Down the river

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I worked hard to earn the right to waste away in my golden years.

Honestly, my life is what it is. Nothing special, but my routines are enjoyable and I have few complaints. That’s a pretty good definition of success if you ask me.

Here is how I “wasted” yesterday. We started off with a jeepney ride out to Waltermart on the far side of Subic town, then hiked back along the riverside. I made a video of the first six minutes on the river:

A bridge we thankfully did not cross.
A pause for a glimpse at the goats.
It had been a couple of months since our last walk out this way, and the recent floods had washed out a portion of the riverbank, making for some dicey walking.
No slips, trips, or falls…
…so we didn’t get entombed.
The writing on the wall was in Korean. What are the odds of that way out here in the middle of nowhere? No idea what it says, though.
A brief stroll through the woods.
Crossing the first of several rickety bridges.
We Bilboed over the Baggins.
Another bridge that miraculously held up under my weight.
Swan posing in front of an abandoned resort.

I did another short four-minute video as we approached our Lola friend’s shanty. We only see her once a month or so, but throw some goodies and a little cash her way when we do. She is the most appreciative recipient I have encountered. She’s raising her deceased daughter’s children. They come running to greet us whenever they see us approach. It’s so sweet!

And of course we had some sweets to dispense to the other kids we encountered.
Only a month older than me. RIP Hilda.
Then we were back on the highway but not ready to end our hike just yet.
How racist can you get wanting to hire a “yellow driver” in a country full of brown-skinned people?
We enjoyed our 7.5K jaunt.

At beer o’clock, I let Swan pick our first destination of the evening. She chose It Doesn’t Matter, in part because they also have the best ATM in town. She made a withdrawal and I figured I would too. Except when I tried, I got this message on the ATM screen:

Excuse me, I was trying to make a withdrawal. I tried twice and got the same message.

So, another person came to the machine a few minutes later, and I watched as he successfully withdrew cash. Hmm, maybe my card was malfunctioning. Soon, another customer inserted his card, but cash wasn’t dispensed. I asked him what happened, and he told me he got the same message I did. Hmm. Later on, I tried a different machine and got the cash to restock my wallet, so it’s all good.

Swan coming back to IDM after buying a snack next door.
The view from my table at IDM.

It was my turn to choose our next stop, and I picked Cheap Charlies.

The evening sky as seen from Cheap Charlies as we arrived.
Swan watching the world go by.
The rush hour traffic on the National Highway.

After enjoying some grub delivered from Foodies downstairs, we chose Wet Spot for our nightcap destination.

The Wet Spot dancers.

I’m trying to push my staying-out window back an hour or so, but I just wasn’t feeling it last night. So, at 8 p.m., I paid my tab, and we grabbed a trike for home. Another “wasted” day that I quite enjoyed.

From the October 2022 LTG archives, I share a post documenting the bar-crawl part of my life. Winning a coupon for a free drink in all the SOB bars was the inspiration. So, I’ve got the walkaholic and alcoholic portions of my life covered now. What else is there?

Today’s YouTube video is in keeping with the “wasted” theme for today’s post. I’m actually doing pretty well dealing with all four of the things the video advises us to avoid. It’s hard having people distance themselves from you as you grow older, and memories of the past can be haunting, but overall, I’m not overthinking things these days. Yeah, knowing that my time left on Earth is growing shorter by the day can be troubling, but I intend to stay the course for as long as I can.

How’s about me wasting some time with these:

Check with Aunt Flo from Redlands, she’s an expert.
Sounds familiar.
Why do you make it so hard on him?

And that’s all I’ve got to say today. Maybe I’ll get wasted tonight.

3 thoughts on “Down the river”

  1. looks like someone tried to write “annyrong haseyo” but flipped some letters aroubd back to front.

  3. Re: Walking videos
    Thanks for sharing. Enjoyed the videos. Personal preference, but I like videos in landscape mode rather than portrait.

    Lola – hope that the grandkids can break the cycle of poverty, etc. Odds are against them, but there is a chance.

    Garbage garbage everywhere…….

    Re: Video
    A bit over melodramatic, but does make some good points. For me, the biggest is understanding and embracing forgiveness. I think that the video is spot on that forgiveness is not so much bringing peace to the other person but to yourself.

    re: 2022 bar crawl
    How many of those SOB bars still have the same owner as in 2022? From your posts through the years, it doesn’t appear that the customer base has increased.

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