Bantay Bayan to Barrio Barretto

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Ain’t no way I’m going to argue with Bruce Lee!

That wheel in the sky keeps on turning, and I’m still here to write about it. I’ll call that a win.

For the Thursday morning walk, Swan and I decided to change things up and pay a visit to the bayside village of Bantay Bayan. The Jeepneys were all packed, so we grabbed a trike. When we arrived at our destination, I gave the driver 120 pesos. I tend to overpay, so I thought he’d be grateful (Swan told me 100 was plenty). He wasn’t. Swan and the trike driver chatted, and I gave another 20 pesos, shrugged, and walked away. It was only about 3 kilometers, so technically, 60 pesos was enough. Weird.

Where our trek began.
The outskirts of the village.
What used to be called Index is now the Blue Cove. It is currently being renovated, but it looks like it will be a nice beachside place to relax. I’ll come back someday and give it a try.
I met maybe the only foreigner living in Bantay Bayan at a nice sari-sari store that his wife operates. An Aussie named Ian. When I told him I lived in Barretto, he didn’t seem impressed. Different strokes for different folks.
Swan had me pose for this picture to see which was scarier, me or the warning sign. I won.
Then we walked past the abandoned beach resort that gives off a Stephen King novel vibe.
Sand pebbles in the shoe no more!
When a dream becomes an expensive nightmare.

Then we walked the highway back to Barretto.

Hillside living done large.
Hillside living done medium.
And hillside living done small.
The road ahead.
And the road behind.

I don’t like walking on those narrow highway shoulders. People drive like assholes here and invade that tiny space as they round the corners.

Back in Barretto, safe and sound, only to be confronted with the sad memories of what was once John’s place.

We finished our trek at Sit-n-Bull where I got a roast beef dip sandwich for takeout. It was good, but I didn’t finish it. Swan enjoyed my leftover portion.

The path we took on our 5K journey.

In the afternoon, Swan went to visit some friends whilst I went to visit Cheap Charlies. She met me there later.

Mama was across the highway when Swan arrived, so she got her daily 100 peso allowance.

One of the things I like about Cheap Charlies is the availability of good food from the eatery downstairs. Except for the first time that I can remember, when the dinner hour arrived, I didn’t feel hungry, so I skipped eating. I guess that higher dose of Ozempic is kicking in.

And then we enjoyed the sun’s goodnight show:

See you tomorrow!

We did our nightcap at Wet Spot. During our visit a large group of young ladies came waltzing through the door. I asked our waitress what’s up with that, and she said they are new dancers hired from the province of Mindinao. Wow, the stage was packed for the first time in a long time. Not that I give a shit about that, but the new owner is putting forth some effort to make Wet Spot stand out amongst the bars of Barretto. Good luck with that!

Back to the November 2018 LTG archives. I rented a “cabin” in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and shared some great times with my family. I’m happy for the memories of the way things were.

Today’s YouTube video was a bit of a surprise. It’s from Reekay, one of my favorite vloggers who has been at it for thirteen years. His content is always straightforward and offers good perspectives on the expat life in the Philippines. And despite is non-controversial popularity, YouTube has decided to demonetize his platform. Why? Nobody seems to know. Anyway, Reekay isn’t going down without a fight.

And now it is that time again:

I guess I’ll just keep on being a Light drinker.
Let’s get something straight between us…
Hmm, let me check into that.

And there you have it. Thanks for dropping by.

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