that’s it for now. Some bad stuff happened after the circle that I’m still processing. In the end, it will probably turn out for the best. For now, I think I need to go get drunk.

She’s been lookin’ like a queen in a sailor’s dream
And she don’t always say what she really means
Sometimes I think it’s a shame
When I get feelin’ better when I’m feelin’ no pain
Sometimes I think it’s a shame
When I get feelin’ better when I’m feelin’ no pain
I can picture every move that a man could make
Getting lost in her lovin’ is your first mistake
Sundown you better take care
If I find you been creepin’ ’round my back stairs
Sometimes I think it’s a sin
When I feel like I’m winnin’ when I’m losin’ again

Home sweet home

Posted on 02/December/2019 by John McCrarey

Be it ever so humble and all that jazz, it’s good to be back and into the swing of my so-called life. I think being away for even a few days helps give you perspective. Sometimes I lament the meaninglessness of it all in an “is that all there is?” kind of way. But hey, I’m retired, I’ve made my contributions to society and I have the pension to prove it. For me now my job is to not lament what I’ve lost, not to regret what I don’t have, and to be satisfied with the life I’ve chosen in the here and now. Knowing I can always change my life should the need arise.

So for a retired guy, I guess you could say I do lead a pretty active lifestyle. I’m out walking every day of course. That’s a healthy thing to do and I occasionally even enjoy it. I’ve got a couple of Spotify music playlists I’ve created, Walk and Roll and Walkaholic, that helps pass the steps when I’m out and about. And of course, there’s the nightlife.

Last night’s welcoming committee from Cheap Charlies. Do they really like me or is it just my peso-nality? Does it matter? I enjoyed myself and they liked the pasalubong I provided. The beer was cold and I was happy. That’s got to be enough.

So yeah, I have my favorite hangouts. Some are for darts, like Alley Cats. Some feature my kind of music. And others are just good places to sit and chat with my fellow expats. I’ve mentioned before that Barretto often feels like a big retirement community. We are all kind of in it together and making the best we can of whatever remains of our time amongst the living. If that constitutes settling, then I’ll settle for that.

And it’s not all about bars and women.

***I’ve got my boys to keep me company too.***

This is the life I’ve chosen and I’m going to try and live it without regret.

Oh, Facebook reminded me this morning of another walking milestone in my “career”.

***I highly doubt this threshold will ever be broken again in my life. But I’m glad I did it. Once.***

Today I participate in a social activity that involves both of my pastimes–walking and drinking. Yep, I’m talking about the Hash. And in other Hash news, this week I’ll be making a road trip to La Union (about 4 hours north of here) to participate in the Haggis Hash there. I’m not sure what all that involves, we’ll do a walk on Friday and a bar crawl that night. A walk on Saturday and then the “games”. No idea what that’s going to entail, but I reckon I’m going to find out.

So stay tuned and thanks for joining me for the ride of my life here at LTG.

And when I was twelve years old
My daddy took me to a circus
“The Greatest Show on Earth”
There were clowns and elephants and dancing bears
And a beautiful lady in pink tights flew high above our heads
And as I sat there watching
I had the feeling that something was missing
I don’t know what
But when it was all over, I said to myself
“Is that all there is to a circus”

Is that all there is
Is that all there is
If that’s all there is, my friends
Then let’s keep dancing
Let’s break out the booze and have a ball
If that’s all there is

Goodbye (again) Korea!

Posted on 01/December/2019 by John McCrarey

My short visit to Korea has now reached its conclusion. All in all, it went much better than the previous trip. I think going for five days versus two weeks helped. I also was mostly successful at defending myself from sad memories whenever they attacked, sending them back to the past where they belong.

Otherwise, my only real takeaway was that as much as I love Korea it is no longer home. Even the familiar places are not all that familiar now. Just as an example, Shenanigans was my favorite hangout for years. Last night they had a big crowd and a happy buzz. But with just a couple of exceptions, none of the faces were familiar. That’s natural of course, I’ve been gone quite a while now. But I found myself missing my life here in the Philippines. I came away knowing that this is where I belong. It’s good to be back!

Had some good times though and I’ve already recounted those on the blog. You can read Kevin Kim’s take on our massive hike and tasty meal here. Thanks again!

So after a couple of beers with the nephew, I called it an early night. My flight departed at 7:55 a.m. and the best way I could find to Incheon was by the airport limo bus. That required getting up at 0400 and catching the bus at 4:40.

***The stop was right in front of my hotel which was convenient at least. I was the only passenger at that ungodly hour when I boarded. We did pick up several more en route though.***

I was on Korean Air which meant departing from Terminal 2. It’s a bit longer trip and we didn’t arrive until 6:15. That’s cutting it closer than I like, especially for an international flight. But I was in business class which meant no long wait to check-in. I got my boarding pass and checked my bag then headed to security, which was just opening (so I forgave myself for not taking the earlier bus). And as usual, my vapes triggered a secondary screening of my carry on bag. The guy asked why so many batteries (I had brought 7 and purchased 12 more to bring home with me). I explained that the 12 were replacements as my current batteries were wearing out. So, it was all good and I proceeded on through immigration without a hitch.

Once in the terminal, I went to one of the duty-free stores to purchase some pasalubong, the Filipino gift-giving custom expected of returning travelers. I had some Won I needed to dispose of anyway, so I’ll make some bargirls smile with trinkets and sweets.

When it came time to board the plane, my boarding pass set off a beep and I was pulled aside. The agent asked if I had e-cigarettes in my checked luggage. I responded of course not, that’s isn’t allowed. She told me to hold on, they were sending a picture. And sure enough, one of my vape pens had made its way into my checked bag. All I can figure is that I left it in a pocket and inadvertently packed it with my dirty clothes. I was relieved to learn my bag was on the plane and with no time to retrieve my e-cig I told her to just trash it. Damn, my vaping habit is getting to be a pain in the ass, isn’t it?

I do enjoy the comfort and friendliness of Korean Air. And the hot flight attendants.

***I reclined my seat, stretched out my legs and settled in for a cozy and comfortable trip home.***

We landed at Clark Field a few minutes early and I was the first person off the plane. Made it through immigration in a flash and then headed to baggage claim where I waited. And waited. And waited some more. I finally asked what was going on and was told there was only one baggage crew on duty and they were busy unloading another flight. And so I did what I’ve trained myself to do–took a deep breath, relaxed, and accepted the Filipino way.

After about 30 minutes the first bag appeared on the carousel, and mine was the third one to come out. I grabbed it and hustled over to customs. Where I encountered a long line (the plane that had been unloaded before ours apparently). Ah well. For whatever reason, they x-ray bags coming off the plane at Clark. When I reached the machine, the operator said just my carry-on bag had to go on the belt. Hmm. I got a bit nervous because I had all those vapes and the President here has decreed them verboten. I guess the operator didn’t notice them or didn’t care, so I grabbed my bag and headed out to meet my driver.

Donny was there waiting, which I appreciated. On the drive home I had him stop at one of my favorite restaurants on the old Navy base–Texas Joe’s.

***I enjoyed me some pulled pork, beans, and slaw. Donny had some baby back ribs.***

It’s good to be home!