The Day 1 adventure is now history. As these photos illustrate.
No San Mig Zero here so I’ve been getting a little drunker than normal. Need to work on pacing myself better I suppose. Anyway, time to get ready for Day 2. More to come….
I was sorry to see the news that Jan-Michael Vincent has passed away. We spent some intimate moments together back in the day (I wrote about it here).
He appears to have lived life on his terms which is admirable. He also had his flaws and made quite a few drug and alcohol fueled mistakes. No one’s perfect of course.
Thanks for the memories!
Greetings from Palawan. May the force be with you!
Let’s ketchup, shall we? Headed out early yesterday morning for the airport in Angeles City, about 1.5 hours away. Driver Donny once again managed to defy the odds and got us there safely. First time I’d taken a domestic flight from Clark, and the terminal really sucked. Still managed to kill the hour before boarding without too much discomfort.
Then it was time to board our Philippine Air flight to Puerto Princesa. I was curious what kind of plane it would be since no checked baggage was allowed. When the bus from the terminal pulled up it turned out to be an Airbus 320. After landing, I noted some bags being offloaded so I can only surmise the “no baggage” was about my discounted ticket or some such. No problem, for a three day trip my carry-on was more than sufficient. I was just worried about whether my liquids (i.e. vape juice) would be confiscated at security, but I sailed right on through.
Oh, and I was accompanied by a first time air traveler:
After exiting the airport our driver from the Blue Palawan Resort was there waiting for us. I had gotten an email a couple of days earlier advising me of the free hotel shuttle which was a pleasant surprise.
I’m staying here because the hotel that is hosting the Hash event, the Seaview, was booked up. It’s right next door to the Blue so no problem.
Anyway, that’s where things stand as of now. Fixin’ to grab some lunch and get ready for the first Hash trail this afternoon. They have long (9K) medium (6K) and short (3K) options. We are busing out to the start point and have 1.5 hours to get back “on-home” at a place called Kay’s Resort, wherever that turns out to be. I haven’t seen any nearby mountains so maybe it will be easy walking. We’ll find out soon enough I suppose.
Especially when I’m drunk…
Anyway, more of the same around here. Did some exploring this morning looking for new mountain paths to incorporate into my trail when I go solo as a Hare. I’m shooting for May.
Went out again this afternoon and finished the portion of the trail I missed two weeks ago.
Do not despair dear readers things are bound to get more interesting around here.
Of course, I’m going to be participating in a Hash event, so maybe it won’t be much different than normal. Except for the views!
Thank you for your understanding and support…
My first trail as a co-Hare was delivered yesterday more or less successfully. We had a large turnout of Hashers (47) and although not required of the Hares, I walked the entire trail again with the group. It was harder than the first time for me which I attribute to the afternoon start instead of early morning when I have more energy. Took me about an hour and fifty minutes start to finish, and as usual I was one of the last to complete the trail.
My overall assessment: I could have done a better job with the powder. Although the trail was pretty well marked, the chalk arrows are not always readily visible. You can see the powder from a distance which is helpful. Also, there were a couple places that were directionally confusing and some folks missed the true trail as a result. I should have laid better powder to make things more clear. Also, in the future when I’m a Hare I will walk the trail and put down powder on the day of the Hash. Even after only one day on the ground the powder lost its freshness and appeared faded.
During the trail feedback session of the Hash circle most of the criticism was fair I think, dealing with aforementioned lack of clarity at some trail junctions. Surprisingly, no one said the trail was too short, too flat, or too easy which are pretty standard complaints. A couple of folks even said it was too hard and had too many mountains. Well, we only did two climbs but I admit the second one was a tough slog. And I think given the terrain, the distance (6K) was just about right.
A little anecdote that made my day: I caught up with one of the Germans (Almoranus) about halfway up the second climb taking a breather. He asked if we were going all the way to the ridge line, and I responded affirmatively. I do believe he turned around at the point and shortcutted the trail. Which is fine, but he’s one of the guys that routinely kicks my ass on the Wednesday walks. I think in German the feeling I was having is known as schadenfreude.
All and all, not a bad day.
That was yesterday after completing right at 29,000 steps. Desperately needed to re-hydrate.
15,000 this morning, a nap, a shower and now ready to go Hash the trail I helped set yesterday. Technically, the Hares are not required to Hash the trail they laid with the group, but I need/want to get some steps in and see if I can follow my own trail with no problems. We’ll find out soon enough.
Commenter Kevin asked how well the powder holds up. Well, I did walk a bit of the trail today (the street portion) and was disappointed to see how dissipated the powder already looked. I’m chalking it up (no pun intended) to vehicle and foot traffic. Hopefully it is holding up better up in the mountains.
So that’s my nothing post on what’s been a nothing day thus far. No complaints though.
The road is filled with homeless souls
Every woman, child and man
Who have no idea where they will go
But they’ll help you if they can
Now everyone must have some thought
That’s going to pull them through somehow
Well the fires are raging hotter and hotter
But the sisters of the sun are going
To rock me on the water now
Rock me on the water
Sister will you soothe my fevered brow
Rock me on the water
I’ll get down to the sea somehow
UPDATE: Here’s a map of the trail.
Today I served as a co-Hare for the first time. This simply involved me assisting the primary Hare, Pubic Head and another Hasher, Buddy Fucker, to set the trail for tomorrow’s Hash.
Pubic Head has been Hashing in Subic since 2004 so he pretty much knows all the trails and where they go. He had a course in mind so off we went. My job was to mark the trail at appropriate locations using powder.
Overall I deem the trail we set as being a good one, although I had nothing to say about the course selection. We did two moderately difficult climbs and the last downhill through a rocky creek bed was not much to my liking. The trail is approximately 6 kilometers long from the walkers drop off point. The runners will have the option of starting out from our on-home at Johannson’s which adds another 1.5 K to the trail. It should be a good day for everyone!
It is a Subic H3 tradition that the Hares sit on the ice during the portion of the circle where the other Hashers give feedback on the day’s trail. And anytime throughout the proceedings if any of the Hare’s are found in violation we all sit: “When one Hare sits, ALL Hares sit” as the saying goes. Last week Pubic Head had a “Hash Crash” at the Grandmaster’s bar which may or may not have been caught on video. That may well result in more time on the ice for all three of us. Hopefully that’s all!
Anyway, I think the trail I’ve been working on may be a little too wimpy for SB H3 standards. Pubic Head likes an easy trail and today’s was quite a bit more difficult than mine (which only has one uphill). I’m going to have to search out ways to spice it up some. I’ve got time to work on it, Hare’s are already scheduled through April.
I expect I’ll be hearing this song tomorrow:
Shitty Trail (A Song For The Hares)S-H-I-T-T-Y T-R-A-I-L
Shitty trail (It sucked)
Shitty trail (really fucked)
The motherfuckers laid a shitty trail
I would rather drink a beer than hash your shitty trail,
S-H-I-T-T-Y T-R-A-I-L
Drink it Down down, down down…
Back home again where I belong.
The final night in town was blessedly uneventful. Before I commenced to drinking I took an afternoon walk.
Last night I ate and drank at place called Handlebar bar. Really loved the ambiance of neighborhood pub. I do miss that. If I were ever going to open a bar (I won’t!) it would be in this genre. Food was excellent too! Thanks for the tip, Brandon.
The night ended for me with one of the best damn banana splits ever from the Filling Station. Yum!
My driver Donny picked me at 0600 and we had a mostly traffic free drive back to Barretto. One last surprise from my “guest” the other night. Upon checkout I was advised that the mini-bar had been raided for a bag of cashew nuts. That added 110 pesos to the cost of that mistake. Still pissed at myself for being so stupid.
It’s good to be home.
My last day in Manila and nothing really to do with it, so I spent the morning doing pretty much what I always do–walking around. City hikes are not my favorite but I got in over an hour and a half anyway. Actually saw quite a bit of Makati and the surrounding environs, including some real upscale and gated subdivisions. And this:
I also found a couple of restaurants on the backstreets that commenter Brandon had recommended. I’ll definitely be giving one of them a go tonight.
Last night I dined at a little hole in the wall place called Tequilaria or something like that. Had some great service from a cute little waitress with a sweet braces filled smile. And I also had the chicken enchiladas.
Now, P. Burgos street is famous for it’s go-go dancing girly bars. Maybe I’m getting old (shuddup!) but I find them more boring than anything else. And overpriced. Last trip I ventured into one and my beer was 150 pesos–the same price as a lady drink back home and more than double what I normally pay. No thank you! I haven’t been to any of them this trip. I did find some open air sports bars on a side street off the main drag and I’ve enjoyed hanging out in those when I’m not at Cafe Cubana.
There’s a big Hash event taking place here this weekend called a Nash Hash. I had actually considered joining up but it is a four day affair and most of the events are out of town. I just didn’t want to spend time in Manila traffic getting there. Plus I have the big Hash event in Palawan next week, that’s enough I think. I did run into several Subic Hashers while I was bar crawling last night. Always nice to say hello to a familiar face!
Anyway, I finished the night back at my hotel bar feeling no pain. A woman walking by made eye contact and the next thing I knew she was sitting with me at my table She gave me her tale of woe about not having bus fare to get back home and asked me to let her do a one hour massage for 300 pesos. Like the drunken idiot that I am I consented and brought her up to my room. She performed a lackluster massage and I overpaid her for it. Sometimes I too nice for my own good I guess. Anyway, I noticed this morning that she had repaid my kindness by stealing a vape pen and one of my chargers. A lot of good it will do her when it comes time to change out the wick. Here’s hoping the bitch gets the Karma she so richly deserves.
Ah well, life marches on.
Greetings from Makati, the heart and soul of the metropolis known as Manila. This is a city I don’t frequent much, in fact, I normally try to avoid it whenever possible. But as I mentioned previously I had business to attend to at the American embassy and this is where that’s at.
Arrived yesterday afternoon following a harrowing drive through murderous traffic with my crazy driver Donny behind the wheel. I’m staying at the Royal Bellagio hotel this trip as it is conveniently located in the foreigner bar district on P. Burgos street. The hotel contains one of my favorite watering holes (Cafe Cubana) and one of the best damn restaurants I’ve eaten at in the PI, The Filling Station. I wrote about both on my last visit here back in November.
Then it was back to Cubana for more beer and watching the street walkers ply their trade. A couple of them are just bat shit crazy, which is sad. I wondered if they were always crazy or if the life of a prostitute made them that way. I personally just don’t find paying for sex that interesting or exciting. I do enjoy a good massage now and then though.
So, I get up bright and early this morning to make my journey out to the embassy. My appointment was at 9:45 but given the traffic situation I hailed a cab at 7:30. The first guy wanted a flat fee of 500 pesos. I told him I preferred that he just use the meter, to which he declined so I moved on to another cab. This guy turned on the meter right away but as we drove he asked to do a flat fee. At first I declined but then got to thinking it might be wise to give the driver some motivation to take the fastest route. I asked how much and he wanted 400 pesos. “Fine” I told him, figuring I saved myself 100 pesos anyway.
The trip surprisingly took less than an hour (I’d been told it could take 1.5), so I walked around the Manila bay front area for awhile before making my way through embassy security. There I was relieved of my cell phone, Fitbit, and e-cigarettes. A strict no electronics policy was being enforced. It was only 9:00 so I commenced to walking around the waiting area. I guess it made the security guard nervous because he asked me to sit down. I said “I can’t walk?” He pointed to the back of the room and replied “only there”. Fine. My Fitbit couldn’t register my activity anyway.
Once my appointed time arrived, I was allowed to go upstairs and wait for my number to be called, which it was in due course. I had two power of attorney forms to be notarized and Uncle Sam relieved me of $100 for the service. I caught a cab back to Makati and the driver used the meter without complaint. I was curious how much the actual fare would turn out to be. It came in at just under 200 pesos. HaHa! I guess I did get taken for a ride this morning. I tipped the driver 100 pesos and it still felt like a bargain!
Once back in familiar environs I set about looking for a FedEx outlet so I could get the newly signed POA’s off to South Carolina. Google said there was a FedEx store about 20 minutes away on foot. Damned if I could find it though. I did come across a small shipping business that had a sign saying there were an authorized FedEx agent. I hope so, because I paid 2000 pesos ($40) and gave them my papers. Supposed to arrive stateside in three days. We’ll see.
And that’s been my excitement for the day thus far. I’ll head out soon for some more exploring, then grab some food. And beers of course.
And the sign said anybody caught trespassin’ would be shot on sight
So I jumped on the fence and-a yelled at the house
“Hey! What gives you the right?”
“To put up a fence to keep me out or to keep mother nature in”
“If God was here he’d tell you to your face, man, you’re some kinda sinner”
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind
Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?
Not a good night for me last night. The usual BS, feeling sorry for myself and thinking about what I’m missing instead of what I have. Luckily the self-pity parties are much more infrequent these days. As is my custom when I’m in “one of those moods” I commenced to drown my sorrows take some pain medication in the form of San Miguel Zero beer. And before long I was comfortably numb.
I started and finished my night at Cheap Charlies Bar. I had a good seat overlooking the highway and couldn’t be fucked with moving on. I was in no mood for company and successfully fended off the thirsty bargirls vying for a lady drink (I’m usually quite generous in that regard). Arrived around 5:00 p.m. and left a little after nine. My bill was 600 pesos. Beers are only 50 pesos each at Cheap Charlies (hence the name) so by my calculation I drank 12 beers in four hours! That’s a lot even for me. And 3 beers per hour is a pretty good pace as well. I guess all that practice is paying off!
Good thing I was doing Zero at 3% alcohol. Had I been doing the 5% brews I’m sure I would have been floored. As it was I had no problem walking the 15 minutes it took to get home. And so ended another drunken night as a lonely guy. Yeah, I acknowledge (embrace?) my patheticness.
Off to Manila this afternoon. A city I love to hate. But, changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes, right?
It’s those changes in latitudes,
changes in attitudes nothing remains quite the same.
With all of our running and all of our cunning,
If we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane.
No, I’m not talking about Filipinas, although many of them are indeed short and sweet.
Yesterday’s Hash trail was just under 6 kms in length with a couple of moderate climbs. The kind of trail I hope to lay as a Hare one of these days, albeit somewhat longer perhaps. That was the major criticism in the Hash circle, not long enough. I went back out this afternoon and walked part of it in reverse to see how I might be able to incorporate a portion into My Bitch. They do actually intersect but I am going to have to work on it some more I think. I’ve got nothing but time.
Speaking of short and sweet, I found this 8 minute long youtube video laying out the history of the Philippines. I thought it was interesting, you might too.
Happy trails to you!
Next Monday I’ll be laying trail with Pubic Head as the co-Hare. It’s my first time and really I’ll just be assisting and learning the ropes. I believe he already has a path in mind so it will just be a matter of marking the trail with powder and chalk.
What I’m really focusing on is the time in the near future (no firm date as yet) when I’ll be the primary Hare. At least for a newbie like me who is still not all that familiar with the area it is a challenging task that requires quite a bit of preparation. The past few days on some of my walks I’ve been working out the details of what my trail will look like.
First and foremost, it will be the kind of trail I like. I mean, that’s the advantage to being the Hare, right? I’m sure some of my Hash-mates will think what I have in mind is too easy. All I can say is fuck them, I’ve Hashed many a trail that is too damn hard. My first trail will have a moderate up and down section, some road time, and the walking portion will be around 8 kilometers–two hours or so at a decent pace. The longer section for the runners will add another 4 K to the trail I reckon.
Having a trail that accommodates both runners and walkers is one of the bigger challenges. My preference as a walker is to walk out from the start–I really dislike riding in the Hashmobile. But if the walkers start from on-home instead of being dropped off further up the trail it means I need to incorporate a longer section that rejoins the walking trail later for the runners. Pain in the ass logistically.
Anyway, I plan to incorporate a goodly portion of the My Bitch trail into my first path as a Hare. I walked that section yesterday and it took one hour from my house. So you can add maybe another 20 minutes to/from on-home. Still need a little more, but that’s getting at least close. The other day I walked a mostly flat route on roads that was just over an hour in length. I could easily incorporate that for the runners to junction later with the walkers, although I’m sure they’d find it a boring trail. The runners are the bastards that seem to pick the hardest path possible in the mountains. Maybe they deserve to be bored when I Hare. We’ll see.
Time to get ready for today’s Hash. I’ll be keeping my eyes wide open for more trail possibilities. Hey, I’m easily entertained!
Been doing some thinking as I walk my life away. It occurs to me that in my lifetime I have lived many different lives. Obviously, I’m the same person I’ve always been, but I’m also radically different in many, many ways from who I was in the past. Perhaps that is true of everyone but it seems profound to me to see how this character in the book of my life has become the person that metaphorically stands before you today.
Going with the book theme, I suppose one way to look at it would be calling these lives within a life chapters in my story. But what would a chapter encompass? Decades don’t neatly align with the transitions I’m thinking about. Life events, like marriages to four different women, might come a little closer. I’m currently building a new life here in the Philippines, but you don’t necessarily change just because your location does. It’s probably more accurate to say all of these factors and events play a part in creating the lives we live within a lifetime. It’s a messy business living a life!
Again, I don’t think there is anything special or unique about my circumstances. It’s just something that I occasionally reflect on as I look back on a life (mostly) well lived. And of course given the self-indulgent autobiographical nature of much of what I post here at LTG it seems natural to share my thoughts as I try to make sense of it all.
So I guess you’ve been warned. I think I will periodically write about a “chapter” in my life story if for no other reason than to gain insights and understanding about who I am and how I got here. Of course, that presumes I’ll be able to figure out a method for doing that.
Let me take a walk and think about it. Stay tuned!
And more importantly, so is the house!
Did some rocking and rolling this afternoon when we experienced an earthquake that registered 4.9 on the Richter scale. Yeah, no big deal but something different. I grew up in Southern California and we’d get these several times a year, but it’s been a while since I took an Earth ride. It’s quite the helpless feeling waiting and wondering what happens next. Gives you time to reflect on the quality of construction standards here in the Philippines. Ha Ha! I used standards and Philippines in the same sentence!
Anyway, I’ve been reliving my experiences as a tourist here in Barretto from two years ago courtesy of Facebook memories. It was a good trip! And now that I live here I can’t wait for all the tourists to get the fuck out! Well, summer is right around the corner, that will motivate the Swedes to go back home where they belong. I’m kidding of course. Mostly I like the visitors, many of whom come for several months each year. It’s also been a trip seeing the boyfriend/sponsors of the bargirls. I mean, good for them that they’ve found a guy willing to send some money all year round for a couple of months of pleasure while they are here. It’s just so weird for me seeing a hot gal in her early 20s loving up on an old cripple who looks like her grandfather. Only in the Philippines!
Also on the horizon is a trip to the U.S. Embassy in Manila next week. I’ll likely go down on Wednesday as my appointment is Thursday morning. Plan as of now is to return home on Saturday. I’m going to have a Power of Attorney form notarized so we can finalize the sale of my parent’s house.
And I’m completing the final preparations for my travel to Palawan on March 6. That’s a trip I’m actually looking forward to making. Who knows, maybe there will actually be something interesting to read here at LTG. Hey, it could happen!
In the comments to yesterday’s post, Kevin Kim gave me a well-deserved kick in the ass some much appreciated advice regarding my reluctance to be on trail alone when I’m hiking in unknown terrain. He included a quote from a well-known hiker, Colin Fletcher, whom I’d never heard of previously. Those words really resonated with me and deserve to be highlighted in a post of their own:
“But if you judge safety to be the paramount consideration in life, you should never, under any circumstances, go on long hikes alone. Don’t take short hikes alone, either — or, for that matter, go anywhere alone. And avoid at all costs such foolhardy activities as driving, falling in love, or inhaling air that is almost certainly riddled with deadly germs. Wear wool next to the skin. Insure every good and chattel you possess against every conceivable contingency the future might bring, even if the premiums half-cripple the present. Never cross an intersection against a red light, even when you can see all roads are clear for miles. And never, of course, explore the guts of an idea that seems as if it might threaten one of your more cherished beliefs. In your wisdom, you will probably live to be a ripe old age. But you may discover, just before you die, that you have been dead for a long, long time.”
Well, hell yeah, that’s exactly right. I knew that at one time and it was a good and timely reminder. Life is for living and living in fear defeats the purpose of living.
And so today I spent some pleasant time hiking on a trail I call My Bitch, letting go of the worry and enjoying the moment each step of the way.
Colin Fletcher
“Every walk of life falls under the Testicular Imperative: Either you have the world by them, or it has you.”
Oh, and speaking of walking, one of the La Union Hashers is also a YouTube vlogger, and he posted a video of Saturday’s Baguio Hash. Your humble correspondent makes a cameo appearance. Give it a watch–the scenery is great.
I’m usually near the back of the pack when I’m walking in a group. Probably average speed on flat ground, slow going up, and very slow coming down. That’s just how I roll, or more precisely, how I try to avoid rolling.
Anyway, did the Wednesday walkers group thing yesterday. Six others of which I was the oldest and slowest. In the past this group differed from the Hash in that there was a “no man left behind” ethos, periodically the group would stop and wait for stragglers to catch up. Not so yesterday.
That kind of pissed me off. Part of my motivation for doing the Wednesday thing is to have some camaraderie. The other is the safety factor–I’m just uncomfortable being alone in the unknown wild with no support should something go wrong. If I’m going to be alone on trail, I want to be choosing the trail. Yesterday I was left to fend for myself coming down the mountain. And sure enough I slipped and fell. Only a cut and some scratches thankfully, but it underscores why you don’t want to be without a hiking partner should the worst happen.
Anyway, I’m thinking maybe I’ll just forego joining the group henceforth. I’ll still walk of course but I’ll do so within my comfort zone. Unfortunately, that means I’ll miss seeing new places and enjoying new vistas.
The other thing that is hard to achieve on my own is pushing myself to the edge of my level of endurance. On my own most days I’ll do around 20,000 steps. Yesterday with the Walkers I did this:
I guess we’ll just wait and see how I feel come next Wednesday.
Changing gears, I found this funny as hell:
Oh, and I won the darts tournament last night which is always nice.
And that’s the latest from Barrio Barretto, Olongapo, Zambales province, Republic of the Philippines. Thanks for checking in!
Enjoying a beer and the mountain views yesterday evening when all of the sudden this happens:
And then I wake up this morning almost exactly 12 hours later:
Anyway, that’s what passes for excitement around here I suppose.
Meanwhile, over at Big Hominid’s Hairy Chasms, Kevin Kim featured some cool memes. I’ll add this one to the collection:
And finally, Facebook reminds me what I was doing two years ago:
More ups than downs these days, so there’s that. I can make it on my own.
I found a picture of you, oh oh oh oh
What hijacked my world that night
To a place in the past
We’ve been cast out of? oh oh oh oh
Now we’re back in the fight
We’re back on the train
Oh, back on the chain gang
UPDATE: Well, I see I used the “Ups and downs” title on a post back in May, 2013. That one was about the progress I had made after 13 weeks on the low carb, high fat diet. I was pleased to report that I was down to 254 pounds and a 46″ waistline. These days I’m right at 200 pounds with a 34″ waist. The payoff from being a walkaholic I suppose. That and several heartbreaks…
Anyway, the notorious Leech My Nuggets was the Hare for yesterday’s Hash. He is known for the difficulty of the trails he lays. By all accounts yesterday was no exception–it included three mountain climbs. A group of us took a short cut which only required ascending one mountain.
We had two Hashers ripe for naming as yesterday was the 5th completed Hash for both. The way the SBH3 does the naming process involves sitting them on ice, allowing the rest of us to ask questions and/or tell stories about the person to be named. Then we get the opportunity to suggest a name and do a voice vote to determine the most popular.
The other Hasher we named was the Austrian Gunther. I’ve mentioned him before in posts about the Wednesday walks which he often leads. Gunther loves the mountains back home and doesn’t find our variety all that challenging. So the story I told was about his climbing the steep slopes like a mountain goat while I struggled along behind him muttering “fucker”. So my suggested name was Mountain Goat Fucker. Alas, a German Hasher suggested “Vienna Sausage” which proved more popular. I kind of like it too, although Gunther didn’t seem real pleased. After five more Hashes he can request a new naming, but that can and does often result in a worse name.
And as I predicted the ice awaited me as well:
As our expressions attest, it wasn’t all that nice on ice!
One benefit of Hashing is it gives me some motivation to get out of town and see new places and things. I’ve just signed up for a 4 day event next month in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. That’s been on my bucket list of cities to visit and what better way to explore the nooks and crannies than doing some Hashing.
On-On!
Well, a weekend of my life in the mountaintop city of Baguio anyway.
A very beautiful and interesting city. Lots of history and the American influence in Baguio’s development is still evident today (you can read more about that at the link). At 5,000 feet in elevation it is nearly a mile high. It has a different look and feel from any place I’ve ever experienced in the Philippines. I really enjoyed the pine forests and mountain views. And for the first time since moving here I actually felt chilly sitting outside at night. Luckily the bar that was hosting the Hash event had a nice little fire pit to provide some warmth.
It’s a largish town and has some of the big city drawbacks, most notably traffic congestion. But overall the city was very clean. Not much litter and at least in the parts of town I visited, no slums and shanties. So, I enjoyed my visit but I’d actually have no desire to live there. As much as I love the mountains I also enjoy having the ocean nearby. I have both of those in Baretto and I really enjoy the “small town” lifestyle in my new hometown.
It took more than four hours to reach Baguio, and well over an hour of that was on a twisting and turning narrow mountain road. Coupled with my driver’s aggressive driving style it made for a scary ride. I had to remind him several times that passing cars on curves was not necessary as I was in no hurry to reach my destination. Anyway, I may have to revise my “top ten ways I’m likely to die in the Philippines” list and move driver Donny up from the #4 spot. It seems getting to the Hash may be more dangerous than the actual Hash.
I took a boatload of photos so let’s let them tell the story of my Baguio adventure, shall we?
Well, I came to experience the annual Valentine’s Day Hash hosted by the La Union Hash House Harriers. There were 85 Hashers in attendance and they did a nice job keeping everything on track. An 8 kilometer trail that was not as hard as some I’ve done here in Barretto. Could be because we were already on top of the mountain there wasn’t much climbing left to do.
The La Union Hash circle is quite a bit different than the SBH3. No ice for one thing. I got punished for “smoking” in the circle (as I tried to explain to no avail, I wasn’t smoking, I was vaping. No one calls fog smoke, right? Anyway, my “punishment” was having to chug down a beer. Big whoop. More like a reward!
The La Union Hash is a “family” Hash, so no raunchy Hash names or bawdy songs. I advised Salty Cum to just say her Hash name was “Salty” if asked. Anyway, a good group of guys and it was fun Hashing with them.
We did have four other Hashers from Subic in attendance, so it was good to hang out with some familiar faces. There’s probably going to be a price to be paid for that however. The other SBH3 guys were quick to point out that me and Salty were the only Subic Hashers to do the “easy” trail. Well, in my defense, the Hare had told me the so-called easy trail was also the most scenic. They were both in fact the same length, but maybe not as much uphill on the scenic path. But I expect I’ll be on ice tonight for my “transgression”.
The other thing is the La Union Hash didn’t have San Mig Zero beer (3% alcohol) so I was forced to drink San Mig Light (5% alcohol). Unfortunately, I did not reduce my beer intake accordingly and wound up drunker than I have been in a LONG time. I’m talking years. I’m not real clear on things after a certain point, but apparently in the course of the night I broke at least one bottle of beer, possibly two. That may cost me some ice time as well for embarrassing my mother kennel in Subic.
And so ends the tale of my weekend in the mountains.