Yesterday we experienced a scheduled power outage, what the locals call a brownout. The lights went out at 0800 and weren’t due to be restored until 4:00 p.m. (they actually didn’t come back on until almost 4:30). The brownout covered parts of Barretto and all of Subic, so both Scott and I suffered from the impact. We decided to meet up and enjoy some sweaty exercise rather than spend the time in sweaty misery. Since it was just the two of us, we figured we could head out and see some rarely-seen sights. We considered San Antonio but ultimately hopped on a bus for San Marcelino. The last time we’d been out this way was in 2020. We usually do a 6 to 8K hike, but circumstances resulted in a longish 10K jaunt. Mostly flat and a little hot but enjoyable enough to be worth the effort.
A point of reference for where in the hell we were going.Also, note the location of Mt. Pinatubo.The path we walked.On the bus, about a 40-minute ride.The bus we took was one small step up from a Jeepney. Going back, we had an aircon Victory Liner, much nicer ride.We exited the bus at the San Marcelino town market.Most towns have a marketplace like this, but I rarely have the opportunity to walk through one.Some of these fish were still flopping around.Heading out of town.We encountered one of the friendly locals. Wanted to chat and take a photo with us.Some pleasant scenery along the way.We also passed by several local resorts like this one.The lonely road we followed for almost 5K.We finally achieved our objective–the dike along the lahar-filled San Marcelino river.There is a town on the other side of the river named Santa Fe. During much of the year, you have to wade across the river to get there.Definitely, some different landscape than I’m used to seeing back home.The dust from passing vehicles was a little annoying, though.All these years after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, they are still harvesting lahar from the river bed.There’s a zoom shot of the volcano that last erupted in 1991.A small village on the other side of the dike.Off the dike and into the flatlands.We took a wrong turn that led us to a dead end. Oh well, that’s part of exploring.And it gave us the chance to interact with some of the local folks and observe how they live.Back on track and walking through an agricultural university campus.Who knew so many hot coeds wanted to be farmers someday?Way out in the countryside.Scott in the middle of a cashew tree grove.Life goes on. Indeed it does!Down, beast!The final steps of our journey.We lunched at the SnV resto-bar.I ordered the deluxe burger without realizing it came with an egg on top. Didn’t taste anything like the ‘eggaburgers’ I enjoyed in Korea, but still good for a hungry hiker.We took a trike back to the highway and waited here for a bus. Wasn’t long before we were on our way back to Barretto.
What could have been a shitty day turned out to be a good one. I’ve already posted about the bar crawl, so give it a read if you missed it.
2 thoughts on “A powerless walk”
The lights went out at 0800 and weren’t due to be restored until 4:00 p.m.
Interesting how you went from military time to the 12-hour clock. Why not 1600?
Scott in the middle of a cashew tree grove.
Wow, that shot looks as if it could’ve been taken in Virginia.
Have you ever had the creepy sense that you’ve been teleported back to the States? I’ve had a couple moments like that on trails in Korea. In some of my older walk blogs, I’ve talked about the uncanny feeling of finding myself in a neighborhood that felt American: the shapes of the houses, the look of the roads, the US-style fences—pretty much everything except the Korean-language signage contributed to that weird feeling of being somewhere familiar.
Looks to have been a magnificent hike. That 5K stretch of placid road, in particular, looks very appealing. Glad you guys had a good time.
Ha! I actually thought to myself when I mixed the time styles, “Kevin won’t like that.” As to the why, mostly just laziness. I did the 0800 because it is easier to type, and everyone knows what it means. Using 1600, maybe not so much. But when I saw that using two versions of writing the time looked weird, I couldn’t be bothered to go back and fix it. Of course, I’ve spent much more time and effort on this lame explanation than doing it right would have entailed, so I have been sufficiently chastened and will refrain from that particular faux pas in the future.
There’s really not much here that reminds me of the USA, so I can’t say I’ve had that feeling you describe. Maybe the closest I’ve come is parts of the old Navy base that remind me of Yongsan, which was like a piece of America in the middle of Seoul. That said, places like that cashew grove are so different from what I normally see on my hikes that it feels like I’m a long way from home.
The lights went out at 0800 and weren’t due to be restored until 4:00 p.m.
Interesting how you went from military time to the 12-hour clock. Why not 1600?
Scott in the middle of a cashew tree grove.
Wow, that shot looks as if it could’ve been taken in Virginia.
Have you ever had the creepy sense that you’ve been teleported back to the States? I’ve had a couple moments like that on trails in Korea. In some of my older walk blogs, I’ve talked about the uncanny feeling of finding myself in a neighborhood that felt American: the shapes of the houses, the look of the roads, the US-style fences—pretty much everything except the Korean-language signage contributed to that weird feeling of being somewhere familiar.
Looks to have been a magnificent hike. That 5K stretch of placid road, in particular, looks very appealing. Glad you guys had a good time.
Ha! I actually thought to myself when I mixed the time styles, “Kevin won’t like that.” As to the why, mostly just laziness. I did the 0800 because it is easier to type, and everyone knows what it means. Using 1600, maybe not so much. But when I saw that using two versions of writing the time looked weird, I couldn’t be bothered to go back and fix it. Of course, I’ve spent much more time and effort on this lame explanation than doing it right would have entailed, so I have been sufficiently chastened and will refrain from that particular faux pas in the future.
There’s really not much here that reminds me of the USA, so I can’t say I’ve had that feeling you describe. Maybe the closest I’ve come is parts of the old Navy base that remind me of Yongsan, which was like a piece of America in the middle of Seoul. That said, places like that cashew grove are so different from what I normally see on my hikes that it feels like I’m a long way from home.