Damn, I forgot what I was going to say. Oh yeah, it was about yesterday’s Hash at Sampaloc Cove. We had 102 Hashers in attendance. There would have been more, but the boat the Corona Hashers from Angeles City were going to use broke down, and they never made it to the cove. As it was, we had five boats carrying twenty-plus each on the one-hour-and-fifteen-minute cruise to Sampaloc. None of them sank!
This was my fourth journey to the beautiful area just outside Subic Bay on the South China Sea. What makes the place unique is its utter isolation, with access only available by boat or a several-hour hike over the mountains. Oh, and there is no electricity either. Yikes! I’ve fantasized about a rural Filipino-style life, but I’d be hard-pressed to even do an overnighter in the small village we visited yesterday. Yeah, I’m addicted to the internet and they ain’t got none. I guess I could get a Starlink connection and use solar panels to charge the phone/laptop. But they ain’t got no bars either, so what’s the point?
Anyway, kudos to the Hares, Buddy Fucker, and Yogini, for their efforts at organizing this huge event. Being the grumpy old man that I am, I had some complaints with the timing of the events, but I still managed to mostly enjoy myself. Still, an all-day outing with no avenue for escape was tough on me. We sat around for an hour or so after arrival, then did the Hash trail up to a local waterfall area. There and back again was less than 2K. Then we sat around some more while the Gash put together the potluck food buffet. Of course, there was plenty of beer to be consumed, and like the good Hashers that we are, we worked hard at emptying those cans.
After the food was consumed, there were some games that I chose not to participate in. I didn’t even bother to watch, staying in my shady chair and enjoying my beer instead. The game portion seemed to go on and on, and the Hash Circle didn’t begin until well after 3 pm. I was a tad concerned about returning to Barretto in a rickety boat after dark. However, we finally departed Sampaloc Cove around 4:30. It was still daylight for most of the trip, although it was nighttime when we disembarked at Baloy Beach.
Lots of pictures from the day to share, so let’s get to it:
I awoke to hazy skies. Most of it had burned off by the time we arrived in Sampaloc.How much beer will 100+ Hashers consume in the course of the day? Here’s what we brought with us.Gathering on the beach at Treasure Island prior to boarding our banca boats. Loaded up and ready to roll, er, float.See you later, Baloy!Sampaloc here we come!The way ahead.My boat mates.The Philippine Navy has a shipyard on the bay.Hyundai is now running the former Hanjin shipyard.Sampaloc Cove is just around that peninsula point in the bay.I was intrigued by these dwellings on the hillside: no road access and no beach for a boat landing. However you get there, it must make for a hard life.The lighthouse where the bay meets the sea.Goodbye Subic Bay and hello South China Sea!And up ahead is the cove they call Sampaloc.Our venue for the Hash Outstation awaits.Disembarking on the sands of Sampaloc.More boats on the cove.Let’s do this!Lining up to pay the Hash fees. 800 pesos per head for all-you-can-eat, drink, and be merry.Hanging out waiting for something else to do.Gathering for the Hare’s guidance regarding the Hash trail.And we are On-On!Heading for the good kind of falls.Some nice scenery along the way……no ifs, ands, or butts about it.The waterhole at the top of the trail.There was a nice rockslide into this pool, although I chose not to partake.Fun in the sun.A house in the middle of nowhere.Smoke signals.Why did this chicken cross my path?Perhaps the shortest Hash trail in history.Chillin’ after the hike.A view from my perch.Killin’ time.Setting up the food table.There’s something fishy going on here.Still hanging out in the shade next to the ice chest. I brought my own San Miguel Zero since the Hash couldn’t find any for sale in town.The Hash Gash doing their thing.I was getting bored, and Pubic Head joined me for a beach walk.It’s a whole other world living out here in isolation.Some of the kids we bestowed with cookies and lollipops.Finally, it was time to do the Hash Circle.Having our usual block of ice was not logistically feasible, so we resorted to what the La Union Hash calls a “bucket brigade” and doused the victims with water. I definitely prefer the ice!When the time came to board our boats for the trip back home, I was more than ready to go. Cums Alone got in a quick swim before we departed.Meanwhile, the locals were jumping off rocks.The drunken boat ride back to Baloy.But at least we all made it back alive.A race with the sun on our return journey.A ship heading out to sea.The sun won, and we deboarded in the dark.
And so ended a LONG, but mostly good day.
Life goes on, and it is now June 2016 in the LTG archives. In this post, I talk about bad decisions and weddings. Heh, my area of expertise! Re-reading these posts from this time period has been like pulling the scab off an old wound. I guess some things in life never leave you—especially the painful ones.
Today’s YouTube video is a golden oldie I also found in the LTG archives. It’s still pretty damn funny and less than three minutes long, so give it a look.
Let’s keep the humor rolling:
There’s more than one way to bang a girlfriend…I’ve used this one before, but maybe not here on the blog. That’s one benefit of losing your memory, I suppose–everything old is new again.There are always consonantes in life.
That’s all I’ve got for today.
5 thoughts on “A bit too much of nothin’”
McCrapface you dodo if I wanted to gamble away my life savings I’d go to the races not your blimmin blog you nincomPOOP with a P!!
Mike, I just spent an hour online with my blog host. They emptied my wallet of $500 and promised to resolve the redirect issues. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Interesting. I have never had a problem with accessing your blog. #shrug
Not sure if it is the browser/computer combination I use or what.
Can’t edit comments so I will add this
Looks like 20 cases of beer plus whatever you brought. So, let’s say 500 cans of beer. 102 people, but probably 1/2 drank little to no beer. So, for those who drank, an average of 10 cans each. LOL
Brian, glad to hear blog access hasn’t been an issue for you. Hopefully, now that HostGator has drained my wallet for premium services, whatever the problem was will be resolved permanently.
As for the beer drinking, most of the lady Hashers do shots and or wine, so the menfolk had to fill the void. I’m not sure how many beers were left over, but I saw a lot of inebriated people by the end of the day. And yeah, a couple of them were falling-down drunk. Me and my Zero were not in that category, thankfully.
McCrapface you dodo if I wanted to gamble away my life savings I’d go to the races not your blimmin blog you nincomPOOP with a P!!
Mike, I just spent an hour online with my blog host. They emptied my wallet of $500 and promised to resolve the redirect issues. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Interesting. I have never had a problem with accessing your blog. #shrug
Not sure if it is the browser/computer combination I use or what.
Can’t edit comments so I will add this
Looks like 20 cases of beer plus whatever you brought. So, let’s say 500 cans of beer. 102 people, but probably 1/2 drank little to no beer. So, for those who drank, an average of 10 cans each. LOL
Brian, glad to hear blog access hasn’t been an issue for you. Hopefully, now that HostGator has drained my wallet for premium services, whatever the problem was will be resolved permanently.
As for the beer drinking, most of the lady Hashers do shots and or wine, so the menfolk had to fill the void. I’m not sure how many beers were left over, but I saw a lot of inebriated people by the end of the day. And yeah, a couple of them were falling-down drunk. Me and my Zero were not in that category, thankfully.