So, yeah. I made up a new word to describe a cultural phenomenon prevalent here in the Philippines and exacerbated at the end of every year–noise. This is a loud country. For whatever reason, people prefer max volume. Every morning I can hear music blaring from a house two streets down from me. Karaoke is even worse–bad singing amplified to ear-splitting levels. Motorbikes with modified mufflers to increase noise. The loudest car horns I’ve ever heard. And don’t get me started on the roosters. The locals just take it all in stride, but going on four years here and I still can’t get used to it. That’s one advantage to living in Alta Vista, a lot of the regular everyday neighborhood noise is not present. And roosters are not allowed.
Anyway, this New Year’s season has been especially bad. The firecrackers sound like gunshots and make your ears ring and windows rattle. The noisemakers and airhorns are also very irritating. I saw one guy stick an airhorn in his motorbike exhaust pipe to exacerbate the loudness. Anyway, as I said, it is all very annoising. Rant over.
There are nicer traditions for the holiday here as well. It’s a family time and gathering for meals with the clan is a big deal. I was surprised at how many bars were closed last night for New Year’s Day even though it was a Saturday night. I speculate they couldn’t get their staff to come in and miss out on the family feast. My regular beggars were asking for money to fund the big meal and I even accommodated a few of them.
Of course, I don’t have family here. I don’t even have a girlfriend. But that didn’t stop me from cooking like I had loved ones to serve.
My hunger satiated, it was time to get out and fulfill another tradition of mine–drinking beer on Saturday night. I changed things up a little bit by starting out at Queen Victoria, a bar I hadn’t bothered visiting since I did the review back in October. It was early and I was the only customer. Despite the infrequency of my visits, all the girls greeted me by name. One, in particular, seemed especially happy to see me. She kept asking if I remembered her and I finally had to admit I did not. She seemed very disappointed in me. Turns out she used to work at Alaska Club. She also reminded me of the occasion I had bar fined her (paid to take her out of the bar), something I very rarely do, maybe once or twice a year. Then she rubbed some salt in the wound by telling me how quickly I came. I guess that’s a good thing for a prostitute though. Anyway, she’s pretty funny and gives a good massage so maybe someday I’ll try to make it last longer and get my money’s worth. I bought her a lady drink and had a couple of beers, then moved on.
Next stop was Outback to visit my pal Bhel. She seems completely recovered from her surgery, which is a good way to start a new year. Actually, she had invited me to a gathering at her house on New Year’s Eve, but I wasn’t comfortable with being the only white guy there. Things can go south in a hurry when people you don’t know get drunk. After a pleasant visit, I headed out for my next destination.
Hmm. BarCelona and Cheap Charlie’s were closed. Thought about Wet Spot, but decided to hit it on the way back home. It Doesn’t Matter was open, so I figured I’d check in with Roan. Turns out, she had called in sick. Too much to drink the night before. That was my fault because I was buying her drinks. Oh well. I shared drinks with another waitress and a fellow Hasher, Leech My Nuggets, came in so I wound up staying at IDM longer than expected. After two straight late nights though I was ready to head home at 9:00.
And that’s how I spent the first day of the new year. Seems an awful lot like all my other days, doesn’t it?
The steaks look good.
As for noise… maybe this is what drives some people to live a simple life in the mountains. Go seek out a patch of land and “steak” your claim!
Wow
That lady has a good memory. I guess your performance was quite memorable, however brief. 😏 Maybe that’s good thing ? Either way, I am sure she would appreciate a third encounter.
You really do live in a small town . It seems like not only is there a limited number of entertainment venues ,but a certain pool of the same people working there. 🤔 In many of your stories ,you have a set of recurring characters that you remember from different locations, and even owners rebrand and rename and run the same limited number of entertainment venues.
I suppose you could do another bar review in a few years and the majority of bars will be still there just under different names and ownership, but the ladies may be the same ?
You’re lucky to live in a subdivision far away from the road. Barretto itself is not so bad because the main road doesn’t have multiple lanes with jeepneys and those loud vendors. In a way , the jeepney is the soundtrack of the country 🎶
There’s no way to avoid that constant hum . That’s why I’m always impressed when you venture up the main road on your own hiking trips.
Are there loud noises on the beach side as well 🤔 Other than the bars and resorts , I’m guessing that there have to be some affordable housing on the Baloy beach side as well ; not as loud as those houses up on the mountain by the college 🤔 but still a few roosters. Olongapo city is itself is a different level altogether. A Cacophony of sounds and smells in that heat, one cannot forget that immersive experience.
Glad that things have started well for you in this new year 🙌
Kev, I’m intrigued by the concept of living the mountain life, but then I think of the reality of the daily inconvenience and I’m like “Nope!”.
James, yeah, Filipinas never seem to forget a face. I’m always impressed to be greeted by name in a place I very rarely visit. As for my expertise in the sack, well, I do have some experience! Maybe I’ll take her out again and be less selfish.
Actually, for a town the size of Barretto to have upwards of 30 bars is kind of an anomaly I think. I asked an expat in San Antonio this weekend about bar options and there were only three. This lack of tourists has hit the bar owners in Barretto hard–I expect most are breaking even at best. There will be a shake-out if things don’t open up soon. Having said that, I noticed a couple of new places are in the process of opening, so that’s encouraging. As to the ladies, they move around looking for the best, er, bang for the bucks they earn. But they also have a limited shelf life. The guys who rent them (mongers in the parlance) like them young. Once a gal reaches the mid-30s her value diminishes in the bar trade.
When I was looking at housing options prior to making the move here, I considered the old military housing on the Navy base. Almost went for a real nice duplex unit, former officers’ quarters, roomy with American-style kitchen. But I looked out the window and all I could see was the duplexes across the street. It was like living in the suburban USA and I said no, damn it, I want to live in the Philippines! Of course, up here in Alta Vista isn’t the “real” PI either, but at least it is within walking distance!
Most of the housing in Baloy is off the beach, and the living there comes with the noise and bustle you find in town, albeit somewhat reduced (videoke and roosters, less traffic). The beach is relatively quiet except for the banka boats.
Yeah, when I had to move from my last house I looked at some places near Columban College. Saw a couple of nice houses but they were surrounded by high walls with barbed wire on top. The view from inside felt like I was in prison. And yeah, the walls didn’t keep the noise out. I’d like a bigger place than I currently occupy, but I’ll be loathed to leave Alta Vista. And yeah, I cannot imagine the hell of Olongapo city life! No way!
Re: being remembered. I think it is also a function of the ratio of Filipinos to Westerners. There is a much larger pool of Filipinos for you to remember vs. the number of Westerners.
When I was living in a small town in Indonesia, it was the same thing. It was a lot easier for them to remember ONE of me rather than me remembering MANY of them.
When does your current lease end? Any of the houses you looked at previously that were for sale still for sale? If that is the case, maybe the owner(s) would be more agreeable to rent?
Brian, well, I’m lucky if I remember my own name these days, so I’m easily impressed!
My current lease expires in June. The house next door has been for sale for a couple of years. I have been thinking about sending the owner (who lives in the Netherlands) an email asking if they’d consider a long-term lease. Also, my former residence is still vacant. Maybe I’ll check with the landlord and see if they’ve come to their senses yet. I might offer them 10% LESS than my previous rent…