I took some steps in a different direction yesterday, and this is where they led me:

Kicked things off with the Wednesday Walkers and the rare trip out to SBMA for a walk around.

When it was time for a walk on the beach, Swan and I walked to Baloy Beach. I planned to start at the new Drunken Sailor bar we visited last week. I messaged my friend Jessa and asked if they had stocked beverages other than beer, and she assured me they did. When we arrived, the waitress said, “Sorry, only beer is available.” Well, it was supposed to be my gin night, so we demurred and departed. I messaged Jessa again, and she was surprised—apparently, there was some miscommunication with the staff.

Well, there are always other options, and Swan was ready for her walk on the beach. Let’s go to Kokomo’s!

When we arrived at Kokomo’s, other customers were occupying the bar area. That’s unusual–we are usually the only ones there when we visit. No problem, we could sit at one of the beachside tables. But as we prepared to do so, someone at the bar began singing in some godawful loud karaoke music. No thanks, I wasn’t going to sit and be subjected to that noise.

Now, what? Time for a different path. We continued up the beach to a place called Laharnyz. I’d been there once years ago and didn’t care much for it. I walked by lots of times since and never saw anything to change my mind. But desperate times call for desperate measures. I STILL hadn’t had an adult beverage!

Well, I’ll be damned. The place is as dumpy as ever, but something has changed (or I have). A really friendly and laid-back vibe. Good music played at low volume. The Baloy expat scene differs from Barretto’s, so almost everyone there was a stranger, but we all got along just fine. Later, my old dart teammate Mark came in, and it was nice catching up with him. I had a great time at Laharnyz, and we will definitely be back.

When it was time to grab some grub, we walked up the beach to Treasure Island

Things didn’t go the way we planned, but sometimes that results is a pleasant new experience. It made me think of this story from my past life for some reason. Nothing that dramatic, but I did discover a new beach hangout, so there’s that.

A good day on my health journey as well. Got my steps in and kept the calories below my threshold.

No updates on John Kim posted as yet. I’m worried the news won’t be good.

Eight years ago I was enjoying my first visit to Bangkok. Played some darts while there and got recognized as the tournament MVP. Ah, the glory days.

I’ve been seeing posts and comments saying I’m stupid because I support Trump. Well, I love my country, and if that makes me dumb, so be it. Then again, looking at all the red on the election maps, I’m in the majority, so maybe it is stupid to call me stupid.

Today’s YouTube video features a visitor to the Subic Bay area and his impressions as he explores the area. He spent some time in Barretto and even mentions meeting some Hashers. I don’t recall seeing him (the video is a year old), but you might enjoy watching his experience.

And now the jokes:

I am in a bit of a rush with today’s post because I have an appointment with Dr. Jo today. I’m going to begin chelation therapy to improve my heart health. The little bit I’ve read on the subject implies that the science of this treatment for this purpose is unsettled. Well, the FDA doesn’t approve it, so that is a good sign that it works. We’ll see how it goes.