Candles in the rain

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Yesterday was another windswept rainy day here in paradise, but that didn’t stop the Wednesday Walkers. The four of us in attendance deployed our umbrellas and embarked on a 7+K walk to Waltermart on the far side of Subic town. We enjoyed periodic breaks in the downpours, and once our feet were soaked, wading through puddles no longer mattered. That voice in my head had been screaming for me to bail out and shortcut since early in the hike, but I successfully ignored its entreaties. I’ve never paid attention to my heart rate while hiking, but I was curious how my damaged blood pump was doing on this mostly flat walk. According to my Fitbit, walking at a thirteen-minute kilometer pace had my heart beating around one hundred times a minute. During the one gentle uphill we encountered, I got up to 120. According to this website, the maximum for an old fart like me is around 128. So, I was in the zone, but yesterday’s adventure was nothing like those hard climbs at the Hash. One more thing to keep my eye on, I guess.  

Off we go on the rainy highway
And then onto the much more pleasant back streets
The Easter Mountain view from here
Waiting for slow guy
The Naugsol Falls are back!
The valley portion of our trek
Across Bridge #4
Where rivers collide
Looking back at Bridge #4
On the road to Barangay Naugsol
Checking out the fresh veggies at a Naugsol market
The other side of Easter Mountain
Where Teddy Bears go when they die
Flotsam
Onward we march
“Don’t litter here”
Here
It was a little scary walking the riverside—one slip, trip, or fall, and you were a goner. None of us did.
On the bridge
Off the bridge
The market street in Barangay Maga Vacca
Objective achieved!
And now for the Jeepney ride back to Barretto. The Jeeps here wait until they fill up with passengers, so we had a ten-minute delay.
7.7K from start to finish. And I didn’t wuss out!

The rain kept coming and going all afternoon, but that didn’t stop us from heeding the call of beer o’clock. That’s why God created umbrellas, right? First stop, BarCelona.

The rainy-day view from our perch

I ran into a guy I know there, and he introduced me to his friend. This friend is in the process of opening a new bar in Barretto (the former McArthur’s) and a resort on Baloy Beach. I wished him well and dropped a big hint about opening a beach bar at his resort location. I’ll keep an eye out for the openings and do a review here.

Poor Swan. They didn’t have the wine she likes, so she had to settle for a gin and soda.
But at least she has a gwapo boyfriend!

Our next stop was the Green Room downstairs, and we had a pleasant visit there as usual. We did our nightcap at Wet Spot and ordered takeout from Sit-n-Bull for dinner at home.

And that’s the way I rolled through another Wednesday.

Way back in 2007, I was feeling the blues at 3 Alley Pub in Itaewon, Seoul. As I recall, a gal I had been crushing on showed up with another guy and was playing kissy-face with him across the table from me.

A good reminder that the “good ol’ days” weren’t always that good. Well, I had beer and cigarettes to get me through the night.

This was also in my Facebook memories feed, but it rings as true now as it ever did.

I’m still getting blasted for my cat-eating posts, the argument being it didn’t happen because the media says it didn’t. Oh well. I learned long ago you are not going to change an indoctrinated mind.

Today’s YouTube video tells the story of an expat in trouble for a crime he didn’t know was a crime (neither did I): he kicked his girlfriend out of his condo. Swan is the first gal I’ve lived with here, and as I like to tease, she came with the house.

The vlogger gives all the background you need in the video above, but if you want to hear more of the story, here’s the original video he references.

Thousands of comedians out of work, and I’M trying to be funny:

He has a way with words
Sounds like a crappy relationship (and there is no toilet paper)
So THAT’s what he’s thinking about! (she must have grabbed the toilet paper from the comic above)

Okay, it’s time for me to get ready to have my consultation with the doctor about my heart. I’ll share what I learn tomorrow.

Man, I can’t remember the last time I heard or even thought about this song. I loved it in high school.

And as an added bonus, here is one of those first reaction to this song videos:

2 thoughts on “Candles in the rain”

  1. Does Swan also require alcohol to get her through the day? I’d look into stocking up on boxed wines then for the home in case she has a seizure from withdrawals.

  2. Where Teddy Bears go when they die

    It seems somehow more horrible that you can’t quite see the teddy’s face.

    Sounds like a crappy relationship (and there is no toilet paper)

    Then we know what his calling is.

    Sorry to hear that they didn’t have the wine Swan wanted.

    Another rainy walk. Hey, as long as it never gets old…

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