Back to normal again

Such as it is. I mean, if you ain’t wet from the rain, you are gonna be wet with sweat. Still, it’s nice to hike in the sunshine anyway. The Wednesday Walkers convened for the first time in two weeks to enjoy a pleasant 8K trek from Waltermart back to Barretto via Naugsol, San Isidro, and Santo Tomas. And then, last night, I had my usual umbrella-less fun on the town, starting with the feeding at Hideaway. I had a discount coupon for Sit-n-Bull, so I planned to get some food there and supplement it with some cheap chicken. Joy messaged me that a food vendor was at the bar and asked if I would be willing to buy the girl’s food from her. Why not? I’m not eating it; they can have what they want. So, I used the coupon to get a lasagna order (Joy’s favorite) and some lumpia for the girls. And best of all, Sit-n-Bull delivers to Hideaway, so I didn’t have to wait around.

Here’s the story of the day in photos:

This week’s iteration of the Wednesday Walkers gathers at the 7/11 meetup.
“Mama” showed up for her daily allowance.
Riding the Jeepney to the far side of Subic town.
Disembarking at Waltermart
Let’s get this show on the road!
Riverside living
On the Govic highway
Ongoing on the Govic
On the road to Naugsol
I remember when construction began on this house a few years ago. And then it stopped. That seems to happen more frequently than you’d expect. I always imagine the foreigner sending money from his home country wised up…
Junkman
Today’s Easter Mountain view
An Irish field…
A horny carabao
A friendly local with oddly colored hair.
Naugsol village street scene
Laundry time
Passing by, but not over, Bridge #4
Sawmill Road in Barangay Naugsol
Checking out last month’s landslide
Waiting on the slowpokes in downtown San Isidro
A downtown street scene.
Trekking on Sawmill
San Isidro thanks us for leaving
A Santo Tomas street scene
A veggie dealer
Back at the National Highway and a parting of the ways. Some of the group went to Sloppy Joe’s, but I chose to cross the highway for my lunch
At Jollibee, the most popular fast-food chain in the Philippines. I’m actually not a big fan, but it was convenient to grab a burger to go and eat at home.
The Champ Burger. I’d rate it better than a Big Mac but not as good as a Whopper.
The fries sucked

A shower, a nap, some blogging and baking, and it was time to head into town.

Thirteen Filipino meals from a local vendor for 900 pesos was a good bargain. It appeared the girls were happy with their bounty.
It’s been a while since I splurged on a Sit-n-Bull lasagna for Joy.
She enjoyed the surprise in her mouth.

After a couple of hours of beers at Hideaway, I was ready for a change of scenery.

A visit with Nerissa at Cheap Charlies was next on tap.

Nerissa’s big news is that she is preparing for a trip to France. Apparently, that will be the next step in an online romance she is having. I asked if her Frenchman had ever been to the Philippines, and Nerissa said he wouldn’t visit here because “it’s a third-world country.” Um, I’d rather live here than there, but maybe that’s just me. I did teach Nerissa the only French I know: ferme la bouche. It may come in handy if the guy keeps trash-talking the PI. She also said she has a girlfriend in London, encouraging her to move there. I just shook my head and wished her luck in whatever she decided to do.

My next stop was Adam’s Bar. I was the only customer, and my waitress advised me they don’t get busy until late. One beer and out for me. I finished my night on the town at Whiskey Girl.

Jenn provided her usual stellar company.

As is my custom, I searched the archives to ensure this post has a unique title. I found one from February 2006 called “Back to normal,” so I added an “again” for today’s post. It was interesting to read how much my normal in 2006 differs from my normal today. Good times. It is a shame you don’t realize that while you are living them. I wish I could go back and truly appreciate the experience. That’s my concept of heaven, so if you are reading this, God, keep it in mind. I’m not in any hurry, though!

Here are the laughs for today:

Hmm, now I have an idea for a song to post today.

It would be nice to be plugged in, but I’m sure there is something to be learned from this period of celibacy I’m currently undergoing.

Shocking, I know.

I’ll be on my own again tonight and I’m thinking I’ll kick things off with some dinner at John’s place and then do a bar crawl from there. I’m planning to do a revisit/update of all the watering holes in town for the Bars of Barretto rankings. Tonight might be day one of that endeavor. Stay tuned.

7 thoughts on “Back to normal again

  1. A downtown street scene.

    Look at all dem wires. In Korea, too, we loves us some wires.

    Trekking on Sawmill

    Reminds me of a painful video I just watched on rucking.

    She also said she has a girlfriend in London, encouraging her to move there. I just shook my head and wished her luck in whatever she decided to do.

    She might end up as the lone, capable Filipina in a “Triangle of Sadness” scenario.

    re: “ask for your daughter’s hand”

    Because I need something to feed the piranhas.

  2. Re: Nerissa – not sure whether to give her kudos for stepping out of her comfort zone or to shake my head at the (potential) stupidity of traveling thousands of miles to a strange country where she doesn’t know anyone, doesn’t speak the language, etc. to meet someone she just knows as pixels on a screen. I am leaning more towards the latter, but from her perspective, she gets to travel to a foreign country and meet the love of her life, so who am I to be a Debbie Downer.

    Good luck to her!!!

  3. Yeah, I respect her courage, but I think she needs to think things through. If the guy doesn’t respect her and her culture enough even to visit here, I’m not sure he will be someone to be trusted when she is there on her own. And I think her vision of what life in Europe is like is a fantasy. She’s a grown woman, though, and can make her own decisions. And live with the consequences.

  4. Kev, regarding the wires, I had to go back and look at the pic again because I hadn’t even noticed them. It’s just the norm here.

    Yikes, and no thanks to rucking. Sawmill ain’t nothing compared to that!

    It was good to reread the review; I’d actually forgotten that one. I think Nerissa’s fantasy of a life in France or the UK is nothing like the reality she’ll discover. But life is for learning.

  5. “Mama” is quite the fashionista.

    The friendly local with the oddly colored hair is probably in a K-POP band.

    The fries look like they suck. As much as I hate McDonald’s, they do have the best fast-food fries when freshly cooked.(Ask for fries with no salt and they will have to whip up a fresh batch).

    Star Palace. Ring a bell? That’s right, the McCrarey swinging bachelor pad in Anjeong-Ri is looking for a renter. You can see the pics and relive the memories at “plus-realty.com”.

    Peace Out!

  6. Yep, mama is a special lady. K-pop is big here, so maybe he is in a band.

    And yes, I remember living like a King (or was it a rock star?) in my Anjeong-ri palace. Best of all, it was on the government’s dime!

  7. “Best of all, it was on the government’s dime!”. Hey, the millions of illegal aliens get a better deal. Free housing, free food, free medical, free schooling for the Spanish-speaking illegal kids and free cell phones. I’m thinking about driving into Mexico and swimming across the Rio Grande for some freebies. America’s best days are behind it. Peace Out!

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