September, I remember…

…a month once new has now grown old. And so have I. But there is still some life to be squeezed out of each day, and here’s the juice I made with yesterday.

A beautiful start to the day as seen from the morning dog walk.
Then it was time to take me for a walk. I did my standard Naugsol valley trek in record time.
Leaving the ‘hood.
One of my favorite vistas on this trail.
No rain in the sky but plenty on the ground.
See what I mean?
Hello again, Easter mountain.
The waterfalls are a recent addition to the Grand Canyon of Naugsol valley.
The valley of which I speak. Notice all that white in the hills across the way? That’s the blooms on the thatch grass that is having a banner year.
Where rivers meet as seen from bridge #4 on Sawmill road.
A couple of kilometers up Sawmill road brought me to bridge #2. I crossed it.
A peek into my possible future living in the blue house on the hill.
Crossing the river again on bridge #1.
Traipsing through downtown Santo Tomas.
A final river crossing on the highway (bridge #0?)
Taking the backstreets through the little village just outside the Alta Vista gates.

It was a satisfying hike on a fine morning. You can Relive it here if you’d like:

Oh, I saw this poor dog during my hike:

I doubt he’s long for this life. Covered in mange, skin and bones, and looked as sad as it made me feel when I saw him. You can’t save them all.
But I saved this one. That’s Lucky on the day I brought him home four years ago.
And that’s Lucky this morning. It seems that Lucky now identifies as a Human, and I don’t want to be a bigot and argue otherwise. I am not a biologist, after all.

A nap, a shower, baking some brownies for my new downstairs neighbor, and of course, some blogging. Then it was time to head into town to check in on my bar life.

The afternoon view on my way out was still quite pleasant.

I made It Doesn’t Matter my first stop and enjoyed the company of my regular waitress, Agnes. A bit later, my friend Bhel joined us. When the inevitable hunger pangs struck, I decided to give the nacho salad a try.

It was tasty enough but a little hard to eat because you really couldn’t pick up the chips with your hands (they’d break), and it was tough keeping the bulky contents on a fork. The gals went with a traditional Filipino favorite, sizzling sisig.

I had my last “buy one, get one” coupon for Hot Zone to use before it expired. So, that was the next stop for Bhel and me. The place was packed, and the music was too loud, but the dancers were all on stage during this visit. I wasn’t digging the vibe last night, so I just did one round, and we headed out.

Next stop, BarCelona. Not one of my favorites, but at least they have nice views, and it is my preferred open-air style bar. There was a pool tournament getting ready to start, and Bhel wanted to play, so I “sponsored” her (paid the 100 peso entry fee) and wished her well. Then I went back downstairs, around the corner, and into The Green Room. A couple more beers and lady drinks, then it was time to go home.

And that was my day. A nice but challenging group hike this morning (back up in the hills), and the SOB is on tap for tonight. Maybe September will go out with a bang! Not likely, but check back tomorrow just to be sure.

GOVIC highway

GOVIC highway, let me slip away on you
GOVIC highway, you seen better days
The morning after blues from my head down to my shoes
GOVIC highway, let me slip away, slip away on you


(with apologies to Gordon Lightfoot)

Our Wednesday Walkers group traveled out to Castillejos yesterday to hike the GOVIC bypass highway (basically a 7K loop around the city).

Just to put it all in perspective: The red dot near the bottom is Barretto. We drove up to Castillejos and did the blue loop shown above. Then had lunch at a little restaurant in town run by a German guy.

The trek was all on pavement, but a lot of it was through sparsely populated countryside, so it was a nice change of pace. As usual, I’ll share photos from the adventure later in this post.

Speaking of hiking, my pal Kevin Kim, a notorious distance walker, began his journey circumnavigating Jeju island in South Korea. You can follow his journey on his blog, Kevin’s Walk 6. Good luck, Kevin!

So, about last night. I went to Mango’s again, hoping to score some pork chops for Joy’s dinner, but alas, once again, they were out of stock. I couldn’t resist giving the manager a little advice: It’s your most popular item on the menu. If you are always running out, you should consider ordering more. He thanked me for the sage advice.

Plan B was John’s place, and he didn’t disappoint. I ordered the bulgogi with rice and sixteen Korean-style chicken wings for takeout.

The bulgogi.
The wings.
The freshly baked brownies.
The devourment.
The look of satisfaction on Joy’s face.

Mission accomplished. When my time at Hideaway was done, I headed back up the highway to my side of town. I stopped at Bar Barretto, but I was one beer and out there. It’s a nice place but boring for early birds like me. I understand it gets hoppin’ when the band is playing. Next up was a new bar that I still need to review, Sloppy Joe’s. When I arrived, I was the only customer and sat down in the outdoor seating area. It doesn’t appear they have a bargirl staff, and the solitary waitress served me my beer and didn’t seem interested in the usual chitchat that leads to a lady drink. Suit yourself.

There was one incident that stems from the downside of drinking in a ground-floor bar facing the National highway. I’m not talking about the noise (which is pretty bad) but the beggars buzzing around like hungry mosquitos. One woman had a rather unique method for trying to extract money from my pocket. She just stood on the shoulder, ten yards away, and didn’t say a word–just stared at me. I tried to ignore her for a while, playing with my phone, but when I looked up, she was still there staring. I finally said loudly, “stop staring at me!”. She responded with words I didn’t understand, but the tone was angry. So there would be no misunderstanding, I answered with the universally understood words, “fuck you, bitch!” She said, “fuck you, too,” and walked away.

I paid my bill shortly thereafter (had to go inside, my waitress never came back) and was thinking about popping into Queen Victoria for my “one for the road” before going home. Then I remembered that I had a pot roast overcooking in the crockpot, so I grabbed a trike and headed back to Alta Vista.

The meat came out tender and juicy; that’s the main thing. But I was out of pepperoncini which adds a nice flavor, and I forgot to cut up some carrot chunks. Anyway, still quite tasty.

A strawberry-banana-pineapple smoothie for my sweet tooth and I called it a night.

Alright, which of these two memes is funniest:

Yes, they are both good. I’d call it a tie.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I had a package delivery:

This Juan’s for me!
My new walking sticks, or trekking poles, if you prefer. I’m still only going to use one at a time, but I like to have a backup handy. My old stick broke last week, but luckily we’ve been doing flat trails since then.

Alright, here are the photos from Wednesday’s hike I promised. As always, Scott gets the credit for many of these:

We took the roundabout way in Castillejos. The last portion did require walking the National highway, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it typically is in Barretto.
Steve and Scott provided the transport in their cars. Martin and his gal rode out on his Harley.
The group shot.
Rollin’ down the road…
The friendliness of the locals really stood out on this hike…everyone gave us a shout-out and made us feel welcome.
The love of cookies (or biscuits, as some locals say) is universal.
It was a beautiful day, albeit a tad on the warm side. But at least it didn’t rain.
A rest and regrouping stop.
Marching on.
A tranquil scene from the countryside.
This is the peak season for the thatch grass. This batch was around 12 feet high. The old-timers say it is as high as they’ve ever seen it.
We don’t need no edukasyon.
I’m taking what they’re givin’ ’cause I’m workin’ for a livin’.
Here’s some “junk” food for you!
Heading back to the National highway.
Warm greetings from the friendly trike drivers here.
Hiking the highway.
A water tower.
Every city has to have a marketplace.
When (if) I move into the blue house, I’m thinking about getting a nipa hut like this and putting it out in the huge yard.
The Castillejos town square.
The small restaurant where we lunched. Having us all there out once kind of overwhelmed the staff, but they did a good job taking care of us.
A member of the hard-working kitchen crew. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal.

And after lunch, we walked back to the vehicles and made the drive to Barretto. It was a very nice hike overall, and it is always good to see some relatively new scenery (we had last done this trail on New Year’s Day in 2021).

You can Relive the hike here if you’d like:

Turning back the pages to the times I love best
I wonder if she'll ever do the same
Now the thing that I call living is just being satisfied
With knowing I got no one left to blame

Carefree highway, got to see you my old flame
Carefree highway, you seen better days
The morning after blues from my head down to my shoes
Carefree highway, let me slip away, slip away on you

Roll or coast her?

Tuesday is normally my “lazy” day, but I experienced a lot of ups and downs yesterday.

Started out with my third trip to immigration for my ACR (Alien Certificate of Registration) card. It took them a while fingering through stacks of cards, but at last, they found mine. One less thing to worry about as I begin planning my required departure, probably in November.

The next stop was the Royal supermarket on my weekly grocery run. The store frequently has certain items with markdown/sale pricing. For example, yesterday, they had Marie Callender frozen pot pies for 30% off. That brought the price down to $3.60 (yes, they use dollar amounts for imported goods), and I decided to buy one for old times’ sake. I’m not sure why but for some reason, I made a mental note to watch the cashier scan my pie to make sure I was getting the discount. My intuition proved correct because it rang up at the full price. I pointed out that the pie was on sale, and the cashier called the floor supervisor over. The supervisor sent the bagger to verify the price, and I engaged in some frustrated banter about scamming customers with fake discounts. Yeah, I went there, although I did remain calm and spoke in a normal voice. When the bagger came back with the correct price, the supervisor started to manually ring up the purchase, but I stopped her and said, “I don’t want it now.” It was the least I could do. In the future, I will keep all “sale” items together in my cart and watch the prices on the register to make sure I’m really getting the discount. And yes, I know I was only being ripped off for $1.50, but it is the principle of the matter.

After I got back from my Royal adventure, I headed over to Dr. Jo’s office. The appointment was for my friend Bhel’s daughter and a follow-up visit for her son (blood work). I had volunteered to pay the doctor’s fees for Bhel. I arrived a little early, so I treated myself to lunch downstairs at Angel’s Bakery.

I don’t eat here as often as I used to, but I did enjoy this roast chicken salad quite a lot.

Bhel arrived with her kids right on time, so I joined them upstairs. Dr. Jo invited me to sit in on the consultation, but I demurred, saying I was only there to pay the bill. I’m not sure what medical issues her 13-year-old daughter might be dealing with, but I do know that’s none of my business, and prefer giving the family their privacy. Dr. Jo’s husband joined me in the waiting area, and we had a nice chat. They are in the process of moving into a rental property in Alta Vista. I told him about my potential forthcoming move, and we somehow got on the subject of the UK healthcare system (he’s not impressed). I asked if he’d ever seen House, MD, and he said he had not. That surprised me, but he said medical dramas have so many inaccuracies that he’s grown weary of watching them. When the session with Dr. Jo was complete, Bhel came out with a prescription. I asked Dr. Jo how much the bill was; she said, “no charge.” I persisted, and she insisted there was nothing owed. I’m sure she was just being generous; I always paid a fee for my consultations. She’s a good woman and a good doctor with a good heart. Thanks for that! I gave Bhel 2000 pesos to fill her prescriptions, then headed back home.

Bhel sent me a photo of her drug purchases, not that I was worried about it. She’s a jobless mother just doing her best, and I respect that.

My part-time helper who lives downstairs gave birth to a daughter this week. My helper’s name is Geraldine, she goes by Inday, and her Hash moniker is Cum In My Basement. It wasn’t me, but somebody obviously did. Actually, her live-in boyfriend has assumed his fatherly responsibilities.

Congratulations! Glad the little girl came out healthy. I bought her some diapers at Royal (the baby, not Inday).

My mountain mama friend messaged me with a plea to let her perform massage services. She was especially desperate this week because her daughter has a birthday coming. Well, I’m here to help, and it turned out to be one of the best massages ever.

MM always sends pictures to show the money is being put to good use. I never doubt it; she is a good woman and a good mama.

Just before I headed out for the evening, I heard from Cathy, the adopted mother of the boy I sponsor at school in Bohol. She advised that Eithan had been promoted from a Cub Scout to a Boy Scout, and so he needed a new uniform. Sure, why not? I wired her the money she required to make the purchase.

Cathy has also proven to be trustworthy over the years.

So, with my good deeds completed for the day, I headed out to support the local bars and the girls who work in them. I started at It Doesn’t Matter and sat with my regular there, Agnes. I started feeling hungry, so I ordered a chicken burger, and Agnes went with chicken fingers. They do a good job for a bar kitchen.

I tend to like to move around some, so after the meal, I paid up and headed out. I hadn’t been to Blue Butterfly in quite a while, so I hoofed it on over there to see how my friend Tee was doing. I prefer the outside area, and as I entered, I received a warm greeting from the gals sitting around waiting for customers. One of them told me she’d go fetch Tee, so I sat down at my favorite table, expecting Tee to bring my beer. Instead, I was served by another gal who knew me, but I didn’t recall her at all. She mentioned that we had met at the old T-Rose bar, but it still didn’t ring a bell. When I confessed that I didn’t even know her name, she seemed genuinely disappointed. “I’m Jo; you really don’t remember?” Sorry. About this time, Tee came out and stood beside the table (there were only two chairs). I chatted up Tee, asked when she’d be returning to the Hash, and the usual how you been talk. Jo didn’t take the hint to leave, so I figured I’d be entertaining two gals (not that unusual). Then Tee just walked away without a word. Saw her briefly chat with the girls on the other side of the patio, then she went back inside the bar. WTF was that all about? I was down to my last swig of beer and had intended to have a second and order two lady drinks for the girls. Instead, I just paid my tab, tipped Jo, and left. I don’t have any reason to return to Blue Butterfly now.

There are always other options, and I had another “buy one, take one” coupon for Hot Zone. I was a little surprised when my friend, the door girl, didn’t follow me inside. I soon discovered why–some two-week millionaire had every single girl inside the bar surrounding him at his table. And it wasn’t just lady drinks he was buying–he had a shitload of food delivered from Sit-n-Bull as well. To their credit, a waitress would always come over to serve me when needed. I tried to have a drink sent outside to the door girl (she couldn’t come inside because there was no one available to take her place) and was told that she had one waiting for her from Mr. Rich Guy. Okay, good. Everyone was taken care of, and I could give my wallet a rest.

I chatted with owner Jay for a bit; then he went out to walk his dogs. A bit later, a group of bikers (The Mad Dogs from Angeles) came in. They took up seats around the empty dance stage with “now what?” looks on their faces. You know, I get it. The girls love the big spenders, and I’m sure it is good for the bar’s bottom line. That guy with the deep pockets spent more in the hour I was there than I might do in a month, and I’m on the generous side of the scale. Still, there were eight or nine other customers in a girly bar with no available girls. Not sure what, if anything, you can do about that.

And while all of this drama was going on, I got a message from my helper that the water pump wasn’t working. I messaged my landlord in Singapore, and he responded that he was sending a plumber. Then an hour or so later, I heard back from the helper that the next-door neighbor had inadvertently turned off my water at the meter, thinking it was his. And yes, it was the plumber who discovered this fuck up. I felt bad for having put the landlord through this unnecessary expense and hassle, but honestly, I would have never even thought to check the meter. Oh, well.

I intended Green Room to be my final destination on the night, but it was packed with pool players for league night, and I didn’t see anywhere to sit. I shrugged and moved next door to Wet Spot. Thankfully I didn’t see Marga working, and I think Aine is long gone now, but I sat at the manager’s table and chatted with a couple of folks I know. A bit later, my favorite Green Room waitress appeared and was thirsty for a lady drink. They have an arrangement between the two bars that staff can join customers in either location and still earn commissions on drinks. I actually think that’s a good arrangement for both patrons and employees. Still, it seemed a little strange to be drinking with a Green Room waitress while my Wet Spot waitress looked on. So, I erased that discomfort by buying her a drink too. Then the cute little bartender caught me giving her the eye, so I smiled and sent her a drink as well. Yeah, I might have been a little drunk at this point.

Still, it was only a little after 8:00 p.m. when I caught a trike for home. And then I proceeded to eat almost the whole half gallon of the irresistible Butterfinger ice cream I had purchased that morning. Okay, I guess I was a little drunk.

Hey, but what a day, right? Next up is my Wednesday bargirl feeding at Hideaway and whatever comes after. Join me tomorrow for a full report of the night’s events and also the photo essay from this morning’s hiking adventure in Castillejos.

Hashtastic

Well, better than expected anyway. The rain stopped just a few minutes before we started out on a Hash trail designed with potential rain in mind. That meant the back streets of Barretto, a walk on the beach, more Barretto streets, then an exploration of Alta Vista. The hike ended at Da’Kudos on Baloy Beach.

This is what Google saw us doing from above.
Shall we gather at the river? Nope, the trail starts at VFW. Let’s meet there!
And we are On-On!
Some narrow alleyways.
And lonely pathways
And then some roadwork.
Where might this lead?
Beach, please!
It’s been a while since we’d done a Hash beach walk.
The fisherman wasn’t biting.
Is that a mermaid?
The tallest building in town–Central Park Reef hotel.
We ran out of beach and hit the highway.
This is my shortcut road to Barretto from Alta Vista. In fact, I walked it on the way to the VFW.
Taking the trail alongside Leech My Nuggets’ house.
On the slippery streets of Alta Vista. As 18 Kilo Ass discovered the hard way. No sooner had he uttered the words “I’m glad we are not on a muddy trail” Karma stepped in and dropped him on his butt. Algae grows fast on a wet and little-traveled street. I have to be extra careful on my dog walk every morning.
It’s not all that exciting walking around my own neighborhood, but it’s still better than walking the highway.
We even walked past where I hope to live in the new year.
And this will be my view of Easter mountain after I move.
Out of Alta Vista and onto Baloy Beach Road.
Off the road and onto the beach.
We had a quick beer stop at McCoy’s before heading to our On-Home venue.
I had to snap a photo of this example of Filipino ingenuity and creativity. The bottom section of an office chair, a kitchen sink, and an oven shelf are the only ingredients you need to make your own barbeque grill.
Da’Kudos and the end of the trail.
Let the drinking commence!
The Gash table.
Fucking Old Man and me chillaxin’ on the beach.
18 Kilo Ass and Demolition Derby holding court. What’s that shit they’re standing next to?
This is typical of what the recent typhoon washed up on the beaches. No surprise, it happens after every storm. Upstream, people throw their garbage in the rivers. The rivers wash it into the bay. And the wind and waves throw it on the beach. It’s a never-ending cycle, which is the wrong kind of recycling. No worries, it will eventually get raked into piles and burned. Not good for the air quality, you say? Shut up!
Life goes on, and so does the Hash. We initiated a new virgin yesterday. Does she look familiar? Yep, that’s TinTin, the Queen Victoria dancer whose picture I included in my earlier SOBsequently post. Welcome to the Hash!

And so ended another Hash Monday.

The wild and windy night

The calm before the storm as seen from my balcony yesterday afternoon.

The photo above also reveals that when the house below my unit is completed, my view of the bay will be all but obliterated. As I was lamenting that fact, I heard from a friend asking if I was interested in moving to the Grand Canyon next year. I told her I was open to the proposition, and she invited me to come and check it out. And so I did.

I’m not the President of South Korea, but I could see myself living in the Blue House.

Actually, this house was featured in my streets of Alta Vista series.

It sits at the end of Grand Canyon street.

The house is practically a landmark because it sits high and stands out for miles around when you are looking up from the valley. I’ve always thought it looked small, but the landlord gave me a tour yesterday, and it is bigger inside than it appears from the outside. Only two bedrooms upstairs, but they are decent sized, and both have their own bathroom with shower. A comfortable living room and functional kitchen with a pantry. The best thing about the house is its panoramic 360-degree views with balconies on three sides and a large ground-floor patio. The owner is also in the process of adding a ground-floor master bedroom which would be perfect for my helper. It has a huge fenced yard that would be ideal for Buddy and Lucky.

The house owner is moving to the UK to be with her husband early next year. My lease isn’t up until June, but she’s willing to be flexible with me, and I think we have a tentative deal worked out. I’m looking forward to the change of scenery, all this construction noise around me (four fucking houses!) is wearing me out, and once my view is gone, there is no point in staying here.

So, that was a nice surprise just before I headed out for my Sunday evening in town. I had promised Joy the Mango’s grilled pork chops but warned her they were “out of stock” about half the time. And sure enough, I got the “sorry, Sir John” response when I placed the order. **deep breath. relax. accept the Filipino way** Okay, then, give me the lasagna with a side of mashed potatoes.

Joy’s dinner. Lasagna and taters.
Joy enjoying her dinner. She said the lasagna was good but not as good as the Sit-n-Bull version.

I brought fried chicken for Chooks to Go for the rest of the crew. A few beers for me and lady drinks for Joy, Jen, and Ken, and then it was time to go.

I’ve got to eat too, you know. I went to John’s place . This is the Philly cheesesteak . They also had a roast beef with cheddar sandwich on the menu for the same price (495 pesos). I asked the waitress what the difference was, so she went back to the kitchen to check. Turns out they use the bulgogi seasoned meat on the cheesesteak. Works for me!

After my meal, I popped into Cheap Charlies. Most of my regulars weren’t there, but that’s okay. I was shocked a bit later when my favorite, who wasn’t working, came in with her date, a hefty old foreigner (yeah, like me). Hmm. I don’t think it is good to parade a new boyfriend around during your off time. I get how it works on duty, but I didn’t like seeing it last night for some reason. Knowing her history (she has a husband) made me feel sorry for the sucker she was with as well. Adultery is a criminal offense in this country. Needless to say, she is no longer my favorite.

So, one of my newer Facebook friends is a woman named Marga. She sent the request because we have a mutual friend named Joy (no, not one of the Joys I’ve written about recently). It turns out that Joy recently died at age 28. Sadly, I did not recollect who she was or how I knew her. I went back and searched my messenger and saw a conversation I had with that Joy back in June. I met her once (she did a massage with no happy ending) and never saw her again. Marga says she died of a heart condition. Sad to hear, and if I recall correctly, she had a couple of young kids.

Anyway, Marga works at Wet Spot, and I told her I would stop by last night so we could meet.

Let’s just say the chemistry wasn’t there. I didn’t stay long.

Everyone has been anticipating the big typhoon scheduled to blow through town last night. I woke up around 0100 to the sound of wind and rain. I got up and went into the living area to check things out and saw that the sliding doors to the balcony were open. I do that so the dogs can pee out there during the night. Well, the wind had blown the rain inside, soaking the floor, coffee table, and couch. Oops! At least it didn’t reach my laptop. I closed the doors and went back to bed. I couldn’t get back to sleep, and about thirty minutes later, the power went out. So, no lights in the bathroom, no fans, and no running water (this house pumps my water up from a tank in the basement). My concern was that the power might not be restored for god knows how long, which would be a major pain in the ass. Surprisingly, it came back on about an hour later (yeah, I was still awake for some reason).

Anyway, as far as I can tell, other than some flooding in the usual places, the storm didn’t do a lot of damage. Well, I noticed this morning that my place wasn’t unscathed.

Oh, well. I guess it could have been worse.
And on my rainy dog walk, I noticed there had been a landslide in the usual place.

It’s been raining all morning, but it appears it’s going to clear out in time for us to have a relatively dry Hash. The Hares say it is going to be a mostly paved trail today, so it sounds doable.

I’ve cooked up a batch of chili in the crockpot, and I’m baking some cornbread, so I’ll have a hearty lunch before I head out for today’s hike.

Chili in the crockpot
And a cornbread side.
Tastes good, although I could have baked the cornbread a tad longer.
I appreciate the sentiment, but I have no reason to believe Robin Williams ever said that.

And that’s all I’ve got for now.

The wild and windy night, that the rain, washed away
Has left a pool of tears, crying for the day
Why leave me standing here, let me know the way

If the shoe fits, wear it

Another day and I lived to tell about it, so here goes.

I started my morning by doing my usual SSS (Saturday Solo Street) walk on the mean byways of Barretto (National Highway, Abra, Rizal, Columban, Jasmine, Gomez, Dagupan, Jolo, and Del Pilar). I finished at Sit-n-Bull, where I ordered some take-out food to reward my dedication to exercise and a healthy lifestyle (COCI–calories out, calories in).

That’s 3/4 of the footlong ham sub sandwich. I gave the other portion to my helper. See, I’m not a total glutton.
But how could I resist the pecan pie? Yes, it’s small and expensive (200 pesos!), but I added a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream to flesh it out some. Yeah, maybe I am a glutton after all.

I began my evening activities at It Doesn’t Matter, where I interacted with a new waitress named Juliet. She really tripped my triggers, so I introduced myself as Romeo and bought her a couple of lady drinks. She told me right up front that she has a boyfriend, Aussie, I think she said, and they have been together for several years. Just my luck. Juliet had heard of “Romeo and Juliet” but wasn’t familiar with the details of Shakespeare’s famous play. I did a quick Google search to make sure I got the sequence of events correct, then did a brief retelling of the sad tale for her enlightenment. It didn’t end well for the original Juliet and her Romeo, and here in the real world, our tragedy never got started. Just as well, the IDM Juliet has a happy life (and three kids), and I wouldn’t dream of intruding on that.

The next stop was the seldom-visited BarCelona. I had two beers while waiting for Hot Zone to open so I could use my “buy one, get one” coupon. When I arrived at HZ, my friend, the door girl, followed me in, and of course, I satisfied her desire for lady drinks. The Sit-n-Bull waitress also came in with menus (SnB services the neighboring bars), so I ordered up some chicken wings and chicken fingers. While waiting for the food to arrive, I regaled two of the waitresses with my lame jokes, and their polite laughter earned them drinks as well (I told you those discount coupons wind up costing me big time!). When the food arrived, I shared the bounty with the gals, and they were appropriately appreciative.

I had my “one for the road” drink at the nearby Green Room, then called it a night.

I slept in until almost 0500, then went about my morning rituals.

Cranberry muffins were my breakfast treat.

My cash supply was running a bit low, and as usual, the BPI ATM in Barretto was out of service. In those circumstances, I usually do the highway walk to Subic-town (around 5K each way), but it’s an ugly trek. So, instead, I had the bright idea to walk the highway in the opposite direction and use the ATM on the old Navy base. And that’s just what I did.

It looked like this. And my actual pace was a little over 12 minutes per kilometer. I didn’t turn off the tracker while I was doing my business.

Since I hadn’t walked this way for a while, I decided to do that “one photo every 1.6 KMs” in sync with the notifications from my Map My Hike app.

Leaving my place. Since walking the highway is probably the most dangerous thing I do, I wanted to get one last selfie done, just in case.
At 1.6K on the National Highway in Barretto.
3.2K on the highway in barangay Kalaklan
4.8K at the cemetery near the entrance to SBMA (the old Navy base). People living in Olongapo are not allowed to be buried here. Only the dead can get in. *ahem*
6.2K at Harbor Point mall on SBMA. That’s where the ATM is located.

I successfully withdrew the desired cash. With the money burning a hole in my pocket wallet, I walked a bit further into Olongapo proper and visited the SM Downtown mall in search of some new Merrell hiking shoes (the Merrell store in Harbor Point remains closed).

8K at SM mall, and I eventually remembered to turn off the tracker.

You can Relive my trek if you so desire:

I wear size 11, which always seems to be out of stock. I guess that is unnaturally large for most Filipino men. Hmm, I wonder what else is smaller? Anyway, sure enough, no Merrells in my size. For street shoes I wear every day, I’ve been satisfied with Skechers. They had some I liked at 40% off the regular price, and surprise, surprise, they even had two pairs in my size. So, I bought them both.

I’m going to try out this pair for off-road hiking. I like that tread on the bottom.
The shoes are actually quite comfortable. And I’ve never seen anything like those laces. They don’t actually tie. The shoe has an elastic stretch thing wear you just slip them on. I’m not sure if the shoe strings are only for aesthetic purposes or perhaps they help keep the shoe snug on your foot once you’ve slipped them on. Anyway, I hate having to bend over to tie my shoe when they come undone on trail, so this could be a nice feature.
The other pair also has the tieless laces but not as much traction on the soles. I’ll use these for my every day bar visits.
They are black like my heart…

Seeing as how I had two shoe boxes to carry, I took a cab back home.

It looks like tomorrow’s Hash may be a wet one. A couple of us have already been discussing doing an alternative pub crawl if we get hit with a typhoon. The storm’s center is supposed to be south of us, but we are bracing for whatever residual impact it may have. Hold on to your hats!

Not the way I prefer to be blown.

Now I must go and prepare for the scheduled Sunday feeding of the Hideaway girls. Whatever it takes to keep them happy, I suppose.

Thanks for dropping by.

SOBsequently

Whatever happens next remains to be seen; here’s what’s happened already.

Started the day with a group hike out in the Philseco section of Subic. It’s always nice to get out of town and hike a seldom-traveled route. I’ll share some photos from the adventure later in this post.

Yesterday’s SOB was held at Queen Victoria, the first time I’ve attended the event at that venue. I was the first to arrive, and it was pouring down rain outside. I figured that would keep turnout low, but I was wrong–the place was packed with more attendees than usual. The show was pretty much more of the same: Wet Spot was the winner, followed by Alaska Club and Hot Zone. I’ll post some pictures once the event sponsor publishes them.

UPDATE: Some SOB photos:

Hot Zone third place
Alaska is second place. That’s Joy on the far left.
And Wet Spot takes first. Again.
And there’s TinTin, my favorite from Queen Victoria.

With my early arrival, I got my choice of seats. I guess they forgot to reserve a VIP table for the sponsor, Dave. I invited him and his guest to join me at my table, and it was nice to share the event with its founder.

Joy from Alaska and TinTin from Queen Victoria came and stood behind me after they had completed their dance routines. Naturally, I quenched their thirst with lady drinks. I’m getting to be quite the man about town these days, and the girls all love that big bulge in my pants! (I’m talking about my wallet, of course.)

I attended the Aftermath event at The Green Room at the conclusion of the SOB. That always keeps me out past my bedtime and requires ingestion of excessive amounts of alcohol (I stuck with San Mig Zero to limit the impact as much as possible). I didn’t get a chance at the big prize (turn over the joker and win over 20,000 pesos) but came away with some more “buy one, take one” coupons. It looks like I’ll be spending some time (and money) in Hot Zone this week.

Yeah, that never ceases to amaze me. And as often as not, what people think they “know” is wrong. Last night, someone told me they thought I was the owner of the now-defunct Kamto resto-bar. Nope, friends with the owner is as close as I got.

The Facebook memories feature took me back to my life in Seoul eleven years ago. That truly was a lifetime ago, and this life I’m living is about as close to the opposite of my former life as it can be. Many photos featured Jee Yeun, and those memories are still quite painful. Still, it was good to be reminded of those days when I was literally fat and happy.

Although I’ve grown accustomed to and attracted to Filipina beauty, there is something about a Korean face that is still appealing.
I had a lot more friend relationships in those days too. There is no one that I’m as close to now. I miss the passion I used to have for darts too.

Oh, well. As I have often said, the man I used to be died a slow and painful death. The man I’ve become is what I am, for better or worse. Things haven’t always gone as planned, but I’m still in the game and ready for whatever might come next.

Alright, enough introspection. Let’s take a hike!

Sorry that this installment of hike photos lacks the diversity and quality you’ve become accustomed to seeing here. I usually steal from fellow hiker Scott’s collection. Alas, he remains in Facebook jail and was unable to upload his gallery from yesterday. These will have to suffice:

The path our journey took, starting at Philseco, up into the hills around Asinan, then back to the Subic marketplace.
About a 20-minute Jeepney ride to get to our start.
Not so comfortable for us old geezers to get in and out.
Our assembled group, eleven of us, all told.
The road that lies ahead of us.
Let’s hit it!
Heading for the hills.
Off the pavement for a while.
Ah, the shade is nice. When I can’t complain about the rain, I can still bitch about the heat.
Out in the woods in the middle of nowhere. Henry David Thoreau would have felt right at home here, no doubt.
Back on solid ground.
Is everybody here?
Seems a little shady to hang a hammock there. Hope he’s the driver, so he doesn’t wake up to a nasty surprise.
The Keppel shipyard.
Heading to the market.
The river flows…
…it flows to the sea

We caught a Jeepney back to Barretto and then enjoyed the hospitality at Dynamite Dick’s.

I also enjoyed some chicken wings.

And that brings you up to date. Stay tuned for more exciting adventures from Barrio Barretto.

Oh, I referenced Thoreau above, but despite my love of poetry, I was never a big fan of his work. Still, sharing some of his writing only seems fair since I invoked his name. I glanced at a few of his poems and couldn’t decide which of these two I liked best. So, I’ll post them both.

Epitaph On The World

Here lies the body of this world,
Whose soul alas to hell is hurled.
This golden youth long since was past,
Its silver manhood went as fast,
An iron age drew on at last;
'Tis vain its character to tell,
The several fates which it befell,
What year it died, when 'twill arise,
We only know that here it lies.
Free Love

My love must be as free
As is the eagle's wing,
Hovering o'er land and sea
And every thing.

I must not dim my eye
In thy saloon,
I must not leave my sky
And nightly moon.

Be not the fowler's net
Which stays my flight,
And craftily is set
T' allure the sight,

But be the favoring gale
That bears me on,
And still doth fill my sail
When thou art gone.

I cannot leave my sky
For thy caprice,
True love would soar as high
As heaven is.

The eagle would not brook
Her mate thus won,
Who trained his eye to look
Beneath the sun.

Fill your heart with a little Joy

Joy came over for a visit yesterday afternoon. It was pleasantly fulfilling. Afterward, I took her to Mango’s and treated her to the grilled pork chops. I guess she must have liked them; that’s what she wants for dinner on Sunday.

A commenter asked for the details of the relationship I have with Joy. However it might be characterized, a relationship is probably an overstatement. Joy is in her early twenties and has two young children. That’s pretty much a deal breaker for me. Don’t get me wrong; she is a very sweet and kind young woman, but as a mother, she is not free to provide me with the things I desire in a relationship. For example, I want to cuddle all night and wake up next to the woman I love. But since I’m not going to raise someone else’s kids at this late stage in my life, there is no potential future with Joy.

I first met Joy (on the left) just over a year ago when she went to work for Marick at her new little bar. These days Joy works at Hideaway Bar, and Marick is in jail.

So, nowadays, I visit Joy at Hideaway on Wednesdays and Sundays and feed her and the girls some dinner. Joy comes to see me at my place once a month or so. I reward her for her TLC, and she goes home happy. It is what it is, nothing more, nothing less. I guess that’s an example of me being a “sweet father.”

Another commenter has noticed the propensity of moles on the faces of many Filipinas. I also observed that phenomenon when I first arrived, but I guess I’ve grown accustomed to it now. Not sure if it is a genetic thing or just that Western women are more inclined to get the moles surgically removed. I suppose they can be a little distracting, but they are not that big a deal to me.

A friend in Bohol. We’ve never met in person. I sponsor her son in school.
Then, of course, there is the ex-GF.

I guess it is good to remember it is not what’s on the face that matters, but what’s in the heart.

After Joy left, I headed out to Cheap Charlies. I figured I’d have a couple of drinks and then visit Hot Zone when it opened at 6:00 to use my discount coupon. I could keep an eye on things from my vantage point at CC, but for some reason, Hot Zone failed to open at six as scheduled. So, I just said, “fuck it,” and ordered another round for my crew and me.

My crew.
My favorite
I also enjoy the outside view from Cheap Charlies.

I hadn’t used up all of my 500 peso voucher at Alaska Club, so I stopped there on my way home. It turned out to be a little expensive. I was the only customer, and my earlier drinks had triggered my generosity mode. I gave each of the six dancers a 50 peso tip expecting nothing in return. But those sweet girls pulled down their tops to show me their tits. Made me feel like a sweet father again.

I, of course, took care of my waitress and my second favorite Joy, with lady drinks. I’ll be seeing Joy #2 tonight at Queen Victoria for the SOB–she’s one of the Alaska dancers.

I started my yesterday with a beach walk on Baloy.

Short and sweet.
On the beach.
Did an Alta Vista loop to add a little distance and ran into this old friend.

I’m not sure what’s up with my Lucky dog. He’s taken to joining me in bed at night, and I’m okay with that. But he has his own way of doing it.

Um, you are supposed to sleep like a dog.
“Fuck that; you sleep with your head on a pillow. I can too!”

Fine, be that way.

I’ll leave you with this little gem:

Yeah, I’m a punny guy.

Back tomorrow with a photo report from today’s hike and any worthy news from my SOB adventure.

Friendly skies

Finally, a hike with no rain! The Wednesday Walkers made the most of it with an enjoyable stroll out to bridge #4 and back. I’ve got a slew of pictures to share from our journey later in this post.

My evening hours were pretty much run-of-the-mill, not that that is a bad thing. I ordered pizza for delivery from Shamboli’s, conveniently located right around the corner from Hideaway Bar. In yet another example of small-town living, the counter girl said, “ah, the girls are hungry again?” Why yes, yes they are!

The pizza was almost gone before I got around to snapping a photo.
I made sure I got one of Joy in action, though.
The cupcakes were very popular too.

Speaking of Joy, she was featured in my Facebook memories from one year ago:

Ha! She was eating then too!

After the customary drinking, I said my goodnights and headed up the road to Voodoo. This is not a bar I usually frequent; in fact, I hadn’t been here since it last hosted an SOB. But I had a “buy one, get one” coupon to take advantage of before its expiration.

Josie immediately joined me at my table. I guess because I drank with her during the previous visits to Voodoo, she thinks I belong to her. Plus, I was the only customer when I arrived, which always makes for enhanced popularity.

Obviously, Josie is a bit long in the tooth for a bargirl/dancer. I had it in my head that she was forty or so years old, but during our chat, she revealed that her oldest child was thirty! I facetiously asked if she was ten when she gave birth, but it turns out she was twenty. She’s still pretty hot for an old woman.

Like most other bars in town, wages are low at Voodoo. The dancers make 300 pesos per day, but that is reduced to 150 if the lady drink quota is not achieved. That explains why all the girls on stage looked so damn thirsty! Even at my most generous, I’m not going to “ring the bell” and buy all the girls a drink. But I felt sufficiently sorry for them to pick one to come down and join us.

I don’t recall her name, but I judged her to be the least attractive on stage and thus the least likely to earn a lady drink commission. Good deed achieved!

Finished the night with one for the road at The Green Room, then triked on home.

Now a friend of mine back in the states has been complaining about Facebook ads showing up on his timeline that depict a penis (I guess for erectile dysfunction drugs or something of the sort). He has no idea how or why the algorithm for this ad targeted him. Trying to make him feel better, I shared this ad from my timeline:

I don’t suffer from hemorrhoids, nor do I care to see what people who do look like “down there.”

And then, in an ironic twist, fellow hiker Scott, who takes many of the photos you see posted here, told me he got put in Facebook jail for posting this photo from yesterday’s hike on Facebook:

These kids were cookie recipients. And yes, the little boy is pantsless. That’s not unusual around here, I guess, because diapers aren’t cheap. Anyway, I guess the perverts at Facebook project their perversions on everyone else.

Alright, let’s do the rest of the hike photos now:

We had six in attendance this week. The path we walked was mostly flat.
Gathering up at the 7/11 on Baloy Road.
Heading out
On the streets of Alta Vista.
Leaving the neighborhood.
Charles is enjoying his first Wednesday walk since returning to the Philippines.
It’s the peak season for the thatch grass, as demonstrated by all those blossoms on top.
We won’t be cowed by tall grass, however.
The obligatory shot of Easter mountain.
It was a struggle at times, but we mostly managed to keep our feet dry.
This cutie was feeling camera shy.
A fully dressed cookie recipient.
Waiting on us slowpokes in Marian Hills.
Where bananas come from
A quiet street scene.
Living la vida loca in barangay San Isidro. Well, about as crazy as it gets there anyway.
Yesterday’s rain.
At the grand canyon of Naugsol.
Where rice comes from.
Valley walkers
Crossing a makeshift bridge.
You guys coming?
Some locals.
Some loco yokels
Crossing bridge #4
A well-equipped sari-sari store.
A well-decorated trike.
The long trek back on Sawmill road.
You’re welcome!
Back to the National Highway.
There’s something fishy going on here.
A river runs through it.
After hike nourishment at Harley’s.
The view from our table.
The view of our table.
The view of my lunch. I went with the grilled ham and cheese. It was quite tasty.
I hope you enjoyed this post, algae and all.

You can’t take it with you

It has been said that money can’t buy happiness. That may be true, but it does buy things that make me happy. Yesterday’s big purchases were a cart full of groceries and a new desk chair But it is not just material things for my own benefit that give me some feel-good moments. The mountain mama widow I provide grocery money for each week always expresses genuine gratitude, and it feels good to be making a difference in her life in some small way. Yesterday she pleaded for a little extra because her kids all had some fever/congestion thing going on. Of course, I obliged. Her thank you message included this photo:

I never have to worry that the money is not being used for the intended purposes with her. Helping make sick kids feel better, you can’t really put a price tag on that.

Speaking of sick children, my friend Bhel is currently in Manila, getting her son’s heart condition reviewed at a couple of the major medical centers there. There are still some more tests to be done, but it appears he may be eligible for a program that will provide the required surgery at a significant discount. Here’s hoping things turn out that way.

I was reminded today of the project I initiated to train the woman I thought would be my caregiver here when I retired. Unbeknownst to me, she had different ideas, and next month will mark the fifth anniversary of the broken heart she gave in return for my generosity. Before I knew what was in store for me, I featured her in a post called “Pay it Forward.” In a weird kind of way, maybe that is what she wound up doing. I have no idea whether she’s still with the Englishman she dumped me for or not, but someone besides me will ultimately benefit from the training I paid for, and I guess that’s a form of charity too.

I came across another post called “Charitably speaking,” where I compare my friend in Cambodia paying to have a house built for his girl’s family and my rejection of beggars trying to nickel and dime me while interrupting me in my important work of beer drinking. Yeah, I can be a dick sometimes, too.

Of course, the lion’s share of my “good deeds” is directed towards the hardworking bargirls I encounter on a regular basis. I’m not talking about the prostitutes here; these are the girls working hard on eight to twelve-hour shifts to pay the rent. I’ve been asking around town, and it seems almost all the bars have a standard salary of 200 pesos per day. That’s the equivalent of four dollars, folks. So those lady drink commissions genuinely are a big deal in giving them the ability to make ends meet. I am sincerely glad that I’m able to help out my handful of regulars.

I had a 500 pesos voucher coupon for Alaska Club, and I put it to use last night. And now I have some more Joy in my life:

Nice to meet you, Joy! A very sweet young woman. 33 years old. SIX kids. If anyone could benefit from a couple of lady drinks, she is a worthy recipient.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking about a name to use in conjunction with my charity projects. What do y’all think of “Sweet Father”? It’s original but has a ring of familiarity, doesn’t it?

It’s feeding night at Hideaway Bar, and I’ll be providing a large Hawaiian pizza for dinner.

And chocolate cupcakes for dessert.

And I’m sure I won’t be drinking alone tonight, but it is for a good cause!

Well, I’ll just be more selective in my reading!

As always, thanks for your indulgence. I’ll be back tomorrow with pics from today’s hike and maybe some from whatever tonight brings.

Raindrops keep falling on my head

One of the wettest Hashes I can remember. I think the last time it rained that hard and that long, we wound up just doing a bar crawl instead. Once again, the rain held off until I was out the door and well on the way to our starting point on Govic highway. Honestly, though, I doubt I would have carried an umbrella anyway. I definitely needed my walking stick for the muddy slopes we traversed. Needless to say, I was as soaked to the bone early on. After that, it didn’t really matter anymore. The rain made it difficult to get many pictures, but here are what me and my fellow Hashers managed:

The red line is the trail the Hare laid, and the green shows the sane group’s realignment. The Hare went up Black Rock which is not something I’d ever want to do in the rain.
Gathering at our starting point.
Heading out
On the highway during a brief respite from the rain.
Up a long set of stairsteps we go.
At the end of the climb.
Into the woods, we go.
Walking through a hilltop village.
Peekaboo, I see you, Subic Bay.
Just another day in paradise.
Easter mountain in the rain.
Harriettes in the rain.
Baloy Beach road on the way to our On-Home.
When I first moved here, I rented a small apartment in Baloy. This is why I didn’t stay–the road floods every time it rains.
Arriving at Viking Resort.
The traditional after-hike imbibing.
Hash Gash.
Hash Gash in the pool…I guess they didn’t get wet enough on the trail.
Circle up!
I was “honored” to sit on the ice in recognition of my completing 150 consecutive Hash runs. Yeah, I need to get a life!
Pubic Head was feeling the love in honor of his 900th run with the Subic Bay Hash House Harriers. Congratulations on achieving that milestone!
Something must be up…
Ah, Get Your Rocks Off and What’s Up Doc were celebrating birthdays, and the girls made them a Hash cake!

Yep, a wet and wild afternoon. I was soaked and feeling chilled. I stopped at McCoy’s after the circle for another beer, then caught a trike home. 6:30 is pretty damn early, even for me. But into each life, some rain must fall.

Raindrops are falling on my head
And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
Nothing seems to fit
Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling

So I just did me some talking to the sun
And I said I didn't like the way he got things done
He's sleeping on the job
Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep fallin'

But there's one thing I know
The blues they send to meet me
Won't defeat me
It won't be long 'till happiness steps up to greet me

Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Crying's not for me
'Cause, I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining

Because I'm free
Nothing's worrying me

It won't be long 'till happiness steps up to greet me

Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Crying's not for me, 'cause,
I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining

Because I'm free
Nothing's worrying me

Not much sun for a Sunday

Well, to be fair, the sun was shining until I tried to walk. Then the rain took over. I had to abort my morning hike at 5K and catch a trike home (heh, any excuse will do, right?). Shortly after arriving, it was sunny again. Stayed that way until I headed into town sans umbrella. I didn’t want to spend my evening dripping wet, so I popped into BarCelona, the first open establishment I came to (it was still a few minutes before 4:00) to wait out the storm.

It’s hard to capture rain in a photo, but the wetness “shines” through. You can barely see the Kalaklan ridge off in the distance because of the rain.
The rooftop deck was not a popular place to sit during the storm.

The rain eventually let up, and I continued my crosstown journey to Hideaway bar. I made a stop at Chooks to Go and picked up two roasted chickens.

The picture I took of the actual chicken was too blurry to be usable. Oh well.

Joy loved the cornbread muffins the best. She’s usually quite generous with her co-workers, but she kept three of the six muffins I brought for herself.

The look of love. She ate all three while I was still there.

The chicken and brownies were popular with the other girls too. That’s what it’s all about.

After feeding the crew, I went across the highway to John’s place to feed myself. Sat up in the third-floor bar area.

Where I enjoyed this view while waiting for my meal to be prepared.
I did the Philly cheesesteak, and it was scrumptious.

After my dinner, I popped into Cheap Charlies and enjoyed Roseanne and Alma’s company while imbibing some alcoholic beverages.

Well, I do appreciate a good view while I’m drinking.

Finished my evening out with a beer at Snackbar. One of the waitresses was celebrating her birthday, so she got a drink too. The person I had come to see wasn’t there even though she had invited me. That put me in a foul mood, but lesson learned.

But the sun came out this morning, and I had a pleasant dog walk.

There were water droplets on the pine needles reflecting the light from the rising sun. Naturally, I wasn’t skilled enough to capture that magical moment.
An excellent way to start the day. Let’s hope the weather holds into the afternoon.

Made myself a burrito for breakfast.

I’m getting better at that tortilla searing.

And now, it is time to prepare for another Hash Monday. Leech My Nuggets is the Hare, so I expect a challenging trail. We finish up on Baloy Beach at the Viking Resort. I’ll post the ups and downs and slips and slides tomorrow.

Yes, except I’ll be taking pictures as my excuse!

Thanks for stopping by!

Running dry again

The gathering to honor the memory of Don Bullock at IDM yesterday was thought-provoking. Lots of people we both knew were there, so it was good to see some old familiar faces. I offered the usual condolences to his widow and enjoyed seeing his children looking healthy and happy as they might be under the circumstances. It’s cliche to say “life goes on,” I suppose, but for those in attendance, that seemed to be the modus operandi. What else are you going to do? Don ain’t coming back, and we are still here doing what he’d be doing if he was alive. Cheers to a life well lived and to the friends you left behind!

I guess maybe it is my selfish nature to use the occasion of someone’s death to think of my own inevitable passing. Not so much about the when and how; ultimately, it doesn’t matter if I go from COPD, crossing the National highway, or being fucked to death by a sexy Filipina. Obviously, I’m in no hurry to reach that final destination, but the day comes for all of us. I guess what’s been on my mind is the feeling that my death won’t matter because I’m not an important part of anyone’s life. Sure, I have my kids, but I’ve not seen them for three years and rarely even hear from them these days. They are living their lives, and I’m not part of that. That’s fine; after all, this is the life I’ve chosen to spend on the other side of the world. I’m sure the people I know here would be sorry to see me go, but I wouldn’t be leaving any voids to fill either. And that’s okay, too.

I just wonder why that is. If no one is close to me, it must be my fault for not allowing them more than peripheral access to the person that I am. Or maybe they’re not trying hard enough to know me. Or both. It really doesn’t matter. I’ll continue on with my lonely journey, and perhaps one day, I’ll encounter a fellow traveler to join me. If not, then at least no one will have the power to hurt me again.

Enough of this mental masturbation. Life is what it is, we make the best of it until it is gone, and then we no longer have to worry about whether or not we are doing it right.

Yes, beer is better than tears, for sure.

There are traditions that must be honored, like feeding the hungry. Tonight the Hideaway girls will be enjoying roast chicken from Chooks to Go. I baked up some cornbread muffins to add substance to the meal.

My sampling revealed that they taste as good as they look. I did the adding a can of corn to the mix thing, which enhances the flavor in a corny kind of way. Honestly, I like plain cornbread just as well, if not better, but these aren’t for me, and I think the gals will enjoy having some corn with their bread.
And, of course, brownies for dessert.

Yeah, I guess the Hideaway girls will miss me if and when I’m gone.

Oh, please help me,
oh, please help me,
I'm livin' by myself.
I need someone to comfort me,
I need someone to tell.

I'm sorry for
the things I've done,
I've shamed myself with lies,
But soon these things
are overcome
And can't be recognized.

I left my love
with ribbons on
And water in her eyes.
I took from her
the love I'd won
And turned it to the sky.

I'm sorry for
the things I've done,
I've shamed myself with lies,
My cruelty has punctured me
And now I'm running dry.

SOB mob

I’m sure you will be smart enough to like this post.

The Green Room was packed for last night’s SOB competition. It’s a nice bar but not the best venue for a dance contest. Without an actual stage, if you aren’t seated upfront, you are going to have an obstructed view. I got there early and secured what I thought was the best table in the house for watching the dancers. Then a combination of late arrivals and the GRO employees all gathered around in front of the tables. It got a little frustrating at times, but the girls at least were squatting lower so as not to obstruct the view so much.

There was a large group surrounding the table next to mine. Not sure if they were expats or tourists, but they were spending like two-week millionaires. They had a bunch of the bargirls in their company and bought multiple shots of tequila and several rounds of lady drinks for them. I know this because their “dates” used my table as a drink holder. No big deal. They also threw three or four buckets of balls (at 300 pesos each) to see the girls scrambling on the floor to gather them up (I understand they get 10 pesos for each ball they collect). The guys were drinking Red Horse, a popular local brew not served in the Green Room. At first, I thought, why is the bar allowing outside beverages? Then I realized that with the kind of dough these dudes were dropping, it was prudent to ignore. It also dawned on me that your drinks are free during the SOB, so a customer bringing in their own beer actually saves the bar money.

Anyway, it looked like they were all having fun, so who am I to complain? I kept my old man grumpiness to myself.

The Green Room dancers took third place.

Alaska Club was second.
And the Wet Spot gals took the first place honors.
The Wet Spot candle dancer put on an impressive performance.

(the photos above are courtesy of the event host)

I also attended the Aftermath event next door at Wet Spot. That kept me up well past my bedtime–I didn’t get home until almost 10:30! But now I’ve got a pocket full of discount coupons to use up this week. We’ll see how much those discounts wind up costing me.

Saw this today, and it gave me a chuckle:

I’m reminded of a story I read back in my high school daze: “I have eternal life, and it’s killing me.”

My other “big event” yesterday was the Friday group hike. Five of us turned up, and it fell on me to lead the way. I took some mostly familiar trails, including a goodly portion of My Bitch, two climbs, and 6K or so. My fellow hikers seemed to enjoy it, so there’s that.

Here are a few photos from the trek:

Started out on the streets of Alta Vista.
Then made our way into the wild.
Living off the land means using what nature provides.
It’s the big grass time of year.
Flat ground between climbs.
Some light rain during the hike.
We didn’t burn any bridges.
The downtrodden.
Stepping down.
Are you tired, bro?
Come on down, the weather’s fine!
The path we walked.

So, that was my yesterday. Today there will be a memorial for the recently deceased Don Bullock at IDM that I plan to attend. Not sure what else the night holds in store for me, but I’m sure I’ll have something to say about that tomorrow. Assuming I survive.

Rest in Peace, Don. You were one of the good guys, and you will be missed.

What is your nation?

Glad you asked! I’m from Vaxxy nation. Fully, of course.

Yes, I got my second dose of Sinovac yesterday afternoon. That’s as vaccinated as I’m going to get. The booster isn’t due for three months, and I will need to travel before then. If the Philippines government is to be believed, I will just need a PCR test before flying back if I don’t have the booster. That’s all I can do, so I’ll get on with the business of planning my trip. My first choice is Cambodia, but I’ll need to check flight availability. I prefer flying out of Clark in Angeles rather than making the journey to Manila. So, we’ll see. Lots of options in this big ol’ world.

I’m not feeling any real side effects from this second dose, just a little sore in the shoulder where they jabbed me. The person who gave me the shot said something that sounded like “…drink alcohol for three days,” so I got started on that last night.

I didn’t drink on an empty stomach, though. I invited Joy and her co-worker friend Jen to join me for a pork belly dinner at a relatively new place in town.

I’m not sure what it is with Filipinos and samgyeopsal, but I’m seeing more and more of this type of joint opening.
The menu. We opted for Set 3, the premium samgyeopsal package.
Meat on the grill.
Our sides.
Joy also had some ramyeon.
Jen handled the cooking chores.
Joy enjoying her pork. We all did the lettuce wrap thing for most of the meal. I’d declare it average at best. I doubt I’ll be back anytime soon.
Better than nothing, I suppose.

The girls walked home after dinner, and I went with them as far as It Doesn’t Matter. There was no one there I really knew, so I only stayed for a couple of drinks. I had gotten a message from Lydell, who used to work at the now-closed Kamto, letting me know she was now employed at Adam’s bar. I decided to pay her a visit.

When I arrived, Lydell was busy doing some paperwork. I guess that’s her job, keeping track of who’s earned what lady drink commissions. I did get a chance to buy her a drink, and we chatted some. She just started the new job yesterday, but she says she is enjoying it so far. I’m glad she landed on her feet.

It seems for a moment I was the second most important thing in Lydell’s life.
But Shantelle was happy to see me. Too bad she has a boyfriend.

I probably need to do an update of my review of Adam’s. Last night I took note of the multitude of attractive ladies on staff, but talking to the ones right next to me was almost impossible because of the loud blaring music they were playing. Good songs, just way too much volume. I likely would have stayed longer last night but for that, and with so many other options available, it will be a negative factor should I consider a return visit.

I finished up at Queen Victoria since it was just across the street. The bartender told me a Ray’s gay band was playing later, but I wasn’t in the mood for live music either. In fact, I wasn’t in the mood for anything except going home to bed. I blame the vaxx. Maybe the vaxx caused that bad pun for reggae too.

Oh, well. Today’s another day, and I’ll be SOBing at The Green Room later this afternoon.

Life is good.

Lose the mask

I’ve been maskless for quite some time now, but President BongBong made me legal again by finally lifting the outdoor mask mandate. About damn time. I’d say about 30% of the population continues to wear their slave masks voluntarily, but that’s their choice, pointless though it may be..

The Wednesday Walkers had a very pleasant hike yesterday morning through the back streets and hills of Subic town. I’ll share pictures of that adventure later in this post.

I paid a visit to my doctors yesterday, but not on my own behalf. I brought my friend Bhel in for a consultation regarding her eight-year-old son. He has a severe heart condition that requires surgery, but she doesn’t have the means to pay for it. Bhel asked someone she knows at the Rotary Club if they could help, and she got a response saying yes, they would, provided she had the surgery done in India. That raised some serious red flags in my mind, and I knew Dr. Jo’s husband had done work in India, so I wanted her to hear their opinion. Not surprisingly, they didn’t think it was a good idea either and suggested some other options in Manila. Whether Rotary will pay for that remains to be seen, but Dr. Jo believes we can find local charities to help if need be. Anyway, the bottom line is that Bhel will schedule appointments in two different Manila hospitals to explore surgical options. It’s a start.

After leaving the doctor’s office, I crossed the highway to visit the shwarma shop at Thumbstar. I ordered up some chicken curry soup, some chicken on a stick, and some shwarmas for the Hideaway girls. I went inside the bar for a beer while I waited for my order to be prepared. I got to chatting with the guy seated next to me, a tourist from Florida. He was telling me about his trip so far, and I told him how much I enjoyed living here with the daytime hiking and nighttime drinking. He said he had read about the Hash and hiking groups on some blog he had found when he did a Google search before starting his trip. Oh really? He couldn’t remember the blog’s name, but when I suggested Long Time Gone, he replied, yes, that’s the one. Small world, eh? I never got around to confessing I was the author, though.

And then, I got approached by a friend from San Antonio (the one in Zambales, not Texas) who was in town for shopping and was having some beers before heading back home. I had a nice chat, and he invited me to stay at his place if I wanted to get out of town for a weekend visit. I love that area and could use a change of pace, so I’ll be making a plan to take him up on the kind offer. He’s got a great big house, and he says the wife will be our designated driver when we hit the beach bars in Pundaquit. Looking forward to that!

Chicken on a stick
Joy enjoying her chicken curry and rice.

In another odd twist, the manager of Thumbstar was at Hideaway and recognized from the smell it was food from his place. He came over and gave me a fist bump. Manager Griff gave me a free drink. And so another Wednesday feeding ended successfully.

My next stop was a visit to Cheap Charlies. Same old, same old.

She gave me a back rub, I gave her a drink.
She inspired lust in my heart, I gave her a drink.

I guess that qualifies as a win-win. A couple of more drinks for me and I called it a night. My Fitbit says I went to sleep at 8:30 and was up at 4:00 to begin another day in paradise.

Here’s those photos of me hiking in paradise I promised:

We took a Jeepney to the market area of Subic town, hiked up into the hills, then circled back around to finish at the market.
Five of us altogether offloaded in Subic.
And we are off!
The first of several water crossings. All involving bridges, thankfully.
Backstreets and alleyways were the paths of the day.
And those bridges I mentioned.
A busy waterway.
A brief jaunt along the rvierside.
Then up we go.
A cookie delivery on the way to the top.
Scott on the rocks.
Goose steppin’
The view from up here
Time to head back down.
It’s a little slippery…
Back on the street
Another bridge
Another river view
Hikers on a bridge.
What are we waiting for? Oh yeah, the slowpokes.
Friendly natives. Almost everyone in this hillside village greeted us warmly.
Heading for the other side of town now.
A brief interlude on the National highway.
Love the name of this burger joint. “Reach your burgasm!” Hilarious.
Cookie kids
Death defyers.
No point in trying to impress your neighbors when you are stuck in a graveyard.
A big ol’ fish pond. When does a pond become a lake anyway?
Flower power!
Yep, we crossed another river.
Where the river meets the bay.
Life in the city.
Heading back to the market.
And we ran into Reggie (What’s Up Doc) who lives nearby.
The Subic market. Renowned for fresh fish and veggies.
Me looking comfortable on the Jeepney ride back to Barretto.

As days go, it was a good one.

Irresponsible

Don’t blame me for another worthless post!

Not much to say about another boring Tuesday, but I’ll say it anyway.

The first stop of the day was a visit to the immigration office. My replacement ACR (alien registration) card was supposed to be ready for pick up in three weeks. I waited for four just to be sure. Alas, it still wasn’t available. I’ll try again next week.

Grocery shopping was uneventful, especially if you can avoid injuring your neck from shaking your head at all the inflated prices. I also just shrugged off the many out-of-stock items I had hoped to purchase.

I had a nice massage in the afternoon. My masseuse was still uncomfortable about my breathing attack during her last visit and didn’t want to risk another, so she gave me an ending that didn’t require much effort on my part. I was satisfied with the outcum. *ahem*

My friend with the retired military mailbox messaged that my replacement credit card had arrived, so I went to meet him at It Doesn’t Matter to pick it up. I treated him to a couple of beers for his trouble, and I enjoyed some soda and gin drinks.

When it came time for a change in scenery, I moseyed down to Sit-n-Bull to order up some dinner. I had a 10% discount coupon from the SOB I needed to use, and so I went with the club sandwich with a side of slaw and had them deliver it around the corner at The Green Room. I had a couple more drinks there while I enjoyed my meal.

Next up was Alaska Club, where I had another “buy one, get one” drink coupon to utilize before its expiration. Owner Jerry had just returned from a trip home to the states; it was good to say hello. And thanks again for the free drink! Anyway, those coupons are only good for one night, so you need to drink a lot to maximize their value. So, obviously, I’m not responsible for over-imbibing. But since I felt compelled to buy lady drinks for my waitress and one of the dancers, the longer I stayed, the more it cost me. Those coupons really aren’t such a good bargain after all.

I left Alaska but wasn’t quite ready to call it a night. I intended to pay a visit to Queen Victoria, but as I passed Johansson’s, I saw my Hash friend Reggie (What’s Up Doc) sitting alone at the bar. I thought I’d stop in to say hello, but as I walked through the door, her new boyfriend appeared and embraced her. I sat down on the other side of the bar and ordered a beer (I thought it would have been awkward to turn around and walk back out). After finishing my brew, I continued my journey to Queen Victoria.

I ordered up another beer, and before long, my friend (on FB anyway) TinTin joined me at the bar. Naturally, I bought her a lady drink. I was a little too far gone at this point to remember to take a picture of her, but here’s the one I took last time we met:

She’s tall and thin and 21 years old. Maybe I’ll tell her my joke about there only being one thing better than long legs wrapped around your back–short legs trying! Or maybe not.

Anyway, I was one and done at QV, walked outside to be greeted by a trike driver, “going home, John?” I have no idea how these guys found out my name, but it does make it easy when they know the way to my house. Once I arrived home, I ate too much ice cream (chocolate almond this week) and then went to bed.

Facebook memories brought back some of the good ol’ days this morning:

Thirteen years ago, the McCrarey’s had the last family reunion while mom and dad were still alive. Miss you!
Seven years ago, I threw some of the best darts of my life.
And four years ago, I was featured in a meme. Well, technically, I made the meme, but still…

Some days just aren’t worth writing about, are they? I’m not responsible for your wasted time if you read this one. It’s bound to be better tomorrow. See you then!

Hare it is

Being a Hare is dirty work sometimes.

Everyone survived yesterday’s Hash which is always my primary goal as a Hare. A handful did the entire trail, and as I expected, the “die-hards” found it boring for the most part. Eh, you can’t please everyone. We tried to incorporate a hill climb but found the conditions too slippery for the group’s safety. So, sorry to disappoint, but not sorry.

Now, we did have a part of the trail early on that was pretty challenging. I had wanted a new way out of Alta Vista, and my co-Hare (and neighbor) Anal Receptive found a pretty rugged path that has been little used of late. In fact, he had to go out with his machete and do some whacking in places to make the path passable. There were also some rocks to be climbed, and he sprayed them with a bleach solution to kill the algae. All credit to him for that effort.

Let’s go to the pictures, which I obviously didn’t take. Thanks to Pubic Head and some other Hashers for documenting their journey. The fact that no photos from the “long” version of the trail exist says a lot. We had 39 in attendance; I’d wager no more than 5 of them did the whole trail. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. Hell, I’m notorious for my own shortcutting!

The trail we laid as seen from above.
The Hashers gather up at the VFW.
Your humble Hare providing last-minute guidance to the kennel.
And they are off!
A stroll through Alta Vista
And then into the jungle they go.
A wall in the middle of nowhere that appears to serve no purpose. Someone put a lot of time and effort into building it, though. There must be a broken dream story in there somewhere.
This was not the path I had envisioned when I had my big idea about a “new way.” Anal Receptive tried my route, but it was a dead end. So, this was plan B.
It had its ups and downs.
And got a little rocky in places.
Everyone loves a challenge, right?
I didn’t take this picture.
It got a little thick in places.
Lending a hand on the rock climb.
And at last, free of the jungle!
Okay, everybody. The hard part is over.
Well, except for the puddles.
One false step, and you’re a wet man!
You’ve got it in the bag!
And yes, we have a couple of folks who actually run the trail.
And the rain held off too.
Jessa is crossing bridge #3 with her new beau, Covid-69. This was her third Hash, so she’ll get named after two more.
Approaching the intersection where the trails split–short turns left, long goes straight.
Heading up Govic highway to the On-Home.
This week’s On-Home venue was Smokes and Bottles.
Circle up!
Hares on the ice along with anyone else who professed to like the trail. A Hash tradition.
S-H-I-T-T-Y T-R-A-I-L
Shitty trail, (it sucked!)
Shitty trail (it really sucked!)
The Hares have laid another shitty trail
I would rather drink this beer 
Than run your shitty trail
S-H-I-T-T-Y T-R-A-I-L
Jessa’s first time on the ice, she was charged with littering on the trail. She dropped her sweat towel, and someone behind her found it and brought it back to the circle for investigation.
And no post would be complete without some Hash Gash, or Harriettes, if you prefer.

I drank my share of San Mig Zeros, then hitched a ride back home with my co-Hare. It was an early night, even by my standards, but I’d had enough. Besides, there is always tonight.

Bars of Barretto: John’s Sushi and Steak

The second floor is an air-conditioned restaurant; the third floor is an open-air bar.

I tend to call this venue “John’s Place.” The steaks are good (and I don’t eat sushi), but this is a bar review, so I’m just talking about the space on the top floor. Still, all the menu items are available in the bar, so you never have to be hungry. Honestly, whenever I journey out to this side of town for a visit to John’s, my priority is the food; drinking is a secondary motivation.

John has some of the best food in town. It ain’t always cheap, but you pay for top-quality ingredients.
The interior of the bar floor is spacious and dominated by a pool table. There are pool league matches two or three days a week.
That’s my usual perch up front, where I can watch the street action.
The bar area.
From the back looking to the front.

So, what else can I say about John’s place? He serves all manner of drinks at a competitive price, including imported beers for only 90 pesos. It’s a regular bar, no girls. You can treat your waitress to a drink, but she likely won’t be able to sit you, as she will need to continue to serve other customers.

The waitresses are young and cute, though, if you enjoy eye candy.
But when I’m at John’s, I’m mostly looking outward.

I’d definitely visit more often if John’s were on my side of town. As it is, I usually drop in once a week for some food and drink. Give it a try and see for yourself.

The rankings:

  1. It Doesn’t Matter
  2. Hideaway
  3. Snackbar
  4. Cheap Charlies
  5. Wet Spot
  6. The Green Room
  7. Alley Cats
  8. Mango’s Beach Bar
  9. Bar Barretto
  10. Lux
  11. John’s Sushi and Steak
  12. Blue Butterfly
  13. Dynamite Dick’s
  14. Mugshots
  15. Alaska Club
  16. Hot Zone
  17. Queen Victoria
  18. Whiskey Girl
  19. Adam’s
  20. Thumbstar
  21. Voodoo
  22. Rock Lobster
  23. Outback
  24. Rosie’s
  25. Annex
  26. Bottoms Up
  27. Palm Tree
  28. BarCelona
  29. MacArthur’s
  30. Redz Pub
  31. Chill

Day turns into night, night turns into day.

And so the circle of life continues.

The afternoon view as I left my neighborhood and headed into town.

My mission was to feed the hungry. My destination was Hideaway bar. The dinner was tacos.

These giant tacos from The Coffee Shop are reputed to be the best in Barretto. Sure, they are tasty, but they are too big to eat like a taco should be–picked up and stuck in your mouth. Joy cracked the shell and laid it out flat on her plate, then devoured it like a taco salad.
And brownies for dessert.
I neglected to capture Joy in the act of eating, so this shot will have to do.

After I completed providing nourishment to the bargirls and enjoying a few drinks, including a free one from the manager, Griff, it was time for me to move on to my next destination–John’s place. Putting duty before self, I had not as yet had my own evening meal.

The best-pulled pork sandwich in town.
I ate upstairs in the bar area and enjoyed this highway view along with my sandwich.
I watched the sun go down.
And appreciated the beauty of my cute waitress.
My soda and gin. There is more to life than drinking, but drinking takes you to places where life can be enjoyed.

I had a dual purpose in visiting John’s place; it will be my next review in the Bars of Barretto series.

After my meal, I hoofed it to the other side of town and finished my night at Snackbar.

Meet my new favorite, Jen. She’s so damn cute and so sweet. She’s also 25 years old with three kids. She’s hard to resist anyway.

When my time was up and my night was done, the girls fetched a trike to take me home. A banana-mango-pineapple smoothie for dessert then I was off to bed.

Another morning dawned, and I was alive to see it.

It’s Hash Monday, and I’m a Hare, so that meant an early start this morning laying paper, powder, and chalk to mark today’s trail. I guess I should say trails. We are doing a short and long version–one 6K, the other around 8K. The trails split in the middle of the hike and rejoin towards the end. Both are mostly flat. We were fortunate to have some sunny weather this morning; hopefully, that holds up through the afternoon.

Hmm, just now looked outside ,and there are storm clouds on the horizon. Oh well, the Hash goes on, rain or shine.

I had my hands full with trail marking paraphernalia, but here are a couple of shots I took along the way:

Leaving Alta Vista was our highest elevation.
Avoiding puddles will be the biggest obstacle on an otherwise easy trail.
I marked the short trail, and my co-Hare, Ed, did the long one along with his gal, Helen. I waited for them for about thirty minutes at the location where the two trails rejoin.
I wasn’t alone, though.
Almost done. Our On-Home is at Smokes and Bottles today.

And now it’s raining again. I hope our trail markings hold up.

I’ll be meeting the 2:00 group at the VFW to provide trail guidance and answer any questions. Some Hares will re-walk the trail with the Hashers, but I’m going to take a pass on that this time. Honestly, it just isn’t that challenging to the point of being boring. Once is enough for me!

Trying to think of a song to bookend with the title of this post, but couldn’t really find a good match. Considered the Door’s Break On Through, but that was more of a stoner song. Gonna settle for some Juice Newton instead. Hope your Spanish is up to speed!

Tropical paradise
But the beauty escapes me
Everything should be so right
For falling in love

Two hearts belong
But one heart remains so unhappy
Nothing else matters to me
No nothing at all

Puedes traerme tu amor
Adiós mi corazón how I love you
Puedes traerme tu amor
Adiós mi corazón
I hope the words are right
'Cause they're the only words
I know tonight

Oh! The nights are never ending
I don't know why
No comprende
Days are longer than
You'll ever know
Adiós mi corazón