So, let me kick things off today by telling you about my return to the darting scene after a two-year hiatus. I made my way to the Alley Hideout (aka Alley Cats) dart bar an hour earlier than I usually head into town so I’d have some time to practice before the 5 p.m. dart tournament kicked off. Upon arrival, I ordered some aiming fluid (in the form of beer), then I broke out my new darts for the first time and started chucking them at those lighted cork circles hanging on the wall. After a few minutes, I announced that I’d be returning the darts I’d purchased because they were obviously defective and unable to hit the numbers I was aiming at. Someone pointed out that the darts might not be the problem, so I kept on throwing. And little by little, I did start seeing some improvement.
One of the waitresses, my old friend Agnes, asked if I’d like to throw a practice match with her. Sure, why not? Having a competitor does improve focus and is more fun than just aimlessly throwing at numbers. I won the diddle (closest dart to the bullseye) and chose cricket for our first game. I won. Next, we played 501, and she took a close game. For the final leg, we played 301 dido (double in, double out). Agnes beat me again, so I bought her and the scorekeeper a beer, then rejoined Swan at our table.
Despite losing the practice match, I played much better than I expected after my long layoff, so that was encouraging. I wasn’t sure I was ready for tournament competition just yet, especially if my poor play would disappoint whoever I might draw as a doubles partner. So, when Billy, who runs the tourney, asked if I was joining, I told her, “Not this time.” When Billy announced it would be a singles tournament, Swan encouraged me to play, and with no one to embarrass but myself, I agreed.
My new darts and the old carrying case from my heydays as a player.The bracket board for the tourney.Let the games commence! That’s Agnes on the oche (the throwing line).
So, I won my first match in the winner’s bracket, then got defeated by Cristy to get knocked into the losers’ bracket. Won my first game there before getting knocked out of the tourney by Pierre. I went 2-2 on the night, not bad for a kinda-rookie.
The way the tourney ended. I was one win short of finishing in the money.Agnes, who beat me in the warm-up match.Cristy, who beat me in the winner’s bracket.And Pierre, who knocked me out of the tournament.
Anyway, I had fun, and that’s the important thing. There is still no Zero beer available, so I’ll need to do better at pacing myself with the San Miguel Light beers. Alley Cats hosts dart tourneys on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. My thinking as of now will be to come out and play twice a week, probably on Tuesdays and Fridays. We shall see.
After departing from the tournament, I wanted to check out the recently opened Adams Bar right across the highway. They didn’t have wine for Swan, and I wasn’t too impressed with the vibe during our visit. I’ll try it again another time and see if that was just an off night. After one drink, we re-crossed the highway (always an adventure) and popped into Gold Bar.
“Dancers” on the Gold Bar stage. In that space behind the dance floor is a nice dart setup. I wasn’t in good enough condition to give it a try last night, but I’ll be back to chuck a few darts for practice in the future.
We did a nightcap at Queen Victoria and then headed home after a LONG night (by my low standards) and too many beers. But it was a nice change of pace to toss the arrows again, and I’ll look forward to the next time.
For those of you wondering about the Friday group hike, here’s how that went down. Only five participants, so Scott drove us out to Castillejos so we could enjoy a change of scenery while we walked. It looked like this:
Scott, George, Steve, and Swan are ready to walk.We started and finished here.Trekking on the bypass highway for the first portion of our journey.Scott showing us the way.That mancave is too far away to do me any good.It was raining sunshine as we walked.The wide-open spaces.A shady spot along the way.Someone’s dream home in the countryside.Swan dispensing sweetness.Seems like a strange location for a military camp.A tree I liked.It appears I fell a little bit behind.Oh yeah, I had to pee.Those are coconut shells, but they brought back memories of my nightmare visit to the Killing Fields in Cambodia.The view from here.Another shady spot.Um, just say no.That creepy, unfinished mansion. I’ll bet the story behind this building is haunting.Around 6.5K start to finish.
And now you know as much about my Friday as I do.
It’s February 2017 in the LTG archives, and in this journey through the past, I tell the story and share photos from one of the best days I ever had as a tourist in the Philippines (back in 2008).
Does anyone else miss the SOB? Well, today’s YouTube video features the Hot Zone pole dancer from 8 years ago. It was taken by John Brant, one of my first friends here in the PI (I met him through his YouTube channel). Sadly, John was struck by Parkinson’s disease shortly after this, and he is no longer able to get out and about. My understanding is that he lives in the province with his Filipina wife and her family. He’s missed!
Humor time:
They took a sad song and made it better.Was he the one who deflowered her?That wife is worth keeping, you can bank on it!
Yes, I was in the car with three other guys in their 70s this morning, and they had never noticed the lower-case “n” either.
So, you are in for a treat today…a short post here at LTG. I’ve got things to do this afternoon, so let’s get on with the down and dirty, shall we?
Yesterday, we finally got the grocery shopping done, and I paid in cash, about 22,000 pesos worth (7000 at YBC, 15,000 at Royal). Talk about a thick wallet! It was kinda sweet that the folks at YBC had noticed our absence these past two weeks.
After grocery shopping, we sent the driver and helper home to unload while Swan and I walked to the Harbor Point Mall. We stopped at the Globe store to pay my cell phone bill, and then I added Swan to my post-paid unlimited data plan. Now I will never have to hear those dreaded words, “Can I use your phone? I’m out of load” again.
Next stop was a sporting goods store in the mall, where I bought a new set of darts and the necessary accessories. Yes, I am considering taking up the game again after a hiatus of more than two years. I’m not going to go back to being a darts maniac playing five nights a week, but once in a while, it might be fun. We’ll see how that works out.
My new gear set me back around fifty bucks.
Then we were ready for lunch, and there was a newish restaurant in the mall I’d heard about.
A nicely appointed Mexican joint.
Regular readers can probably guess what we ordered.
Yes, they have birria tacos on the menu. Tiny things, and that’s the large order (490 pesos).
They tasted okay, but Swan judged them not as good as John’s place.
Then it was time to grab a taxi for home. SBMA has a taxi mafia, alleged set pricing, no meters, and no outside competition allowed. The cabs were lined up where we exited the mall, and the first one in the queue came to pick us up. I learned early in my Philippine life to always ask for the price prior to departure. How much to Barretto? “400 pesos,” the driver responded. I said the metered taxis outside are only 250. He shrugged and said, “Fixed pricing”. I shrugged and said okay, but before we were out of the parking lot, Swan clarified that we were going to Alta Vista. The driver said, “Alta Vista is 500 pesos.” I called bullshit, told him to stop the cab, and we got out. We walked to the SM Mall across the river (and off SBMA) and caught a cab there. This one didn’t have a meter either, but the quoted price was 300 pesos. I added a 50 peso tip when we arrived safely in Alta Vista. And no, it is not about the money; it’s about being scammed.
At beer o’clock, we headed back into town and made Red Bar our first stop. We’ve always been patio sitters there, and we used to have it mostly to ourselves. These days, Cliff and Ashley, formerly of It Doesn’t Matter, are running the Red Bar show, and it seems all the old regulars from IDM have followed them there.
That’s Cliff (blue shirt in the back) holding court at the backslappers table.
It’s a new vibe at Red Bar, but we still had our usual good time. Ashley is a fellow Hasher whose company we enjoy, and we wish her and hubby Cliff all the best in their new gig.
At dinner time, we crossed the highway to Jewel Cafe.
And had our standard fare of filet mignon and baby back ribs,
Then a nightcap at Green Room before triking home and bringing our Thursday to an end.
From the January 2017 LTG archives, here is a pictorial post about my welcoming the New Year in the Philippines (Puerto Galera and Manila). Two places I wouldn’t want to live, but one of these days I may revisit Puerto Galera so I can experience it when I don’t feel like I’m dying.
Speaking of dying, today’s YouTube video shares six signs that may signal you are in your last year. Well, I haven’t been able to shake the feeling since I turned 70 that the end is near, but most of these signs from the video are not currently present in my daily living experience. We’ll see how long that lasts.
Laugh while you can:
It doesn’t really matter to me.I’m not sure it would fit anyway.You can say that again. On second thought, please don’t!
So, I’m going to head out soon to Alley Cats and see how those new arrows of mine fly. I expect I’ll be sloppy bad since I’ve not thrown for so long. They have a tournament on Fridays, but unless I warm up better than I expect, I doubt I’ll be participating. Well, if it is a singles tourney, I might, but I don’t want to crush the dreams of any partner who has the misfortune of drawing me as a teammate in doubles. Anyway, you’ve got to start somewhere.
Getting back in the groove yesterday with the Wednesday Walkers group hike.
Nine of us showed up, the biggest turnout in quite some time.We took a Jeepney ride out to Philseco Road on the far side of Subic town and started there.
I thought we were going to do the standard Philseco loop, but my hike mates had other ideas. We left the road and headed up into the hills on a path I hadn’t visited for at least a couple of years. Oh well, nothing wrong with a little climb-it change.
Leaving the pavement behind for a while.Swan shared some sweetness with the kids we encountered.You gotta go up before you can come back down.That’s me accepting my fate. Keep your eyes on the ground, and it doesn’t feel as much like climbing.Laundry day.Gary is getting down under this fence that wasn’t there the last time we passed this way.Back on flat ground again.And on the old familiar turf.My favorite tree is still standing.Something to ponder.I see the beauty that surrounds me and I am thankful for it.Life on the riverside.A short rest for the weary.Then onward we trudge.Another pond encounter.Leaving the dead behind. (We just walked through a cemetery.)Roadside vendors.And then we were done. A God-like view of our nearly 7K journey.
I do enjoy getting out for these walkabouts and hope I’ll be able to continue doing them well into the future. Having Scott back out with us is quite the inspiration in an “if he can do it, I can do it” kinda way. I also get to steal some of his photographs!
The other side of my pleasure coin is lifting a bottle or ten of beer when the sun is almost done for the day.
I took this as a sign that it was time to head into Barretto.
Swan took the evening off, so I was on my own. I decided to start things off with a visit to one of my old haunts, Cheap Charlies.
The view to my right……and looking left.You only get to see this scene while taking a piss in the CR.
As I’ve mentioned before, Cheap Charlies defies their name by charging a whopping 250 pesos for a single lady drink. That’s a bridge too far for me (the max I pay is 200). I told my waitress they should offer a “Cheap Charlie lady drink” — just soda with no alcohol. She just laughed, but I think they’d make money on that deal.
One of the reasons I chose to start at Cheap Charlies was to get some grub from the excellent restaurant downstairs, Foodies.
I went with the chicken quesadilla and was pleasantly surprised by its meaty goodness. I hereby declare it the best quesadilla in town.
And since I wasn’t buying lady drinks, I treated the girls to a bite to eat:
Pancit, a Filipino favorite……and some chicken wings.
After departing from Cheap Charlies, I paid a visit to the Alaska Club. Owner Jerry is out of town, but the music was good, and I enjoyed my beers there. Bought my waitress a lady drink (150 pesos) and tipped the dancers 50 pesos each.
I did my nightcap next door at Wet Spot and shared drinks with fellow Hasher Beth (BF’s Wet Spot) and my regular waitress, Irene. I ordered a banana split to go from the Sit-n-Bull waitress and was surprised when she returned and advised me that they were out of ice cream. How does that happen? Oh well, I made smoothies instead when I got home.
And that’s how I filled those Wednesday hours.
Meanwhile, things must be really heating up in the USA because what seemed like an almost innocuous post I made on Facebook caused more lefty head explosions than usual.
Seriously, why is this so upsetting? Get the criminals out of our country. We should all be supporting ICE.
I was sadly surprised to hear from a dear friend I used to work with, telling me I should post photos of all the school kids murdered by white men with guns. Um, that’s apples and oranges, and what has race got to do with it? Oh well, as I’ve said numerous times, no one’s mind is going to change through arguments on social media.
From Facebook memories today is this photo that was posted eight years ago by a bartender I knew in Pyeongtaek.
I think maybe she liked me, but I was too busy lamenting the past and dreaming of the future that I forgot all about the gifts that come with living in the present.
It is now January 2017 in the LTG archives, and I had some health issues during my trip to the Philippines that I might have been lucky to survive. When I made it back home, nebulization became a daily feature in my life. I was eventually diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), my reward for smoking cigarettes for twenty-some years. I had quit a couple of years earlier, but the damage was done. I still have occasional flare-ups, but I haven’t needed my nebulizer or oxygen tank for several months now. Fingers crossed!
In today’s YouTube video, the Filipina Pea takes us home to her province (Leyte) to meet the parents. It’s the life I see here all the time, especially on my rural hikes. As I said after my first visit to the Philippines, I’ve never seen a poorer or a happier people.
Hopefully, these won’t piss anybody off:
See, sometimes drinking leads to a cure.I can see why the parents were pissed off…Damn, I don’t remember the last time I saw Kikkoman. Not that it matters, I was never a fan anyway.
Yeah, another one of those boring posts. It’s better when you are living it, trust me!
So, my Tuesday didn’t go as planned. Things started to go wrong when my bank back home sent a message about suspicious activity on my credit card. One was a charge to someplace called QVC that I’ve never heard of. The other was to Walmart, which doesn’t have any stores in the Philippines (not to be confused with WalterMart). I went to check my account, and this message was posted there:
So, my credit card is now unusable.
I confirmed the cited transactions were fraudulent, and the bank has now cancelled my card and mailed a new one to my USA address, for all the good that does me. Well, Tuesday is grocery shopping day, and we’d been gone for over two weeks, so we needed to restock. Paying the old-fashioned way (cash) was my best option, so on the way to the supermarket, I had our driver stop at an ATM that allowed 20,000-peso withdrawals. Except the machine told me “it could not dispense.” So, we drove on to another BPI branch that has three ATMs. The first one didn’t dispense. Neither did the second one, but when I looked at my receipt, it said that I had received the requested pesos.
WTF?
It was 8:50, and the bank branch opened at 9:00, so we waited. And waited. They eventually unlocked the door ten minutes late, and we went inside to fill out a report about the robbery. After completing a form, I was told the money should be returned in “one to three days.” Alrighty, then. Well, since I couldn’t access cash and my credit card was voided, the shopping options were nil, so I had my driver take us home empty-handed.
The ATM money has now been returned to my account, and I’ve rescheduled the shopping excursion for tomorrow morning. I’m not permitted to open a local bank account in the PI on a tourist visa, but Swan opened one in her name for me to use. So, I’ll be transferring funds to that account and using my local ATM card in the future. Which is not say I won’t have similar issues with the ATMs here, but at least I’ll be using a local card at a local bank.
That’s how we roll in paradise. The rest of Tuesday went in accordance with routine.
Swan got her toes in the sand time on Baloy Beach.Kokomo’s owner, Steve, joined us for the raft ride to the floating bar.It was a busy afternoon on the floater.Steve has added lots more gals to the crew since our last visit three weeks ago. Here are some of them putting on a dance.Those clouds don’t bode well for any sunset shots.As is my custom, I bring some cookies and lollipops to share with the crew.One of my fellow customers had a familiar look about him. Then I thought of a music video I’d seen recently.
He’s featured early, so go see for yourself.
A boat and beach shot.That’s the best the sun had to show for itself.Treasure Island, that clean, well-lighted place, beckons.See you next week, Kokomo’s!
The usual relaxing vibe at TI, and some food:
I had a hankering for the chicken burger……while Swan enjoyed her kaldereta.
Then we rolled on home and finished our Tuesday.
On to December 2016 in the LTG archives. In this post, I reflect on the first anniversary of losing my marriage and all that I had experienced since moving out on my own again. It wasn’t all bad. I decided after a two-month-long bender that drinking myself to death wasn’t the answer. Instead, I adopted a low-carb diet and a walking lifestyle and lost 60 pounds. I even got my heart broken again along the way. It only hurts until the pain goes away.
Another type of memory lane journey for today’s YouTube video. Remember Sears? It was a big deal to get the Sears catalog in the mail, and their stores were the anchors in the local malls. Then poof, they all went away. Malls in the USA are relics of the past now, but here in the PI, they are booming and popular places for social gatherings. One of the more interesting things about the self-inflicted demise of Sears was that they could have been Amazon before there was an Amazon.
And humor me with these:
I might have used this one before, but it’s good enough to repeat.Hmm, coincidence?That’s cold!
So, I don’t like moderating comments here. If someone takes the time to share their thoughts on my posts, I’m all for approving them, whether or not I agree. But that’s the key: the comments should at least be vaguely related to something I’ve posted here. This week, I’ve been called antisemitic by one person and a bigot by another. I deny both assertions, and I challenge either of you to provide examples. Otherwise, you are just making shit up, and I won’t give your bullshit the light of day. How do you like them apples?
This is one of the songs that played on the floating bar yesterday. Hadn’t heard it in like forever:
It was back to the Hash for me after a two-week hiatus. As usual, I chose to do it my way, although my course did include a stretch of the actual trail. Anyway, it was good to hike the Bitch again. Had some beers at the On-Home venue before departing halfway through the Circle to make my way back down Rizal Extension for the after-Hash gathering at It Doesn’t Matter. Just a tad over 3K to get to the On-Home and another 3K to get back down to IDM. That was longer than the actual Hash trail, so I wasn’t shortcutting yesterday.
My fellow Hash mates, BF’s Wet Spot and Cums Alone, making our way out of Alta Vista.This is where the My Bitch trail begins (or ends, depending on your direction).Where dreams die. Someone cleared this lot and built this residence a couple of years ago. It’s been abandoned for more than a year now.Getting back to my roots with nature’s natural stair steps.Come on up, the weather is fine!Pausing to pose at the Four Corners junction.Getting into the high grass.A tree I like.That Easter Mountain shot.Mountain Mama Onelia.Trekking ever onward.Proof that we were on the actual trail for run #1690 of the Subic Bay Hash House Harriers.These kids always call me “daddy,” so, like a good father, I give them cookies and lollipops.The view from here.The forces of nature are devouring my unrealistic dream cabin.Another view I like. You can just make out the bay in the distance.Where My Bitch meets Rizal Extension. All those vehicles belong to Hashers.My Bitch, end-to-end.Some of the Hash Gash.I left before the birthday cakes were made.Making my way down Rizal Extension.It Doesn’t Matter how I got there.There’s that “crazy guy” beggar I mentioned in yesterday’s post, plying his trade with the Hash gals. Yeah, I gave him the usual 50 pesos.
And that was how the Hash day went down.
It’s Thanksgiving in the November 2016 LTG archives, and despite my broken heart, I found much to be thankful for. Interestingly, Choonae (the author of the travel guide to Cuba) is still a Facebook friend and she is currently in Cuba. Like the good commie she is, she still finds the bright side of things there, despite the continuous power outages. She’s a nice woman (happily married now), and I wish her all the best.
We haven’t checked in with Smart Girl Philippines in a while, so for today’s YouTube video, let’s see what she has to say about the seven types of Filipinas it is best to avoid. Not that it matters to me these days.
And now for the funny business:
Beam him up!He’s being railroaded, but is too blind to see it.Well, when the chips are down, what are you going to do?
Enough of that for today. Had some banking issues this morning that foiled my shopping plans. I’ll tell you about that tomorrow. It’s Tuesday, and that means a Baloy Beach excursion and some time on the Kokomo’s floating bar await me.
Old routines die, new ones are born. And Sunday is still a fun day. We’ll get back to our candy walks next week after we restock the chocolate supply, but yesterday we did a Barretto street stroll and handed out lollipops to the children we encountered.
As Swan walked out on the streets of Barretto, as Swan walked in Barretto on Sunday, she spied some young kiddies and gave them some candy, and so she helped out with their tooth decay.(Sung to the tune of “Streets of Laredo.)This moment of honesty gave me a smile.The rare funeral banner featuring someone older than me. Geez, I hope the previous photo isn’t related to this one.
At the appointed hour, we headed for the beach…the one in Barretto.
That would be it.Waiting for our raft to arrive.The 4:30 sun.
Shortly after we boarded the Arizona floating bar, a motorboat appeared and tied up alongside.
And lo and behold, it was Frank the Frenchman and his lovely lady, Ligaya.
It was nice to share drinks and the floating vibe with people we know.
Meanwhile, the sun continued its descent.And folks were enjoying their Sunday on the bay.Getting that sinking feeling on a floater seems contradictory.But other than the staff, no one else was aboard.And that was that……except for this.
We said our goodbyes to Frank and Ligaya and made our way to shore. Back in the olden times, our next stop would be John’s place for dinner. Now what will we do? I’ve decided the new Sunday routine will be dining in places we seldom visit. And since we were already at the Arizona Resort, we started there.
Back in my Barretto early days, the Arizona was one of my favorite places to eat. Ownership changed, and things went downhill (I understand it is for sale again), and I pretty much stopped going there for anything other than the floating bar. After perusing the menu, Swan and I both made selections from the Mexican section.
Chicken enchiladas for me. They weren’t warm in the middle, which was disappointing. I brought one home and had it for breakfast. After some microwave time, it was much better.Swan shared her chicken fajitas with me. Very tasty (and hot).
After dinner, we moved up the highway to Jumpin’ Jacks and got a warm welcome back from the staff. I was invited to play pool with one of the girls, but initially declined. Swan kept encouraging me to participate, so I relented. To make things more interesting, I told my opponent we’d play for twenty thousand. And I won, twice! It was actually the best pool I’ve played in a very long time. So yeah, maybe I’ll make playing an occasional game one of my new routines.
Oh, and about that 20,000…even though I won, I reached into my wallet and pulled out this:
That’s worth the equivalent of 45 pesos. I told her it was my pasalubong gift.
Of course, I’m not a total cheap Charlie. I asked if she preferred a tip for playing with me or a lady drink. She chose the lady drink. It is one of those oddities of working as a bar girl. She makes a 70-peso commission on a lady drink, and I was offering her 100 pesos in cash, but since if they miss their LD quota, their pay is reduced, the drink is the better option.
We left Jumpin’ Jacks and caught a trike home to maintain our routine sleep schedule. And so went another Sunday.
Onward to November 2016 in the LTG archives. The first post of the month resolved the Eun Oke mystery. She even left a comment, which surprised me because I didn’t know she read the blog. In a weird twist, I got a message from Eun Oke a few weeks ago asking if she could come for a visit. Of course, that ship sailed long ago, but reading about her reasons for leaving (the age gap) made me smirk. She’s 52, and I’m 70 now. My new love is 40. Go figure. The post also recounts a sad Facebook memory from Jee Yeun. But life goes on. Until it doesn’t.
Kevin Kim left this wisdom in the comments.
Today’s YouTube video is an interesting discussion on beggars in the Philippines. I NEVER give money to kids begging because I’d heard that was illegal. It was surprising to learn that giving to anyone who begs violates the law. Yikes! Well, I started giving to Mama, in part because she never asked. I guess maybe that makes it a donation. The other person I give to, I call the “crazy guy.” Rumor has it he is a druggie. I never give more than 50 pesos, so if he is drug-addicted, that ain’t gonna buy much dope. I wish I had never started with him, but now, when he sees me, he looks so desperate, I just want him to leave, so I pay him to go away. In addition to the lack of litter in Vietnam, I never saw one beggar or homeless person. The government there must be doing something right.
I know you’ve been begging to see today’s humor installment, so here it is:
Okay, I’m a dunce. Who knows what HTMI stands for?Too soon? I know what FAFO means.Oh, what a tangled web we weave…
So, it’s back to the Hash after missing the last two runs. The trail starts and finishes at the end of Rizal Extension, my least favorite location because of the inconvenience of getting there and then getting back down (not many trikes can make it that far uphill). So, I’ll be doing my own thing: walking from my house to the On-Home via the My Bitch trail, and then after the Circle starts, I’ll bail out and walk back to town before it gets dark. I’ll let you know how that works out for me tomorrow.
Didn’t do much yesterday other than recover from my travels, but it still feels nice to be home. It’s funny how just fifteen days can make everything seem almost new and different. I like that. I didn’t wake up until 6:30 and wasn’t feeling very energetic. So, I limited myself to the 4K neighborhood walk.
The waveless and peaceful Subic Bay as seen from Alta Vista.
It dawned on me that I hadn’t had a beer for over two weeks. In the Philippines, I mean. When beer o’clock rolled around, I set about rectifying that. I decided to make it an aMAZEing night, starting at Sloppy Joe’s. Alas, the San Miguel Zero crisis continues, as none of the bars (or the Hash) can purchase that product from the distributor. I’m not sure what’s going on with that. Rumor has it the brand is being discontinued, but Google says the brewery has made no such announcement. So, it was San Miguel Light for me and red wine for Swan. We did share an order of crispy chicken wings to cushion our tummies.
Next stop, Green Room. All our old favorites were there for lady drinks to welcome us back. I settled in and had my usual good time watching some fine pool players work the table. Then we moved next door to Wet Spot for our nightcap, and shared some pasalubong (and lady drinks) with our pals Beth and Irene.
Some of the pasalubong we are gifting.
Sadly, we learned that one of our neighbors passed away last week.
Rest in Peace, Allan. The pain is over now.
One of the first things I noticed when we returned home was that it is chillier now than I ever remembered.
Okay, not THAT cold. Still, 20 Celsius is unusual. We usually have two fans blowing on our bed at night, but we’ve been sleeping fine with just one over the past couple of nights.
Then again, my last winter in Korea eight years ago provides some perspective:
According to my Facebook post, it was -13 that day.
The last post in the LTG archives from October 2016 was a bit of a surprise. It was mostly photos from the weekend, but I wasn’t expecting to see HER again:
I scrolled back down through the earlier posts and saw no mention of me getting back together with Eun Oke. I guess we’ll have to see what happens next month.
For today’s YouTube video, we take a journey back in time to see what life was like growing up as a boomer. It was a nice stroll down memory lane for me. You youngsters can watch and see what you missed.
And now it’s time for your daily dose of lameness:
Put him in the janitor’s closet.Man, I could use one of those!I understand those Ranger types love to be poked in their chest with a finger. That will get your point across! FAFO!
And now it is time to get on with the last Sunday of the first month of the year. I’ve ended the Hideaway feeding program, and John’s place is now closed, but the Arizona floating bar is operating, so I’ll start there and see what happens.
Greetings from the Philippines. I made it home safe and as sound as I ever was, although getting here was quite the adventure. Assuming stress equates to adventure, that is. Living it was probably more interesting than retelling it here, but when has boring ever stopped me?
A morning view from the Haian Beach Hotel’s third-floor restaurant.
Up early and packed, a final complimentary breakfast, then down to the hotel lobby to check out, a call for a Grab car, then headed for the airport. Our Vietnam Airlines flight from Da Nang to Saigon (sorry, I’m old school, no Ho Chi Minh for me) was scheduled to depart at noon, arriving in Saigon at 1:30. Our connecting flight to Manila left at 3:45. I was a little nervous about that because there was little margin for error. It is what it is, and as Swan kept reminding me, our mantra was “Be Positive.”
So, we arrived at the Da Nang airport a comfortable two-and-a-half hours early. The check-in counters all had long lines, and I walked the length of the lobby looking for the one serving our flight. The signage was in Vietnamese, and I assumed the words were the names of destinations. I didn’t see any for Ho Chi Minh, but the last station said “all other destinations,” so I joined that line. A few minutes later, I noticed that the airline for this line was Viet Air. Shit. Yeah, I’m that dumb these days. So, we went back to the Vietnam Airlines section and took our spots at the end of the line. Oh, well. At least we were there early and had plenty of time.
When it was finally our turn to be served, I handed the agent our passports and flight information. She noted that our connection to Manila was with a different airline (Philippines Air). I acknowledged that and asked whether our bags would be checked through to our final destination. “Sorry, sir, that’s not possible.” Okay, so that means when we get to Saigon, I’ll have to retrieve my luggage from baggage claim and recheck in with Philippines Air. And then the agent told me, “You’ll be arriving in terminal three, and the connection is in terminal two.” Okay, how do I get to terminal two? You’ll have to take the airport bus. Shit, that two-hour window between flights was looking more and more insufficient. I guess the Vietnam Air agent noticed my distress. She put “priority tabs” on our luggage so that they would be offloaded early when we landed. Then she changed our seats to row twelve near the front of the plane so we could exit as quickly as possible. Hey, every minute saved helps. We thanked her for the assistance, then made our way through security and arrived at our gate more than an hour before boarding time.
I checked our gate at 11:30 and was distressed to see that no plane was there yet. I didn’t see any way they could deplane arriving passengers, get those of us waiting on board, and take off on time for our scheduled noon departure. When the plane finally pulled into the gate a few minutes later, it was empty. That helped, and Vietnam Air had us all aboard in time for a departure that was only 10 minutes late.
Let’s get this show on the road, er, in the air!
An uneventful flight, and I kept checking my watch to see if we would arrive as scheduled at 1:30. If wheels on the ground count as arrival, we made it on time. And then the fun began. Our plane taxied for several minutes before coming to a stop. Except we weren’t at a gate, one of those portable stairways was rolled up to the door for us to exit. Damn it, that means there is a bus ride to the terminal ahead, so much for being moved to the front of the plane.
Getting off in Saigon.
The bus was uncomfortably packed to the gills (standing room only) before we finally departed for the terminal. I swear to God, that was the longest airport trek I’ve ever been on. From our parked plane, we travelled to the other side of the airport, and had to occasionally wait for passing airplanes to clear. It took almost ten minutes to reach the drop-off point. When we entered the terminal, we were in the baggage claim area, which was a relief. And then, in a first for me in a lifetime of air travel, we saw a Vietnam Air representative (a damn attractive one to boot) holding a sign with two names on it in English: mine and Swan’s.
She welcomed us in broken English and advised that she would be happy to assist us in getting to our connecting flight. Man, I really appreciated that! She walked with us to the baggage carousel, and our luggage was indeed amongst the first to arrive. Then she walked us to where we could catch the bus between terminals, but suggested we consider taking a taxi instead, since that was the quickest way to get there. Let’s do it! She took us to the taxi stand, and we thanked her for her help. The taxi driver wanted 250,000 dong ($9.50) for the ride, which seemed like a lot, but then he said it was a 6K ride. WTF? 6K between terminals? Fuck it, let’s go.
Wow, what a ride. We exited Terminal Three, drove through crazy Saigon traffic, and finally arrived at the Terminal Two drop-off point. Paid the driver, grabbed our bags, and made a dash to the Philippine Airlines check-in counter. Luckily, I had done an online check-in, so I was able to be at the front of the bag drop-off line. The agent promptly checked our bags and issued our boarding passes. Then she asked how long I’d be staying in the Philippines. I know you have visa-free entry to the PI for the first 29 days, so I told her I would be departing on February 16. Where to, she asked. I knew that was coming, so I pulled out my phone and showed her my e-ticket to Hong Kong for the 16th (the throwaway ticket cost me $16 at OnwardTicket.com). She punched in the numbers, and we were free to go. Yay! We made our flight!
Oh, except we still had to go through immigration and security. I had visions of my immigration nightmare upon arrival, but this time everything went smoothly. But, oh my, I’d never seen a longer line to get through security. That extra cushion of time I thought I had quickly evaporated. When we finally got through and redressed (shoes, belt, watch, pockets), we made a dash for our gate and heard the “last call” announcement. We answered, “We’re here!” and boarded.
And we had a very pleasant flight with Philippine Airlines. A whole row of seats to ourselves, a tasty snack, and two free beers! Well done!
That gal I traveled with.
We landed 30 minutes ahead of schedule, went through immigration without a problem, claimed our bags, and went out to find our driver. The traffic outside the terminal was insane. And Swan couldn’t reach her friend Bong (my new driver since Danny’s departure) on the phone. I suggested we move to the far end of the arrivals concourse, which was less crowded, and we’d be more easily seen there. Sure enough, Bong saw us and walked over. He went to get the car he had parked somewhere, and then minutes later, we were on the final leg of our journey home.
Traffic is notoriously bad in Manila, and apparently, on Friday nights, everybody wants to get out of town. Bong handled it as best he could, and we plodded on, finally arriving at the place I call home a little after 11 p.m. Yep, that was a LONG day for me, but it went a lot better than it might have, especially if we’d missed our connection.
Coincidentally, it was a mere 21 years ago that I took a journey that changed the rest of my life forever.
That’s the bird that carried me from DC to Seoul for my first adventure in Asia. As things turned out, I never went back “home” to stay.
And from the October 2016 LTG archives, this post gives my assessment of Thailand after the first scouting visit as a potential retirement destination. As I have said, there are many paths in life to choose from, and we never know what might have been. Unless we get a do-over.
Since I’m back in the Philippines, let’s check in with the Filipina Pea for today’s YouTube video. I’m not sure I’d want to survive a zombie apocalypse, but just in case, here goes:
I’m not funnier now than I was in Vietnam, so take these as you will:
That’s a golden oldie.It appears someone stole the ability to spell thief as well.I’d rate this one an X.
And a Saturday night in Barretto is on the horizon. Will all the bars seem new again? Only one way to find out.
Vacation is over, but I’m still alive. Just sayin’.
Not much new to experience on my last day in Da Nang, so we just went with the flow and did the things we enjoy here. We had the amazing breakfast buffet at the Haian Beach Hotel as usual to start our morning. Then we embarked on a walkabout that wound up being almost 10K, which is LONG by my low standards. Said farewell to the familiar scenes and saw some things for the first time. After a well-earned nap, then came some city nightlife that included a new bar and a favorite restaurant. We finished our evening on the roof of the hotel we stayed at last year, taking in the views from a 40th-floor perspective (the Haian tops out at 22 floors).
Here are some highlights:
On the road again.Saying our goodbyes to the Han River.Another river view.Signage that caught my eye. Love the name of this place under construction, even though I no longer have any need to hate Mondays. Well, unless the Hash Hare sucks.I zoomed in to read the fine print. Apparently, it’s a popular restaurant in Saigon owned by a Korean chef. Perhaps I’ll have the chance to visit in the future should fate bring me back to Vietnam.This is a gated subdivision called “Euro Village,” which I assume is an expat enclave.I hadn’t intended to cross the river, but what the hell, who knows when I’ll have another chance to do so.There’s such a thing as too much water for a tree.Taking the roads less traveled on the way back to the hotel.We went thataway.
First stop on our evening out was at our favorite beach bar, Maia.
They had a new DJ playing the music.Some girls have all the luck.
Then we made our way to a place the owner of the 501 Bar had mentioned:
An Irish pub. We sat outside, of course, but the place had a nice vibe—dart boards and pool and a pretty good crowd.Swan and I both got a kick out of this: Red Horse is a very popular brandfrom the Philippines. Filipinos love it because it is strong and cheap.
When itis your last night in Vietnam and you are hungry, where are you going to eat?
An American diner named Fly Burgers, of course.I gave their pulled pork sandwich a try, and they got it right! Better than any of the Barretto versions I’ve had.Swan got the chicken nuggets. I had them on our previous visit, and they are the best I’ve ever tasted.
So, with our hunger satisfied, we wanted to get high.
Forty floors high to be precise.Looking down on Da Nang.The angry sea.The other side of town. See those black hills in the distance? Those are the Marble MountainsI posted about.Goodnight, Vietnam!
It’s been an interesting fifteen days. Things didn’t always go according to plan, and I suffered a loss I’m not ready to talk about, but no regrets for having experienced this adventure.
From the October 2016 LTG archives, I write about getting lost in Pattaya. In some ways, Pattaya is like Da Nang, but it is a much wilder town full of girly bars. Da Nang is much more my style. I’ve been back to Pattaya since that first trip for some Hash adventures, and there is much more than the bar scene to enjoy.
For today’s YouTube video, I’ll share a walking tour of all those now-familiar places I’ve seen with my own eyes.
And before I go:
That’s what friends are for.Honey, you won’t be pretty anytime soon.Yeah, real life can be funny sometimes, too.
And now it is time for me to get ready to fly. Da Nang (DAD) to Saigon (HCM) to Manila (NAIA), Take off at noon and arrive in the PI at eight o’clock tonight, assuming things stay on schedule. I’ve arranged for a driver to take us back to Barretto, so hopefully, I’ll wake up tomorrow in my own bed. Looking forward to getting back into my routines again.
Be careful what you wish for; you could have wound up dead.
Yesterday is over, and tomorrow I fly, so that makes me in between, right? As much fun as we’ve had, Swan and I agree that two weeks is too much. From having to lug around big-ass suitcases to running out of new things to see and do, it just makes more sense to stay less and do more with each day.
Anyhow, when we reviewed the list of things to see and do in Da Nang, we had already done all of the ones we wanted to do. So, we just stayed in the neighborhood and walked about, taking it all in. We found a new place for lunch, then visited our favorite beach bar again. The big excitement of the day was not being able to log in to my blog. I could still access LTG on the ‘net, but I couldn’t perform my admin duties like writing new posts. Yeah, maybe someone’s prayers had been answered. Anyway, I contacted my blog host, and after an hour or so, they found a solution. And here I am again with the kind of content you’ve come to know and loathe love.
A Da Nang streetwalker.
We planned to go back to the 501 Bar, which we had discovered the night before, to give their food menu a try. Alas, they weren’t open for lunch. Along the way, I had spotted a place that featured “American BBQ,” so we retreated there for our lunch.
Authentic American sandwiches, you say……yet you spell “fovourites” like a Brit.I’m always up for a good pulled pork sandwich. I’d rate this one average at best.My side of coleslaw was even more disappointing. There’s more to slaw than chopped up cabbage.Swan said her wings were dry and appeared to have been frozen when put in the deep fryer (still pink around the bone).
Oh, well. We knew we had some authentic barbecue in our future — our dinner plans were for Dirty Fingers.
A brief visit to Maia for some beach views……then we headed back to the hotel.
I took a nap and finally got my blog access restored, then we showered up and headed out for some dinner at Dirty Fingers. It’s a couple of kilometers’ walk to get there, but that only enhances the appetite.
We passed through a mini-Koreatownalong the way.Don’t ask me……I haven’t got a clue.A kiss for luck and we are ready to order.A heaping helping of grilled meat platter.A closer look of our dinner for two.
Service was outstanding, and the food was as good as it looks. If I lived here, I’d be a Dirty Fingers regular for sure.
We decided to hoof it back to the 501 Bar for our nightcap. Owner Karl wasn’t there last night, but we still had an enjoyable visit.
This neighborhood would suit me as an expat.But we both agree, Da Nang is a nice place to visit, but we wouldn’t want to live here.Talk about street food, this guy set up his grill literally in the street. He appeared to be doing pretty good business, and no one got run over.
Oh, and I’ve switched to Google Maps to find my way around. Just for shits and giggles, I checked out an alternative route home:
That’s at least an hour too far.
The map app did give us an easy walk back to the hotel, and that’s where our night came to an end.
From the October 2016 LTG archives, I’ve landed in Thailand for the first time as I continue to explore where my future may lead me.
Today’s YouTube video discusses five reasons people avoid visiting Vietnam. I didn’t consider it as a retirement option, so I never came before my move to the Philippines. I do enjoy it here, but the Philippines is a better fit for my life’s final chapter.
To the humor we must go:
Ouch!Yeah, I got that same diagnosis.He’s on the lamb, but he ain’t no sheep.
And now for the rest of the last day. No real plans other than a river walk. Yep, ready to go home.
I didn’t go crazy yesterday, but I lost my Marbles. But I found them again, and paid a second visit. Last year, I explored the Marble Mountain caves inside entrance #1. This year, we walked to entrance #2 and started our climb from there.
One of the mountains as seen from the Grab car we hired to bring us from Da Nang, a mere 8 kilometers away.The line to enter the most popular cave was very long, but I’d been there and done that, so I moved on.A statue garden we saw along the way.The second entrance on the other side of the mountain was much less crowded.Let the climbing commence. Uneven stair steps only enhance the joy of ascending.A quick stop to catch our breath.Yep, more shrines.A view from the top.And another one.Peace be unto you.You ain’t got nothin’ on me!Nobody rubbed my belly, though.Nice architecture.Hello, there!Inside the cave.Where have you been all my life?Oh, sorry. I didn’t know she was your girlfriend. Put the sword away!And then I saw the light.Is that you, God?Where’s that do-over life you promised me?
Swan captured the moment on video:
Wait a minute…is that what it looks like? You can see the ocean from here.The wheel in the sky keeps on turning.A tower on the mountain.A dragon lair.Thank you for the blessings.
After our walkabout on Marbles, we rolled back to town in a taxi. We planned to grab some lunch at Paradise, the beach resto-bar across the road from our hotel. They were busy, and after sitting for several minutes with no acknowledgement, Swan got up and asked the bartender for menus. They didn’t do us any good, because no one came to take our order. We got up and left. I kinda sorta remembered a place further up the beach, so off we went. Turns out, it was a lot further than I thought, but on we trudged. And so we came to enjoy our first experience at the Espo Beach restaurant/brewery.
They were also busy, but we managed to score a table with a beach view. And the service was prompt.I had to give the Philly cheesesteak a try, and I was not disappointed.
After lunch, we walked back to our hotel on the beach so Swan could get her toes-in-the-sand fix.
The Espo Beach as seen from the beach.Swan loves the sand, I toed you so.
Some rest and recuperation, then it was time to begin our evening exploration on the backstreets of Da Nang.
We laughed at the name of this place.
After wandering around and not finding the bar I was looking for, we stopped in at the previously visited Game On bar.
The first beer of the day is always the best one. So far.Our Game On view.
We were still in the mood to explore, so after our drinks we hit the streets again.
And lo and behold, I discovered another bar district I didn’t know existed. I took this photo from a place called Corner Pub. When we couldn’t find a server, we crossed the road and gave the 501 Bar a try instead.It turned out to be a good choice. As soon as we sat down, the owner came over to greet us.That’s Karl from the UK. We had a very nice chat. He’s been in Da Nang for 8 years and is also part-owner of another bar called Shamrock.This sign was on the restroom door. It’s a relief to know that strangulation is not allowed.
I’ll definitely try to find my way back to 501 before we depart. I’d promised Swan some birria tacos for dinner, so we said our goodbyes and headed out.
I’d asked Karl about girly bars in DaNang. He said there are some places where the girls sit with you and earn lady-drink commissions. This is one of them. No idea what goes on in the Black Hole.It was nice to read the story of how Adobo came to be.They seem to be doing well; all the tables were full, inside and out.Damn, those tacos were beefy and delicious. Poor Swan won’t be able to get her weekly fix in Barretto now that John’s place is closed.I don’t recall the last time I’ve had churro, but it was a sweet after-dinner treat.
And then we trudged back to our hotel and got some shut-eye.
It is now October 2016 in the LTG archives, and this post covers some work happenings and the usual other bullshit.
For today’s YouTube video, let’s do five minutes of the Marble Mountain experience.
Humor time:
Should be easier to stick with the diet from the hospital.Bounced it off of her, eh?I guess it must be nice to have a Big Brother looking out for you.
And now it is time to move on with my next-to-last day here. We’ve pretty much seen and done all there is that we want to do, so it’s time to begin with the routines, I suppose.
Waiting for the morning southbound train.On the platform.And here she comes!All aboard!My first train ride since the Seoul-to-Busan bullet train all those years ago (other than a commuter train in Manila, the PI is devoid of this means of travel).Ah, so those motorbikes WILL stop for something after all.She’ll be comin’ round the mountain when she comes…On the drive to Hue, we went over the mountain. The train took a lower route that included several tunnels.
And three hours after we began our journey, we pulled into the station at Da Nang. We took a Grab car back to the hotel we had stayed in last week, the Haian Beach Hotel. The gal at the check-in desk remembered us and gave us a hearty welcome back.
As we settled into our room, there was a knock on the door, and we were presented with this gift of fruit.
This is the nicest hotel I’ve ever had the pleasure of staying at: friendly staff, a great breakfast buffet, and comfortable rooms. The Haian is doing it right!
When you are staying across the street from the beach, it is only appropriate to go there, especially when the beach features our favorite beach bar, the Maia.
The Maia was packed, but a few minutes after our arrival, we got the seats and view we came for.It was surprising how much more crowded the beach was than last week. It’s warmer now, too.A zoom shot of the Lady Buddha statue on the hill across the water from us.
When it was time for some supper, we talked about making the hike out to Dirty Fingers, but decided to save that for another day. We walked a bit into town, and Swan declared she wanted another Fly Burger. Fine by me. Turns out, this joint with the disgusting name is quite highly rated.
Here’s a short bonus video so you can get a feel for the place:
I wasn’t in the mood for a burger, so I went with chicken nuggets.
They were the best damn nuggets I’ve ever had. The coleslaw was delicious, too.Swan enjoyed her fly burger too.
To tip or not to tip?
How could I refuse? And what have they got against Polish people?
We headed back towards the hotel after our meal, keeping our eyes open for a suitable nightcap venue. Not seeing anything appealing, we rode the hotel elevator to the 22nd floor and had a drink at the rooftop bar.
The view from the rooftop.The girl who joined me there.
And we were a short ride away from our 5th-floor room when our evening out came to a close.
It’s the end of September 2016 in the LTG archives, and it is also the end of another relationship. Go figure.
Today’s YouTube video shows the train ride I took, with better shots of the scenery (I was on the wrong side of the car for the best views). She mentions the Hai Van Pass, but the train doesn’t go that way; it takes a lower route. No way it would have made it up and over the mountain, even on the relatively small inclines we encountered, the train slowed to a crawl.
Let’s get these out of the way:
Well, you need gravity to mash potatoes, so…I didn’t mean to go out on a limb here.What a shitty thing to happen.
It’s only words, and words are all I have to post about the day…
Being fat and happy qualifies as hog heaven, right? We did a nice 7K hike to the former Imperial Palace and back without getting lost. Later, we took a boat cruise on the Perfume River (I didn’t smell a thing, though) and then had some dinner and drinks in the tourist section of Hue. Damn, three days in town and I’ve already reverted to routines. Oh well, at least they’re good ones.
Here are some photos from vacay day eleven:
A complimentary breakfast on the riverside to start the day. Nothing special about it other than the price.My girl is such a poser…Our destination is on the other side of that wall.Getting through that wall is a lot easier when traffic is light, as it was yesterday morning.We didn’t get blown away by the cannons either.I didn’t take notes about the former purpose of the buildings we saw. Sorry!The fish were hungry.This critter was kind enough not to attack Swan for posing again.Old buildings somehow make me feel younger.I did read that many of the buildings in the complex were destroyed during the Tet Offensive in 1968. Viet Cong were hiding out inside them, so the Americans bombed them.The survivors still look nice.Doggone it, Swan!Bang the drum……or ring the bell? Of course, we didn’t do either.Waterworks.A stair climb brought us here.That’s as close as we got to the building with the big flag.There she goes again!Then there was this demure Vietnamese girl in traditional clothing.The way we went.
Back to the hotel room for some R&R, then we headed out for our rivercruise.
I hope this Tet isn’t offensive.It was a small boat, but we had it all to ourselves. One hour for 300,000 dong ($11.50).On the river.That white building in the middle is our hotel, the Century Riverside.This gal was bathing in the river as we passed.Oh, and we brought some beer with us to enhance our river experience.On the banks of the Perfume.And I was keeping my eye on the sun.A temple on the riverside.Okay, let’s get this out of the way.Trying to hide?Bye for now.And that’s about the time our river ride came to an end. Swan said we got shorted on the hour we paid for, but I’d had enough and didn’t see any value in cruising in the dark.
Once we were back ashore, Swan went shopping for pasalubong (it’s a cultural thing, but basically souvenirs for family and friends back home) and I had a beer or two at DMZ bar while I waited for her to finish. When she rejoined me, we headed out to the backstreets of the tourist zone looking for some grub.
Do you want to try this place? I asked. Why not? she responded.That would be us…The view from our table.I decided to try the ga xao chua ngot.And Swan ordered the heo nuong ong tre.Oddly enough, my meal was both sweet and sour.Swan deemed her meal “spicy.”
When we were finished, we went back to DMZ for our nightcap, conveniently located right across the street from our hotel. And so our final night in Hue came to a close.
Still plodding along through the September 2016 LTG archives. In this post, I’ve got a new hiking buddy. Yep, I convinced Eun Oke to join me on a climb up to the Seoul Tower on Namsan. It wasn’t easy for her, but she made it. She seems so perfect for me. What could go wrong?
Speaking of Eun Oke, here’s a drawing she did of me. Talented girl, I look almost handsome!
For today’s YouTube video, let’s visit the Imperial City (aka The Citadel) during less peaceful times.
And now for the daily dose of humor:
Just let them whine.Time keeps on ticking, ticking, into the future…I heard it is better to be lucky than good.
I’m back in Da Nang again, so I reckon I’ll be picking up where I left off. Check back tomorrow to see how that works out for me.
The big adventure for day ten of my Vietnam visit was a quest to explore The Citadel, also known as the Imperial Palace. We failed in that attempt, mainly because my map app, Waze, led me astray. Nevertheless, we saw some parts of Hue we wouldn’t have otherwise visited, got in some extra steps, and passed by our intended destination on the return journey. So, now I know where the Citadel is located, and I learned not to trust Waze. No big deal, we found our way back there this morning.
I’ve got to hand it to this sculpture we saw while passing through a riverside park.A Swan in a shady spot.These kids and their teacher came running up to greet us as we passed by.Turns out they were English students, and they got to practice their greetings with a native speaker. Good job!Another statue in the park. Mother and child, ain’t that sweet?Wait a minute! What the hell is he doing back there? Well, I guess that’s one way to keep from having another baby.Crossing over the Perfume River.A marketplace on the other side of the river. This is where Waze first fucked with me. The Citadel is to the left; it had me turn right here.I’m not sure what this is supposed to be, but there it is.Insane motorbike traffic (going in both directions) made passing through that narrow wall opening on foot more than a little scary. And yeah, I figured the wall meant we were close to the Imperial City, but alas, that proved not to be the case.We did see another temple-like structure.And damn, Kevin Kim is a big man around here. Or a dead one.A bridge we didn’t take. About 500 meters further up the narrow road we were walking, Waze announced we had arrived at our destination. Except there was nothing there other than a couple of decrepit houses. Fuck you, Waze!
I plotted a course back to the hotel using Google Maps, and off we went.
We passed through another narrow wall opening, but this one didn’t have a traffic jam to navigate through.Y not?Our route home took us past our intended destination. We decided to save it for today.Back on the river.Our hotel is on the other side of that bridge.
Back to the room for some rest, a blog post, and a shower. Then, we were off again.
All dressed up and ready for dinner.A river cruise is on our agenda for later today.We saw this floating restaurant on our morning walk, so we decided to come back and give it a try. It’s up on the roof.We were the only customers, but they were setting up for a big birthday celebration later in the evening.The river view from our table.My first beer of the day. I’m becoming quite fond of Huda. And they had wine in Swan’s favorite flavor.Pork on a stick for Swan……fish and chips for me. Neither was anything special, but they filled a void.
After our meal, we took a stroll through the tourist district, but didn’t see anything that enticed us to stop. So, we ensconced ourselves at the DMZ and enjoyed some additional alcoholic beverages before crossing the highway to the hotel and calling it a night.
The idiot vlogger Vitaly has been deported from the Philippines (and he’s damn lucky they didn’t hold him in jail for years pending trial). I saw this on Facebook this morning, and if it is legit, he’s still an asshole.
From the September 2016 LTG archives is the final chapter of my taking sand to the beach experience with the Korean girlfriend, Eun Oke.
Today’s YouTube video is a walking tour of some of the buildings in the Imperial City complex. I’ll share my photos in tomorrow’s post.
Time for the smiley part:
Hope he didn’t get the short end of the rope.It’s what’s inside that counts.You can get arrested for shoplifting!
Here’s the song my nephew sang at the gathering after my mother’s funeral:
My hotel is located right in the middle of where the action was almost fifty-eight years ago (near the gray square).
My first impressions of Hue are generally positive. I’m still in the tourist zone, but it’s not as oppressive as the one I experienced in Hoi An. Getting here took almost four hours, including a twisty-turny drive over a mountain. Saw plenty of nice scenery along the way, so no real complaints in that regard. Found some nice bars and restaurants in the backstreets near our hotel last night, and the exploration of which has just begun! One nice thing they do is close those roads to vehicle traffic after 6 p.m., allowing safer stumbling walking about.
Here are some photos of the getting here and our first evening out:
That mountain between Da Nang and Hue we had to cross.The Hai Van Gate is at the summit.You can read more about it at the link above.One of the fortifications.The ocean view on a hazy day.Who needs a shitty map?Coming down the mountain.An interesting-looking village we passed along the way.When you gotta go, you gotta go.Finally made it to our hotel in Hue.The view from our room.The DMZ, a restaurant/bar, is conveniently located right across the road from our hotel.I chuckled over this name and thought of It Doesn’t Matter back home.No thanks, I read the book.Looks like my kind of place.Nice ambiance upstairs at Browneyes.My blue-eyed view from Browneyes.At the dinner hour, we moved to the HotTuna and enjoyed the street view as an appetizer. I asked our waitress if they served cold tuna, but the language barrier aborted my attempt at humor.Some of the local food offerings at HotTuna.We had something called calamari……and grilled pork ribs. Talk about stepping outside the comfort zone!An after-dinner nightcap at DMZ.And then we climbed the stairway to heaven and called it a night.
A good day so far, despite getting lost on our hike this morning. Two more nights to go here.
And in news from home:
As I suspected, John’s place in Barretto is closing. The new location is going to be in Olongapo City, way out of my reach. It was good while it lasted. Thanks for the memories.
Back to the September 2016 LTG archives for part 3 of the bringing sand to the beach adventure.
Today’s YouTube video features combat footage from the Tet Offensive back in 1968—some of the heaviest US casualties of the war in that battle. I can’t help but think about all those who died here while I’m living the high life on the streets where blood was spilled. You can read the gory details here if you are so inclined.
And now for today’s lame attempts at humor:
Did you get a spanking?Well, I’m an old man with bladder control issues. Yeah, ever been to Switzeland?
A rather laid-back day there in Hoi An yesterday. In fact, it was almost Barretto-like: a morning hike and an evening in the bars. There is nothing wrong with Hoi An, which might explain why the streets are packed with tourists. I can’t complain about that since I am one too, but honestly, I think it would make it hard for me to live here as an expat. Then again, it is likely the expat community has its own side of town away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist district. The locals here do seem much friendlier than those I observed in Da Nang.
On with the day. It was a little over 5K from the hotel to the beach. Traffic isn’t so bad here, but you do have to maintain situational awareness, especially with the omnipresent motorbikes racing about. We began in the “old town” district near the riverside, then passed through some rice fields before reaching the beachside urbanization. Here’s some of what we saw along the way:
Over the river near our hotel.Hoi An has a history of being a major trading center (mostly spice exports) with the Chinese back in the olden days.The streets of old town are full of shops catering to tourists.One of the temples we passed along the way.This is the first McDonald’s I’ve encountered on this trip. It’s like no other McDonald’s I’ve ever seen. No drive-thru, no parking, and housed in an old building. There’s also a KFC next door. It seems so weirdly out of place.This park enticed us in for a quick look around.I couldn’t find anything about this guy in a Google search (everything was in Vietnamese), but the placard said he was a scholar who became a leader opposed to French colonization and was executed for his resistance.That’s what my mama called me sometimes.Through the paddies…What do they call a carabao in Vietnam?Even out here in farm country, they have set traps for the tourists.Working for a living.My first thought when I saw those houses was, “We must be getting close to the ocean.”A river runs through it.Life on the river.Where’s the beef?Destination achieved!I saw zero locals on the beach.You can see Da Nang from here. That’s a zoom shot.We found a cozy place to grab some lunch and enjoy the beach view.“I blew out my flipflop, stepped on a pop top, cut my heel, had to cruise on back home…”When is the last time you’ve seen one of those?The route of our journey. We took a cab back to the hotel.This fat fuck was hanging out in our hotel lobby.
At the appointed hour, Swan and I headed out to do some exploring and find a place to grab dinner.
I wasn’t in the mood for colonial food.Um, no thank you.Off with our heads?A very friendly young Aussie guywelcomed us to the restaurant.I was craving some pulled pork, but had never seen it on a bed of fries. Sure, why not?Hmm, more fries than pork. It tasted alright, though.The view from our table
Oh, and there was a vendor next door selling something called “smoke ice cream.” Swan wanted to give it a try.
Neither of us liked it much.
Lantern boats on the river.
We decided to go back to the LyLy pub for some drinks and music. We were welcomed there like regulars.
The same trio from last night was performing. I asked our waitress where the singer was from, and she said, “Vietnam.” In my defense, did say “kamsamnida” when people applauded at the end of a song. A Vietnamese girl who speaks good English and knows some Korean. Wow! What are the odds?
Here’s a song for you:
Then we moved on to the Bob Marley bar for our nightcap.
They remembered us here, too.
Here’s the Marley’s duo (Filipinos) doing a song:
And now I have arrived in the historic city of Hue (pronounced “Who”), where I will be spending the next three days. First time here, so it will be fun to explore some.
In today’s entry from the September 2016 LTG archives, the story of my taking sand to the beach in the Philippines continues.
Today’s YouTube video is an introduction to the things to see and do in Hue. I’ve never heard “Hue” pronounced as “He” before, but then again, I’ve been calling it “Hew” for as long as I can remember.
Now for the funny business:
Something doesn’t add up…Just turn the page.Aren’t they all?
I know someone who would be PERFECT for that role!
One week done, and one more to go. So far, it’s been a good time. I’m writing this post from the lovely river town of Hoi An. I’m honestly shocked to be surrounded by so many tourists in this area, many of them young couples. Lots of old-timer couples, too. It is probably the laid-back atmosphere here that makes it more desirable for some than Da Nang’s big-city vibes. Whatever, it is what it is, and I like both.
On the way here, we made a side-trip to visit My Son (pronounced Me Sohn), the site of ancient Hindu temple ruins. Until I read the history at the link above, I was not aware of why this area was so historically significant. Life is for learning, and I learned something new.
Oh, and best of all, it is not cold here! It is nice to be comfortably out and about in short sleeves again.
Let’s get to those heavenly photos, shall we?
A foggy morning as we said goodbye to Ba Na Hills.Into the cable car for the ride back down to the lowlands.I have a slight case of acrophobia, so looking down while our car was swaying made me a tad lightheaded.Swan had the barf bag ready just in case I needed it. I didn’t.Gettin’ down!I have no idea what this water was angry about, but it was ragin’.On the road to My Son.And here we be.A cart ride to the starting area.I would estimate that half of our fellow tourists were from India.Let’s go check out these ruins.Swan ain’t afraid of no ghosts.We saw a few monkeys along the way.Ruins, ruins, everywhere there’s ruins…Hello, there.I guess they had monkeys back then, too.A bridge too far. Meaning I didn’t take it.
As I said, the viewing might have been more interesting to see if I had known some of the history beforehand—still, not a bad experience. Our driver was waiting to carry us onward to Hoi An, about an hour away.
Checking in at the Lantana Hotel, right on the riverfront.My room came equipped with this high-tech device. I’m not sure how it works.
I must say, I have never seen such attentive, caring, and friendly staff before. At the reception, a woman sat with us and explained all the amenities available during our stay. This morning, when Swan and I were plotting our course to the beach, the receptionist came out, asked us where we were going, showed us on our map app, and suggested an alternate street where we would see more historic buildings. Thank you for that!
Hoi An is a tourist town, which means being besieged by vendors.This one was very friendly, even though I couldn’t understand a word she said.The Hoi An River slices through the middle of town.These boats offer “lantern tours” when the sun goes down.
It was beer o’clock, and we were thirsty. Where can we get a drink around here?
The riverwalk has numerous bars to choose from, some with live music. No dancing girl bars, not that that matters.We made the LyLy Irish Pub our first stop.That’s a Tiger in that Magners glass.Then I saw they had a “buy one, get one” happy hour deal, so I switched to bottles.The LyLy street view. No cars are allowed on this section of road, which makes it much more pleasant for everyone. Well, except for drivers.Our next stop was the Bob Marley bar. They had live music, and the singer did a pretty good job singing some Marley tunes.Those lantern boats I mentioned.Us chilling at Marley’s.
We’d seen a rooftop place called Sky Bar and decided to give it a try.
A sexy tree grows in Hoi An.Like a bridge over troubled waters.Swan says Sky Bar is right up this alley.
Yikes! Four floors of dicey stairs. And you have to duck at the top before entering the bar. They are even worse coming back down. I figured this must be an expat hangout since it is off the main drag and a pain in the ass to get to.
Despite the obstacles, Sky Bar had a good crowd last night.A Sky Bar view.And another.
It was time to get some grub, and Jeff liked the menu at LyLy, so we overcame the stairs and headed back to where we had started.
We are back!And the live music had begun. This gal had a fantastic voice and sang in perfect English. I don’t think she is Vietnamese, though. She looks Korean.Our pub fare included chicken nuggets……and fried shrimp.
I’d reached my limit, so we bid goodnight to Jeff and Davina and headed back to the room.
Onward to September 2016 in the LTG archives, and in this post, I recount the happenings of the first day in the Philippines with my Korean girlfriend.
Today’s YouTube video is a vlogger walking around An Bang Beach, the one Swan and I hiked to this morning. Nothing all that exciting in the video, but at least you can see what things look like around there.
And you knew these were coming:
What’s up, Doc?Hard to argue with that logic.Puns like this should be against the law.
Alright, I’ll stop now—time to get on with the rest of day eight.
It’s been a LONG time since I’ve seen a heating unit. I was very thankful for this one in my hotel room last night.
Damn, it’s been cold. I’ve become acclimated to the heat of the Philippines, and my body hasn’t responded well to the chilly winds at my current nearly mile-high altitude. All I have are shorts, but I’m thankful for that long-sleeved sweatshirt I purchased in Da Nang. Anyway, this too shall pass. We are heading down the mountain to Hoi An this morning for the next phase of our Vietnam adventure.
As for Ba Na Hills, I’ve never experienced anything quite like this place (other than my visit here last year). It’s got a unique beauty, and the buildings bring the vibe of a French village from long ago. If you are curious about the history of this area, here’s a good place to start.
We covered a lot of ground taking it all in yesterday, and I’ve got the photos to prove it:
Up at dawn, once again hoping to catch the ocean sunrise in Da Nang, only to be disappointed by the clouds hiding the sun. On the road to Ba Na Hills.Ba Na is around 35K from Da Nang.The only way to the top of the mountain is by cable car…the longest cable ride in the world. With our bags and us, we filled the car.Up, up, and away. (Yeah, this is actually looking down from where we started.Almost to the top.The highlights of being a tourist.
Dropped our bags at the Mercure Hotel (the only one on the mountain) and had three hours to kill before check-in. Here’s the sights we took in as we wandered about:
Reach out and touch someone.Yes, she’s my world.Pretty in pink.So many castles, so little time.Swan in a big red dress.Rock on!Don’t mess with me, motherfucker!Some nice pussy up here.We took a short cable car ride to check out the famous Golden Bridge.That would be it.I’ve got to hand it to ya…Then we toured the old French wine cellars.A wine lover in her element.The tour admission fee included a glass of wine at the end.On with the exploration.That guy in the back looks familiar.Dragon the line.Don’t monkey with me!The view from here.Another nice view.Take a picture, it lasts longer.Her name must be McDonald…the original Golden Archer.
It was time for some lunch (and beer), so we headed to the brewery.
My hero!Something’s brewing down there.The place was packed.Swan and I shared this platter.Let’s eat!
After lunch, it was time to check into our hotel rooms.
Nothing like being greeted on the TV screen.
Rooms were clean and comfortable. I got in a blog post and a nap before it was time to head out and meet up with Jeff and Davina again. I was surprised that so many places were closing at 6 p.m. (or earlier). I guess it really is the slow season, but damn, why book a room on the mountain if there is nowhere to go at night?
We did find this cozy bar close to our hotel that stayed up until 9:30.And our hotel bar was open until midnight, so we didn’t have to go without.The bar was at the bottom of these stairs. It felt almost like walking into a cave.But it was actually very nice inside.The fish and chips we had for dinner were surprisingly delicious!Ba Na Hills is quite a sight after dark.
Speaking of dark, I woke up at 4:30 and peeked outside the window. I asked Swan if she wanted to take a stroll with me for a better look around. She did.
It felt like a zombie apocalypse.Scary shit in the shadows.The end of the world as we know it?
Well, we made it back to our room without seeing any walking dead, so there’s that. It was a really creepy morning, though.
And now I’m writing this post from the lovely town of Hoi An. I’ll tell you all about the getting here and how things are going tomorrow.
The last post in the LTG archives from August 2016 features a recounting of meeting the American Ambassador to Korea in my new suit, having some birthday shots with friends at Shenanigans, and a brief mention of my upcoming trip to the Philippines that would include my new Korean girlfriend. They call that bringing sand to the beach. We’ll find out how that went soon.
Today’s YouTube video is all about where I am now. I visited here for a few hours last year and knew I wanted to come back when I had more time. Let’s see how two nights work out for me.
Maybe I can put a smile on your face with these:
I know what I saw lit me up.Imagine that.He’s on the sheep but he ain’t no lamb.
It turns out that Hemingway was commatose, just like me! A great short story that really touched me deep in my soul. It’s an easy read, go see for yourself.
Day five was pretty laid back, almost like being home. An 8K walk to the Han River and back, then some barhopping with a nice dinner at the end. The pictures tell the story better than I can.
Went to the beach at 6 a.m., hoping for a sunrise. Alas, the clouds said no.That’s the best shot I could get.
On with the walk:
I had to do a double-take when I saw this signage. I thought it was something more presidential at first.Seeing this really got my goat.Swan is such a poser sometimes.Who gives a rat’s ass?Made it to the river.I couldn’t bear to look.Then we came upon this nice paved road that was blocked to everything but pedestrian traffic. We decided to see where it led.Ah, a bridge over the river without any cars. Nice!The side of the river we had been on.The bridge that presumably replaced the one we were walking on.On the other side of the bridge was a nice commie park.Peaceful and well-maintained.A sculpture that caught my eye.Moving upriver, we came to the Dragon Bridge and decided to cross back over to our side of town.Ridin’ the dragon.Lucky for us, it wasn’t breathing fire yesterday.Heading back down to the riverside.We were getting hungry, but I wasn’t in the mood for sour kraut.A temple we passed along the way.As I said, we were hungry, so we figured we’d see what a Fly Burger was like.The 95 is 95,000 dong, around $3.50. Oh, and it turns out the meat was beef, not fly.Swan enjoyed her Fly Burger.And my chicken burger was tasty, too.
Back to the room for a shower and nap, then it was time to meet up with Jeff and Davina to enjoy our last night in Da Nang until next week.
We kicked things off at our favorite beach bar.Another clean, well-lighted place. I mean that Ernestly.The view from our seats.The view of us in our seats.Our next stop was a first for us, a joint called Game On. It was pleasant with nice street views, just the way I like it.My favorite Vietnamese beer, Huda, served in a San Miguel mug. The best of both worlds!Game On!Our next stop was a place called Loco Tay.Hmm…Some impressive artwork adorned the walls at Loco Tay.Now you tell me!That would be us.We were planning to go here for some shawarma eats, but alas, they didn’t serve alcoholic beverages. Thanks, but no thanks. We were on a roll.So we went around the corner to this open air food court.They even had live music.And my favorite local beer.I snacked on some wings.While Swan ate the feet.Dinner brought our pleasant evening out to a close.
And early this morning, we checked out of the hotel and headed for the hills.
Still plodding through the August 2016 LTG archives. It is amazing to see what a difference ten years can make. But at least my journey continues to continue.
Today’s YouTube video is all about those hills I mentioned, Ba Na. It’s an amazing place and I’m glad for the opportunity to have more time to explore it this trip.
To the humor we must go.
Another stinky joke.Stop, you’re killing me!Hard to argue with the math.
Alright, I need to go out and enjoy myself in this fantastic place I’m at. Tell you all about tomorrow, time permitting.
I agree! Those young bucks need to back off and let us old fuckers have some fun with those sweet lasses!
Yesterday featured a walk, a cruise, and beer. Lots of beer! Let me show you what I mean.
After a couple of kilometers down the beach road, I turned left, thinking it would lead to the Han River. Turns out I was wrong about that. Or maybe I gave up too soon. I’ll try to find it again today.A couple of elephants.A Swan.And whatever the hell that’s supposed to be.A lion or tiger, perhaps?I didn’t eat here (yet).But we did give this place a try.OMG! They had birria tacos! And guacamole, just the way Swan likes it. They were damn good, too.That’s probably the biggest burrito I ever did see.Open wide!That’s what the innards looked like. Yep, those are fries inside, another first.We stopped in here to see if I could find a long-sleeve sweatshirt in my size.Yeah, it gets chilly at night this time of year, and we are heading up into the Ba Na Hills tomorrow.This one fit, so I bought it.Our loop was a tad over 5K. I’ll try for the river walk again today.
After a nap and a shower, we met up with Jeff and Davina for our river cruise. We couldn’t board until 7 p.m., so we checked out some of the bars down by the river.
Our first stop.Very large and well-appointed. A nice selection of craft beers, too.This place has a definite expat vibe about it. If I’m not mistaken, it‘ is Aussie-owned.
The signage in Bamboo’s restroom was also worth a couple of photos:
Wipe that smile off your face!Yep, that’s the wrong kind of lump in your pants.
Then we made our way along the river towards the boat dock.
A clean well-lighted place.The Marriott Hotel pays homage to its communist overseers.A Swan on the river.There she is again!One last beer at the Novotel before heading to the riverboat.The riverboat dock.Just like last year, we were booked on the Poseidon for our river adventure.Our table on the bow of the Poseidon.A heavenly view.We even saw Chloe, our waitress from last year,and she remembered us, too. The first of many Larue beers consumed during our two hours onboard. Two bottles of wine for Davina and Swan.Cheers!
After a decent dinner was served (Swan and I had the salmon), it was time for the cultural dancers to perform.
The live music…And those dancers I mentioned.
Here’s a short video of the dancing you might enjoy:
Thanks for the show, ladies!
Then it was time to hit the Han River:
Off we go!The lights of the city.Heading for that Dragon Bridge.There it be.And it’s a fire-breathing dragon.I guess the dragon spits but doesn’t swallow.
So, the cruise ended at 9:30 local time, which makes it 10:30 back home. My body had had enough fun for one day, so Swan and I caught a cab to the hotel. I think I did okay for an old guy.
In the LTG archives, it’s August 27, 2016, and I turned 61. The post has all the songs I like about growing older. Hey, it must have worked, because almost 10 years later, I’m still getting old.
Today’s YouTube video is a short (less than four minutes) presentation about the realities of Da Nang nightlife. It is spot on, at least from my limited experience here. Nothing like you are going to find in the bars of Barretto or Angeles City. The good thing is, I prefer the laid-back chill atmosphere that is in abundance here.
And that leads us to these:
That absolutely stinks!That’s gonna be some stinky ink.When he gets fired, he won’t have a wok to piss in.
And now for day five of the Vietnam experience. No specific plans for today other than a walk/exploration. Hopefully, I’ll spot a new place to try for dinner. We leave Da Nang proper tomorrow morning and will spend a night up high in the Ba Na Hills. I’ve been looking forward to that the most on our vacation itinerary. After that, we have stays in Hoi An and Hue before returning to Da Nang next week. Let the adventure continue!
