Day five was pretty laid back, almost like being home. An 8K walk to the Han River and back, then some barhopping with a nice dinner at the end. The pictures tell the story better than I can.

On with the walk:

Back to the room for a shower and nap, then it was time to meet up with Jeff and Davina to enjoy our last night in Da Nang until next week.

And early this morning, we checked out of the hotel and headed for the hills.

Still plodding through the August 2016 LTG archives. It is amazing to see what a difference ten years can make. But at least my journey continues to continue.

Today’s YouTube video is all about those hills I mentioned, Ba Na. It’s an amazing place and I’m glad for the opportunity to have more time to explore it this trip.

To the humor we must go.

Alright, I need to go out and enjoy myself in this fantastic place I’m at. Tell you all about tomorrow, time permitting.

While grocery shopping at Royal this week, Christmas carols played in the background. I got a chuckle from hearing “Let it Snow,” knowing it never snows in the Philippines. And then the very next song was “Winter Wonderland.” Yeah, right. At least it ain’t raining.

Braving the winter solstice, we made our way out to Baloy Beach.

So, that covers the day before the day before Christmas. Let’s do Christmas Eve now.

The Wednesday Walkers traveled all the way out to San Antonio to see some different terrain.

We finished our hike back at the FRA after a 7K jaunt.

And now it’s Christmas. Not my favorite time of the year, to be honest. I seem to miss the life I left behind, and my current estrangement from family is harder to ignore. Welp, this is the life I chose, and I guess loneliness comes with living on the other side of the world.

On to May 2016 in the LTG archives, and here’s another pictorial post of a weekend in my Seoul life. I miss the good ol’ days.

For today’s YouTube video, we check in with the Filipina Pea for her take on the pitfalls of choosing the wrong country to live in after marrying a Filipina. I’ve heard the horror stories before, but it should be common sense. You’re old and invisible to the women back home, so you come to the PI and find a beauty twenty (or more) years younger than you. The best part is she thinks you are amazing (and rich). You can share a happy life here, and she’ll be content with the man she married. Take her back to your homeland, and she’ll soon see how much better she can do, and it won’t be long until you are replaced by someone younger, hotter, and richer. That’s life.

Let’s get into the holiday spirit:

Maybe I’ll do better in the new year. Going to spend some time with my neighbor and high school alumnus, Mike, this afternoon, and enjoy the Christmas dinner he prepared. We’ll see where things go from there.

There was nothing wrong with yesterday, but that’s about all I can say about it. I’ll save you the pain of trying and keep this post as short as it deserves to be.

A dual-purpose morning walk with Swan: get some exercise and schedule my blood work appointment. I’ll be fasting for ten hours before they poke the needle in me. The walk was 5K and ended at Sit-n-Bull, where I got a take-out chicken burger to bring home for lunch.

Swan declared it a “Me Time” evening: She went to visit some girlfriends, and I was on my own for finding venues to quench my thirst for beer. I decided to do the seldom-visited bars on the near side of town.

I started things off at Hangout Bar. Just before I arrived, I got hit with some unexpected rain, but managed to make it inside before getting soaked. I was the only customer at first, then one other guy came in, had a beer, and left. Hangout is a nice enough place, with two pool tables, several large TVs, and good music at the proper volume. Not sure why no one else ventured in, it’s been busier on my other rare visits. I just sat by the front window and watched the world go by outside as I sipped on an hour’s worth of San Mig Zeros.

Next stop was Nipsey’s. I’m not sure what’s up with this place. There were a couple of drunks in the back by the pool table, dancing with what may have been their girlfriends or bargirls, not that it matters. I was ignored, which is fine until my beer runs out. Anyway, I didn’t stay long and likely won’t be back anytime soon.

Then I went on to one of the newer joints in town, Gold Bar. They were comparatively busy, but I was given a friendly welcome and good service. Several dancers on the stage were putting some effort into their work, which is a rarity these days. The pool table was also seeing some action. Since my last visit, Gold Bar has expanded into the vacant space next door and turned it into a very nice darts room. If I ever take up the game again, I might make this my home venue. I enjoyed my visit and will definitely be back.

I finished my night out at Queen Victoria, another venue that puts some effort into satisfying their customer’s needs. Lots of dancers for those who enjoy watching, plenty of waitresses to take care of your needs, and, of course, a great big room for live music that starts after my bedtime. Swan joined me here for the nightcap before we grabbed a trike home.

And that’s how the day went down. It felt a little strange to be out on my own, but that just makes me appreciate having my gal at my side all the more.

Back to the January 2016 archives, where I posted this trip report about my visit to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Overall, I enjoyed my stay and added Cambodia to my list of possible retirement destinations. Visiting the infamous Killing Fields proved to be traumatic; the inhumanity on display was beyond disgusting. Luckily, Phnom Penh had plenty of bars where I could take refuge and drown my sorrows. My good friend, Dennis McPeters, was there to show me around, and I ran into another Itaewon buddy who was teaching there. Overall, one of my better trips and a much-needed escape from the sadness I was experiencing in Seoul.

Today’s YouTube video is a nine-minute journey into the dark days of Pol Pot’s reign in Cambodia. It is a stunning example of the depths of inhumanity perpetuated to achieve political goals.

Damn, we definitely need something to cleanse our palates after that video. Maybe these will help:

And there you have it. That wasn’t so bad, was it?

Getting ready to hit the road for a Hash weekend in Pozorrubio. It looks like I’m not going to have any window of time for blogging, so I’ll dash one out now and see what happens later.

Yesterday, I was planning to pay a visit to the My Bitch trail as my welcome-home morning hike, but for whatever reason, I’m experiencing some pain in my lower left leg. Perhaps that’s from a lack of exercise during my vacation on Siargao. So, I aborted the Bitch and did a 5K street walk instead.

Pretty much nothing special about last night, but I’ll tell you about it anyway. A visit to It Doesn’t Matter to kick things off…

Swan wanted to try somewhere new for our nightcap. I suggested the recently renamed Crazy Horse (formerly Voodoo) bar. Jim, who used to manage Green Room, is in charge there now, so I wanted to pop in and see what was up.

Crazy Horse is a small girly bar, but they did have seven or eight gals on the stage. I was never a fan of this bar, and nothing happened last night to change my mind about that. Well, there was a first-time happenstance for me: I poured the cookies and candy on my table, and only a couple of girls chose to partake. I’ve never had to repack goodie offerings in a bar before. Oh well, the guards at Alta Vista and my trike driver home got some sweet rewards.

Early to bed, early to rise as usual. I was greeted with this view when I sat down at my desk this morning:

So, as I surfed the ‘net, I got to enjoy the moonset.

I’ll let you know how the rest of the day goes when I get the chance.

As mentioned in my previous post, I made a rare appearance at the weekly RSL meeting yesterday. Despite being a member, it was only the second time I’ve attended this year. My reason is simple: the 2 pm start doesn’t work well with my routine-controlled lifestyle. That said, I do enjoy the gathering, especially when there is a Joker Jackpot worth 101,000 pesos (about two thousand US) waiting to be won. So, yeah, I had a selfish motivation for going yesterday, but in my defense, the proceeds are used for charity projects. Next month, there will be a medical mission providing services to an expected 400 children in San Marcelino.

The RSL is an Australian organization, similar to the American VFW. Unlike the VFW, everyone is allowed to join, regardless of nationality or veteran status. Most of the faces in attendance were familiar, although I guess that’s not surprising for our little town.

The artwork photograph above our table really caught my eye.

So, about those raffles. The main event tickets were 100 pesos each, or 6 for 500 pesos. In addition to the Joker Jackpot, there were drawings for various other prizes, ranging from meats, bottles of booze, and beer coupons for various bars. The way the Joker Jackpot works is if your ticket is drawn, you pick one of 52 cards on the board. If you choose the Joker, you win. If not, the pot is increased for the drawing the following week. So, after many weeks with no winners, the pot grows large and the number of cards to choose from is substantially reduced, increasing your chances of winning significantly. That combination brings out the seldom-attenders like me for some early-afternoon fun.

Each main event raffle participant is limited to a maximum of twelve tickets (1000 pesos). So, I bought twelve tickets in my name and twelve more in Swan’s. There are two other raffles: a 50-50 drawing (winner gets half the pot) and a “big spender” drawing (winner also gets half, with no limit on the number of tickets you can buy). So, I spent the maximum 200 pesos on the 50-50 and another 500 pesos for the big spender. I’ll save you from doing the math: I invested 2700 pesos in the RSL drawings. Again, win or lose, it’s for a good cause, so no regrets. Oh, and they sell beer cards that get you four beers for 250 pesos. That’s such a bargain, I felt compelled to buy two.

So, the raffle begins with the prizes, and one of my tickets was drawn.

Alas, I was not drawn for the Joker Jackpot. The guy who was picked failed to find the Joker. So, next week’s pot will be even larger, and now there are only five cards left to choose from. Sadly, I won’t be able to participate because I’ll be enjoying my adventure in Siargao Island covering the following two Tuesdays. Odds are slim that a winner won’t be picked in my absence.

Oh, well. I didn’t get drawn for the 50-50 pot either. The last drawing of the afternoon was for the “big spender” pot. And, drum roll please, my number was picked! I received my share of the pot, a sweet 4500 pesos, which put me up 1800 pesos for the day (not counting the 500 pesos I spent on beer). Thank you, RSL!

The RSL tradition is to hold a bar crawl at the conclusion of the meeting. First stop yesterday was the Outback Billabong Bar, and our group, including Swan’s sister and niece, joined in.

The second bar on the crawl was Whiskey Girl, a bar on my “no go” list, so I didn’t. Instead, Swan and her kin joined me at the Outback Pool/Beach bar.

We had us some dinner (fish and chips for me), then reconvened with Jeff and Davina at Gold Bar. After some good music, nice vibes, and more beer, we loaded into Jeff’s car and cruised on home to Bryce Street in Alta Vista.

I deem it another fine day.

This anti-smoking poster made me think of someone:

The upcoming Corona Hash trail this week features this interesting climb:

Moving on to September 2015 in the LTG archives, and in this post, I talk about the last car I’ll ever own, my commute to the last job I’ll ever work, and a good day of darts that I’ll never experience again.

Today’s YouTube video is a two-minute comedy I posted on Facebook twelve years ago. It’s still funny today and also reminds me of why Western men come to the Philippines to find love. Well, shit. Another video that won’t embed for some reason. Go ahead and click this link, I think you’ll like it. UPDATE: Fixed the embed issue. I think.

Here is some more funny business:

And there you have it, another day, another post.

What the hell, now the music video won’t embed either. I’m guessing it has something to do with the malware cleanup. But damn it, I want you to see my videos without clicking a link. I’ll work on it. In the meantime, here you go: Lucky Man by Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.

The passing of Dave Fisher is still reverberating through our little town and in Angeles City, where he was an icon at the end of the last century. To honor his memory, we spent some time in Green Room and Wet Spot last night. When we arrived, our friend Beth, the head waitress at Wet Spot, who had worked with Dave since his AC days, was in tears. She was hugging the Filipino lad who does maintenance at the Maze and gets around on the prosthetic leg that Dave provided him years ago. Touching the lives of others in a meaningful way is Dave’s true legacy; the bars were always just a retirement hobby.

Lots of posts on social media lamenting Dave’s passing, but this one really captured his essence:

I have known Dave a long time and had many personal conversations with him over the years. Many I feel were private and will remain so. Dave managed to separate his home live and bar life better than anyone I have ever known. Usually, he would arrive in Angeles or Barretto on Thursday and go back to Makati on Sunday.

Dave kept his Makati life private and so will I. But it was just as busy and fulfilling as his bar life. He had membership in tennis clubs, imported Andelusian horses, was president of the Manila wine club, had involvement with several charities including Doctors Without Borders.

Dave grew up in Ohio and still has family there. He went to Ohio State and graduated from Medical School. He never was the type to sit in a private practice or stay on a hospital staff. Some of his achievements were being on a US Presidents medical staff and traveling with them. Managing a medical division of Siemens Corp developing cancer test and treatment equipment.

Dave was involved in ownership of several Nana Plaza bars and many of the names of the bars he owned in Angeles and Barretto came from there.

Dave started showing up in Angeles around the same time I did mid-late 1980’s. After moving to Makati in the early 1990’s he became more frequent. His first bar was Voodoo in the old Vampire location, then he opened his first of several Lollipops in the current Swiss Hotel location. He built the Kokomo’s restaurant on the corner of A. Santos and Fields over the remnants of the crumpled building left from Pinatubo. He and JC (Margaritaville now Margarita Station thanks to Jimmy Buffets lawyers) staged good natured war with the waitresses dressed in military costumes. Since it’s opening it is much smaller inside now after adding a bar, hotel and swimming pool. I don’t think Dave ever owned more than about a half dozen bars at a time, but he was opening and selling them like trading cards. My personal favorites were both Lollipop locations and Treasure Island. I will never forget the shower shows on the third floor of TI. Around 2004 Dave bought a small hotel on Baloy Beach named it Kokomos and put in theme rooms. He told me it would be his retirement. In 2006 after over a decade in AC had having nearly personally breathed life back into the go-go scene he was done and had everything up for sale planning to have a quiet life in Barretto.

Once again Dave started a second empire. The Treasure Island Hotel and several others came into play. Old man Dreden wanted to move back to the states so Dave bought the building that currently houses Wetspot, Sit-n-Bull and the Paradise hotel now. Like in AC Dave probably never owned more than a half dozen bars at a time, but I can name at least a dozen he had through the past twenty years.

Dave set up, managed and was MC for over one thousand SOB’s, 27 annual Scorpio Bar Hops (his birthday bashes), annual Superbowl Parties, nearly a hundred pool parties and many of the VFW annual beauty contests. Not to mention his many charity events. He was kind enough to invite me to many and I would always offer to chip and cover some of the cost. Dave would never take a peso from anyone saying, “It’s all set up.” Oh, I’ll mention one; his annual Christmas dinners for the local children. He would dress up like Santa Claus and more than 200 local children would line up to receive their take away Christmas Dinners. I really think the local children thought that he actually was Santa Claus.

There are tears in my eyes as I write this. But I am not crying for Dave. I am crying for myself and loss of not having my dear friend around to help me gain the perspective for life that he always provided.

A few thoughts to end this:

· You can tell the quality of a Boss by how long his employees stick with him. Dave has bar managers, mama sans and even waitresses who have been with him for decades.

· You can tell the quality of a person by his friends. Dave has touched more peoples lives than anyone I have ever known.

· Dave often used his vast vocabulary to come up with one-word definitions of a person. I never did find out what he had for me. The one I would use for Dave was “Gracious.”

· Finally TGATM 64 –“Don’t take life too seriously. You’re not getting out alive anyway.”

Anyway, as Wet Spot manager Bret, who has worked for Dave for over twenty years, said to me last night, the real surprise is that Dave lived as long as he did, and now his suffering has finally ended. So, we can both mourn his passing and celebrate the memories he left us.

Here’s what else happened yesterday:

Swan participated in her first 10K running event.

If it looks dark, that’s because it was an early morning run. She left home a little after three in the morning.

Good job, my love.

While Swan was doing her new thing, I undertook responsibility for the Sunday Sweets Stroll. Didn’t want to disappoint the kiddies two weeks in a row (the typhoon stymied us last Sunday). After the run, Swan spent some time with the neighbors at Treasure Island while I attended to the Hideaway feeding.

Then Swan and I met up at John’s place for our Sunday dinner.

As I mentioned earlier, after dinner we hung out at Green Room and Wet Spot, remembering our times there with Daddy Dave. Swan even had the rare second glass of wine, but we still made it home before the 9 pm old man bedtime.

My buddy Scott put together a photo collage of the sunset as seen from The Rite Spot earlier this week:

The Corona Hash group has a new adventure planned for January.

I’ve fantasized about doing a hike like that ever since I saw the video of a group he made the trek back in 2011. Alas, my physical ability is no longer up to the task. It’s going to be all mountains, no concrete. And knowing Corona, they won’t be taking any easy trails. I wish them well, but I’ll just do a wussy trip to Da Nang, Vietnam instead.

And here’s the YouTube video of those who went before. I would if I could, but I can’t, so I won’t. But damn, it looks like the adventure of a lifetime. Hmm, it won’t let me post that video for some reason. I guess you’ll have to click this link instead.

From the August 2015 LTG archives are the stories of buying the last car I will ever own and of eating at a new barbecue joint in Itaewon. Sometimes it’s the little things that make life worth living.

Facebook memories reminded me of the fucked up world we were living in four years ago:

And we’ll finish this post with the usual bad humor:

Okay, time to get psyched for today’s Hash run. Leech My Nuggets is the Hare, so I’m expecting an ass-kicker. I’ve seen the map for today’s trail, and if I play it smart, I can keep it at one big climb at the start and a lesser effort about halfway through. Problem is, I’ve been struggling on the little hills in the neighborhood lately. I’m going to try it anyway. After all, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

I hope I’ll be back to post all about it here tomorrow.

If this email is to be believed, it appears my website has been cleansed of the malware infection.

Your SMART scanner has been hard at work! During a recent scan, it found some malware and automatically removed it from your website. We are happy to report that your site is now clean and malware-free.

Let me know if you see any signs to the contrary.

On to yesterday, then. There was the Friday group hike to attend to.

Shortly after we started, I decided to take a pee at a gas station we passed. I wound up on my knees on the sidewalk.

There were some workers clearing weeds and a woman who appeared to be in charge. We approached her and asked if we might have a look around. She consented to our trespassing.

Back home and hungry, Swan made me lunch.

When it was time to head into town, we started with dinner at Jewel Cafe.

We crossed the highway for a drink or two at Red Bar, then did our nightcap at Jumpin’ Jacks. And that’s how we filled the hours on our Friday.

On to July 2015 in the LTG archives. It has been interesting (to me) to read about things I would have otherwise totally forgotten. Like this chance encounter with a crazy guy in my Itaewon hangout, Shenanigans. Sometimes the meaningless moments are part of the milestones on this journey we call life.

It’s been a while since we’ve checked in with Smart Girl Philippines. Well, here she is talking about why the Christmas season is the best time of the year for sex.

And you may enjoy these:

And with that, I’ll sign off for today.

This song takes me back to those long-haired hippy-freak days, the first time I lived through the 70s.

Here we go again. But before I get started about yesterday, I have some comments about comments. Amongst my handful of loyal readers, some actually share their thoughts in the comments section. Unsurprisingly, those comments often have more substance than the original post (admittedly, that’s a low bar). So, if you haven’t done so already, I invite you to read the exchange between me and commenter Brian in the post “Getting on with it.” Honestly, interactions like those are my favorite part of blogging.

When it was time for the Wednesday Walkers to convene, we decided to keep it mostly on the street. So, we grabbed a Jeepney and rode it out to Waltermart on the far side of Subic town, then walked the backroads home.

Yeah, I’m at the back of the pack in most of these photos. I’m slow on a good day, but yesterday I had pain in my left ankle for some reason, and it hobbled my progress. I woke up in pain during the night as well and required some Tylenol to get back to sleep. I took a day off from walking this morning.

That ankle didn’t stop me from heading back out at beer o’clock either.

We visited Green Room next, and enjoyed our nightcap at Wet Spot. Then we rolled on home. No complaints about my Wednesday. Keep ’em coming!

Moving on to May 2015 in the LTG archives, and in this rambling post, I talk about giving up cigarettes and being grumpy. Those two things may be related, but I haven’t smoked for ten years now, and I’m grumpier than ever. Go figure.

Today’s YouTube video is something a little different for me, talking about death and the spiritual being within our human body. I don’t buy it, but since it is only five minutes long, you may want to decide for yourself.

Let’s lighten our load with these:

Okay then, we are done for today. Swan is having a gathering of lady friends up at The Rite Spot on the Roof this afternoon. I made some chili, cornbread muffins, and brownies for the event. I’ve got plenty of beer on ice for me and any menfolk who may come along. Nothing wrong with sticking close to home for a change.

Here I am riding out the storm at a cheap ass (900 peso per night) love motel with crap internet, so we shall see if this post makes it up or not. Anyway, here’s how my surviving Super Typhoon Uwan has gone so far.

Right after I left the house to feed the gals at Hideaway, the power went out in Alta Vista. And it has been out ever since. I was surprised because we went dark before the storm had hit with any real force. And knowing that, it didn’t bode well for it being restored anytime soon. I proved to be right about that. Anyway, the feeding at Hideaway went fine, then I met Swan at John’s place for dinner

Hmm, the internet isn’t working for uploading photos, even on my mobile hotspot. Must be storm-related. So, that takes a lot of the fun out of blogging. Oh well, Swan surprised me by ordering a pasta dish. I, in turn, surprised her by ordering birria tacos so she could satisfy her weekly addiction.

After dinner, we stuck to our Sunday routines with a stop at Red Bar.

We normally make Jumpin’ Jacks our venue for the Sunday nightcap, but they were closed because of the storm, so we moved on to Cheap Charlies. We had to sit at the bar because the wind was slamming the plastic curtains against the counter space. There was definitely an end-of-the-world vibe going on. So, knowing there was still no power at the house, we agreed that getting a room in Barretto was our best option for the night. I figured the lights might not stay on in Barretto either, so a hotel with a generator was the main requirement. The nicer places were a wet walk up the highway, while the Anbon Hotel was just across the highway near the It Doesn’t Matter Bar. I confirmed they had a working generator and booked my cheap room. I’m not saying it’s the worst room I’ve ever stayed in, but it is in the top ten of the bad ones.

Rules and electricity. We took a trike back to the house, grabbed some fresh clothes and toiletries, and triked back to our room. Seeing as how the It Doesn’t Matter Bar was steps away, we settled in for a drink before bedtime. And sure enough, the power went out in Barretto. I heard the generator kick on at Anbon, so I was happy with my choice. I was also surprised that IDM has a generator as well. The Barretto outage lasted only about 30 minutes.

Wow! The old man stayed out late last night! One good thing about going to bed later than usual was that it meant less time dealing with the discomfort of a shit bed and crappy pillows. We heard the wind and rain through the night, but there doesn’t appear to be any flooding or other visible damage here in Barretto.

Woke up hungry, so we ventured out in the rain in search of breakfast. The wind rendered our umbrellas worthless. Jewel Cafe is only a block away, but alas, they were closed, likely due to the storm. So, we moved down the highway to the Arizona Resort to eat.

And I ate like a hungry American:

I used to visit Arizona to eat frequently, but it’s on the wrong side of town with lots of other good options in between, so I just don’t make it here much nowadays. It was good to be back, though.

Walked back to the Anbon in the rain and checked on the status of power restoration at the house. It’s still a no-go. Check-out time here is noon, so it was decision time: do I stay or do I go? Welp, I’m down for spending 900 pesos to keep my laptop going and phone charged. If the power gets restored before bedtime tonight, we’ll just mosey on home. If not, it will be an easy crawl to the Anbon after the Hash.

Speaking of the Hash, I have no idea what’s in store for today. I can’t imagine it will be anything more than a street walk, and it might be even less than that (a bar crawl). Either way, I’ll be there!

Back to March 2015 in the LTG archives, and the big news in this post is that my Uncle Sam rehired me! I had retired as a GS-15 Human Resources Director and returned as a GS-13 Labor Relations Specialist — the same job I had when I first came to Korea.

Coincidentally, on this date in my history on Facebook:

For today’s YouTube video, we’ll stick with the typhoon theme. Lots of places got hit a lot harder than we did. (I didn’t watch this, so can’t vouch for its accuracy.)

And now for these:

Damn, this post was one of the hardest to write, logistically speaking—slow internet, no mouse, and some keyboard issues. Oh well, I did the best I could with what I had to work with. Still raining outside with a brisk breeze, but things aren’t as bad as I expected. We’ll see what happens next.

Busy day ahead. Riding with the neighbors, Martin and Joss, for the two-hour drive to the Tumangan River in Botolon. We are departing in two hours, so here’s the lowdown on what yesterday was all about. I’m going to start with how it ended and work my way back to the start. Why? Because I can!

Sorry, I forgot to get a shot of the most important thing: the fondue cheese sauce we dipped those tasty bites in. I can’t remember the last time I’ve enjoyed a fondue meal, but this one was the best ever. Hanging with the neighbors is always a good time, and we’ll have another full day of it today.

As mentioned in my previous post, we had the twice-yearly 7-Eleven Hash run yesterday. The concept of the event is that the group takes a predetermined walk, visiting convenience stores along the way. The other part of the deal is that participants buy and drink a beer at each stop. As much as I enjoy beer drinking, that is something I decline to do. As regular readers know, I’m a walkaholic by day and an alcoholic at night. I prefer not to mix those two passions. Others in our group filled that gap, and the walk concluded successfully.

Here are some photos I took along the way:

Oops! I just now realized that I forgot to get a photo of stop #8 on our quest. Sorry about that. For the record, it was a 7-Eleven convenience store.

The rest of the group arrived to join us, and then the ritual of connecting the empty beer cans consumed on our trek commenced.

Anyway, I’m glad the 7-Eleven runs only take place twice a year. Still, it was something different and I enjoyed myself. We did our after-Hash at IDM, and then it was time to head home and get ready for the dinner date next door I talked about at the beginning of this post.

Yikes! Look at the time! I’d better get my ass ready for today’s adventure.

But before I go, I’ll share this post from the February 2015 LTG archives about my glory days as a darter in Itaewon.

And today’s YouTube video is one of mine as well.

Some quick humor:

Time for me to go. At least tomorrow I’ll have something different to write about. This is my first time going to Botolon.

The big news from my Saturday was that for the first time in my Hash career, I did TWO separate Hash trails on the same day. And I actually enjoyed them for the most part. Here are the options I faced that led me to my decision:

What to do? I opted to join the group departing at ten a.m. The short trail started with and followed the long trail for the first 3K. At the junction with the medium trail, the short trail ended, and the long and medium trails continued together to the On-Home. It took me a little over one hour to finish the short trail, but I had no regrets about my choice. Trying to do over 9K on a hot day would have been pushing it. The downside (other than waiting 30 minutes for the slowpokes to complete the short trail) was getting back to Bauang before 1 p.m., and the Hash gathering didn’t begin until 3. And then I had the bright idea of doing the 2:30 short trail, a 4K walk to the On-Home venue. La Union Hash called it their “VIP trail,” which is their nice way of saying what we call the “wimp trail” in Subic. Regardless, doing both short trails gave me a sweet 7K-plus experience that was the right fit for me.

Swan and I returned to our room at the Go Resort and rested for an hour before heading back to the Tropical Garden, where the VIP short trail began.

One of them got drawn, and I selected a pair of hiking shoes.

We also got a swag bag that included this nifty towel-like thing.

The Circle ended at six, but the beer stayed open until seven. Of course, Zero was not available, and being mindful of my drinking history in La Union, I exercised discretion and left shortly after the Circle concluded. The Hash provided Jeepney transport back into Buang-proper, and given our early departure, we had the Jeepney all to ourselves.

I had a couple of more beers at the hotel and also a delicious banana split. Swan stayed up late playing cards with the girls, but I was snug in my bed before 9 p.m. So, no misbehavior on my final night in La Union.

From the November 2014 LTG archives, I wrote about the circumstances of my first marriage thirty-nine years earlier. What triggered those reflections was receiving a letter from the Catholic Diocese advising that the ex-wife was seeking an annulment. I had no objections to her getting right with God after marrying a heretic like me.

I also found today’s YouTube video in the LTG archives. It’s a short comedy piece entitled “What Kind of Asian Are You?” I enjoyed seeing it again after all these years; perhaps you will too.

Hey, we are on a roll with the comedy, so let’s do these:

And enough of this shit. I made it back safe and sound to Barretto, and I’ll be hanging with the neighbors tonight. I’ve got my Zero bottles chillin’ in the fridge to welcome me home at the appointed hour.

Yes, I know “grouphike” isn’t one word, but I used it that way so it would fit better with those other nine-letter words: adventure and nightmare. That’s the most accurate description for this week’s trek of the Wednesday (hey, nine letters!) Walkers. I had suggested to the group that we head out to Subic Hills and take the back way from there to Castillejos. It’s a hike I’d done three or four times, but it had been a year or so since the last occasion. Things change, and we found ourselves in a sticky situation early on, but fought our way through. And then our trail was blocked, so we blazed a new one, only to discover our way ahead was impeded by a fence. The fence was too weak to climb over, so we crawled under. In doing so, I took some flesh off of my knee, but on we trudged, wading the river and finding our way back to the highway. There, we got a Jeepney home to Barretto. Exciting shit, eh? Here are some pictures to help with the visualization:

Until this happened:

We eventually fought our way through, but it wasn’t a pleasant experience.

The rest of the day went fine: Drinks at Red Bar, dinner at Sit-n-Bull, and a nightcap at Wet Spot. Then home again. That’s just how this old-timer rolls.

It is now October 2014 in the LTG archives. And damn, even eleven years ago, the emptiness of my life was something to blog about. It didn’t help that the woman I loved wasn’t with me. Little did I know that she wouldn’t be joining me in the USA ever again.

Today’s YouTube video is also from the October 2014 LTG archives. But this video is a news clip about my son’s decision to donate a kidney. I raised a good one. He’d probably say no thanks to you. And so it goes.

I could use a little humor right about now:

Alright, time for a quick nap before I head to the hospital for my appointment with the pulmonary doctor. Here’s hoping I have good news to share tomorrow.

I mentioned yesterday that there has been a whole lotta shakin’ going on lately here in the Philippines. Another earthquake yesterday, and this time it was close enough that I felt it.

Otherwise, it was just another day in the life.

We moved our Sunday routines to Saturday this week.

With my Hideaway duty done, I got on with the rest of my evening.

Honestly, I’m wondering how much longer John’s will be around. Last night, there wasn’t even a waitress to serve us. The kitchen staff brought our drinks and took our order, then headed back to the kitchen to prepare our food.

After eating, we made our weekly visit to Red Bar.

Then it was on to Jumpin’ Jacks for our nightcap.

And then we called it a night and triked on home. It may not seem like much, but this is enough for now, and I appreciate what I have. I know I’ll miss these days when they are gone.

Onward in the June 2014 LTG archives, and it was nice to remember a delicacy from my Korea days: the tasty egg-a-burger. I do believe I’ll have Swan try her hand at making one of these for me.

Nine years ago, I was experiencing my first visit to Pattaya. Here’s some of what I saw there:

In today’s YouTube video, Smart Girl Philippines shares the meaning of some dating terms here in the PI. I’d heard of some of them, with LBFM being one of the first I encountered.

Laugh if you want:

Now it is time to get moving on with the rest of my Sunday, including attending an RSL (Returned Services League, the Australian equivalent of the VFW) charity event. There’s a big money raffle taking place, so I’ll let you know tomorrow if I strike it rich.

And yesterday was better than nothing, so there you go. Like everyone else, I was shocked and saddened by the murder of Charlie Kirk. It’s been sickening reading the shit some of my lefty Facebook friends have posted disparaging Kirk and all but saying he had it coming.

Well, that’s where we are, it seems…if you aren’t a good little sheep, you deserve to die.

Death also found another Barretto expat yesterday.

I have also heard that Dave Fisher, owner of Wet Spot and Green Room, is in the ICU at St. Luke’s Hospital in Manila. The man is an icon in Barretto, and he is in his 80s, fighting cancer and other ailments. The outlook is grim, but if anyone can find his way back from this situation, it’s Dave. Keep fighting!

Meanwhile, what I call life keeps rolling along. It may not seem like much, but I do often pause and gaze at the beauty that surrounds me. I’m thankful that I still have the ability to get out and enjoy my hikes and my evenings on the town. I don’t think I’m doing badly for an old guy, and I’ll be content to continue living this life for as long as I can.

Swan joined me for a Thursday morning stroll. I offered her two options: the walk to Waltermat or the Philseco loop. She chose Philseco because “it’s shorter.” I didn’t have the heart to tell her both hikes are right at 7K. We do Philiseco about once a month, and to change it up a little this time, we walked it in reverse. I was surprised at what a difference that made, including finding all the twists and turns that come naturally when we walk in the other direction.

Nothing worthy of a photograph during our evening out. Started at Sloppy Joe’s and finished at Green Room. Same old, same old, but I’m glad to be around to enjoy it.

Here’s the latest on my lack of water situation:

I try hard not to let the past impact the present. It’s hard sometimes. Like this post from the April 2013 LTG archives documenting my Las Vegas wedding ceremony with Jee Yeun. I said then it was the fourth and last time. Turns out I was right, just not in the way I expected.

Today’s YouTube video also comes from the LTG archives. I posted this twelve years ago, but seeing it again today felt like the first time. That’s scary, but the video is still funny. So, where would we be if man obeyed God? Watch and find out!

The joke’s on me:

So, onward with the day. The SOB has been canceled once again, which is really no surprise. I do hope they do one final goodbye show in the future.

Even for a worthless Tuesday. Not that I’m complaining, it will just make the good days seem better. I’ll keep this post as short and painless as possible, fair enough?

The hardest part of my grocery shopping yesterday was getting there.

Anyway, we made it to the YBC supermarket thirty minutes later than usual, but no big deal. I couldn’t help but notice the background music in the store was Christmas carols. Oh yeah, it’s the BER months here in the Philippines.

Finished the shopping, got home, and didn’t feel like doing my usual neighborhood stroll, so I didn’t. Later in the afternoon, it being Tuesday and all, we headed to Baloy Beach so Swan could get her toes in the sand fix.

As usual, we strolled down to the far end of the beach and stopped in at Kokomo’s for some liquid refreshments at the Tiki Bar. Except they were closed. We went to the front lobby to find out what was going on, and the hotel was closed as well, without a soul in sight. Very strange. I messaged the owner to ask if everything was okay, but I haven’t yet received a response. Businesses on Baloy seem to be dying on the vine.

We decided to go ahead and have dinner at Treasure Island, and they were pretty busy for a Tuesday evening. The other guests were ordering banana splits and milkshakes, so the poor bartender barely had time to refresh my beverages.

It was too early (even for me!) to go home, so we grabbed a trike and headed to the Alaska Club. A guy at the next table remembered me from a previous meeting a couple of years ago. He told me he knows me from the blog. That’s always nice when it happens. Otherwise, the vibe at Alaska was off as well, with only two dancers, and my regular waitresses ignored me, so when I finished my beer, we left and went next door to Wet Spot (Swan brought the remainder of her wine with her). It was more pleasant there, so at least we ended our evening on a better note than it started.

Yeah, if that’s as bad as it gets, I’m a lucky bastard, I know.

It is still September 2012 in the LTG archives, and in this post, I recounted the tale of how I almost lost my son in Prescott, Arizona. Man, some memories are downright scary.

Speaking of memories, one of my early retirement projects was reading all the back issues of Life Magazine (who remembers that?). I think I made it to the early 1970s before growing weary of the journey. However, on the blog, I did link to an issue about the start of the Korean War and another about life in Korea in the 1950s.

In today’s YouTube video, Smart Girl Philippines provides some excellent dating advice. Not that I need it now.

Let’s end this on a high note:

Wow, I can still speak some of that language I learned when I moved to Arkansas.

And it wasn’t much. But better than nothing. And as a special reward for my reader(s), today’s post will be brief. You are welcome!

When beer o’clock arrived, there still wasn’t much worthy of note taking place. We started out at Sloppy Joe’s and took our usual street-side seats. The big screen TVs were blaring Australian Footy, which I find distracting, but there was a big group inside watching, so that’s what a sports bar strives for. There’s a beer distribution shop across the street, and they stack their cases of empty bottles on the sidewalk. This homeless dude was looking through the bottles for any that still had some beer left inside, and then he’d drink it. One of the more gross things I’ve witnessed recently. Swan said she was craving some chicken wings, so we shared an order. They were quite tasty. After we finished eating, we went next door to Green Room for our nightcap.

Waitress Chu said he was a first-time visitor. When we arrived, he was playing by himself, and instead of the usual eight-ball game, he was playing nine-ball. I’d heard of it, but never actually seen it before. Damn, this guy was shooting at a pro level that was quite impressive. He eventually started playing against some of the bargirls, and they were out of their league. I found the massacre somehow entertaining. But all good things must come to an end, and when eight o’clock chimed, we headed for home.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. It really wasn’t as bad as it seemed, at least by my low standards.

In the LTG archives from August 2012 is a post about my Uncle Bud (my father’s brother), who served as ball turret gunner on a B-17 bomber during World War II. That proved to be my final visit with Bud, who passed away a few years later, well into his nineties. Yep, more of those long-lasting McCrarey genes.

Today’s YouTube video is from a vlogger I don’t particularly care for, Philly in the Phillpines, but I was enticed to watch because he’s posting from Siargao island’s city of General Luna, a place I’ve never been but will be visiting in November. I’ll be staying at a beach resort, so I won’t have to worry about parking.

And we will end this post with a smile:

Okay, I’m in the midst of my Sunday routines. So, I don’t expect much new or exciting, but the venues will be different, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to be out and about.

Surprise, I survived my final Hash in the sixties. Bring on the big seven-oh, biatch! Yesterday’s trail didn’t even necessitate shortcutting, although I did shave off a half a click or so by picking up the trail in Alta Vista instead of the starting point at the Bella Monte Hotel. We had one moderately difficult climb that included going up via a creek bed with running water, but once we got to the top, it was relatively smooth sailing on the familiar My Bitch trail. Well, except for the heavy rain that hit us about halfway through the journey. Oh well, I was wet with sweat by then anyway.

One of my least favorite Hash rituals, but at least it only happens once a year. I had the foresight, based on experience, to bring a change of clothes.

The after-Hash gathering at It Doesn’t Matter followed, then home for some sleep in preparation for my final day of being 69.

It’s now May 2012 in the LTG archive journey, and in this post, I joined a union of bloggers calling out terrorist Bret Kimmberlin for his attempts to silence his critics. That was the only time I’ve heard of bloggers doing an organized response like this. Hopefully, it helped. Just checked Wikipedia and the asshole is still alive and one year older than me.

Today’s YouTube video from Smart Girl Philippines is full of tips I don’t need and can’t use. All I’ve got to do is ask. Still, she’s always fun to watch.

Let’s try these on for size:

Time to get on with my last day of being 69. Nothing exciting so far, shopping day and more prep for the big party tomorrow. I know there is some beer in my near future, just not sure where yet. I’ll be back tomorrow with some seventy-year-old perspectives.

Some sad details about the passing of the Jumpin’ Jacks bartender, Vangie. She died in the restroom at work. After being away from the bar for thirty minutes or so, someone went to check on her and found a lifeless body. It was apparently a heart attack that killed her. I’d only met her a couple of months ago, but she was sweet and fun to be around. I’m going ti miss seeing her smiling face.

In news from the land of the living, where I blessedly still reside, I made it through another Hash yesterday. It was a half-assed effort that still managed to kick my ass.

The usual after-Hash Tomfoolery at IDM, then off to home to rest up for another day.

It’s a new year (2012) in the LTG archives, and on January 1, I actually wrote a meaningful post reflecting on the year behind that saw me lose both of my parents and the life to come (I applied for Jee Yeun’s fiancée visa). When I mailed the immigration papers at the post office, I looked up at the office upstairs, which I had occupied from 1986 through 1993, and this thought occurred to me:

And then a question came to mind.  If by some magic you could be shown your future life, would you want to view it?

And today I wondered what would the me of back then have thought upon seeing the me of today mailing a letter of such importance and yet its contents were beyond my wildest imaginings just a few short years ago.   I hope I would have laughed at the absurdity of it all.

Despite all the hopes and dreams and best laid plans, we are after all destined to live in the moment.  I never envisioned this life that I’ve lived turning out as it did.  The detours and heartbreaks and disappointments all inevitably led me back to this place, but changed me almost completely from who that man looking down from the window way back then.  And I don’t just mean those extra pounds around my belly.  All those experiences that I never planned for, dreamed about, or even knew that I desired have not necessarily made me better, and I certainly hope not worse.  But this is who I have become, and I am glad for it.

I’m not going to answer my own question directly because I don’t know if someone had shown me the road ahead back then that I would have had the courage to follow it.

Of course, the life I was building in 2012 came crashing down around me a few short years later, leading me to this one in the Philippines. Would I have wanted to know what lay ahead? Probably not. I could have missed the pain, but I would have missed the dance.

I also came across this old photo I had forgotten even existed:

Yesterday, I shared a YouTube video from a newly discovered vlogger, Home Base PH, recounting five things you won’t like about the Philippines. Today’s version is him recounting five things you will like. Once again, I mostly agree with him, although I can’t really say I’ve given the local cuisine a fair chance.

Maybe these will make you smile:

Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared 'neath the stars above
For a moment, all the world was right
How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye

And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end, the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance

Holding you, I held everything
For a moment, wasn't I a king
But if I'd only known how the king would fall
Hey who's to say you know I might have changed it all

And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end, the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance

Yes, my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance