Things don’t always go according to plan. Take our hike up to the falls outside of Olongapo for example. We had intended to all meet up in the Gordon Heights barangay, do a 2.2K hike up into the mountains from there, have a picnic lunch, then hike back down. I honestly had some reservations about this trip and considered backing out. Then I was reminded that the hike had been rescheduled, at least in part, to accommodate me (I have darts this afternoon). As it turned out, my concerns about doing a trail Guenter called “easy” were misplaced. I should have been concerned about COVID. Or more specifically, the idiots in charge of “protecting” me from a crazy virus that apparently targets hikers in the great outdoors. Who knew?
I never did an actual headcount, but I reckon there were 15 or more of us. As we proceeded to march up the road we encountered some purok officials who were apparently overseeing a free rabies vaccination event (a purok is a neighborhood organization within the larger barangay, that is a section of the city). So, these purok folks asked where we were going and when we told them they responded “not allowed”. I’d say half the group just kept walking, the rest stayed back to see what the problem was. The problem at the base level was that these purok jerks love exercising authority that most thinking people are happy to just simply ignore. Had our group been the usual small number we might not have even been noticed, but now we needed to be made an example of to demonstrate to the local populace who is in charge. Or at least it seemed that way to me.
They were pretty pissed about the portion of the group who just kept on going, and a few minutes later a van with several barangay officials aboard showed up, presumably to chase them down. Guenter, who was our putative leader for this hike, tried to talk reason to them.
Eventually, it was decided to allow Guenter to make his case directly to the barangay Captain. So, he and his girlfriend/interpreter loaded up in the van, and off they went. Meanwhile, the group who had gone on ahead had decided to reverse course and return to see what was happening. Guenter returned about 20 minutes later and reported that the barangay Captain had agreed to let us depart for the falls, with the caveat that we could not return to (or through) Gordon Heights. He made it clear that us barangay Barretto folks were not welcome in his barangay. It was a classic Catch-22 situation, to avoid Gordon Heights would mean scaling a different mountain, and of course, abandoning our vehicles. A good portion of the group thought we should just ignore the barangay’s directive, do our hike as planned, and return where we pleased. That might have worked, but I wasn’t willing to chance it. The Bureau of Immigration has been making an example of foreigners who defy quarantine restrictions by deporting them and blacklisting them to prevent any future return. Just wasn’t worth it to me, and ultimately we all chose to do as we were told and depart Gordon Heights.
Before leaving, we discussed a Plan B that involved meeting in Naugsol and doing our picnic riverside. I was in a car with Scott and Dave and we picked up some ice and beer on the way. But when we reached the designated meeting location no one else was there. I learned later that Guenter’s group, who had hired a Jeepney, got turned back at another checkpoint in Santo Tomas, a barangay of Subic. At that point they just gave up the quest.
So, the five of us in Dave’s car did our own riverside luncheon. We were looking for a place with some shade, easy access to the river, and a place to park. We eventually found a location that offered all three, thanks to a kind local woman who rented us a lean-to for 150 pesos ($3.)
We had a pleasant enough lunch, then the beer ran out so it was time to go. On the way back to Barretto I got a message from Gary, a retired Navy guy with an FPO address, that my new debit card had arrived. We agreed to meet up at It Doesn’t Matter. It was a relief to have my replacement card, the one I have expires on Friday. That’s how I access all my cash here.
After a few more beers it was time for me to head on home. I’d missed my naptime and drank much more mid-day than normal. After taking a shower, I decided to spend my Friday evening at home. I fired up the grill and threw on some ribeyes:
Being at home well before bedtime left me with a dilemma–how to fill the hours? I turned on my little-used television and watched season one episodes of The Addam’s Family on YouTube. I used to really enjoy that show back in the day, but I’ve got to say I found it really disappointing last night. Not that funny and the over-the-top acting was off-putting as well. Hell, even Morticia wasn’t as hot as I remember her. Needless to say, if I’m going to add TV to my routine, I’m going to need to find something better to watch.
I only got in 7,000 steps yesterday, so I pushed myself a little harder and longer this morning, doing a two hour walk up the highway towards the Navy base. I also explored a little more of this village that I’ve always found intriguing.
Oh yeah, my landlord called last night with some news. Now they want to raise the rent ten percent! I expressed my displeasure and he said he’d go back and see if the family would settle for five percent. I think it is time to move.
Alright, gonna be late for darts. I’ll give you the story of Singles League playoffs tomorrow!
Sorry to read about all the dick-waving authorities impeding your walk. Bunch of fucking cunts.
Singles League playoffs—this is the big one, right? Good luck!
Ribeye looks good. Nicely cooked on the outside, hopefully still medium-rare and juicy on the inside.
“It also appears that I’d be the only foreigner living here. Not ready for that adventure!”
Do you have to live in a community of expats? If yes… why? Hell, living among Filipinos might finally motivate you to learn some of the local language—enough to speak in actual sentences instead of tossing around random words and phrases. Here’s some Tagalog homework for you. Learn:
1. the days of the week
2. the months of the year
3. numbers from 0 to 1,000,000
4. the verbs that are basic in any language: to be, to go, to have, to want, to need, to give, to take, to find, to be able to (can), to have to (must), to wait, to sleep, to wake up, to eat, to drink, to poop, to piss, to talk, to yell/shout, to ask, etc.
5. the nouns and prepositions that most often go with the above verbs
6. the adjectives that typically go with those nouns, including adjectives like bad, good, cheap, expensive, sweet, tasty, sour, etc.
7. basic adverbs like fast, slowly, very, really, late, early, etc.*
8. basic “direction” words like left, right, up, down, north, south, east, west
Add a few hundred useful words and expressions to your vocabulary and see how much your life among the natives improves.
__________
*The words “late” and “early” can be both adjectives and adverbs. If I say, “You’re late” or “You’re early,” then “late” and “early” are adjectives. If I say, “You arrived late” or “You arrived early,” then those words are adverbs. Same with a word like “fast.” If I say, “She’s pretty damn fast,” then “fast” is an adjective meaning “quick.” But “She runs fast” means that “fast” is an adverb meaning “quickly.”
Well, the differences between living in a town with an expat community and one with no foreigners are not really language-related–after all, this is technically an English-speaking country. For me, it’s more about blending in rather than standing out. No one gives me a second look in Barretto, but walking around that village yesterday I could feel the stares. No one was unfriendly or threatening, you could just tell they weren’t used to seeing a Kano amongst them. The problem is that if you are the only foreigner it is much more likely you will become a target–for theft, robbery, or revenge from a drunk Filipino who feels he’s been wronged by a white devil in the past. Most of the locals still believe foreigners are all rich (and in many cases, comparatively speaking, we are) which brings a raft of other potential problems. Beggars on Facebook are easy to ignore, but on your doorstep, not so much. When I first read your comment last night I asked a Filipina what she thought about me living in a village as the only foreigner. She looked at me like I was crazy, shook her head, and said “not a good idea!”; I assume for the reasons stated above. Now, if I were married to a Filipina, it would be much easier to integrate into the community. I know of guys living out in the provinces on a small farm and they do alright. Some of the issues I mentioned remain, but for the most part, they are left alone.
As for the Tagalog assignment, I learned the days of the week years ago–they are the same as in Spanish. The rest I’m going to need to work on. I really haven’t even tried to learn Tagalog thus far. I did try to learn Korean and you saw where that got me! You are right though–if I managed to master some basics it would be a good thing. I’ve noticed some of the guys I hike with often exchange greetings with the locals in the native tongue and the recipients really seem to appreciate it. That’s standing out in a good way!
Interesting perspective. Sounds like a lot of simmering hostility out there.
Perhaps, but I feel safer here than I would in most of America’s inner cities.
It is funny/interesting how some TV shows and movies age well, and others just do not. I have come across the same issue that you had with the Addams Family – I remember a show/movie being really good, but upon rewatching it years later, not so much.
On the other hand, Citizen Kane is often thought of as one of the (if not the) best movie ever made. IMO, It looks a bit dated when watched today. However, it set a standard and a lot of innovations used in the film inspired generations of movie making.
Re: living as a sole foreigner. I spent about a year in Indonesia as the only foreigner for probably about 50 miles. My house was in a gated community, so no problems or worries about theft, beggars, etc. Social media was in its’ infancy, so no problems or drama from that either. I actually had a pretty good time and enjoyed the time spent there – I find Indonesians quite friendly overall, and the language is easy to learn. (Knowing a bit of the native tongue (in any country) goes a long way in breaking the ice.)
The biggest hassle I had in that situation was that everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, knew what I was up to all the time. From people at work, random shopkeepers, waitresses at restaurants, etc. all knew who I was and where I had been the previous day, night, if I had been with anybody, etc. I have some empathy for really famous people in the regard. LOL I wasn’t looking for a relationship at the time, and realized that due to the circumstances, I was much better off doing nothing that would cause any talk and come back to haunt me later.
Interesting perspectives on living as the only outsider. I’ve heard of people doing that, and some really like the experience, but I know it would wear on me pretty quickly. The expat community in Barretto is the charm of living here for me.
I had watched some old Twilight Zone episodes and they are still enjoyable. Guess it is really is hit and miss, but a writer/producer like Rod Serling is likely to age much better than the fluff of a sitcom.
About that purok folk encounters, it is always a protocol here in PI that you can not have any form of group activities in another brgy.if you do not have a permit to do such actitivities. Prior to your plan to hike to another brgy., you should secure a permit in advance.And of course always follow the covid safety protocols.
Ah, well. I am a free man and will continue to live like a free man.
Getting permission to enter any areas outside where u belong esp.an activity envolving group of people is one way of paying respect or letting them know of the activities you are going to have in that area…because whatever incidence happens in that brgy., that brgy will be responsible and aswerable of that …anyway u know better…we live by the rule of law.
“Outside where I belong”? I belong wherever my feet choose to carry me. I give respect when it is earned and warranted.