There may not be a magic formula for maintaining contentment, but here’s the recipe I used to create a satisfying Friday. The first ingredient was a group hike:
Gen, Ed, Michael, and Gary were my fellow travelersInto the ocean of thatch grass we goThe first recipients of sweets. I carry four bags of cookies and four sacks of lollipops when I leave home for a hike. I usually have leftovers, but not yesterday.Our route took us through the Naugsol valleyOver Bridge #4Back in the woodsIt had been quite a while since we last did this passage between Sawmill and the Govic Highway.I didn’t see it, but one of those cows chased after Gen, forcing her to make a muddy escape.Back to the relative safety of the highwayA rarely seen side of Easter MountainI wussed out and caught a trike after a little more than 8K. I was tired and didn’t feel like dodging traffic on Sawmill for the last kilometer.
The next ingredients in the satisfaction stew included liquid refreshments and beach views. We found both on Baloy.
Our first stop was McCoy’s, where we enjoyed this view from our table.After a couple of beers, we did a beach walk.And enjoyed watching the sun go down.Our next stop was the rarely visited Kokomo’s. We were the day’s first customers, so we treated the gals to a lady drink in celebration of our arrival.A bit later, owner Steve and his wife arrived, and we had a nice visit. The good news is the floating bar is scheduled to be back in place by the end of the month.
I felt a hunger inside that needed to be satisfied, so we crossed the street and grabbed a table at the Lagoon Resort.
The Kokomo’s folks joined us for dinnerThe “entertainment” was this guy singing solo. A bit too loud, but at least the song selections were pleasant.Pretty quiet for a Friday night at Lagoon. Those dartboards on the wall brought back some memories. Back in my playing days, Lagoon was the team I played for.I enjoyed my Irish beef stew, although I’m not sure what makes chunks of beef with veggies and mashed potatoes on the side a stew.Swan also enjoyed her chicken cordon bleu
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, a downpour of rain commenced. I didn’t see that coming! On the way home, we had our trike stop at the 7/11, where I purchased some ice cream as the final ingredient to a sweet day. I bought some extra cones for the gate guards and trike driver, so it was a happy ending for everyone.
Here’s what a Beach stew day costs:
Salary: 2000 pesos (part-time weekend helper)
Water Bill: 600 pesos
Dinner: 730 pesos
Alcohol: 1405 pesos
Tips: 400 pesos
Lady Drinks: 580 pesos
Snacks: 600 pesos (ice cream)
Trike: 220 pesos
Total for October 4: 6535 pesos
In other news, the bridge to San Isidro is now open to traffic. They had a big ribbon cutting ceremony yesterday that I could hear from the house.
I could see it from here, too. It’s wider and nicer than the one it replaced. I’m sure the residents will appreciate having reliable vehicle access once again.
Twelve years ago, I drove to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to participate in a darts tournament.
Traffic was a bitch that day in both directions.
I haven’t driven a car in over five years now. Probably for the best.
Communism is in Kamala’s genes (and her jeans, right Wille?):
You’ve been warned!
Today’s YouTube video from The Filipina Pea was a fun exploration of Filipino myths and superstitions. Someone should write a book featuring those evil creatures. Where’s JRR Tolkien when you need him? Oh yeah, he’s dead. Anyway, the one superstition I’ve seen and heard about the most is the belief in ghosts here. There’s a hotel in Angeles City that bargirls won’t visit because they believe it is haunted. And there’s a tunnel leaving the old Navy base that drivers honk when they pass through to scare off a ghost rumored to live there. Hey, believe whatever you want. I believe I’ll have another beer.
Let’s see if I can scare up some humor:
Trouble is brewing…I recall the story of a snail who bought a Nissan 280Z on the condition that the dealer change the “Z” to an “S.”Eager to make the sale, the dealer agreed but asked the snail why.The snail replied that when he drove past a pretty female, he wanted her to say, “Look at that S-car go!”(sorry, that was bad even by my low standards)I actually had a taste of monkey brains once. Once was more than enough.
The plan for this evening is to attend the 20th Anniversary party for Harley’s Pub and Hotel on Baloy. I’m not a regular there, but Swan has some Australian friends staying there, and we’ve been invited to drop by for a visit. And so we shall.
UPDATE: Swan changed her mind. She says Harley’s will be too crowded, so I guess we’ll find a different venue to get our groove on.
Another group I grew up on, thanks to my father’s love of music. I hadn’t heard this song in I don’t know how long, but it’s still a nice listen.
10 thoughts on “Beach stew”
Some fine pics of ladyboys in that Kokomo’s bar, mate! I will tell my mate to frequent that establishment cheers mate.
Gen was okay? (I assume she pronounces it “Jenn,” not “Ghenn.”)
Congrats on the new bridge Does it help you in any way with walking? Or anything else?
re: superstitions
Koreans can be pretty old-school superstitious, but Americans may have them beat, throwing away traditional religion in favor of crystals, tarot, the occult, and irrational belief in trans superpowers like “biological men can gestate and have babies.”
I’ve heard several painful versions of that S-car-go joke multiple times. Kill me.
How do you feel about your expenses thus far? Reasonable? Extravagant? Just about right? Which expense do you think needs the most work? Which surprises you the most? Why?
My favorite snail joke:
Two turtles get into an accident at an intersection. The only witness is a snail.
The police ask the snail if he could describe what happened.
“Sorry, I dont know. It all happened so fast!!!!”
What do you think of Blue Rock for food, drink and views of the bay?
Digory, in my tourist days, I often stayed at Blue Rock. The rooms back then (2015-2017) were a bit dated, but you could get one with a nice bay view. The kitchen and bar were fantastic back then, especially the grilled meats. They even had my favorite floating bar. Alas, Blue Rock never recovered its past glory after the COVID lockdowns. It gets horrible reviews, and I don’t know any locals who go there now.
Treasure Island has the best kitchen on Baloy, but I never liked their rooms. Wild Orchid just remodeled their beach rooms, but I’ve never stayed in one. The beach bar looks very nice, but I won’t pay 150 pesos for a beer. Mangrove reportedly has very nice rooms, but I’ve never been there. If I were going to stay on Baloy, I’d probably try Harley’s–it has good food and a great pub.
Brian, Good one, but it took me a while to get it.
Kev, yes, Gen (Jenn) was scared but fine. She was a little irked at me for going that way, though.
The new bridge has no effect on me other than alleviating the need to witness the disaster if the old one had collapsed. I’m happy for the folks in that San Isidro neighborhood, though.
Yep, someday, someone will be making a video about those silly American woke superstitions.
Regarding the expenses, thus far, what I’ve noticed is that it is a real pain in the ass to keep track of what I spend. There are no real surprises yet. I assumed a night out would cost between one and two thousand; we’ll see how that plays out over the course of the month.
Aaron, I hope your mate gets the hard time he’s looking for…
You said: “The beach bar looks very nice, but I won’t pay 150 pesos for a beer.”
I am blowing you shit, but boy oh boy, you have definitely settled into the life of a local.
Imagine paying $2.50 cents for a beer!!!!!! I am out of touch with Korean beer prices, but remember them being 5-6000 won a few years ago.
(I get it – there a lot of cheaper alternatives to chose from, but it struck me funny that you are complaining about a $2.50 beer in a bar. LOL)
Yes, I totally understand your point, Brian. When I first moved here, I shook my head in wonder at all the guys bitching about paying 90 pesos for a beer. A San Mig Light was 7000 Won (over $6.) when I left Korea. I see things a little differently these days. You can get a beer as cheap as 60 pesos; most places charge around 80. So, 150 seems like a scam to me. Why bend over and take it up the ass when you can just go next door? I’m the same way with lady drinks–I won’t buy a double for 300. But I’ll buy two singles at 180 each. It is more a matter of principle than money to me.
Some fine pics of ladyboys in that Kokomo’s bar, mate! I will tell my mate to frequent that establishment cheers mate.
Gen was okay? (I assume she pronounces it “Jenn,” not “Ghenn.”)
Congrats on the new bridge Does it help you in any way with walking? Or anything else?
re: superstitions
Koreans can be pretty old-school superstitious, but Americans may have them beat, throwing away traditional religion in favor of crystals, tarot, the occult, and irrational belief in trans superpowers like “biological men can gestate and have babies.”
I’ve heard several painful versions of that S-car-go joke multiple times. Kill me.
How do you feel about your expenses thus far? Reasonable? Extravagant? Just about right? Which expense do you think needs the most work? Which surprises you the most? Why?
My favorite snail joke:
Two turtles get into an accident at an intersection. The only witness is a snail.
The police ask the snail if he could describe what happened.
“Sorry, I dont know. It all happened so fast!!!!”
What do you think of Blue Rock for food, drink and views of the bay?
Digory, in my tourist days, I often stayed at Blue Rock. The rooms back then (2015-2017) were a bit dated, but you could get one with a nice bay view. The kitchen and bar were fantastic back then, especially the grilled meats. They even had my favorite floating bar. Alas, Blue Rock never recovered its past glory after the COVID lockdowns. It gets horrible reviews, and I don’t know any locals who go there now.
Treasure Island has the best kitchen on Baloy, but I never liked their rooms. Wild Orchid just remodeled their beach rooms, but I’ve never stayed in one. The beach bar looks very nice, but I won’t pay 150 pesos for a beer. Mangrove reportedly has very nice rooms, but I’ve never been there. If I were going to stay on Baloy, I’d probably try Harley’s–it has good food and a great pub.
Brian, Good one, but it took me a while to get it.
Kev, yes, Gen (Jenn) was scared but fine. She was a little irked at me for going that way, though.
The new bridge has no effect on me other than alleviating the need to witness the disaster if the old one had collapsed. I’m happy for the folks in that San Isidro neighborhood, though.
Yep, someday, someone will be making a video about those silly American woke superstitions.
Regarding the expenses, thus far, what I’ve noticed is that it is a real pain in the ass to keep track of what I spend. There are no real surprises yet. I assumed a night out would cost between one and two thousand; we’ll see how that plays out over the course of the month.
Aaron, I hope your mate gets the hard time he’s looking for…
You said: “The beach bar looks very nice, but I won’t pay 150 pesos for a beer.”
I am blowing you shit, but boy oh boy, you have definitely settled into the life of a local.
Imagine paying $2.50 cents for a beer!!!!!! I am out of touch with Korean beer prices, but remember them being 5-6000 won a few years ago.
(I get it – there a lot of cheaper alternatives to chose from, but it struck me funny that you are complaining about a $2.50 beer in a bar. LOL)
Yes, I totally understand your point, Brian. When I first moved here, I shook my head in wonder at all the guys bitching about paying 90 pesos for a beer. A San Mig Light was 7000 Won (over $6.) when I left Korea. I see things a little differently these days. You can get a beer as cheap as 60 pesos; most places charge around 80. So, 150 seems like a scam to me. Why bend over and take it up the ass when you can just go next door? I’m the same way with lady drinks–I won’t buy a double for 300. But I’ll buy two singles at 180 each. It is more a matter of principle than money to me.