I’m one of the Hare’s for tomorrow’s Hash, so I was out with Scott and Jim this morning, marking our trail with powder, paper, and chalk. Naturally, we had a rain shower this afternoon, so hopefully, there is still a trail to follow. Folks are going to be surprised, I think. Two challenging and steep climbs are in store for my fellow Hashers. What were us old farts thinking? I’ll post up some photos tomorrow.

After the work was done, we went to Sit-n-Bull for some lunch. All I can say is that we are never going to eat there again. In that location, I mean. They are closing up at Del Pilar street and moving up on the highway where the old Lollipop bar was located. The menu and current staff are moving too, so it will be more of the same, just in a better venue. Well, I actually liked the old place but owner Ron feels being on the main road across the street from two major hotels will be a boon for business. Looking forward to giving it a try in the new venue.

That’s my Sunday so far. I’m thinking I’ll do another bar visit this evening. It’s a good excuse to go out and drink some beers. I know my readers are looking forward to the next installment and I don’t want to let you down.

I’ll be back tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a little poem:

Now while my lips are living
   Their words must stay unsaid,
And will my soul remember
   To speak when I am dead?
Yet if my soul remembered
   You would not heed it, dear
For now you must not listen,
   And then you could not hear.

--Sara Teasdale

Yesterday was my first visit to this iteration of Annex. It was previously known as Sit-n-Bull Annex prior to being sold last year. I was a very infrequent visitor before the sale as well.

So, I stepped inside to see what there was to see. Not a lot as it turns out. The smallest bar I’ve reviewed thus far. No pool, no darts. A bar with several stools and two tables. That’s it. I took a seat midway on the empty bar.

So, first impressions of this new (to me) bar. It’s small but cozy. It was comfortable enough and offered up most of what I want in a bar, primarily cold beer and a pleasant atmosphere. During my visit, there were two bartenders. I assume they would accept a lady drink, but this is one of the few places in town where it doesn’t appear that staff is hired to entertain customers. Nothing wrong with that. On the other hand, I didn’t find the bartenders particularly friendly or welcoming. They took my order, served my beer, and ignored me while carrying on a conversation with each other in Tagalog. Maybe I’m spoiled, but most bar staff will at least ask you your name. I did note that when the other two customers departed, the girls thanked them by name. I guess I just haven’t achieved “regular” status so as to warrant time and attention.

I also thought it was interesting that smoking was allowed inside. Now, that doesn’t bother me but I know lots of folks who are very much opposed to secondhand smoke exposure. Hell, there are people who don’t like secondhand water vapor which is why I started gravitating to outside bars. Of course, I gave up vaping a month ago so it doesn’t matter to me now either way.

Anyway, nothing much else stands out about Annex. The bartenders were attractive but I felt invisible to them. It was a very small bar, but nicely decorated and comfortable. It would probably be better to come with a friend or two to keep you company though. The bottom line for me: I liked it okay but found no compelling reason to make it a regular stop, even though I pass by frequently on my way to other places.

The current rankings:

1. It Doesn’t Matter
2. Alley Cats
3. Adam’s
4. Blue Butterfly
5. Out Back Billabong
6. Dynamite Dick’s
7. Hideaway
8. Rosies
9. Queen Victoria
10. Annex
11. MacArthur’s
12. Redz Pub
13. Whiskey Girl

Don’t worry, we aren’t going far, seems like only yesterday. Oh wait, it was only yesterday. Let’s start at the end and go from there.

It was Wingsday so I had me some from the pub. Brought them home to eat as usual.

Prior to The Pub, I visited Adam’s Sports Bar for the first time in quite a while. My purpose in doing so was to knock out another bar review, but I wound up having a pretty good time while I was there. You can see my review in the post previous to this one.

My afternoon was spent at Alley Cats where I played dart league with my teammates from Lagoon. The ‘cats are a strong team, in fact, they were undefeated coming into yesterday’s match. I had very little expectation that we would actually win so my attitude was let’s just have a good time, chuck some darts, and drink some drinks. Speaking of drinks, I’m cutting back on beer in an effort to trim away some of my big ol’ belly. I’m drinking gin and soda instead because it’s lower in carbs and calories. It is also higher in alcohol, so I was buzzing more than usual. I was engaging in friendly banter with our opponents and I guess I pissed off their captain who admonished me to throw more and talk less. I guess (s)he (yeah, it was Billy) wasn’t happy that we were winning the match. When it was all said and done, Lagoon came out on top 8-5. I bought Billy a beer as a conciliatory gesture and (s)he accepted, so it’s all good.

Getting to the match on time proved to be more challenging than I expected. Well, when I heard the Wednesday Walkers were hiking to Tralala I knew it was going to be tough. In fact, I considered bailing out, but damn, I didn’t want to miss out on the annual trek to the mountaintop. It took us until 11:00 to reach the summit, darts started at 2:00, and we were a long way from Barretto. Jim graciously agreed to lead me back down and estimated we’d be off the mountain by noon. We left the rest of the group behind and I hoofed it as fast as these tired old legs of mine can move, but my actual arrival on the pavement in Barretto was 12:20 I immediately caught a trike for home which was on the opposite side of town. Hit the shower, changed clothes, and hoofed it back to Alley Cats with enough time to get some warm-up throws in.

And that leaves the hike to Tralala itself. The starting point is in the Gordon Heights part of Olongapo. We hired a van-like vehicle to take us there, a 30-minute ride. Then we did the long climb up to the top, consisting of seemingly endless steps, and then a winding upward path to the small village. We don’t do this hike very often because it’s challenging for us old folks, but I really enjoy the unique views and scenery along the way. Once a year is just about right. Surprisingly, this time the hike up didn’t totally kick my ass. Hard, but not exhausting like it was in the past. Felt good about that. I wish I didn’t have to be in such a rush to get back to Barretto.

Here are some photos from the hike:

As days go, this was a good one. Thanks for taking a step back in time to enjoy it with me.

I visited Adam’s several times when it had first opened. It always seemed blah to me somehow–nothing wrong but also no real reason to put it into my rotation. Last night was the first time I’d been back in several months and it really did have a whole new vibe going on. I actually enjoyed myself. Granted, I had been drinking all afternoon at dart league, but that doesn’t really matter since that kind of thing is what bars are for.

There were a dozen or so mostly attractive waitresses. Not pushy for drinks at all, which I always appreciate. One of the waitresses knew me from when she used to work at Queen Victoria, an event I had no recollection of. I bought her a drink anyway.

My waitress friend asked me if I played pool and I was just inebriated enough to claim that I did. And for some reason I let myself get sucked into playing doubles against two other bar girls. They just happened to be excellent pool players and promptly kicked our ass. After that shellacking, I felt obligated to buy the winners a drink.

So, I have to admit Adam’s turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I actually knew several expats in the bar and it was a pretty good time hanging out there. I’ll definitely be visiting more often in the future. Adam’s places higher in the rankings than I anticipated it would.

1. It Doesn’t Matter
2. Alley Cats
3. Adam’s
4. Blue Butterfly
5. Out Back Billabong
6. Dynamite Dick’s
7. Hideaway
8. Rosies
9. Queen Victoria
10. MacArthur’s
11. Redz Pub
12. Whiskey Girl

When I’m posting this early in the day it means there isn’t likely to be any other time to do so later. I don’t like being in that situation, but since joining the dart league my Wednesday afternoon is committed. My mornings belong to the Wednesday Walkers group. I’m really going to be in a crunch today because the Walkers are going to tackle the climb to Tralala. That’s the highest point on the Kalaklan ridge and it’s brutal. I’ve written about it here and here. It’s funny, in revisiting those posts I always claim “I’ll never do that again!”. And yet, here I am almost looking forward to the challenge. One of the reasons is enjoying views like this:

We’ll catch a ride out to Gordon Heights in Olongapo and begin our climb to the top from there. Assuming I survive that, we’ll march back along the ridgeline then down into Barretto. It’s around 12K all-in.

I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

A full plate yesterday as well.

Between lunch and dinner, I played some darts Alley Cats.

My friend, Bhel, finally had the surgery I had previously agreed to pay for. What was supposed to be a simple procedure, in and out with maybe an overnight stay in the hospital, has proven to be something else altogether. She spent six days hospitalized waiting for the surgery to be performed in what appears to me to be a fiasco of incompetence. It’s a “public” hospital and apparently, the care and well-being of patients is a low priority in such institutions. Not sure how much longer they will hold her post-surgery. It’s been a nightmare for her and I’m not sure what amount I’m going to be on the hook for, certainly much, much more than what I expected it was going to be paying.

Let’s just hope it goes better than my previous efforts at generosity have turned out.

I got a smile from this:

No rest for the weary–give this a watch (less than a minute long):

Alright, that’s enough for now. I’ll be back with a report on today’s hike, tomorrow.

*Billy, as you might have guessed, identifies as a male. But I see him/her as a biological female, and can’t seem to do the male pronouns. Not out of spite or any negative feelings about her sexual orientation. I guess I’m just old-fashioned. She’s never made an issue of it with me. I noticed the Filipinas do call her “kuya” (brother). Anyway, I consider Billy a friend that I respect and mean no offense by my choice of words.

Mostly because I ain’t done nothin’. But here goes anyway.

With a loyal readership comes the sense of obligation to actually post something here every day, even when there is nothing to say. Well, I did post the It Doesn’t Matter bar review earlier, but I don’t consider those to be a replacement for my usual daily dose of drivel. Heh, maybe I should. That’s the problem with Hash Monday. Nothing has happened yet today, and I didn’t do much yesterday, so that leads to shit posts like this.

After I left It Doesn’t Matter, I crossed the highway and went upstairs to Cheap Charlies. My usual crew was naturally happy to see me. And my wallet of course. But you know, I’m not gonna lie and say I don’t enjoy the attention. Especially from Alma. I’ve been knowing her pretty much since I started visiting this bar. She’s not the youngest or the most attractive woman at CC, but she does seem to genuinely like me. She’s in her early 30s and a little chubbier than I normally go for, but I still find her quite sexy in a “girl next door” kind of way. And when she rests her head on my shoulder while she is rubbing my back I can’t help but think this would be nice to come home to every night. Yeah, yeah, I know. But it’s a sweet fantasy anyway.

One interesting fact about Alma is that she is a Muslim. She doesn’t dress in the traditional manner, but she is true to the faith in other ways, like no pork and no alcohol. I semi-jokingly asked her last night if she were permitted to have a non-Muslim boyfriend and she insisted that would not be a problem. I had a friend who married a Muslim gal from Indonesia and he actually had to convert (or at least pretend he did) in order to make her his wife. Of course, I’m not a religious man and don’t abide by the tenants tenets of any faith, but I also wouldn’t convert from my agnostic lifestyle either, even for the sake of love.

That’s what I always circle back to–love is pretty to think about but the reality probably just isn’t worth it. It will take a pretty special woman to change my mind about that and she’s going to have find me–I ain’t looking. Much.

I had me some chicken fingers and wingers from the restaurant downstairs. Ordered the girls some pancit which they seemed to enjoy.

Another early night for me, home before 8:00. The 23-year-old asked me to send her a pic before I went to bed. This is what she got:

And that’s more than enough for now. Should have some Hash pictures to brighten your day tomorrow.

This is a relatively new bar in town, less than a year old. In its previous iteration it was named T-Rose and from what I’ve been told was a pretty raunchy girly bar. No more, this is a straight-up neighborhood pub-style place now. The two owners, an Aussie and a Yank, are long-term local expats and I’d say a majority of the customers are their personal friends. One or both are always on hand to greet and welcome you to their bar, and there is just a comfortable “at home” vibe when you are their guest.

I always enjoy my time here. Usually, the laughs come easy. This actually happened (again) last night. I get a message from the 23-year-old and the following conversation ensued:

Her: Hi
Me: Hello
Her: What are you doing?
Me. Drinking beer.
Her: Where?
Me: It doesn't matter.
Her: Why?
Me. I don't know.

Okay, so I’m easily amused. Bottom line is that It Doesn’t Matter is a well-run bar that treats you more like a friend than a customer. That’s what makes it one of my favorites.

Here are the rankings thus far:

1. It Doesn’t Matter
2. Alley Cats
3. Blue Butterfly
4. Out Back Billabong
5. Dynamite Dick’s
6. Hideaway
7. Rosies
8. Queen Victoria
9. MacArthur’s
10. Redz Pub
11. Whiskey Girl

An earlier than normal start to my evening out yesterday. I had my reasons. For one, I needed to refill my wallet with cash which meant finding a functioning ATM. Not as easy as it sounds in this town. I prefer using BPI (Bank of the Philippine Islands) because they allow withdrawals up to 20,000 pesos ($400). The other machines are limited to 10,000 pesos. Since each ATM transaction costs 250 pesos (not to mention the fee my credit union back home charges) I prefer to limit my cash infusions as much as possible. Hence, better to take out 20,000 once a week than 10,000 twice. Well, my usual BPI ATM was at the 7/11 store on Baloy Road, which is relatively close to my house. I say “was” because for some inexplicable reason the machine was removed from the store. It was a very popular ATM with expats and locals alike. Maybe too popular and the store didn’t like all the non-customer foot traffic inside. Or maybe BPI is going to put in a new and improved ATM. Yeah, right.

Anyway, there is another BPI ATM on the other side of Barretto. It’s popular too, in fact, so popular that it is frequently out of cash. That’s a problem that will be exacerbated now that it is the only game in town for large withdrawals. Being that it was Saturday afternoon I figured it was likely going to run dry as people cashed up for the weekend. So, I hoofed it on over and was happy to see it was still in service. Punched in my numbers, and out came this:

The other reason for my early start yesterday was I had tentatively planned to do another bar review. Once I had the money in my pocket though I changed my mind. I knew this bar would be busy on a Saturday and that makes it more difficult to take photographs. I do try to respect the privacy of patrons in the bars and I just wasn’t feeling it yesterday. I’m planning to go there today for the review, so stay tuned.

And finally, I left the house about an hour earlier than normal because I was bored. I honestly do not like to start drinking much earlier than 5:00 p.m., but what’s a rule good for if there aren’t exceptions?

So, here I am on the highway on the far side of town and it ain’t quite four in the afternoon yet. What to do? I figured I’d pop into the Hideaway bar while I was thinking it over. The place was busier than I recall ever seeing it and I felt lucky getting a seat at the bar. Had a couple of beers and bought a lady drink for the only waitress I knew still working there. I decided to hoof it out to Baloy Beach and pick a spot there for dinner and beers. So, I said my goodbyes and headed out.

Along the way, I passed the Kitchenette and was surprised to see it open. It had been closed for a couple of days while the owner went to Manila to visit family. Yeah, unscheduled closures are a great way to keep regular customers coming back. I popped in to say hello and was not happy with what I saw. Only the owner and her friend were there, open beer bottles on the table, and no customers. I could see why; they hadn’t done any food prep. I shook my head and said “a restaurant without food?” and left in disgust.

I was in a sour mood now and no longer up for the longish walk out to Baloy. Instead, I popped into Mango’s. It wasn’t 5:00 yet and the back patio was drenched in hot sunshine, so I sat at the bar instead. Had a couple of beers and Norman, the manager, let me know they had pork chops ready to grill in the kitchen. Still wasn’t ready for dinner though, so I declined. Headed back out to the highway and on impulse decided to see what was happening at The Pub.

I was lucky to get a table. The owner, John Kim, has recently installed a sushi bar (and hired two sushi chefs!) and it is apparently very popular so far. I’ve never been big on raw fish though, so I perused the regular menu. I’ve never had a bad meal at The Pub, so it is just a matter of finding what you are craving the most. The waitress suggested the bulgogi but I didn’t want the rice it comes with. I considered Mexican or a French dip sandwich, and then I saw the steak menu. I’ve bought raw steaks from John but never had one prepared in his kitchen. I guess the reason why is they are pretty expensive–most of them over $20. But I had a wallet full of 500 peso notes and a desire to eat some meat, so I said “give me the ribeye”. Large or small, sir? Hmm, the difference in price was about five bucks but I wasn’t sure I was that hungry, so I went with the smaller one.

After my meal (and two beers) it was still too early to go home. So, I crossed the street to Outback. I didn’t do the regular bar there though, instead, I sat outside by the pool. Had the bar to myself, a cute bartender to serve me, and some bizarre music videos for entertainment. Enjoyed some more beer and alone time.

After a while, some Aussies came in and changed the channel to a cricket match (not the darts kind). I watched for a bit but didn’t find it particularly entertaining, in large part I suppose, because I don’t understand the game. It has a pitcher and batter like baseball, but that’s where the similarities end. I paid my tab and headed out.

I wasn’t much past 7:00 and I had nothing to do at home, so I crossed the street to visit Queen Victoria. Yikes. I was the only customer. There was some construction going on to repair an aircon unit. I did get a friendly greeting (by name) from a waitress I don’t remember, then she went back to join the rest of the staff singing (badly) karaoke tunes. There is a reason I don’t visit karaoke bars (they are called videoke here)–I find the loud music and poor singing to be almost unbearable. Unless I’m drunk enough to be singing too. And I wasn’t last night. One beer and out. Caught a trike and was home before eight and in bed before nine. Yeah, an old man’s Saturday night.

It was interesting revisiting some of the previously reviewed bars. I’ve also decided to consider my additional experiences in these venues as I continue the ranking process. Queen Victoria will be dropping down a notch or two. Maybe more. Tonight’s venue is one of my regular hangouts, so I’m expecting good things. I’ll post the review tomorrow before I Hash.

Hmm. Maybe I should get an early start again today…

I guess technically the name is Alley Hideout but no one calls it that. Also, the only signage, as pictured above, says otherwise. It would be hard to find this place unless you were told where to go. I used to play here when I was a tourist, then I would come out four or five nights a week when I first moved to town. These days I play on Tuesday and Friday only.

It’s comfortable enough I suppose, but I probably wouldn’t visit much except for the darts. I’ve been such a regular over the years though that I’m friends with the staff and know most of the customers by name.

It probably goes without saying, but this is a regular bar–no takeout available. The girls work for drink commissions though and always appreciate a lady drink. Beer price for customers was recently raised to 80 pesos. I think that’s too high, but when the day comes that I have to worry about nickels and dimes when I’m out on the town I’ll just stay home and watch TV. Here’s hoping that day never comes.

So, it was Friday night and I was there to play darts. Let’s get to it!

So, that’s Alley Cats. I used to spend more time here than I do now but it always feels like home. I made some meatballs and brought them with me last night, announcing “Does anyone want to eat my balls?” Later, I bought some nuts from the peanut vendor and did my old line about “you girls like penis?”. They always laugh. Why wouldn’t they? I bought several lady drinks and had a large pizza delivered to the bar last night. And they say you can’t buy friendship.

Anyway, Alley Cats gets rewarded for being my first bar hangout in Barretto and a sentimental favorite:

1. Alley Cats
2. Blue Butterfly
3. Out Back Billabong
4. Dynamite Dick’s
5. Queen Victoria
6. Hideaway
7. Rosies
8. MacArthur’s
9. Redz Pub
10. Whiskey Girl

Eh, maybe not so much, but here goes anyway.

I posted the latest bar review from Blue Butterfly earlier this morning. I did three beers and one lady drink there, then I moved on to It Doesn’t Matter. Three or four more there and a couple for my bar sweetheart, Roan. I was hungry by then, so wandered down the highway to The Pub. Seeing as how I missed Wingsday because of playing darts on Baloy, I got my Korean wing fix satiated a day late, bringing home sixteen of them in a takeout box.

Had a really nice hike with the Friday group this morning. I’ll post up some of those pics tomorrow, but here’s a teaser:

Didn’t do the after-hike beers again today. This time my excuse is that I have a date of sorts. The 23-year-old I buy drinks for asked if she could come to see me this afternoon. Well, I didn’t really have anything better to do, so how could I tell her no? It’s odd though, I’m kind of in a weird place right now where I’d just as soon be alone. A couple of recent female disappointments will do that I suppose. Still, this young gal is a cutie so maybe spending a little quiet time with her is just the medicine I need.

So that’s where things stand in my world at the moment.

Blue Butterfly (previously named Toucan) is a pleasant mid-town bar that has a bit of something for everyone. I enjoy the outdoor seating area, but there is also a pool table and darts inside. Some lovely ladies (appeared to be a dozen or so) are also available to serve your needs.

Just to be clear, I’m sure the above was intended as a joke. It is not THAT kind of bar–no takeout available.

I’m not a regular here by any means, maybe visit twice a month, if that. It is one of the new Hash On-Home venues though. I’d probably visit more often if it was just a tad closer, I tend to frequent the places on my side of town and often lack the motivation to venture up the highway. I like the place though. Beers are only 65 pesos, the gals are friendly but not pushy, and it seems to be a fairly popular expat hangout.

There is really nothing I don’t like about this bar. If it was more convenient to get to, I’d likely be a regular. But even with that, Blue Butterfly is the best bar I’ve reviewed thus far.

The rankings:

1. Blue Butterfly
2. Out Back Billabong
3. Dynamite Dick’s
4. Queen Victoria
5. Hideaway
6. Rosies
7. MacArthur’s
8. Redz Pub
9. Whiskey Girl

My Wednesdays are pretty whacked now that I’ve agreed to help out my former team in the dart league. Arrows fly at 2:00 p.m. My Wednesday Walkers group hike normally finishes up around noon. So, that doesn’t leave much room for anything in-between but a quick shower before making my way out to Baloy Beach for the dart match. Yep, no after-hike beers, no nap, and no time for my daily post here at LTG. Hence, this abbreviated attempt to fill that space before I head out this morning.

Speaking of darts, I finished third in last night’s tournament at Alley Cats. I played about the way I usually do; what’s changed is how some of my opponents are playing–they’ve gotten a lot better. I’m guessing that’s because they play much more frequently than I do, but people I used to dominate are beating me pretty often these days. Oh well, it’s just for fun anyway. Or so I keep telling myself.

Went to Mango’s after darts and ordered the grilled pork chops. Got them for takeout though and enjoyed them at home.

Oh, in the comments to one of my Facebook posts two folks went at it over a grammatical issue I hadn’t heard of before–apparently not using apostrophes is a thing now. Here’s their exchange:

Wally: *you're

Jeremy: the use of an apostrophe isnt a grammar mistake, and it's an accepted omission from contractions nowadays. Thus, it isnt incorrect even though auto-correct programs will try to mark it as such.

Wally: As for it being acceptable grammar to omit apostrophes, take it from an Englishman, it isn't. And before you make the 'American English' argument, remember that those who invented the language don't accept the concept. There is English and there are mistakes.
If, of course, you honestly believe that the apostrophe is redundant, then you have been misinformed and I would take this opportunity to remind you of your opening remarks regarding the misinformed.

Jeremy: As for your argument concerning the English being the originators of the English language, should I make you aware of the fact that there is such a concept as the evolution of it, or do you not recognize that youre not speaking Old English or even Middle English anymore? Youre speaking Modern English. As such, there is a difference between the British English, American English, and a number of other minor dialects.
Thus, if you want to remain true to the stereotype of the pompous Englishman by "not accepting mistakes", then by all means, go ahead, but just remember, that youre the one making the mistakes right now.

I didn’t participate in the argument and I will continue to use apostrophes in the manner I was taught. Commas, however, are another matter.

I was surprised to have a delivery guy at my front gate yesterday. Figured it was something for the upstairs neighbor. But then he said my name. I told him I didn’t order anything, but upon closer inspection of the package, I saw it was from the US Embassy.

What else? Well, I got a haircut yesterday.

The trail may have grown cold in my quest for love. That’s okay. Better safe than sorry.

Maybe my long day today will provide some fodder for a worthwhile post tomorrow. Don’t get your hopes up!