Spent an interesting few hours yesterday on the old Navy base. That’s what I call it anyway, but it is technically the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ) although it often called SBMA (Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority) which is the unelected government agency that runs things in what is really a complex community of people, businesses, and manufacturers. It was a huge U.S. Navy base back in the day, but what is most surprising to me is just how diverse the landscape really is. You’ve got the urban areas, the ship docks, and the big factories; but also I’d reckon more than half of the base remains in its jungle-like natural state. Quite beautiful indeed!
I had occasion to visit one such area yesterday along with five others from our Wednesday hiking group. We went in search of new trails to explore as we are growing a little bored with the same old, same old here in Barretto. And we were not disappointed, although it did seem at first we might be. When we reached our intended starting point, the road was blocked by SBMA police who told us non-residents were not allowed. So we moved on down the road and found an actual trailhead and set about exploring it. And explore we did as most of the time we were clueless about where we were or where we were going. We spent over three hours making our way along muddy paths through the jungle. I did manage to fall only twice on the 10K hike.
The route we took…Heading on out in search of a trail.By golly, I do believe we found one! It was technically closed but no guards at this entrance. The Aeta referenced in the sign is what the indigenous people of the Philippinesare called. Apparently there is a small village nearby, although we never found it.
A babbling brook. Or maybe it was a gurgling stream…But we found a bridge to safely cross it… The first half of the trail was well-maintained and a pleasure to hike.We came upon these Aeta folks doing some work on the trail. They invited us to join them for coffee. We declined but shared some cookies with them.Onward I go!It was a hot day. My shorts are drenched in sweat. Yeah, I know it looks like I pissed myself, but I didn’t. I swear!Up we go.Up top things cleared out and we found this solitary house.So I gave some cookies to one of the residents.It was quite beautiful up there.Moving on.The nightmare started on the way down. Steep and slick. I found it hard to keep my feet, which made for slow going.But we did eventually make it back to civilization. This old Quonset hut was one of the few vestiges of the former US Navy presence that we saw.We were tired, hungry, and thirsty at the conclusion of our hike so we popped into an SBMA restaurant called Vasco’s. This was the view from our table.
We stopped at the newest bar in Barretto, The Green Room, on the way home and had a few more beers. I got home around 4, took a shower then fell asleep. Hence, I failed to post this report yesterday. Sorry!
The reason I ask is because the comments to my previous post have given me lots of food for thought. Quite a bit to digest. While I chew them over let me share some photos from yesterday’s Hash.
Leech My Nuggets was the Hare. He’d been stuck in Australia for months, so it was could to have him back. He always does a challenging and well-marked trail–yesterday was no exception. Right around 6K.We gathered up at our starting point in Alta Vista……and then we headed on out.Over a river…….and through a rice paddy…And onward we marched. Almost like Christian soldiers.There were rickety bridges to navigate along the way.And hills to climb. Actually, there was only one real hard up, long and steep. First time on that trail, so it was interesting. Actually, the steep and slippery downhill proved to be more challenging.Catching our breath about halfway up.The view was nice.This one too.Oddly enough, this was one of my favorite views throughout the hike.I dispensed with some cookies……and candy along the way.On Home at Hunter’s Jo Inn… Ships in the bay…and some Gash on ice.Two virgin Hashers successfully completed their initiation.We ran out of beer right when the circle ended, so I took a trike back to Barretto and grabbed my regular stool at Mango’s. Beach was deserted at low tide.
Other than the beer issue, it was a fine Hash indeed. Thanks for coming along.
The first of several lockdown Sundays to come but I’ll be damned if I’m going to take it lying down. Luckily, Subic is right on the other side of the river and they are not under the onerous restrictions imposed by Olongapo/Barretto. So I spent some time in their neck of the woods this morning. More on that a bit later in this post.
As is becoming my custom, I spent the curfew abbreviated evening at Mango’s yesterday. The view of the beach was especially enjoyable:
Not often you can view a full moon so early in the day.
It is very unusual to see a Filipina in a string bikini. Most of the time they wear shorts and a t-shirt when they swim. She and her guy (on the left) were staying at the ICove hotel next door to Mango’s. Probably up from Manila. Those big-city girls can be a little wild I’m told.
And then I wound up doing something stupid. I probably got away with it this time, but I’m pretty disappointed in myself. When will I ever learn?
Decisions, decisions…
Speaking of things that didn’t go as planned, Facebook reminded me this morning that it was just four years ago when I was wondering where things might go with this one:
Ah, Eun Oke. For every time that we spent laughing there were two times that I cried.
Anyway, I decided to push myself this morning and did a little more than 14K in just over three hours. It was a bit much for these tired old legs, I was really dragging ass at the end. A voice in my head kept whispering “take a trike home, no one will know or care!” But I said fuck that and kept on plodding along until I was safely back to Casa Rosenda.
My destination this morning was the WalterMart on the far side of Subic town. I took the Subic bypass road getting thee and the National highway coming back. I’d done this walk once before several months agp. It’s mostly flat thankfully, but I just don’t seem to have more than 10K in me in one go these days.
I’ve got some pictures if you want to see some of what I saw:
No rain this morning but a brief shower right when I got home. I’m not sure why but I found this cloud formation pleasant to look at.The familiar path leading out of Alta Vista. This was about the only portion of the walk that wasn’t paved.My first river crossing of the day.Easter mountain towers above the rice paddies…The Govic bypass highway to Subic. Mostly empty but for a few shanties and shacks here and there. Not much traffic today which was nice.About an hour later I was back in civilization, such as it is.Destination achieved! It was right at 7K from my house. I walked through the mall but didn’t visit any of the stores.The National highway going into Subic Town. I always assumed the walk was longer via the bypass but they both proved to be about the same at 7K. Yeah, it’s blurry. Sorry, something about standing in the middle of the road made me nervous I guess.Subic Town Hall.Not sure if you can make him out, but there is a little boy fishing in those nasty waters.Now, this freaked me out. Once the lift basket reached its apex, this young man got out and climbed up into the tree. No rope, no safety harness. Then he began sawing away at one of the branches. I couldn’t bear to watch. One false step would likely be fatal.Also walked by where we will be holding the On-Home for tomorrow’s Hash. Leech My Nuggets is the Hare and I’m sure the trail he chooses will be much more difficult than what I walked today. Probably shorter though.Crappy map, but this is all I got. I guess it provides an idea of how I got there and back.And so concludes today’s lockdown post. Beats sitting on the couch and watching TV, that’s for sure!
And now I reckon I’ll pop open a beer, sit on the couch, and watch some TV.
Let’s take a break from posts about love and relationships, shall we?
Well, maybe. As much as I enjoy imbibing I really don’t like to drink early in the day. I’m one of those five o’clock guys. Although I do make exceptions, like at the end of a group hike.
Speaking of group hikes, I did a nice 8K trek with Scott and Troy on Friday.
That would be Scott……and this would be Troy……not to mention me. Well, I guess I just did.Walked past my mountain family’s place for the first time in a while. Grandma has her own shack now, with a dog and everything!The thatch grass was in full flower. Pain in the ass to walk through.The views were nice though.Came down off the mountain into a small enclave and encountered these friendly kiddies…Rewarded those smiles with some cookies…Big girls need sweets too. Well, maybe this one should lay off the candy some…I had enough for them too…It’s the season to plant that rice. Up on top of the hill in the back is my Alta Vista subdivision. Two different worlds.
At the conclusion of the hike, we did lunch at Sit-n-Bull then moseyed over to Cheap Charlies for some additional liquid refreshment. As I said, that was an exception to the early in the day drinking rule.
Came home and took a nap, did a blog post, and then went back into town. Hey, I had a good excuse–I needed to find mama and give her her daily dinner money. It was raining when I found her camped out in front of the Chill Inn, a hotel that hasn’t reopened since the pandemic hit. And since the Chill Inn is practically next door to Cheap Charlies, well, what’s a beer drinker to do?
This morning I did a long hike on my own out to the old Navy base and back, right around 10K. I was feeling it by the time I got back home. I seem to be losing my walking stamina of late.
This tree was in bloom which I thought made a nice juxtaposition with the hillside cemetery. Unfortunately, my lack of photography skills didn’t capture the moment as I viewed it. Oh well, it’s the thought that counts, right?A tranquil morning on the bay.
So, the latest outrage is that in addition to our face masks we are now required to wear a face shield on public transportation.
My latest humiliation. Just when you think it can’t get any stupider, it does.
Now, I don’t ride Jeepneys or trikes all that much. But it just so happens the On-Home for Monday’s Hash is in Calapadayan. That’s too far and too dangerous to walk home from after drinking. Which means I’ve got to figure out how I’m going to carry this shield with me on the Hash. I really hate lugging my backpack on an already tough trail, but I may have no choice. Oh well.
Maybe it’s just me, but I thought this was kinda funny…
That’s it for today, folks!
Just another gnarly post for your viewing pleasure.
It’s not my way to love you just when no one’s looking It’s not my way to take your hand if I’m not sure It’s not my way to let you see what’s going on inside of me When it’s a love you won’t be needing, you’re not free
Please stop pulling at my sleeve if you’re just playing If you won’t take the things you make me want to give I never cared too much for games and this one’s driving me insane You’re not half as free to wander as you claim
But I’m easy I’m easy Give the word and I’ll play your game As though that’s how it ought to be Because I’m easy
Well, for those of you who have been following along with my adventures in love, here’s an update on yesterday’s meeting with the latest woman to trip my triggers.
I’m not going to name the woman here because I don’t want to have to password-protect the post. Let’s just call her Janey. When we arranged the rendezvous Janey had two items on her agenda to discuss–her stress and us. Turns out the stress was not induced by me, rather it all revolved around issues with her current (other?) boyfriend. Now, I’m only getting one side of the story so I take her criticisms with a certain amount of skepticism, but from what she reports the guy does seem to have some odd behaviors. Some of which might even raise some serious concerns about the man’s moral character. I’ll leave it at that for now, but it did seem apparent that Janey is in the “more I learn about this guy, the less I like him” mode. I asked some questions for clarification and to have her think through some of her feelings and fears, but otherwise did not state an opinion or interject myself in her efforts to reach conclusions about the value of the relationship.
One thing that took me aback was just how little time they have known each other. They met in November and only spent a month or so together before the guy returned home. I asked how long he has been coming to the Philippines and Janey said he’s made three trips in all, each approximately six months in length. He met her on his first trip to Subic last year. Apparently things moved fast after that. I have to say though the guy doesn’t strike me as too bright. Who in the hell buys a house in a town he has only visited once? And puts the damn thing in the name of a woman he’s spent only a month with. Rookie mistakes for sure. It might just turn out he’s going to pay a high price for his ignorance.
Don’t lead me on if there’s nowhere for you to take me If loving you would have to be a sometime thing I can’t put bars on my insides My love is something I can’t hide It still hurts when I recall the times I’ve cried
But I’m easy I’m easy Take my hand and pull me down I won’t put up any fight Because I’m easy
And so now it was time to talk about “us”. Janey essentially wanted to know if there was still an us. I reminded her that I had already said that I was taking a step back to allow her to decide the future she wanted to pursue without pressure or influence from me. I told her my feelings hadn’t changed but given the circumstances, there was nothing I could do about pursuing a relationship. She was already in one. I wanted more but considering she didn’t even want to be seen with me in public I would just have to content myself with biding my time until she made a decision. I reassured her that I would still be here for her anytime she needed me as a friend or someone to talk to.
I guess she was okay with that because we went upstairs and had amazing sex.
When we were finished I fed her some meatballs I had prepared in the crockpot. Then I put on some music. The playlist had a country sound going on and when Darius Rucker’s “Wagon Wheel” came on I gave her some twists and turns in her first experience with country swing dancing. She seemed to enjoy that.
And a bit later when Keith Carradine’s “I’m Easy” played I tried to sing along but got a little choked up. I guess it hit a bit too close to home.
When it was time to leave I accompanied Janey to the highway. She preferred to walk rather than take a trike so I said my goodbyes. No hug or kiss, of course, we were in public. It still felt weird somehow.
So, I don’t know if anything was resolved or not. At this point, I don’t feel ready to walk away but I’m prepared to go on with my life in the interim. Perhaps Janey is feeling the same way. She sent me this message this morning:
I want to be happy, I don’t want to be sad anymore… If you find something more than me just go ahead baby. I don’t want to hold you back. I love you but I want you to be happy. Life is so short.
That works for me I guess. It’s not like I have any choice. I’m easy.
Don’t do me favors, let me watch you from a distance ‘Cause when you’re near, I find it hard to keep my head And when your eyes throw light at mine It’s enough to change my mind Make me leave my cautious words and ways behind
That’s why I’m easy Ya, I’m easy Say you want me, I’ll come running Without taking time to think Because I’m easy Ya, I’m easy Take my hand and pull me down I won’t put up any fight Because I’m easy Ya, I’m easy Give the word, I’ll play your game As though that’s how it ought to be Because I’m easy
Heh, not sure why I’m channeling R. Crumb this afternoon. I’ve fond memories of his work from my years as a pothead but I ain’t been that kind of dope since the 1970s. Except for that trip to Amsterdam, but that’s another story.
Anyway, today’s story doesn’t amount to shit but that won’t stop me from telling it. Hey, it’s what I do! Let’s get started.
I picked up my darts for the first time in months yesterday afternoon. Practiced for an hour and scraped off some of the rust. I don’t deem myself ready for competition just yet though. One of the issues I have is the tourneys start early afternoon and I just don’t like to drink beer that early in the day. What was that? Play without drinking? Seriously? Thousands of comedians out of work and you’re trying to be funny? Ain’t gonna happen.
Although when I went out at my preferred time of 5:00 p.m yesterday and settled down with my first beer it occurred to me that I only had a bit more than an hour before I’d have to make my way home in compliance with the 7:00 curfew. Damn, that’s barely enough time to catch a buzz. It looks like 4:00 will have to be my new normal starting time. Ah, the sacrifices one has to make to fight this damn virus.
The storm surge from this week’s deluge left the beach littered with the litter folks have been dumping in the bay. Disgusting.
I’ve been anticipating an invasion from China but was pretty surprised when I witnessed this on my morning dog walk:
This is just one small section of one street. Every curb in the neighborhood had thousands of these caterpillars making their way to somewhere like they were in rush hour traffic. The photo does not capture the scale of what I’m talking about at all.
I don’t recall seeing these critters in these numbers before. I have no clue what will become of them, what they eat, or what eats them. For sure I’ve never seen them turn into butterflies. Weird times. At least none have made their way into my house. Yet. My neighbor Heidi posted this on Facebook today:
She’s lived here longer than me and seemed surprised by the invasion as well.
The Wednesday walk was more low key than usual. Scott wanted to keep it light and easy, so we just walked the streets of Barretto and Baloy. We got 9K in that way but it was boring.
Well, the Blue Rock floating bar was beached by the recent storms. All the other floating bars had been put into storage months ago. This is why.And that’s pretty much it for this worthless post.
A wet and mild trail yesterday but that was appropriate for the rainy weather we endured. A simple hike I’d done many times, starting in Alta Vista, through Marian Hills, a moderate climb to the ridgeline, and then an easy trek on My Bitch to our On-Home at Derelick’s place on Rizal Extension.
Which is not to say there wasn’t any excitement. As is my habit I was sitting on the screened porch with Derelick and a few other Hashers. Derelick called out to his helper to go close the front gate. Me, being the smartass that I am, picked up my phone, pretended to dial, and then said in a low voice “they are closing the gate now, but everyone is here. Proceed as planned”. And wouldn’t you know it, right after I put my phone down several uniformed police came in through the gate. Well, damn.
None of the cops came back to the porch area but instead interacted with the group of Hashers hanging out in the carport. I donned my facemask and stepped outside to get a better view of what was going on. My ex approached me and said she was leaving and I should leave too. I asked why and she told me they are talking about taking everyone to the police station for violating quarantine rules (gatherings of 10 or more are prohibited. We had around 30 in attendance). Well, I had not so fond memories of the time our Hash group had been detained by the Philippine Navy, so the idea of making a getaway sounded like a good one to me. As I walked past the police officers I heard one of them telling the group of foreigners that rules are rules and we are obligated to follow them. None of the cops paid me any attention as I moved towards the gate and slipped out. I was about ten minutes into my walk when the police van drove past me and I noticed there were no Hashers confined in the back. So, I decided to turn around and walk back to Derelick’s (all uphill) to see what happened.
The story as I understood it was that someone had called the cops to complain about a loud and large party taking place. Since this was the first day of the new more restrictive rules on gatherings I guess the police were looking to make an example out of someone. In the end, they didn’t, letting us off with a warning. The cops said if they were called again we’d all be detained and fined. Derelick explained that his housekeeper has been feuding with the neighbors and them dropping a dime on us was just retaliation. He didn’t think it was really a big deal.
Well, it did put a damper on things, that’s for sure. Buddy Fucker, our Grandmaster, canceled the ice delivery and declared there would be no circle. He later relented and conducted a modified circle for those who were scheduled for recognition. The Grandmaster also announced that the Hash would take a two-week hiatus to allow things to calm down a bit. I guess he later relented because I saw a post that we are doing a Hash next Monday, but the On-Home is being moved to Fuck a Duck’s house here in Alta Vista. That obviously works for me. It’s a great house (one of the nicest I’ve ever seen anywhere) and it is an easy stumble home for me afterward. So, it looks like it’s all good.
It was a short trail yesterday and it was raining so I didn’t take the phone out much for photos. Here are a few that I did manage to acquire:
The walk we walked. All familiar ground, but it’s saturation with water made for a bit of a challenge. I had some slips and trips, but thankfully no falls.And we are On-On!Approaching Marian Hills… Back with My Bitch. The thatch grass must be loving all this rain. Bigger and thicker than ever! It snot bad.Hot To Trot was sweet and kind enough to hang back with the old guy so I wouldn’t be alone on trail. I appreciated the company…Easter mountain on a rainy day.I always appreciate the messages that I know have been left specifically for my benefit and encouragement. Thank you, Jesus! Or Satan.Rizal Extension in all its wet glory.Back at the On-Home, the Hash Gashes were keeping an eye on the food they had prepared.A sad and quiet (no singing) modified Hash circle. Hopefully, we will be back to normal next week.
And there you have my weekly Hash report, chock full of the kind of excitement I just don’t need! Seriously, as a foreigner, I can certainly imagine the powers that be making an example of a flagrant violator of their oh so precious rules. That could involve a blacklisting from immigration forcing me to leave my adopted home.
Let’s just say I don’t want to do anything stupid!And that’s all for this post.
Here we are on Hash Monday and experiencing our third straight day of heavy rainfall. I guess I really shouldn’t complain. It’s been a relatively dry rainy season up to this point. And from what I’ve been seeing in South Korea our rainfall ain’t squat. But I don’t have to like it.
A nice enough view out my window I suppose, but you can have too much of a good thing as well.
I guess if I were looking for a silver lining in those clouds I could point to this:
This tree has been growing like a weed and the top of it began obstructing the view from my upstairs balcony. I was contemplating cutting it down but mother nature took care of that problem for me. Thank you! The bay is about as angry as I’ve seen it.
In other news, today is the beginning of yet another round of bullshit imposed by the local government ostensibly to fight the spread of COVID. I mentioned the 7:00 p.m. curfew and the Sunday lockdown already. But now there is also this:
Imprisoned in Olongapo for all intents and purposes.
Nobody leaves or enters Olongapo without having the proper travel documents and health clearance. That should make things interesting around here.
Well, based on these numbers the virus isn’t doing nearly as much damage to people’s lives as the government is.
I saw this on Facebook so I can’t vouch for its accuracy, but it does illustrate the point that the problems that are being exacerbated are far worse than anything the virus might do:
Each day, 95 children in the Philippines die from malnutrition. Twenty-seven out of 1,000 Filipino children do not get past their fifth birthday. A third of Filipino children are stunted, or short for their age. Stunting after 2 years of age can be permanent, irreversible and even fatal.” (UNICEF) So nearly 3,000 children a month not to include stunted growth issues. We are talking about 20,000 children died this year in Phillippines due to malnutrition. We have over 2209 total deaths of COVID since the virus outbreak (corona tracker) and in that time 20,000 children died of malnutrition. What is the priority? What is the focus?
I’ve been in the Sweden mindset since the beginning of this insanity. No lockdowns, no closures, no mandates; just the application of common-sense prevention measures. It seems to have worked out well for them.
Funny how that works.
Alright, time for this old man to climb down from his soapbox. But before I go, I do want to say this:
And get off my lawn!
Thanks for dropping by!
I had intended to include this in yesterday’s post. But it works here too I think.
Overcast with some rain this morning provided all the excuse I needed to forego getting off my lazy ass for a hike. Truth be told I’ve been extremely unmotivated of late. And I’ve got the belly to prove it. Ah well, I’ll step it up again soon.
But not in these:
One of the pairs of shoes I ordered arrived today. They were a steal at only 600 pesos ($12) but you get what you pay for. Very poor padding and cheap quality not suitable for trail hiking.
So now I’m not optimistic the three other pairs are going to be suitable either. Which is why I don’t normally by shoes online. I’m especially concerned about the fit. The sizing for ordering was in EU standards, so I looked up the conversion and it said EU45 was equivalent to US size 11. Well, the label on these shoes does say EU45 but it also says US size 10. They are too tight for sure, not that it matters since I will not be wearing them.
And if things weren’t bad enough, last night it was announced that the curfew is being dropped back to 7 p.m. and starting next week the Sunday lockdown is being reinstated.
It’s getting pretty fucking depressing.
Of course, my inconvenience is nothing compared to the impact this has on recently reopened businesses and the people they employ. It has been astounding to witness the lack of concern government officials have for the Filipino people. How much more ass rapes they will tolerate is unclear but I’ve noticed a lot more grousing from normally docile locals. The sorry shame of it all is the fucking virus doesn’t give a shit what time it is and these measures are worthless. The pandemic is going to run its course curfew or no. The open question is will more die from starvation or COVID? Stay tuned.
Alright, had a good hike from Kalaklan in Olongapo back to Barretto yesterday. Jim, Scott, and Trey were in attendance. Around 6K all told, but some challenging trails along the way. It was a beautiful day and I’ve got the pictures to prove it.
The path we walked took us up and down, then up and down, and we ended up at Cheap Charlies to rehydrate and enjoy some lunch.Off we go!Waiting on the old guy.Here he comes!Looking back at Olongapo we could see it was raining in the distance. Was it coming our way? Why yes it was! We were at least down from the mountain when it arrived though.A bay view to enjoy.And on we marched.There was candy to deliver…This little girl was too shy to accept my offering…So I took the candy around back and left it there… But smiles like these two gave me make it all worthwhile…Back to work!Get out of the way you two, you’re blocking the view!That’s better.Your wall ain’t gonna stop us!And neither will your fences!We walked until the cows came home then headed back down the mountain.I’ve certainly got no cause to complain about my lot in life.With the guys at Cheap Charlies.I hope you agree that this post is twice as nice!
That’s it for now. Saturday night looms, the last one with a 9 o’clock curfew for a while. I guess that calls for a celebration, right?
Just another wet and nasty post for your reading pleasure.
Yesterday there was a Hash “mismanagement” meeting held at Hunter’s Jo Inn in Calapadayan. Jim and I hiked out there in just a little over an hour. Pretty large turnout and some contentious moments, but we got through it. We voted to keep the Hashmobile, raise the price for the Hash to 400 pesos, and our new starting time will be at 2:00 p.m. henceforth.
I had spaghetti for lunch. It was actually quite good. Biggest serving I’ve seen though. I could only eat about half of it.
After the meeting, I wasn’t feeling up to the par. No energy and a strong case of the blahs. So, I made it an early evening and came home. I had had a sore throat the night before which affected my sleep. So I took a nap for an hour and still felt like shit when I woke up. Took my temperature and I was officially feverish at 38.9. What could these symptoms mean?
Well, we had the first reported COVID case in Barretto this week. That got my imagination going!
I took some ibuprofen for the fever and gargled some saltwater with cider vinegar for the throat. This morning my fever is gone and the soreness in my throat is on my neck, including some swelling. Not sure what’s up with that but I’m feeling reassured that I’ve dodged the COVID bullet. For now anyway.
Speaking of which, the latest in a long series of “let’s fuck with people” will be implemented new week:
First it was masks. Now face shields. I guess HAZMAT suits are on the horizon.
I mentioned in an earlier post that the only way bars could reopen was if they sold food. That’s more or less what is happening, although only two that I know of are requiring you to order something to eat prior to getting your drink. Anyway, this cracked me up:
Funny how that works.
In other news, I saw this classic parked on the street yesterday:
If I’m not mistaken, that’s a 1969 Chevrolet Impala. Looking pretty damn good for 50 years old!
Oh, and I had forgotten that I took a photo at the Royal grocery store while shopping on Tuesday. Tillamook is the best ice cream available, much richer and creamier than the local brands. Definitely my favorite.
But as much as I like it I can’t bring myself to spend almost ten bucks for a half-gallon. It used to be around $8. and I’d grit my teeth and buy it anyway. I guess those days are gone.
And that’s where things stand in my neck of the woods.
“The feelings that hurt most, the emotions that sting most, are those that are absurd – The longing for impossible things, precisely because they are impossible; nostalgia for what never was; the desire for what could have been; regret over not being someone else; dissatisfaction with the world’s existence. All these half-tones of the soul’s consciousness create in us a painful landscape, an eternal sunset of what we are.”
― Fernando Pessoa
Another day. I kinda liked the way this one started for me though.
Waking up and looking out my window as the full moon was setting over the mountains.
This is going to basically be a Hash post with a little twist. I didn’t do Günter’s (Vienna Sausage) trail having kept my vow of “never again” risking life and limb when he’s the Hare. Looking at the map of his hike though I can see there would have been no danger (other than wet feet from the rice paddy) and a single sane climb I’ve done before. Ah well, better safe than sorry I suppose.
So when I started out on my personal Hash it was just me and My Bitch.
Familiar territory but it’s been a few weeks since I’ve walked this way.That would be me documenting my journey.
I dropped off some candy and cookies for the mountain family, then continued on my way. And lo and behold, I encountered a group of Hashers coming up from the valley below. At the time I thought maybe I had inadvertently intersected with Günter’s trail but it turns out this bunch was doing their own Hash too. I happily joined the cadre and continued on with them to our On-Home.
It’s good to have company on trail!John and his wife are actually neighbors of mine in Alta Vista.My favorite view from My Bitch.
Only about an hour from my house to the On-Home at Derelick’s place on Rizal Extension. With the noon start and early finish, I had too much time for beer drinking early in the afternoon. Oh well, it is a once a week indulgence I suppose.
Sitting around waiting for the Hash circle to commence.I always enjoy the Hash virgin initiations. This gal was a real cutie too!
Things did get a little weird. My ex is a Hasher and was there as usual, although she pretty much stays away from me. I’m okay with that and we are still on friendly terms. But then I was surprised when Iline showed up. My ex (who has always been jealous of Iline) gave me a look that seemed to say “I knew it!”. Although actually Iline kept her distance from me as well. We’d talked about the need to maintain the guise of just being friends out of respect for her relationship and to avoid the Filipina love of gossip. That’s fine by me.
At the conclusion of the circle, I made my way to Sit-n-Bull for some dinner. I was pretty drunk at this point and don’t even recall what I ordered. I also don’t have a clear memory of getting home, but I did, safe and sound. Was in bed before 8 p.m. in fact.
Did my grocery shopping this morning and was pleasantly surprised to be allowed on the base without questioning. I had heard they were going back on a strict residents only lockdown. Manila went back to “enhanced quarantine” status effective today but thankfully that did not include Zambales/Olongapo. Yet anyway.
After leaving the supermarket I had my driver swing by the Harbor Pointe mall. They have a Merrill shoe store there. Alas, that store was closed. It was almost heartbreaking to see all that fine footwear on display. So close, but so far away. I guess I’ll see what I can find online, although I’m loathe to purchase shoes I haven’t tried on. Desperate times call for desperate measures I suppose.
Speaking of desperate, Mary was burning up my phone again this morning. I continue to ignore her, but now she has resorted to begging me for money because her child is hungry. That pulls at my heartstrings I admit, but I’m just not willing to open that door. I know where it leads–to the land of endless “emergencies”. Nope, not going there.
Message in a bottle? I thought this odd bubble in my beer last night might have some metamorphic qualities. Interesting to look at and enjoy but destined to burst like a shattered dream? Well, the beer was cold and wet at least.
A somewhat interesting day yesterday. Well, by my low standards anyway. Here’s how it went down:
Things started off with a bang when Iline came to the house. I suppose that’s a double entendre, but yes we did. I had suggested we go on a shopping excursion at the mall as there were some things I needed to purchase, primarily some new hiking shoes. Iline has a driver’s license, but no vehicle. Since I was planning to do lunch as well I didn’t want to pay my driver to sit around waiting for us. So Iline borrowed a friend’s car for the afternoon. Turns out she is a relatively safe and sane driver, especially in comparison to my guy.
We arrived at the SM Central mall without incident. Well, I did have a phone call, which was surprising because my phone almost never rings. When I saw it was from Mary I didn’t answer. Iline saw who was calling as well and laughed. Then Mary sent me a message saying she was coming to Barretto and wanted to see me. I responded by telling her I wasn’t home and not to bother coming.
The first order of business at the mall was finding some lunch. I thought I remembered there being a Korean restaurant somewhere but when I finally found it on the third floor it wasn’t open. Oh well, we wound up at a place called Tokyo Tokyo and did lunch Japanese style. Nothing special (Iline had some fried shrimp thing and I did teriyaki wings) but with the social distancing measures we had a wooden divider separating us at our table. Pain in the ass. I did express to Iline that I found it odd for us to be enjoying Japanese food in the Philippines after all of the WWII atrocities. She didn’t seem to mind though.
After lunch, I spotted a Watson’s drug store and went inside in search of some of those plastic flossing/toothpick things and some eyeglass cleansing wipes. Found the floss but no wipes. Popped into an eyeglass place and then didn’t have wet wipes either, but sold me a bottle of cleansing liquid instead. At the athletic shoe store they had footwear for different sports but nothing for hiking. Besides, I don’t buy Nike products anymore.
Next stop, the SM department store. I found the socks and underwear I needed on the second floor, then went upstairs to the shoe department. I was happy to see a nice display of Merril hiking shoes. And they had a special deal going–buy two pairs and get 1000 peso discount. I picked out two different styles and asked the clerk for size 11. He disappeared into the backroom and we waited for his return. And waited. Then waited some more. For the first time in quite a while, I had to break out my mantra “deep breath, relax, accept the Filipino way”. Eventually, a female clerk came back with one of the shoes I’d asked about and said they only had this in size 10. No thanks! I gave her another shoe to check and off she went. Meanwhile, the first clerk returned and also advised there were no size 11 available in the style I wanted. Same with the third pair. Ah well.
On the way back to the car we passed a store that had the Bluetooth headphones I’ve needed, so I made that purchase. Got everything except what I came for in the end. That’s life in the Philippines!
I checked my phone and saw that I had several more messages from Mary saying she was coming to Barretto and wanted to see me. I ignored them.
Iline got me home safe and sound and I invited her in. We had some small talk and I made her a strawberry-banana smoothie using the berries from Baguio I had purchased from her. The berries that in a roundabout way had brought us together. And then my phone chirped again and it was Mary saying she was at the 7/11 outside my subdivision and that she wanted me to meet her. At this point, I was starting to feel like I was being stalked. Iline asked what I was going to do and I said I was going to continue to ignore Mary. Iline said what if she comes to your house? Oh shit, she does know where I live. I needed to go out to find “mama” and give her her daily bread money. And I was also ready to quaff some brews. But I didn’t want to have a chance encounter on the street with Mary. I asked Iline to drive me to the other side of Barretto so I could start my search for mama. She agreed, and off we went.
Sure enough, as we turned onto the highway there was Mary keeping an eagle eye on the passerby. Iline said she thought she had seen us inside the car. I’m not sure, the windows are tinted but she did look in our direction. A little further up the highway I spotted mama and had Iline drop me there. After giving mama the food money, I crossed the street and went upstairs to Cheap Charlies.
As I settled in and tried to enjoy my beer I got another message from Mary. She said she was outside my house and was waiting for me to come out and talk to her. I texted back that I wasn’t home and she needed to leave. She said okay she would leave then.
I had one more beer and headed up the street. Just to be safe I popped into Mango’s and had a couple more beers. I wanted to be sure that Mary wasn’t waiting to ambush me on the way home.
The back porch at Mango’s was covered in sand. Apparently last night’s high tide had been higher than normal. Eh, it just added to the beachside drinking ambiance.
I got home before dark and with no Mary sightings. She has however been blowing up my phone this morning but I continue to ignore her.
I’ve got the Hash coming up in a couple of hours. Günter is the Hare again so I’ll be doing my own trail today. Think it’s time to enjoy My Bitch again. Or maybe I should rename the trail “Mary”.
Highlights from the previous 24 hours, such as they are.
Did a bit of a bar crawl last evening. Started out in the newest joint in town called The Green Room. The latest addition to Dave Fisher’s empire known as The Maze. The Green Room is a bit different in that it is a sports bar format–no stage, no dancing girls. I did get a nice back massage while I was sitting there though. Also had a good chat with Dave.
Moved up the street to Hot Zone and enjoyed a couple of beers with the owner, Jay. Not busy but a couple of cuties on stage. Part of the rules allowing bars to reopen include purchasing food, so I bought some kind of meat on a stick and gave them to the girls. One other customer in the place and Jay invited him to our table. Turns out he’s the Captain of some massive yacht anchored in Subic Bay. Interesting guy.
Then I moved on down to my regular haunt, Mangos. I got there later than normal so it was dark and the beach was deserted. I ordered up a salad with chicken strips and ranch dressing. It was pretty good. A couple of beers and headed for home. It was raining so I took a trike. And thanks to the curfew, I was in bed by 9 p.m.
Early to bed and early to rise, wise or not, I was up at 4:30 and feeling healthy. Turns out Iline is also an early riser and we got to chatting. I invited her over and she agreed to come see me, telling me she would run from her place (around 2K or so). I was a little concerned about her running in the dark but she said she does it all the time. I finally convinced her to wait until 5:30 when the sun was rising. And then she arrived by trike because it had started to rain. Oh well.
So, we had some coffee and chat, I fed the dogs and she joined me when I walked Buddy (Lucky opted not to come). Iline told me about her workout routines which start with 300 jumping jacks! It reminded me a little of when I did some exercising so I dug out my elastic bands and abdomen wheel and we fooled around with that for a bit. I may be inspired to start up again although I’m never going to be in Iline’s league. That girl is fit!
The rain had quit so I took Iline on one of my regular hikes, mostly flat and around 7K. That was, of course, nothing to her but we did have some good convo and I really enjoyed having her company as we walked.
That’s the girl of my dreams! And maybe one day my dream will come true. I even came up with her Hash name…
Oh, and here’s the postmortem on Mary. We were supposed to have gotten together yesterday. In fact, she was planning to spend the night. I put a kibosh on that idea but she was persistent. Even telling me all the things she would do for me in the bedroom. I briefly toyed with the idea of fucking her hard and then fucking her over by sending her home, but it just wasn’t worth it. No point in being vindictive to the little scammer. She was back at it this morning wanting to come over, messaging and calling (which I didn’t answer). Her last message was “are you busy?”. I responded “Yes, busy moving on with my life. You should too.” That seemed to do the trick as I haven’t heard from her since.
And that my friends brings you pretty much up to date. I’m planning to go to Olongapo with Iline tomorrow for some much needed shopping. My hiking shoes are shot, my underwear needs replacing, and I could use some more socks. Exciting times here for me. No idea what the future holds but I’m in a “bring it on, bitch!” mode these days. That’s a nice change.
On the menu for today: A couple of quick updates for my faithful followers and then a slew of photos from yesterday’s hike. Let’s get to it!
I didn’t hear from Mary before falling asleep last night, but this morning I woke to a message asking me to buy her a laptop so she could enroll in school. Hmm, where have I heard that before? Anyway, I sent a message telling her she might be in luck because I had just ordered a new computer for me and perhaps we could work something out for her to acquire my old one. She responded that she can’t enroll in school now because she doesn’t have tuition money. Would I be willing to help with that? I reminded her that she has been unwilling to do anything for me in return for my generosity. I haven’t heard anything from her since then. It’s kind of funny seeing how she operates. It’s all about the cash. Once I insisted on paying for the MRI with my credit card, suddenly it was never mentioned again. When I potentially offered a used laptop, she suddenly decided that it was the tuition she required. And yet, when I hint at a quid pro quo she seems to lose all interest in the transaction. Anyway, it’s all kind of amusing now that I’m on to her, especially since she doesn’t know it!
My big news is that I’m going to have a guest for lunch today–my friend Ilene (the one who tipped me off about Mary). Out of the blue, she suggested we get together, something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Ilene has a boyfriend back in Canada so I asked her about the basis of our meetup–a date or a friendly get-together. She responded just two good friends hanging out. Oh well, should be fun anyway. Grilled steak, baked potato, mixed veggies, and cornbread are on the menu, with brownies and ice cream for dessert. I’m hoping to make a good impression!
That’s Ilene (the female in the photo). She used to do the Hash (Hot to Trot) but has been inactive of late. She does enjoy hiking, jogging, going to the gym, and participating in a decathlon type event know as the Spartan. She’s mid-30s with two teenaged daughters. I’m looking forward to getting to know her better.
That concludes the update portion of this post.
And here we commence with the hiking portion of today’s post…
I had a couple of kilometers to hike to reach our meet-up location. And as I passed by Columban College, a Catholic school, I noticed this sign:
And before I knew it, I blurted out “I stole a car when I was 16”. Strange magic!My hike mates for the day were Troy……and Scott. Most of these photos were taken by Scott.We took on the big mountain. The climb to the top started with these stairs…The stairs were the easy part!Onward and upward…Almost there…A scenic shot of my beer belly…A bay view……a mountain view…And a view of Barretto…Call me a chicken, but I’d hate to be cooped up in there!Just horsin’ aroundScott and Troy enjoying the scenery…And on we marched…This provides a good foundation for someone’s broken dreams…A rare glimpse of the Great Wall of Barretto.Let’s get outta here…Making our way back down…Back on the highway at last!And lo and behold who do we see? Mama! That gal gets around!
Anyway, it was one of our better hikes. Slick and steep in places, but no crashes or fuckups (not counting Mary of course). I’d call that a pretty good day.
Alright, time for me to get cooking! I don’t want to disappoint Ilene.
I’ve posted this before, but it is worth repeating and remembering.
Here’s the latest installment in my so-called (dating) life.
Yesterday Mary and I had agreed to meet up for a few hours. She had first suggested 10:00 a.m. but I told her I wouldn’t be done with my weekly grocery shopping by then. I messaged her later that we could get together around 11. At first, I thought I’d just meet her at the mall near where she lives but then decided I didn’t feel like doing that. So, I figured I’d have my driver swing by to get her and we’d all go home together. When I reached her again she said she couldn’t leave until 2:00. Oh well, then. Meet me in Barretto.
As two o’clock approached Mary messaged me again to say she couldn’t come until 3:00. Now, I already knew she had to leave by 7:00 so I just told her never mind, it wasn’t worth the trip. She insisted she still wanted to come and I didn’t really have any other plans, so why not? Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t really blaming Mary. She’s a single mother with a disabled three-year-old son. So the only time she can get out of the house is when her Ate (Aunt) is there to babysit. This is why Mary had to leave at 7:00 in the first place; her Ate had plans.
So, I’m waiting at the 7/11 on the corner for Mary’s arrival at 3:00. Granted, traffic was bad in Barretto but when she still was not there at 3:20 I was getting frustrated. So I took the opportunity to practice having patience and within a few minutes she had arrived. Yay! Now, I had ordered some fresh strawberries from my friend Ilene and I needed to pick them up from her at Treasure Island where she works. I loaded Mary in a trike and we headed out to Baloy Beach. We sat down at the T.I. outdoor bar and Ilene, who works in reception, promptly delivered the berries. I asked Mary if she had ever been to T.I. before and she said no. So I suggested we have dinner and enjoy the beachside/poolside ambiance. Mary ordered ramyun and I went with the sweet and sour chicken. We both pronounced our meals delicious.
We still had a couple of hours to fill so we caught a trike back to my place. Some small talk at the kitchen table but then I got hungry for something else so invited Mary upstairs. We talked some more, about her possibly returning to school and about her son’s medical issues. Mary said he needs an MRI, but the cost is 15,000 pesos ($300.). Me, being me, said I would consider helping her with that. That pleased her. But it became clear she was not interested in pleasing me. Again. Mary asked me if I was mad and I honestly told her I wasn’t. Disappointed and frustrated, but not mad. I also told her that I had no interest in a sexual relationship if she did not share that interest. As I walked her back to the Jeepney stand she told me she was sorry and blamed it on her inexperience. Mary says I’m her first foreigner and the only other man she’s been with was her son’s father. She promised to be better when we meet for an overnighter on Friday.
And that’s where we left things. She drove off in the Jeepney and I headed to Mango’s for some beers. A bit later Mary sent me a message saying “I think I fall in love with you. I don’t know how to explain my feeling.” I responded, “actions speak louder than words.” And then we said our goodnights.
A bit later, I sent a message to Ilene thanking her again for the strawberries. Ilene congratulated me on my new love life. I told her that Mary is very young and then told the story of how I met her. Ilene responded, “I know her”. What? Ilene related that Mary had come to Treasure Island before with a customer who was courting her. His name is also John. And Ilene said it was the same story “I’m looking for a job”. She told me to be careful because “that girl is a liar”. Apparently Mary did a disappearing act on the other John after a few days.
Hmm. So, it would appear that Mary lied about never having been to T.I., lied about never having had a foreigner before, and who knows what else. I wonder if she even has a son, disabled or not.
I was pretty much blown away by these revelations. I mean I had kept my guard up and was monitoring the red flags, but that almost the entire story Mary had fed me was bullshit was hard to get my head around. And it still doesn’t make sense. I mean, if she hadn’t been so reluctant to fuck me, maybe she could have sucked me into whatever her ultimate scam might have been. Why lie and then not go all in?
Ilene gave me comforting words, told me what a great guy I am and any woman would be lucky to have me. I reminded her that she was the woman I had wanted for a long time, but she was never available when I was and vice-versa. Ilene agreed and promised to let me know if her situation ever changed.
I decided not to confront Mary with my new-found information last night. And I had my hike this morning. When I checked my messages later, there was one from Mary saying her son was scheduled for an MRI on Friday, and was I still willing to help? I decided to play along and told her of course, just let me know what time and I’ll come to the hospital (Baypointe) and pay with my credit card. She said she’d get back to me. Later she messaged that she had talked to the cashier and they wouldn’t accept a credit card. I responded that when I got my treatment at Baypointe I paid with a credit card. I told her I’d go to the hospital with her and get it all straightened out. After a bit, she came back and said the MRI was moved to Monday. I told her I could meet her there Monday morning before the Hash. Her last message was “thanks, I’ll let you know”. I don’t know if I’ll hear from her again or not. She must know I’ve called her bluff. Neither of us has canceled Friday’s date at this point yet either. I’m still thinking about a scenario where I’d fuck her good and hard and then confront her with my knowledge of her deceit. It’s a nice fantasy at least.
But wait, there’s more! Well, actually I’m going to save that until I know more about what more is. Don’t worry, it’s not about Mary.
My friend Ilene.
Bottom line, I’m glad I found out but I’m disappointed in myself for not seeing through the bullshit. Mary is a convincing liar, that’s for sure. You’d think a man of my age and experience would have figured that out. Then again, when you consider my history with women it is not so surprising after all.
Actually, this is the BEST country for old men. What are the odds I’d be dating a 21-year-old back home in the states? And while we are on the topic of old farts, I was pleasantly surprised by yesterday’s Hash trail. The Hare, Fucking Old Man, is in his 80s now and on the rare occasions when he lays a trail they are notoriously easy. Not so yesterday though. We did a good long trail that included a moderate climb. Well done, FOM!
That’s Fucking Old Man and his gal Wonder Woman. As is our tradition, the Hares are required to sit on the ice while the kennel provides feedback on his efforts.
Let’s go to the trail!
We are pretty limited on where we can get to these days. Still, FOM found some new paths through the valley that kept things interesting.Coming down through Alta Vista…Through the village of San Isidro…Into the valley…Across the rice paddies…Watch your step!The watcher in the woods…The fountain of viewth…On-Home, circle up!Initiating a new virgin Hasher…Bouncing Boobies gave me the Hashit on some pretext or another…Oh well.“drink it down, down, down…”And we also celebrated Bouncing Boobies’ birthday in the traditional Hash fashion. We made her a cake. From scratch.
Anyway, it turned out to be one of the nicer Hashes I’ve experienced in a while. No complaints!
Welcome to another Hash Monday! This means you get treated to a morning post here at LTG since I’m unlikely to be in any condition to be blogging after the Hash.
Some good news is that the mayor has squelched rumors that another lockdown will soon be imposed on Olongapo. He did add the caveat that it is imperative that we all follow the rules in order to stop the spread of the dreaded COVID virus. Good luck with that!
I guess I’ve pretty much acclimated myself to this new lifestyle. Even with most of the bars having reopened I’m still hanging out in my old favorites, primarily Cheap Charlies and Mango’s. CC offers up some good music (with video) and cute waitresses who will happily join you for some chat in exchange for a lady drink (100 pesos/$2). Hey, you get used to paying for your company quicker than you’d think! Mango’s on the other hand offers no such amenities. Usually, there is some loud-ass European sporting event blaring from the big screen TVs and as often as not, I have to go to the bar to fetch a refill on my beer. But more and more I find myself gravitating here for my daily liquid refreshment. One reason is that they continued to serve me during the quarantine lockdown when others would not. They’ve earned my loyalty for that. But mainly I just enjoy sitting beachside on the back porch enjoying the views. Hell, maybe I am getting old.
The locals also usually provide some entertainment as well.
Yesterday the neighborhood kids were playing some sandlot baseball. It was pretty fun to watch.
And should I grow hungry a menu is always at hand.
One of my favorites at Mango’s is the grilled pork chops. A big ass serving for less than $10.
And it is pleasant to watch the sun go down on another day in paradise.
A red sky at night is a sailor’s delight if I’m recalling correctly…
Life is not perfect of course, but damn, I’m glad to be here.
I’m a long way from rock bottom! I could use a little more Filipina bottom perhaps, but it’s all good.
What that something is I haven’t quite figured out. Maybe I never will.
Last night’s get together was something of a roller coaster ride. Mary was a little late arriving at our rendevous location and we were bumping up against the pending curfew. No trikes were available so she walked with me to the house without complaint. Mary said she wasn’t hungry, so I made up a batch of strawberry-banana smoothies.
I tried to engage her in some conversation but she seemed shyer and more reserved than during our first meeting. I’d had a few beers while waiting for her so I probably wasn’t providing much inspiration either. I remember asking her if she likes me and she responded by holding up her thumb and index finger maybe an inch apart and said “a little”. Hmm, that made me wonder why she had even bothered to come. Oh. Probably for the money. This led me to broach the subject of my being her Sugar Daddy. Mary had never heard of the concept and after I explained it she simply said “will it pay the rent?”
Mary strikes me as being quite the enigma–equal parts shy, innocent, and mercenary. But I guess desperate times require stepping out of her comfort zone. So I took her upstairs to the bedroom.
The next morning she came downstairs acting like nothing was wrong. The dogs like her at least. She didn’t want breakfast and after a couple of minutes of small talk, she asked if she could take a shower. I took her upstairs and showed how the shower water heater worked.
While she was in the bathroom, I put the rent money under her phone. She came out, saw the money, and asked “what’s this?”. I told her it was the rent money. And she didn’t want to take it. I finally told her it was her birthday present and her severance pay. She asked why and I told her I wasn’t interested in spending time with someone who couldn’t even pretend to be interested in me. Mary said, “but I really do like you a lot!”. I’m like, WTF? We just had this conversation on the bed and you agreed that you weren’t attracted to me. Her response floored me: “I really couldn’t understand much of what you were saying. You talk too fast.” So I said, well, you know, if you don’t tell me you don’t understand me, how am I supposed to explain or slow down? You kept nodding and agreeing with me, so I assumed you understood. So, anyway, we agreed that I would try to slow down my speech (my domestic helper agrees I’m hard to understand at times) and Mary will tell me to repeat myself as needed. We’ll see.
I told Mary to keep the money and consider it an advance on her first month’s salary. She reluctantly agreed to this. We haven’t really defined the terms of her employment yet. I’m just looking for a little company and companionship. And satisfying boom-boom now and then. I have no idea how that is going to work out, but I’ll give her another shot anyway I guess. I don’t really have any other irons in the fire right now.
And oh yeah. I walked her to the Jeepney stop and said goodbye. On her way home she sent me a message: “I think I’m falling in love with you.” Oh boy, here we go again. I’m a LONG way from feeling that emotion so I just told her we’d take it slowly and see where it leads us.
Bottom line: No, I don’t think she is a scammer. I think she is inexperienced and naturally shy. I’m not sure what her ultimate goal is, but it probably revolves around financial security, i.e. “the rent”. I think she has been pretty upfront about that. Now if she can just up her game and learn to make me feel special we could potentially have a win-win. Otherwise, I’m prepared to walk away.
UPDATE: I did something I very rarely do here at LTG…edited a completed post. I deleted some of the details about last night because it just seemed like too much information for a public blog. Sorry if what remains is more disjointed than usual.
Nothing much of interest today. Well, yet anyway. Mary told me she plans to arrive at 8 p.m. We’ll see where that goes.
In the meantime, here are some photos from yesterday’s 10K hike:
The route we took out to the Naugsol barangay and back again.A pleasant enough day for a hike with Troy and Scott……no kidding!Country living.Down in the valley, the valley so low……hang you over, watch the rice grow.One of my regulars…And some new kids on the black happy with cookies from the old guy.I have no idea what this is supposed to depict or represent. It was just lying there next to the trail. Perhaps there’s a message in there for me?Construction on the river…And a river crossing. On a dicey bridge.Now, I’ve got a phobia for this type of swinging suspension bridge. But since it had that net railing, I felt confident enough to give it a go. What I didn’t know was that the mesh wire flooring had been damaged. I tread as lightly as possible, fearing that at any moment my foot was going to fall through.We all made it safely across. Scott and I both decreed that it was the last time we’d ever cross that bridge when we came to it.Even though it was a mostly flat walk I was running out of gas towards the end of it. Maybe it’s old age setting in, but I seem to only be good for 8K or so in one go these days.Troy headed home and Scott joined me at my house for some cold beer, chicken nuggets, and cheese nachos. Hit the spot for sure!
In other news, it turns out the Arizona Resort is not closing after all. This was posted on Facebook:
What was left unsaid was who would be running the place. The supposition is that the property owner is going to take over operations. So, glad it will still be an option but I wonder if the previous quality will be maintained. Time will tell.
And speaking of Facebook, I got this reminder of a chance meeting with an old friend that happened six years ago.
And I do believe that’s the last time I saw Neil in person. I’m happy to report that he remains a regular reader of LTG and even chimes in with an occasional comment. Nice to see you!
And that’s about it from here for now. I’m starting to wonder about tonight with Mary. She’s not been responding to my messages. Perhaps she’s had a change of heart. We’ll see.
UPDATE: Seems I also used the “What’s next?” title on the post welcoming in the New Year of 2019. The most interesting thing mentioned was my meeting Heidi. Damn, I’m still jonesing for that girl. Might need to try and up my game. Here boyfriend is recovering from a stroke in Scotland. Is that how you spell opportunity? Yeah, I know. I’m an asshole.
So, I had quite an interesting finish to my otherwise disappointing day yesterday. I had been out drowning my sorrows, starting at Cheap Charlies then finishing up at Mango’s where I enjoyed views like this:
My mood had been improved considerably by the time I headed home.
And on the walk back to my house I encountered an attractive young woman on the highway. That in and of itself is not so unusual I suppose, but for some reason, I greeted this one and she responded cheerfully. After this very brief exchange, I crossed the highway and continued homeward. And the next thing I knew, he was walking a few steps ahead of me! Well, I was full of beer courage and she was so damn sexy from behind that I couldn’t resist uttering a “sweet!” loud enough for her to hear. Then she stopped, turned around, and came back to me asking what I’d said.
I repeated that she looked sweet and sexy as she walked in front of me. She smiled and thanked me. Then I asked her if she was following me? She denied it and told me she was looking for a job. I took that as a hint and said I might be interested in hiring her for the night. And then we negotiated a price, or more precisely, she accepted my offer, and we caught a trike to my house. Now, it is very unusual to find freelance prostitutes walking the streets of Barretto. And this is the first I’ve ever engaged the services of one. But there was just something different about this one, who told me her name was Mary.
When we arrived home, I introduced Mary to my dogs and asked if she’d like something to drink. She told me she didn’t drink alcohol, so I got her a coke and I opened a beer for myself. She responded affirmatively when I asked if she was hungry so I made her a tuna sandwich. And then we had a nice conversation. My first surprise was that she is only 20 years old! That’s much younger than my preferred range of 30-50. Then Mary told me that she has one child, a boy of three who suffers from cerebral palsy. She got choked up when she told me that she had agreed to come with me because she needed money for his medicine.
The more we talked the clearer it became to me that she wasn’t a prostitute at all. Mary lives in Olongapo and had come to Barretto hoping to find work as a waitress. When I encountered her on the street she had just left an unsuccessful effort at Thumbstar bar. I was very much touched by both her innocence and her sweetness. She is definitely not cut out for work in a bar. She heard my helper upstairs and when I explained who she was, Mary asked if I would hire her too. I honestly told her I didn’t need another helper (I actually have two).
Mary had finished eating and it was getting late. I was tired, drunk, and horny so I took her upstairs to the bedroom. And there I was in for another surprise! No, she doesn’t have a penis. Geez. Mary was very shy and didn’t seem at all interested in fooling around. She didn’t even want to get undressed until I gave her a t-shirt to wear, and she removed her shorts and shirt from underneath it. When she finally laid down I began tenderly rubbing her body. When I got “down there”, Mary gently pushed my hand away and matter of factly said, “thank you for respecting me”.
What the hell? It looked like my day of disappointment was going to end in frustration. But there was something different about Mary. I never want a woman to feel obligated to have sex with me, even if I am paying for it. Prostitutes are usually good at pretending but I was now more convinced than ever that Mary had no understanding what I had “hired” her to do for me. Very odd indeed, but nothing to be done about it so I rolled over and went to sleep. I tried to get frisky again once during the night, but she again gently but firmly rejected my advances. Sleep was my best and only option and so I took it.
I awoke early in the morning (4 a.m. is early even for me!) and began to get dressed. She woke up as well and dressed herself, again under the t-shirt. I asked if she wanted breakfast, she nodded, and I went downstairs to make up some bacon, eggs, and toast. She joined me in the kitchen and watched, seemingly fascinated to see a man who could cook. Then we sat at the table to eat and talked some more.
Mary told me I was the first foreigner she had ever been with and she was glad I turned about to be a nice one. I asked her about her apparent lack of interest in sex and she responded that she never has sex the first time she meets someone. For some reason, I believe her and the whole transaction the night before had been based on a colossal misunderstanding. Mary talked about her struggles with her crippled child and paying the rent. She asked if I had any ideas about where she might find employment. I told her I didn’t think she was cut out for work in a bar with the possible exception of a place like Cheap Charlies where the girls are waitresses and work for drink commissions. Mary again said she was allergic to alcohol and I said most of the girls drink coke or sprite. She asked once more if I had any work available and I said not at the moment, but I’d think about it.
It was 5 a.m. now and the Jeepneys to Olongapo were running again, so we walked to the stop. I went to get her the cash I’d promised at 7/11 but they were closed. I asked if she wanted to accept less money or walk with me across town to another ATM. She wanted to walk for the cash. And she was very sweet, taking my hand as we made our way along the highway. To be honest, Mary has both the looks and the personality of someone I could really fall for. If she only she wasn’t just 20 years old!
Anyway, I paid her what we had agreed to (notwithstanding her lack of performance), we exchanged phone numbers, and she headed off for home. We’ve exchanged a few messages throughout the day and she asked if I was busy on Saturday. I asked why and she responded, “because I want to sleep with you”. So, I guess I’ve got plans with Mary for Saturday night.
I’m not sure where this is going to go. I’m too damn old to be her boyfriend, but maybe I can be her daddy. Sugar Daddy that is. The thought has occurred to me that I could engage her for some companionship a couple of times a week. I’m talking about more than sex here–joining me on my solitary hikes or watching some TV with me would be nice as well. In return for her assuaging my loneliness, I could offer some financial support to assist her and her child. That could be a win-win situation, don’t you think?
