The days are winding down on this trip faster than I imagined. I don’t know why, but while taking a shower this morning, the thought occurred to me that I was leaving for the airport on Monday night. I’d somehow got it in my head that I’d be staying until Tuesday. So, I went to check my ticket, and sure enough, my flight departs at 12:45 a.m. on Tuesday. I made the reservation; I must have known that. The confusion arose because I booked a Wednesday check-out when I extended my stay at the Lux. I did that because I wanted to have a room available up until the time I left for the airport. Somehow my muddled brain read that early morning Tuesday departure as being Tuesday night for some reason. Anyway, I’m glad I didn’t further fuck up by missing my flight altogether.
Did a walk around at lunchtime and found an outdoor venue on the corner of Street 130.
Last night was more of the same–beers, dinner with beers, then some beers after eating. I met up with Denny at Larry’s, the venue I’d visited on Thursday.
Denny suggested a Tex-Mex place for dinner, so we caught a tuk-tuk for the drive across town.
During the meal, I observed something that I’ve been noticing all week. It really stands out for me because it is something that is extremely rare to see in Barretto.
Anyway, after the meal, we headed back to Street 136 and visited Yaya at the bar where she works.
That’s not really fair. She was glad to have me there. And so were her friends.
I don’t recall if I mentioned that Yaya dances. There is no stage at this venue, so she uses the bar.
Anyway, I stayed too long and drank too much. Hey, I’m on vacation. I’m a little unclear on how the evening ended in the bar; it seems she wasn’t happy with the amount I tipped or something. I stumbled across the road to my hotel and went to bed. I only recall there was some dispute because I had sent her a message saying I was sorry to be a disappointment. She hasn’t responded.
Well, this is my last full night in Cambodia, so I’d best be getting on with it. I’ll be back to share whatever adventure I encounter tomorrow.
Good to see that you’ve enjoyed your trip
who’s Denny?
Seems like this trip is just about spending time with him and following him around. He’s a great tour guide.
The city is definitely heaps better than your small town. It’s cleaner , and I imagine the air is fresh. Though you seem to be spending time in the better parts of the city, and I imagine there are areas that would match your beloved Barrio in grit.
You’re right ✅️ The trip was too short.
for the amount of money you’ve spent on the trip, your friend Dave back home will be disappointed if you don’t write a bit more about cialis. You’ve latched on to the woman that Kevin calls hairy arms. The internet can be a cruel place 😢
but anyway, looks like you’ve exported your bargirl relations issues to Cambodia 🇰🇭 , already apologizing for not tipping enough? You really are the best customer a bargirl could ever dream of. You give generously whether the service is good or mediocre. They really enjoy your company.
So, what’s the verdict?
Could you see yourself living there? You dealt with the language barrier just fine when you lived in Korea 🇰🇷 And the city you’re in has walking paths that you probably haven’t seen yet?
Dunno about hashers ,or darts ,or your favorite American pies.
Though there wouldn’t be much to do since you’re just there for a short time.
By this time, your friends back home must be missing you.
At least your visa restarts when you arrive in Manila, so you don’t have to worry for the next few years
I think that ever since Cambodia opened up to foreign tourism, PP has become part of the SE Asia “backpacker trail” (i.e. Bangkok, PP, Bali, etc).
I agree with the surprise in seeing the multigenerational family there. Rarely do I see in BKK, and BKK is a lot more on the tourist map than PP.
Did you give any thought to joining the PP hash for a day?
No offence, but isnt your part of the Philipines a comparative backwater. PP would certainly hold an interest for tourists of all stripes, especially culture vultures and most of the world that wants to visit Asia now and avoid 1984na, where you might get sucked into a zero covid sinkhole and never escape. Your pics and updates are doing the PP tourist board a genuine service. For example, I didn’t realize it was such a free and easy boozy place, set right up for folks who might want to visit a belillied lake in the mornings and a sports bar in the evening. So when are you going to visit a belillied lake?
I agree with Dan: it’s apples and oranges. Phnom Penh is Cambodia’s capital whereas Barretto is a small town, so you’re more likely to see those multigenerational foreigner families and white women traveling alone in a big, populous city that’s also the country’s seat of government. I can totally get the head-turning thing if a white woman pops up alone in Barretto. Think about Koreans visiting an all-white American backwater—all those slack-jawed stares from the hillbillies. (My gripe with Seoul is that Seoul is supposed to be cosmopolitan, but foreigners get the countrified, slack-jawed stares here, from the natives, despite us not being in the sticks.)
Trivia: you know that boondocks is a Tagalog word (bundok = mountain)?
Hope I wasn’t being too cruel with my hairy-arms remark, Ted! Can’t help it, though: Ah sees wot ah sees. And she’s got a little wispy mustache action going, too. I’m starting to think there may be a bit too much testosterone coursing through her veins. But hey, according to Tolkien, dwarf women have beards, and by that standard, Yaya’s pretty feminine.
Well
Yaya does look exotic. but then again, I don’t really know what Cambodian women look like.
looks like our hero is already repeating his bargirl attachment fiasco. How does this lead character keep looking for a connection with a woman whose entire job is to entice him to buy more drinks 🍸 and/or other services 🤔?
And still have the time to need to apologize for not tipping enough ? Sounds like having a wife .
Our hero has a heart, unlike all the other ass hole bar patron who just hit and run .
PP is the capital city? Why did I think it was Angkor Wat? I gotta learn how to read.
Then in that case, it is literally impossible to compare Barretto with PP. You can’t compare a backwater neighborhood with an actual city.
I am impressed that the city looks so cosmopolitan and touristy. Sure it’s not Paris, but it’s also not as the chaotic type of touristy like Hanoi. It has the small town vibe and yet with all city amenities. And from the pictures it doesn’t look so crowded you can’t breathe.
If John wasn’t spending so much time in the same city area, I’m sure he’d have more variety in experiences to write about. But with such a short vacation, one needs to prioritize.
Having an experienced expat as a guide is working out great.
What’s that about Seoul being cosmopolitan? I have always thought that poorer cities like Manila or Kuala Lumpur aren’t fazed by foreign faces, but supposedly international centers of trade and commerce like Tokyo and Seoul somehow gawk at every tourist as if he were an alien. Not only are those cities difficult for tourists to navigate, but it’s almost as if the international guests coming over are an imposition that should spend their money quickly and leave. Maybe I’m just imagining things.
We look forward to the return leg to see how the arrangements go.
John is a pioneer to be one of the few travelers after the mayhem of the last few years
Teddy, I find Cambodian gals to be right up there near the top of the Asian beauty scale. Yes, it seems to be my destiny to work the bar scene, spreading joy one lady drink at a time. I’m still not certain what went down on the tipping thing; my friend, who knows Yaya quite well, said it sounds out of character for her to care about a tip. I was drunk, so maybe it was something else.
You and the others are right; you can’t compare a backwoods like Barretto with a bustling city like PP. I get it now. Seoul always impressed me with being easy to navigate with dual language signage and subway announcements in English. I’d get stared at sometimes in the small towns outside the city, but never felt like I stood out in the metro areas. Well, some of the older types didn’t approve of seeing me with a Korean gal sometimes but limited their scorn to dirty looks.
It’s been a good trip overall and I look forward to traveling more frequently in the future.
Kev, yeah, it was narrow-minded and borderline ignorant to compare Barretto with a capital city like PP. I think it is a reflection of the insular world I’ve been living in these past three years. I definitely need to get out more and have every intention of doing so.
I had no idea there was a connection between boondocks and the Tagalog bundok. You learn something every day!
Luckily, I’ve got pretty good ladyboy radar, and I can attest to the hairy girl not having anything ‘extra.’ That said, I’ve also noticed that darker-skinned ladies seem to have more hair on their appendages than their fairer-skinned sisters. Not ready for a female dwarf, though. I’ll stick with pointy-eared elves!
Dan, yes, you and the other commenters are right about the apples/oranges comparison I made re: tourists. I don’t know when my thinking became so insular. Hell, the nearest airport is over an hour away from Barretto, and there are many places with better beaches and infrastructure. The tourists we do get are there for things that wouldn’t appeal to families or women.
I guess the bellied lake will have to wait for the next trip. But I have to say, as I’ve ventured further out into the city I’ve been amazed that foreigner-friendly bars abound. It’s a beer lovers paradise!
Brian, you are right, and I have also seen backpackers here on this trip. And that wasn’t the only family I’ve seen out and about town either. Not sure where they are from, but I sense a lot of the English-speaking tourists are from Australia or New Zealand. I might be wrong about that, though.
Yes, I checked on the Hash here before I arrived. They apparently meet on Thursdays, and last week was their anniversary “run” (a boat outing) that required registration in advance. I’m curious, though, where they might normally hike in this urban environment.
Ted, Denny is a friend I met when we both worked for the Postal Service almost thirty years ago. He retired and moved here about the same time I was moving to the PI.
It turns out that Cialis is much cheaper here, and I’ll definitely be stocking up before I head home. Not that I’ve needed any this trip; just haven’t had the urge or willingness to pay for “takeout”.
PP is a very nice city, but for me, the comparative country living in Barretto is a better fit. I’ve adapted to the small-town vibe. This is not to say that if circumstances warranted a move, I wouldn’t consider PP, it is still at the top of my “Plan B” list.
They do have a Hash group here, and I saw one bar so far with dart boards and lots of pretty ladies; I’m sure I could stay entertained.
Yes, mission accomplished on the visa, assuming I’m allowed back into the PI. I filled out the e-arrival card yesterday, and it was approved for the “express lane” entry, so I should be good to go.
So, do you think that the resident expats in PP looked at you as a “two week millionaire”? LOL