The best day ever… | Long Time Gone

… in Bohol. So far.

***Thanks for the photo enhancement, Scott. Almost makes me look young again.***

I’m diggin’ the vibe here in Bohol a lot. Almost makes me feel like I could live here. Yeah, it is touristy, with most of the tourists being scuba divers, apparently. A bartender told me that the biggest group of foreign visitors is Korean. That’s manifested in all the signage I see in Hanguel. Almost like being back in my former “home.” The other tourists seem to be the typical Westerners. One difference from Barretto is seeing so many couples, including elderly folks. Anyway, it all feels pretty laid back and easy goin’, which I like.

In keeping with our traditions, we started the morning yesterday with a hike. Since we didn’t know where we were going and had never walked here, it had an exploratory adventure feel to it. I like that, too. Our ultimate goal was to find a beach nearer our resort. The challenge was finding public beach access. Most of the roads and paths had signs posted saying non-resort guests were not permitted. But we braved taking trails just to see where they went, and eventually found our way. Yeah, there were some dead ends and retreats involved, but it was still a good time.

***I wonder where this goes? Only one way to find out…***

***Y I B, lookee here. We found us some ocean.***

***We’d had enough horsin’ around and made our back to the hotel.***

***I’m no Magellan, but it was a pleasant walk of discovery.***

And we weren’t done. We headed out for another walk at lunchtime.

***I guess you could say the writing was on the wall.***

***Just one example of the ubiquitous Korean signage.***

***A trike stand right up the road from our hotel. I guess they are still technically trikes since they have three wheels. I’ve always called this type a tuk-tuk.***

***Across the street from that trike stand was an interesting-looking restaurant called Mist.***

***Mist has kind of a treehouse feel about it.***

We’d walked up an appetite, so we ventured inside Mist and were seated at a table on the second floor.

***Swan got caught in this spider web, but I was able to help her escape.***

***One of my more unique dining experiences. I enjoyed it.***

***Lunch is served. Crab, pulled pork, beef, and shrimp tacos. They were okay and filled the void.***

Back to the room for a nap, blogging, and a shower. When it was time to head out, we started at the bar nearest our room…here at Nora’s Place. Owner Chris was there with a friend, and we exchanged greetings but had no real conversation. I had a couple of cold beers, then we headed for that beach called Alona.

***Swan enjoying her toes in the sand time.***

***We passed by this bar called Birdwatchers that had some customers inside, so we joined the crowd.***

***Judging by the accents and signage, this is an Aussie hangout. Of course, we were welcome too.***

***Funnily, we arrived right about the time displayed on this clock. Only later did I notice that it was not working. Oh well, it is always five o’clock somewhere.***

Neither of us was particularly hungry, but having some drinking ahead of us (I was supposed to meet someone at another bar on Alona at 7), we decided to share our usual snack: a chicken quesadilla. It was served without a dipping sauce, like salsa or sour cream, and neither was available when I asked. I guess that’s just the Aussie way of making Mexican food. Go figure.

***And I’ll be damned if I have seen corn in a quesadilla before. Not that there is anything wrong with that. It was different, but still tasty enough to serve its purpose.***

This being a tourist beach, there were several sand castles about waiting to be photographed. For a price, of course.

***Several shots like this one (using my phone camera) for “only” 100 pesos. Memories come with a price tag.***

Then it was on to the bar a friend had suggested for a meet-up with another tourist from Barretto that he apparently had introduced me to, an event I have no recollection of. That’s not surprising, of course. And I had no issue with trying another new bar and getting reacquainted. But at the appointed hour of the meeting, my friend messaged that the acquaintance was under the weather and would be a no-show. Oh well, I already had my seat and was liking everything about it.

***My new favorite bar in Panglao is called “Escape.” It’s really Great! (see what I did there?)***

***Swan even got the happy hour price on her wine, something unheard of in Barretto.***

***But what I loved most was the view from on high (second floor).***

***I’m all about drinking a cold beer whilst looking down on people!***

Alas, the time came for us to escape from Escape and catch a tuk-tuk back to our hotel. But I’ll be back! Maybe even tonight.

From the March 2019 LTG archives is a post sharing some of my work as a poet. And you thought the blog was bad! Actually, most of them were written in my late teens and reflect those unique feelings that come with life’s hard lessons. Yeah, I was a loser at love back then, too.

I also found today’s YouTube video in the LTG archives. It’s a clip from the animated movie, Team America: World Police, that describes the three types of people you encounter in life: dicks, pussies, and assholes. I need to put this movie on my list to watch again, it’s one of my favorites.

And I beg your forgiveness in advance for these:

***That might come in handy, unless it was like the Minnow. (yeah, that’s a 60s television reference from Gilligan’s Island. Sue me, I’m old!)***

***Back in the day, I was known for being a tor-mentor.***

And now it is time to get back to having a blast. Tomorrow morning, we are doing a day tour that will include a visit to the Chocolate Hills. It’s an all-day outing, so if I miss posting tomorrow, I’ll catch you up when I can.

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