Category Archives: The story of my life

Moving forward

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Ah geez, been too long since my last post, hasn’t it? Let’s ketchup.

The days are slowly pouring by…

Well, there is work* and it seems to be going pretty well overall.  I’m blessed with an outstanding staff of professionals who work hard and seem to enjoy their jobs.  I’m fortunate to not have to deal with “people issues”.  I treat them right and they respond accordingly.  That’s just simple management 101, I’m no genius.

But having said that, I reckon I’m doing pretty good at what little I do do.  No shit!  People come to us for answers and solutions and we provide them.  We’ve filled some voids for the command and I do believe the leadership appreciates our contributions.  I take a lot of pride in that.

Our new building is a bit of a pain in the ass.  The biggest adjustment for most of us has been getting used to the prohibition on electronic devices in the building.  That means no cell phones and no Fitbit!  God knows I hate losing all the ancillary steps that aren’t recorded during the day.  My poor Fitbit is confused about being locked up at the front entrance and accuses me of taking a nap during the day.  Oh well, these days we all have to be cognizant of OPSEC (operational security) and do our part.

Several of my folks have not physically moved to Pyeongtaek as yet and that commute from Seoul is a killer.  For now at least I’m allowing them to telework 2 days a week, so that helps relieve some of the burden I suppose.  Anyway, we’ll all adjust.

So you may be asking yourself “I thought he was planning on retiring in September?”  I was.  And I still am in the not too distant future.  I’m just going to be flexible in my planning.  As mentioned above I do derive some satisfaction from working and damn, it is hard to walk away from my ridiculous salary and my ridiculously big and paid for house.  I’ve got a goal on how much money I want to have in the bank when I hang it up and I’m making steady progress towards achieving that goal.  Meantime, I’m just going to enjoy the ride and try to decide what my “purpose” will be in life once I retire.  So far the best I’ve come up with is enjoying bay views while I watch the world go on without me.  We’ll see.

Ms. Choe, Song Won is one of my superstars. It was my honor to recognize her with the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service.  (We had to go outside to get a photo.  Everyone’s camera is on their phones these days)

What else?  Well, I’ve had some visitors which is nice.  Joey and Sonja (the newly engaged couple I wrote about here) have moved to Pyeongtaek.  In fact, they wound up renting a place just about across the street from me.  Heh, it’s a small town!  We enjoyed a grilled meat dinner and then I took them on a tour of my favorite bars.  That was a great time.  Last night Jessie, one of my old time Seoul friends, was in town on Army business and he got to enjoy my upstairs guest room.  We had some beers out on the town to facilitate a good night’s sleep of course.

I found a small house with the attractive coffee on one of my walks…

And if you can’t afford the best, this place is very good…

Still enjoying some quality time bicycling on the river…

That was not a bridge too far…

I kept to the straight and narrow. It’s jut the way I roll…

Serious business biking is.

What about my love life?

It’s probably for the best.

Tensions are higher than I’ve ever seen here on the peninsula.  But we’re pulling out our big guns…

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

I’d still rather be here than in the USA.  Much easier to avoid the silly PC social justice warriors.  I have zero tolerance for that bullshit.

Well, they will be well-suited for future employment with Google I suppose…

I was just talking to the moon, hoping someday soon that I’d be over the memory of you. Too hard to hold on…

*  The views expressed here at LTG are my own and are written on my own time and dime.  My opinions are not sanctioned or endorsed by my employer and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the United States Government.  What are the odds?

Rarer than a solar eclipse

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For the first time in the long and storied history of Pyeongtaek, three McCrareys graced the fair city with their presence.

Nephews Justin and Joshua came down for a visit with their favorite uncle.  I showed them around the army base and they were suitably impressed.

Fed the hungry boys lunch at the Alaska Mining Company, one of the fine dining establishments on Camp Humphreys. Justin declared it the biggest burger he’d ever seen in Korea.

Luckily both the nephs were up for a hike.  I took them on my “3 parks” hour and a half loop walk.  They seemed to tolerate it well, although we were  all drenched in sweat when we finished.

Rested up some and showered then it was time to introduce the boys to the Anjeong-ri nightlife.

First stop was Horse and Cow where we were well served by the Lana, the bartender from Uzbekistan.

Next stop was Mass bar where my favorite barkeep Mi Young gave the boys a friendly welcome. Hmm, she never welcomes ME like that..

The owner of Galaxy bar came in to Mass (which is owned by her mother) and gave me some good natured flak about cheating on her bar. So I promised we’d visit Galaxy next. Promise kept!

Then it was on to Shooters bar. Della, the African gal from Cameroon is a hoot. She can parry all my witty jabs and pay them back in spades. Always have a good time there. The gal in yellow is the owner, Tee. Well into our afternoon hike she spotted us on the street and called out to me insisting I visit her bar that night. The boys were impressed that everyone in town seems to know me. Well, everyone in the bar biz anyway…

I left the youngsters at Shooters and stumbled on home.  Just can’t hang the way I used to.  They continued their good times without me then made it home safe and sound on their own.

They are both still snoring away the day.  While I wait for them to get their asses moving I’ll share some other photos from my bar life this weekend.

“Mama” and Lana from Horse and Cow.

Me and So Yeon, the owner of Galaxy.

An action shot from Friday night in Galaxy. I’m usually the only miguk in the place.

Hanging with Della from Cameroon at Shooters…

Mi Young from Mass bar. Interesting gal. Spends all her free time working at the animal rescue shelter. Says she has 8 dogs at her house waiting for adoption too. Can’t imagine what that’s like, but good for her to be so committed to a worthy cause. I told her I was a sick puppy but I don’t think she got what I meant. Ah well.

Seems neither reason is good enough these days…

Yeah, well who needs it?

My personal assistant/caregiver from the PI is always sending me encouragement from afar.

Thanks for looking out for me Loraine.

Still need to get a bike ride in and then do my 2 hours of walking.  Assuming the nephews ever wake up…

 

Walk thoughts

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Better to ask and be disappointed than to always wonder what if…?

I was thinking back to the last time I felt a strong attraction/connection to a person I had just met.  I would have been 25 years old and recently divorced.  I walked into a bank and when the teller smiled at me it just about floored me.  I probably stared longer than politeness allows, but she was just amazing.

Unfortunately, my self-esteem was at a low ebb and I just took for granted that she was out of my league.  Couldn’t get her out of my head though and on Valentines Day I sent her a dozen roses anonymously.  Several months later I accepted a job in Fort Smith, Arkansas and went into the bank to close out my account.  Sure enough, the beautiful lass was once again my teller.

As my business was completed, I told her how much I had appreciated her kindness and warm smile during my time as a customer.  She exclaimed “Oh my God!  It was you!  I’ve been trying to figure out all this time who sent me those roses!”  I confessed to having been a secret admirer since that first day I had seen her.  She looked me in the eyes and said “I wish you would have told me”.

There was a lesson to be learned from that.  Who knows if she was “the one” I let get away.  Odds are that I would have fucked up that relationship like all the others in my life, but maybe not.  Well, you can’t go back in time but all these years later I’ve remembered being rejected is not the worst possible outcome.

“Your friends will know you better in the first minute you meet than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years.” 
― Richard Bach

Back home in the south…

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It was a good trip to the Philippines for the most part.  In fact, other than starting and ending my vacation in Angeles City, it was quite lovely.  I despise AC and the whole sexpat vibe.  Just looking at the old decrepit “whore mongers” (a term they actually call themselves) made me shake my head in disgust.  As much as I am down on how trivially I’m living my life, I am so glad that my future will not include being a lonely old man looking for love in all the wrong places.

Which is not to say I didn’t spend a goodly amount of my nighttime hours in the girly bars of Olongapo’s Barrio Baretto.  It’s a way to pass the time and I enjoy treating the girls to something a little different from what they are used to.   My style is to pass out chocolate (I’m told the bargirls call me “the candyman”), tip the dancers for their efforts, and pick out one or two deserving girls for a lady drink (an overpriced beverage from which they earn a commission) and a little conversation.  It seems to make their night and I enjoy seeing them smile.

Of course, it’s one thing to get a little wild on vacation, but I can’t sustain that lifestyle long term once I retire.  I expect I’ll visit the “regular” bars for darting events a couple times a week and perhaps limit my role as candyman to only one night.  As the prophet has said, man does not live by bars alone.

I mentioned my doctor consult, but forgot to say what that appointment cost me.  400 pesos!  Which translates to $8.00 at the current exchange rate.  I didn’t do a lot of serious house hunting because I’m not yet sure when I will quit my job, and really I’ll need to be on the ground to make that decision.  I did find one place right on the beach.  Small one bedroom house, but a huge yard.  Only 20,000 pesos a month ($400.00).  Eh, when I looked inside though it was just too old and worn out for my first world tastes.  Plenty of time to find the right place for me as I don’t intend to live poor in my old age.  

Baretto is similar in size to Anjeong-ri, and I was remembered in some places from my previous visits and also made some new friends as well.  It is nice to be greeted with “welcome Sir John” or “San Miguel Light, sir?” when I enter a bar or restaurant.  I was walking down the main street one evening and a young woman came running up to me and said “John! Glad you are in town.  We need a player for dart league tonight!”  Heh. Makes me feel kinda at home.

A big difference to Anjeong-ri is the age demographic in Baretto.  Hell, most nights I was the youngest fucker in the bar (and by some accounts at least the most handsome).  I could get used to that!

Living and eating large caused my belly to bloat and this week’s weigh-in finds me back up to 225 pounds.  I intend to work hard at reversing that trend.

Getting back to my current home was not much fun.  My 0130 flight was delayed over an hour which made an already long day particularly hellish.  I rode the AREX to Seoul Station, cabbed to my old office (where my car was parked) and then started the hour and a half drive to Pyeongtaek.  Halfway there I ran out of gas.  Well, not my car.  Me.  I was afraid I was about to fall asleep at the wheel, so I had to pull off the highway and take a power nap.  That was enough to get me the rest of the way home.  

And now it is on with my not so exciting country life.  That won’t stop me for writing about it no doubt. Stay tuned!

Welcome to the Philippines

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Or in the vernacular of the locals, Mabuhay!

The news I alluded to yesterday was that my long lost daughter (lost in the sense that I’ve not seen her for years) Avery and her partner Annie popped into the PI for a rendezvous.

A chip off the ol’ block. I’m not Avery’s birth father, but she was just a baby when I married her mother (that wold be wife #2 for you all keeping score at home) so I’m the only father she has ever known. Somehow she managed to overcome that handicap and is living a happy life. There is no greater success than that!

Avery and Annie. Quite the adventurers as they are six months into a journey that has taken them to Hawaii, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, and now the PI. Next up is Myanmar, and after that Korea is on the radar.

Annie has been blogging their exploits at Nomadic Vortex, go give it a read.

Well, we’ve seen and done the things that you can do in Baretto, and they seem to have enjoyed themselves.  They even had a blast in the go-go bars which touched my drunken heart.  They’ll be flying out to more adventure tomorrow on Palawan Island.and from there, who can say? The world is their oyster and they have youth on their side.

Jet ski fun day. It was a first for Loraine and she was crazy about it…

They are off!

They are back! Me? I stayed on the beach and drank some beers. I don’t do much, but what I do, I do well!

Yesterday was our banka boat adventure.

Annie felt like king of the world…

We stopped at a small island in the middle of the bay. I was channeling Magellan and claimed the land in the name of Spain. One of the locals said “I’m Lapu-Lapu” so I quickly retreated.

With the daughter and my bodyguard Loraine…

The lonely light house at the summit of our small isle.

I mentioned the outstanding food here at our resort, here’s a taste:

That’s not everything they serve here at Blue Rock, but you get the idea.

Yikes!  Gotta check out of here now and catch the bus to Angeles City.

More later…

Observations

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Well, here it is Sunday already.  Let’s catch up.

Up early and off to Seoul on Wednesday morning.  The 18 year old that brought me didn’t disappoint.  I’m talking about my car of course.

She’s a good old gal…

Finished a successful meeting with the union president and then had the good fortune to secure a coveted “Space A” doctor appointment at the Army hospital.  I mostly needed to get refills on all my meds, but also got three shots (pneumonia, tetanus, and one other one recommended after age 60 that I can’t remember at the moment.  My arm hurt like a mother fucker for a couple of days afterwards though.

Caught the AREX at Seoul Station and arrived at Incheon International right around 6:00 p.m.  My flight wasn’t scheduled to depart until 9:30, but better early than late is how I roll.

I passed the time by walking around the terminal several times. At least it was air-conditioned, but the place was crawling with tourists…

My flight was delayed 30 minutes because of air traffic congestion, which put me on the ground at Clark Field in Angeles City just before one in the morning.  Breezed through immigration and then got stalled at baggage claim.  I don’t understand why, but the bags were coming out in batches of five or so at a time, which made for a frustrating delay.  It was my first opportunity to practice my new mantra for successful living in the PI–take a deep breath, relax, and accept the Filipino way.

Got gouged for 500 pesos (ten dollars) for the short ride to my hotel, but I employed my mantra and stayed calm.  Once checked in, it was 2 a.m. (three Seoul time) but I figured I’d grab a beer or two before getting some sleep.  Wasn’t in the mood for a girly bar, so opted for the street side seating at Phillies and engaged in a little late-night people watching.

As I sat there it occurred to me that I have become more of an observer of life than I am a participant.  And perhaps I’m projecting, but what I observe seems to be sadness and desperation.  Or maybe dull resignation to the meaninglessness of everyday living.  I certainly have felt that about the people I encounter on my walks through the boring little village of Anjeong-ri and the surrounding countryside.  Sometimes it.just seems all so pointless, and yet folks continue plodding on with their routines day after empty day.

Now, there in the bar district of Angeles City in the early morning hours, those manifestations of hopelessness are only enhanced.  As I started in on my second San Miguel Light beer I wondered what it was that makes people just keep pushing on the way they do.  I guess it all comes down to you just don’t have any other choice but to make the best of life until that too has disappeared.  That’s my plan at least.

So, I caught a few come on smiles from the ladyboys who frequent the area (which I did not reciprocate), watched the bargirls who hadn’t snagged a customer for the night and those that had as they made their way to home or hotel.  And then one young woman stopped in front of where I was sitting and wordlessly pleaded with me to be with her that night.  I know the look but I told her sorry, not interested.  She then spoke and asked will you buy me a drink?  I hesitated, then shrugged, and said sure, why not.

When she set down next to me I immediately asked her age (she looked even younger in good light) and she told me she had just turned 20.  I asked her where she worked and she told me she was a masseuse.  That normally translates to freelance prostitute. I again declined her this time verbal offer to give me a “massage”.  We sat in silence as we drank, but she practically oozed sadness and desperation.  I’m sorry for her situation of course, but these days it’s all I can do to save myself.  And it was time for me to go to sleep.  As I paid the tab, I asked her if she had eaten and she told me no.  I handed her 200 pesos and left her sitting there alone.

More to come.  And it is not all doom and gloom.  I promise.

 

Neither here nor there

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Well, it’s Father’s Day so cheers to all you dads out there.

My father’s father.

My father.

My father’s son.

This father’s son.

Fathers and sons.

And of course, my first born daughter.

I spent a goodly portion of the day riding on the river.

Camp Humphreys on the left…

The river on the right…

I encountered a grave situation on Saturday’s hike.

Darts at IDK on Saturday night. Took home first place money for the third week in a row. Ha, better to be lucky than good I always say…

Friday found me in Seoul where I attended the G1 Hail and Farewell ceremony.  As the name implies, it was where new folks coming in are welcomed and goodbyes are said to those on their way out.

The G1 is basically the Army’s military HR directorate.  I’m in charge of civilian personnel, and my directorate reports through the G1 to the Chief of Staff.  That can at times be problematic, but thanks to the outstanding leadership of Colonel Irish and Command Sergeant Major Grandison, we functioned effectively as one team.

Both COL Irish and SCM Grandison are departing, but we didn’t let them leave without a token of our appreciation.

I spent the night in Itaewon, so of course I dropped into Shenanigans to see two of my favorite bartenders, Sonya and Veta.

And in the category of an unexpected treat…

…I came home from work to discover my landlord had erected this nice cover over the area I set up for my grill. Didn’t even think to ask for that, but it is really a nice touch. Kamsamnida!

Learned this relatively late in life, but it is my mantra going forward, that’s for sure.

And that’s how my weekend were.  Hope yours was fine as well.

Adios mi amigos.

Like riding a bike

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Exactly like riding a bike, because that’s what I did this weekend.  Back in the first iteration of my Korea life I had a very nice bicycle that I’d ride along the bike paths on the Han River.  But that was seven years ago.

Circumstances being what they are I broke down and purchased an inexpensive bike on Saturday.  I just couldn’t handle the desolation and distances involved in hiking the river here.

The bike, helmet, and lock came to W234,000.

Nothing fancy, but she’ll carry me to places my tired old legs would never see.

Kinda like this…

The ajumma who sold me the bike was also very friendly.  I was wearing shorts and she noticed the varicose veins on my left leg.  She told me I really needed to see a doctor about that as she stroked my leg and tsk tsked.  I promised her I’d get it checked out.

So, it turns out that riding a bike is much more strenuous than walking.  Maybe that should be obvious but it came as a surprise to me.  I was shifting into low gear on the slightest of inclines and really pumping hard on the pedals.  I guess that’s a good thing, cardio-wise anyway.

That first day I was also in quite a bit of pain.

This cruel bastard was the cause of my butt hurt.

So after an abbreviated ride of an hour or so, I parked the bike at home and hoofed it to PX on base.

Where I purchased a seat more appropriate to the size of my ass. Today’s ride was much longer and much more comfortable for sure.

Anyway, I plan to incorporate the weekend biking into my regular exercise routine.  Which means the river rides will be in addition to my daily step goal of at least 15,000.

In other news…

Maybe so, but not so much when you are living a solitary existence.

Still, I took myself out on a dinner date and enjoyed me some pretty decent Mexican food. For dessert I won the dart tourney at IDK for the second week in a row…

There was a full moon Friday night…

Which led me to a pub called “Horse and Cow”…

The Pub featured a drink special called “Sweet Tight Pussy.” Sorry, but I’m not going to pay for it!

This is the only pussy I saw all night…

That was my weekend and all that jazz…

 

 

The long week in

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Finished up the first week in Pyeongtaek.  Let’s got to the photos for the story.

A view from my office. Yongsan was more of an admin base, hosting the HQ’s of USFK and Eighth Army. Humphreys is a base devoted to war fighters.
That runway is home to all kinds of helicopters and some fixed wing aircraft, and they are always in motion it seems. A whole different tempo here..

Another view. That building is the future home to USFK. Being in the ADVON is a bit of a pain in the ass. They are still working out the kinks in our HQ building. Also, no refrigerators or microwaves. Really cramping my bring lunch from home lifestyle. Not to mention making it hard to enjoy cold diet Cokes throughout the day. I’m not one to complain, but…

As busy and noisy as the Army base is, Anjeong-ri is quiet and docile compared to the Itaewon scene. Still have not nailed down my “home” bar, but after a week I’m greeted by name in 3 bars I visit and in two others that know what I’m drinking (light beer). I’ve actually gotten to where I prefer gin and soda but surprisingly none of the bars I’ve found have club soda in stock. It’s freaking bizarre.

The Drunk Bus is not a bar I expect to frequent regularly, but it did remind me of the dive bar atmosphere I enjoyed at the Grand ole Opry back in the ‘twon.

I paid my rent. $37,068 for one year. I don’t expect to be here a year, so by terms of the lease, the remainder will be reimbursed to Uncle Sam.

Some of my Yongsan staff came down to look for housing (most will be moving here at the end of next month). I treated them to some Korean BBQ for lunchee.

I upgraded my phone to the Galaxy S-7 Edge. Not cheap, but half the price of the new Galaxy S-8.

Katchi Kapshida only goes so far I guess….  Doesn’t bother me, I’ll always be the bigger man.  Ahem.’

Up early Saturday morning for a hike. Wound up here ten minutes from the house.

History in stone.

Very pretty area though.

Old and new living in relative harmony.

Once I was out of “town” I was walking on some old time country roads…

Your guess is as good as mine.

Saturday afternoon found me at the Osan Air Force base. I took advantage of the Arby’s there.

It’s been awhile and it was good.

I was in the area for a Saturday night dart tourney at Xenis Bar in Songtan…

My old friend Vox is the proprietor. He was getting some hair love. I of course was not.  Not that I need it…

Here in Anjeong-ri it is the Spring Festival weekend…

Which means music has been blasting from that stage and into my living room all weekend…

These guys did a decent enough cover of “born to be wild” that I ventured out to get a closer look.

The main street in town was closed to vehicles for the vent…

And as you can see I was having a grand old time…

I did enjoy a nice long walk along a new river today..

Lots of exploring to do yet.

It is certainly no Han.

The bridge what brought me there…

A few folks on bicycles and only one other hiker. Made for a lonely walk…

but there is always time to stop and smell the flowers…

This area is old school farm country…

That bridge is a train trestle. Couldn’t find any other place to cross and given that I was two hours into my hike, I turned around a walked back…

That’s Camp Humphreys on the other side of the river…

It was hot today. I only carried one bottle of water with me, needed two. Or maybe this. Also sunburned my neck. It’s true, I’m definitely a redneck now.

And that’s all I’ve got.  Feeling isolated and lonely, but that’s a big improvement over sad and miserable.  Progress!

 

 

Mayday! Mayday!

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I think I’m steppin’ into the Twilight Zone.

An odd weekend.  Closing out the Seoul chapter of my so-called life left me feeling a little more melancholy than usual,  Well, by my reckoning this was my penultimate weekend here.  Soon I’ll be feeling blue in a new city.  Something to look forward to for sure!

Facebook kicked things off by sharing this reminder of what I had and what I lost.

But on Friday night I got to help Natasha celebrate her birthday at Shenanigans.

And it is always nice to spend time with Sohee.

Kisses for the birthday girl!

Of course, everyone was coupled up as usual. Happy for them all and they will be missed.

On Saturday I played in my final Seoul International Dart League tournament. Can you spot the ol’ Walrus in this photo? I threw like shit and got knocked out early. I stayed and drank, then finished the night sitting alone at the bar at Grand Ole Opry. Which made me feel like a loser for the second time that day.

So I got up Sunday morning and did my best to walk those blues away. It helped some.

Ah well, at least I still have my sense of humor.

Such as it is.

Help, I’m steppin’ into the Twilight Zone
Place is a madhouse
Feels like being cloned
My beacons been moved
Under moon and star
Where am I to go Now that I’ve gone too far

 

Looking for a home

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Here’s a photo essay of this weekend’s quest to find a suitable home in Pyeongtaek.  A bar home that is.

Caught the bus on Yongsan which got me to Humphreys via Osan.

Camp Humphreys is the largest military base outside of the USA.  From the bus station there it was a good 30 minute hike to the main gate leading into the village of Anjeong-ri.

The first order of business was to secure some lodging for the night. I wasn’t particular in that regard, just something convenient to the bar district I’d be exploring later that night. I was a little disconcerted when the asked me if I wanted “short time”. Um, no, it’s just me standing here. They wanted W40,000 for all night, but I managed to negotiate a discounted rate of W35,000. Woot!

Next on the agenda was finding some lunch.  Not much going on in Anjeong-ri in the early afternoon.  But right around the corner from my motel I found this place:

No idea why the named it this. I did talk a bit with the owner. Nice enough guy. Bar feature a pool table and a dart board. Alas, they do not permit vaping so it will not play a big part in my future.

I did enjoy a pulled pork sandwich and two SML’s during my short visit.

I don’t know if the bar across the street allows vaping because I didn’t feel welcome there…

It appears most of the bars don’t open until 5 or 6 in the ville, so I had some time to kill before I could begin my bar crawl.

Walked over to the house that may be my new residence soon. It’s massive. Way to much house for me really. And given the short period of time I have remaining in Korea the landlord may not want to rent it out to me, especially since I’d need him to furnish it. I’m good either way, lots of options.

I saw two vaping stores as I walked about. Went into this one to check out their wares…

…and came away with a new vaping pen. Pretty happy with its performance thus far…

It seems like wherever I go I’m never far from Itaewon…

Oh My God! What a crazy name for a car dealership!

Turns out the Jesus Embassy didn’t issue any visas to Heaven. Ah well.

So, 20,000 steps later I’m back at the Main Gate to Humphreys. Anjeong-ri is a little bit like the old Itaewon, only smaller. And less sleazy. I should fit right in!

So, the plan was to meet up with my buddy Craig who moved down to Pyeongtaek last month and do an old fashioned bar crawl.  The generally accepted rules of a bar crawl are to have one beer in each bar that looks interesting until such time as your level of inebriation precludes activities involving motor skills.  Such as walking.

The first bar we hit was the “Cool bar”. It wasn’t all that cool. A pool table and a dart board. One old Korean guy there to serve you. We were the only customers (but it was still early). Anyway, they didn’t have SMLs, so we settled for Miller Lite. He had to get out a calculator to total our tab for two beers. Scary! They allowed smoking in this bar so of course vaping was no issue. Still, the Cool Bar left me cold.

Next up was the IDK bar. I Don’t Know what IDK stands for. But as the sign notes, they do have a weekly dart tourney. Bar staff was friendly Filipinas. No SML but vaping was allowed. We didn’t stay for the tourney, but I’ll definitely be back here for the darts.

We moved on to Blue Hawaii. Not much to say about the place, good or bad. I had to laugh though because the inside signage had “blue” misspelled as bule.

We were just randomly choosing venues at this point. I guess we saw a cute gal walk into Crystal Bar, so we followed. Turns out she was one of the bartenders. Ji young and Mia were both witty and entertaining. They had SML and let me vape. Craig enjoyed the place so much that he ordered up a second beer, violating the bar crawl principles. Oh well. I did insist that we visit at least 3 more bars before declaring Crystal the night’s winner.

We had our next beer at 3 Stooges. No SML and no smoking, but no one stopped me from vaping. It was the most crowded of the bars we visited and had a bit of biker bar vibe.

Galaxy Bar was out of this world. Actually, not really. It was quiet but the two middle aged Korean bartenders were friendly. Only one other Korean customer at the time. One of those places I’d try again if I wanted a quiet beer to myself.

And then there was Duffy Club. Also staffed by Filipinas. Turns out it was a juicy bar (the only one we encountered, which was a little surprising. Maybe we just got lucky with our choices. For those that don’t know the concept, the bar girl sits with you and chats and you are expected to buy her a drink. At Duffy, the lady drinks were W20,000. Nope. I’m never that lonely! One beer and out.

Anyway, we finished our night out by going back to Crystal Bar which had gotten quite a bit busier in our absence.  Still had a good time though and I’ll definitely spend some time there on my next visit.  Could it be my new Shenanigans?  Stay tuned.

We grabbed some kebabs before Craig taxied home and I stumbled to my room.  It was around midnight (we had started at 5:30).  I recall laying on the bed and turning on the TV.  I woke up at 0300 fully dressed and with the TV blaring.  Remedied both of those issues and was soon back to sleep.

Until 0630 when this roused me from sleep:

Damn, I was a good quarter mile at least from the Army base.  They played it over loudspeakers at top volume.  No more sleeping after that.  My return bus wasn’t until 0930 so I did some hiking around Humphreys, grabbed a Starbucks Americano and a blueberry muffin, then waited for my 2 hour ride back Yongsan.

It was a good trip and I feel confident I will adapt to the slower pace of the Pyeongtaek lifestyle.  And it will be a good transition to my future life in the Philippines.  HaHa!  Yeah, I know.  Wherever I am, I’ll find a bar to belly up to and be as happy as pig in shit.

What else can I share while I have your attention?

I know a lot of jokes about unemployed people but, none of them work. (Most of jokes during the bar crawl fell flat too).

And for god’s sake, don’t let them split!

I was going to buy a book on phobias, but I was afraid it wouldn’t help me.

Alright, that’s all I’ve got.

On a more serious note, I’ve been reading some stuff that reassures me I’m not the only one done with romantic love.  As one guy put it, he is mentally and emotionally incapable of being in love.  Exactly how I feel.  Someone told me I needed to find the courage to let the past go.  As I tried to explain, it is not so much about fear as it is about belief.  I used to believe in love and I used to believe in Santa Claus.  And now I don’t.  Simple as that.

What he said.

Last week I totaled 159,000 steps.  That’s a new record for me.  It helped that on 6 of those days I logged 20,000+ steps.  I feel good about that.  And I also feel pretty damn good period.  These new medicines I’m inhaling twice a day really keep the lungs clear.  Rarely use the inhaler and I don’t use the nebulizer at all anymore.  No cough at all.  I do wake up every morning with a stuffy nose and then have a sneezing fit, but once that passes I’m good for the rest of the day.  I can live with that.

Beautiful springtime Sunday today.  A pleasure to be out walking about in it.

What a wonderful world!

Happy trails to you!

 

Different Drum

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Happy Easter for those who believe in that sort of thing.

I found an egg today. Or it found me. During my hike an Church ajumma insisted I take it. Happy Easter!

Long time no post, eh?  Sorry about that.  I’ve been both busy and unmotivated.  What can I say?  Well, let’s ketchup!

This past week I was busy keeping a promise.  I’m glad I did even if I am not the same man I was back when I made that promise.  I’m sorry for any hurt that may have caused.

Speaking of promises, this month marked the fourth anniversary of the vows Jee Yeun made but did not keep.  Well, as long as she is happy now.

There is no question that I’m dead inside. It is just the way it is. I’ve accepted it.

You know, I don’t want to come off as being some pussy who can’t get over a broken heart.  I’m over it and I would certainly never go back to where I was.  It’s done.  But the reality is also that I’m haunted by memories of what I had and lost.  The things that used to bring me joy in life are now painful reminders of my foolish belief in love.  And wherever I go and whatever I do, it seems I am confronted by the past.  It is one reason I need to leave Korea, sooner rather than later.

I’m a selfish bastard for sure.  I’m going to embrace that and live a selfish life in the Philippines.   It is who I am and what I’ve become.  There is peace in acceptance.

But enough about me.  Ha!  Just kidding.

I’ve given my 30 day notice to the landlord. Looks like next stop for me will be lovely Pyeongtaek.  I’m still targeting a September re-retirement and move to Subic Bay.  But my Uncle Sam has enticed me to stay on through the Eighth Army transformation out of Seoul by providing me LQA (living quarters allowance).  That saves me two grand a month and these days I’m all about the money!

Since my last post here I made a trip down to Camp Humphreys to check out our new office space in the Eighth Army headquarters building.  Not bad at all.  While there I had a realtor show me around some of the amazing properties available.  He asked me where I wanted to live and I said “walking distance”.  “To work?” he asked.  Nope, to the bars.  I reckon that to be 20 minutes drunken stumbling max. So, somewhere in Anjeong-ri right outside the main gate would be ideal.  The realtor of course wants to show me big new expensive places, and I just want something simple and convenient.

I guess the compromise was this single family house right in the middle of Anjeong-ri.

4 bedrooms/4 baths (2 down, 2 up). Way to much house for me, but…

Real nice kitchen area too. We’ll see. The problem is I need something fully furnished and I’m only going to be around for 4 months, give or take. Doesn’t make me an attractive prospect for landlords.

I’ll need to do some more looking and see what happens.

There’s this nice restaurant right across the street. Or maybe it’s a pet shop. Have to check it out.

Speaking of work, here’s a picture of the meeting between the Korean Employees Union and the Ambassador. Well, former ambassador now… I’m the left handed guy…

Also this month was siblings day…here’s me and the brothers when life was much simpler…

I actually got asked this question by my Army doctor. Gave a similar response…

Sharing the fun with three of my employees on a recent Friday night…

Sounds like good advice…

…except when it isn’t. A conundrum…

Spent some time up North last week. It was pretty quiet…

katchi kapshida

Why yes. Yes I am.

Everything put together, sooner or later falls apart.

On the border…

I made it a few steps into North Korea but these guys weren’t going to let me go any further.

See what I missed?

I also had business in Busan. Not with this mermaid…

When the lights go down in the city…

Back in Seoul for my river walk on Saturday…

On the river.

And today it was Namsan.

Found the broom but no trace of the wicked witch of the Easter.

It’s been a long time since I broke the 30,000 step barrier…

Still crazy after all these years.

Ah well, it is what it is.  I’ll try and do better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-SHHZ8xpV0

 

Quiet desperation

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And another weekend draws to a close.

Spending time in bars, more often alone than not, provides ample opportunity for introspection and observation.  I’ve mentioned before my growing sense of disconnection from the Korea life I’ve lived.  Several old time friends have departed recently and I’m not really putting forth much effort to make new ones.  Seems I’ve become the proverbial old man living with his memories of happier times.

Well, obviously whatever isolation I’m experiencing is largely of my own making.  I’ve gotten better at being alone and the truth is I don’t really have the patience or willingness to allow someone to intrude into the relative peace and safety of the solitary confinement I’ve constructed.  It’s not the life I had imagined, but its good enough.  For now, anyway.

Anyway, don’t mistake this meditation as me feeling sorry for myself. I’m actually quite optimistic about the future.  A future in which I put 12 years in Korea behind me. I think what prompted this thinking was encountering some other folks this weekend who seem to be struggling with their own versions of isolation, remorse, and hopelessness.  In a city of 13 million there are bound to be many lonely and empty lives on display.  It still makes me sad to see though.

Having said that, I had a pretty fine (and drunken) Saturday night hanging out with my nephew Justin and my communist friend Choonae.

And this was when we were just getting started!

After reaching the appropriate level of inebriation I suggested we abandon Shenanigans and make our way up Hooker Hill for a visit to the oldest bar in Itaewon, Grand Ole Opry. Justin and Choonae were drunk enough to agree and so off we went.

Choonae had never been to a country Honky Tonk so it was interesting to see her reaction.  She’s also quite a dancer (Salsa being her specialty) and she was fascinated watching folks do the Texas two-step and Country Swing dances.  She stood beside our table and emulated the footsteps involved.  And after one particularly good dancer (a Korean gentlemen) returned to his seat with his date, Choonae walked over and asked him to show her how to dance.  He did, and she picked it up right away.

I might have mentioned that I was drunk, which gave me the courage to do some dancing myself.  I’m nowhere near as good as I once was (nor even as good once as I ever was), but that didn’t stop me.  Justin captured some video evidence of my foolhardiness.

Anyway it was a fun time and I successfully stumbled home sometime after 2 a.m. (with a detour to Taco Bell).

I was hungover and lazy most of the day but forced myself to get off my ass and take a walk in the afternoon.

Not bad considering.

And the good news is my new meds seem to be helping quite a lot.  Haven’t needed my nebulizer at all today and just used my inhaler a couple of times (pre and post walk). Here’s hoping that continues!

Onward!

There is no pain you are receding
A distant ship smoke on the horizon
You are only coming through in waves
Your lips move but I can’t hear what you’re saying
When I was a child
I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown
The dream is gone
I have become comfortably numb.

 

 

What’s up, Doc?

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Where I need to be. Doctor’s orders…

Yesterday afternoon found me back at the Brian Allgood Army Community Hospital for a follow-up visit to get the results of my two CT exams (chest and abdomen) and my PFT (pulmonary function test).  This was my fourth visit to the base hospital and also the fourth different doctor I’ve seen there.  Not getting to see the same doctor twice is a function of being in the Space A (space available) category.  Soldiers and their families come first, as it should be, and us civilians are at the bottom of the pecking order.  So, I call in and get assigned to any doctor with an open spot.  Honestly, each of the docs have been excellent.  They actually come and spend some quality time having a conversation about my health issues and there is never a rush or a sense that they have better things to do.  A much more satisfactory experience than anything I’ve encountered in the Korean hospitals, and truthfully, better than any care I received back in the USA as well.

I had the chest CT a couple of weeks ago.  A nurse called me and said my lungs looked pretty good considering the abuse I’ve put them through (25 years of smoking).  There was a small nodule on the left lung that might be nothing, but she advised I needed to have another CT in a year just to be sure.  She told me the doctor wanted me to do an abdomen CT, so I got that done on Tuesday.

No, I didn’t try suicide. It took the nurse three tries to find a vein that would accept having the CT dye injected. Finally had to settle for the wrist…

During the CT the fire alarms went off which was a little disconcerting.  They finished the test though, then escorted me out of the hospital.  I’m pretty sure it was just a drill.

Anyway, my physician yesterday was a young Army Captain.  Even though Dr. Pence had not ordered the tests, he had obviously reviewed the results before he sat down with me.  He said the lung nodule was 3 mm in size and could be from previous damage or could be a precursor to lung cancer.  So yeah, I’ll get that checked next year for sure.

The abdomen CT was clear.  Woot!  What about the PFT?  Well, it confirmed the COPD diagnosis and revealed that my lung function is at Stage 2 (moderate) of the disease. COPD is progressive and irreversible.  All that can be done is to take steps to slow its progress and delay reaching “end stage” for as long as possible.  So, that’s my plan.  I figure on dragging it out for 20 years or so.

I told Dr. Pence that I planned to move to the Philippines in a few months and asked him if the hot and humid weather would cause me any problems.  He said that on the contrary, those conditions would be much better for my condition than the cold and polluted environment of Seoul.  So, there you have it.  I’m going to live in the PI because it is what the doctor ordered!

Anyway, I’ve not had the shortness of breath issues that led me to the ER last month.  I have a chronic cough that wakes me up at night and I’m still hocking up sputum. I’ve been using albuterol in my nebulizer and through my inhaler.  Dr. Pence noted that during during my PFT the albuterol had limited effect.  So he prescribed two additional meds to be inhaled.  Both are in a powder form, sorta like cocaine I suppose.

They come with these fancy dancy inhalers so I don’t have to roll up a dollar bill and snort it up my nose. Not that I wold know anything about that…

That’s the story of my health.  Long may I live!

In other news…

I’m not letting diminished lung capacity keep me from completing my appointed rounds. I have noticed I don’t have the stamina I used to enjoy, but with my trusty inhaler I’m still able to get the steps in.

And I’m dealing with the agony of de feet…

And it is encouraging to know that there are in fact honest women out there in the world!

Hope springs eternal.

 

 

On the beach (day 2 and 3)

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One of the objectives of this trip is to scope out some housing options.  Another is to assess my general comfort level with the concept of living here full time.  The weekend provided some progress and insights on both fronts.  Let’s go to the pictures.

Why Olongapo? Why not!

Saturday afternoon we walked through the Alta Vista subdivision…

…saw quite a few houses that were infinitely livable…

;;;this one was my personal favorite. Not available as of now, but then again, neither am I. Not going to buy anything, but I’d go for a long term lease on the right place…

…I have no intention of going anywhere near this big. The cost of electricity in the PI is one of those things that exceeds prices back home. That and beef.

…but a smaller house with this view would make me a happy man indeed.

I noticed quite a few of these organic lawn mowers in the neighborhood.

All that walking worked up an appetite, so we meandered our way to one of my favorite little eateries, Sit-n-Bull.  The quesadillas were good for me…

The highlight of the weekend was meeting up with John B., a vlogger I’ve been following on YouTube.   John retired and moved to Subic going on two years ago now, so it was good to pick his brain and learn from his experiences.  Also, a great guy and someone I’m sure I’ll get along with after I make the move.

John and his lovely girlfriend Anna.

Finished the evening with some dinner at Blue Rock Resort. Actually moving our lodging there today for the rest of the week.

My employee Loraine seems to be enjoying herself as well…

Started the day Sunday with this “American” breakfast at Johan’s Dive Resort….

This view was included at no extra charge.

Then we hiked out to another subdivision for a look see…

The houses in Santa Monica subdivision are older than what we have seen so far, but they are still serviceable.

And sometimes colorful. I seem to recall this neighborhood experiences flooding issues during rainy season. I’ll need to confirm that of course, but it is an important consideration in any housing decision.

No bay view from Santa Monica homes, but I could get used to looking at the mountains too…

Speaking of the bay, we enjoyed watching the water from our lunchtime perch at Lava on the Beach restaurant.

In other news…

More walking around and exploring the area, met up again with John and Anna and another new friend, Joe, for a pleasant afternoon.  Last night I went on a quest for finding a dart bar.

Success! I got invited to join the league and they have never even seen me throw! I’ll come out Wednesday for the Alley Cats bar tourney and see what they think after seeing me in action.

Today we will take a Jeepney into Olongapo proper for a look around the city.  Stay tuned!

 

The way we were

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Now I wind up staring at an empty glass                                                                                  Because it’s so easy to say that you’ll forget your past...

Another Valentine’s Day being spent on my own.  And truthfully, that’s pretty much the way I choose to be.  But it weren’t always so.  And it seems there is always something there to remind me when I wasn’t alone.

Delving through my old posts on the Philippines information board I frequent, I came across something I wrote back in August 2009 called “My Dilemma”:

So next month marks an anniversary. One year since my last visit to the PI. You guys with PPD (post Philippines Depression) can imagine how much worse it is when you don’t know when, or if, you will return to paradise.

See, next August I am eligible to retire and can draw a generous (and well earned I might add) government pension. I could live comfortably almost anywhere, but in the PI I could live like a rich man. And that has a certain appeal to me.

What’s the problem then? Well, as the old Elvin Bishop song says “I fooled around and fell in love”. With a Korean woman.

Now, this woman is 93% perfect. She takes care of all my needs in a way that is beyond anything I ever imagined. And I’m a man who likes to be taken care of. She does everything for me down to the smallest detail without complaint. In fact, she tells me it is “her pleasure”. She is an amazing lover and an old fashioned good hearted woman. I go to the bars about three nights a week for darts, and she never complains. She comes along and has actually become a pretty big fan of the game. All my friends think she is great and her family seems to have taken a liking to me as well. When I got sick last year, she was at my side in the hospital 24/7. Hell, to reference another old song, she’s like the gal The Band sang about: “up on cripple creek she sends me/if I spring a leak/she mends me/I don’t have to speak/she defends me/a drunkards dream if I ever did see one…”

Yep, I’d have a hard time finding anyone better for me in this world than her.

So, you may be thinking, “what’s the dilemma?”. The 7% of the GF that is not perfect is that she is extraordinarily jealous. Almost to the point of being insane about it.

And she found my collection of photos from previous trips to the Philippines. She says seeing me with those “young girls” just makes her sick to her stomach. She deleted them all.

Now, even hearing the word Philippines enrages her. And whenever there’s a Filipina in a bar she accuses me of staring at her and tells me “I love Filipino women too much!”.

She accessed my email and found communications with a platonic friend in the PI and went nuts.

If I go to a filipino bar I like here in Seoul she gets pissed.

She checks the messages/call history on my cell phone.

She checks the stamps in my passport when I travel.

She counts the frickin’ money in my wallet to make sure I’m not spending money on others.

In other words, that 7% is getting to be a real pain in the ass.

But damn, she does love me, and you know, there is something to be said for being loved.

But any future I might have with her, means there is no Philippines in my future.

And she is right about one thing–I truly do love the Pinays.

Hence my dilemma. One year out from retirement and I need to be firming up plans. If I stay in Korea with her, it means getting married (will need a visa). If I’m going to the PI to retire, well, I need to be going there and making some decisions.

I’m stuck at 50-50 on the pros and cons. I mean, I could pay someone  in the PI to take care of all those nice things my GF gives me free. But as the Beatles so astutely noted, “Money can’t buy me love”.

I guess it’s a good thing to have choices in life. But it feels pretty fucked up right now.

Well, of course regular readers know that I chose love over the Philippines.  And as it turned out, I chose wrong.  I’m still not really over it and I definitely don’t understand it.  But there is of course no going back.  I can only lament the wasted time.

But as Facebook reminds me today, there were moments of love.  I even made a movie about it, circa 2013.

Painful to watch now.  And for those who say it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, I call bullshit.

One thing is for sure, I am bound and determined to never love again.  Don’t need it, don’t want it.  Happy Valentine’s Day!

Mem’ries,
Light the corners of my mind
Misty water-colored memories
Of the way we were
Scattered pictures,
Of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
For the way we were
Can it be that it was all so simple then?
Or has time re-written every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we? Could we?
Mem’ries, may be beautiful and yet
What’s too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So it’s the laughter
We will remember
Whenever we remember…
The way we were…
The way we were…

Perfect timing!

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Feel free to skip this post if you are weary of hearing my tales of woe regarding my health.

Okay, for the rest of you then…

Today I successfully secured a coveted appointment at the Brian Allgood Army Community Hospital on my third day of trying.  Oddly enough, I started experiencing shortness of breath about an hour before my 5 o’clock appoint.  And it was the worst occurrence I’ve ever had.  I was having difficulty even talking to the intake nurse about my symptoms.  The took my blood pressure (185/100!) then I met with the doctor.  He could immediately see I was in some pretty serious distress and asked me how often this condition occurred.  I breathlessly explained that I never let it get this bad since acquiring my nebulizer.  The good doc said let’s get you some nebulization going now and while I was inhaling that sweet relief, he listened to my chest and apparently didn’t like what he heard.

As is usually the case, I felt better almost immediately.  But apparently my blood oxygen was staying in the low 80s (normal is 95+) which meant I was experiencing Hypoxemia. That’s not good and the doc wanted me to visit the emergency room then and there.  And so naturally I did.

The took my blood pressure again (still over 180), did an EKG, and started me on another round of nebulaziton.

Suckin’ in the ER.

Then they wheeled me down to x-ray to get a gander at my lungs.

My first ever ride in a wheelchair on the way to the x-ray department. Whee! (I’ll be happy if it is my last ride in one though).

At least I had something to read.

By the time I got back to the ER I was feeling much better and my vitals confirmed it (blood pressure back down in the normal for me 140s, and blood oxygen back in the high 90s.  So, now I wanted to hear the long elusive diagnosis.  Doctor says it seems to be a case of Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  Damn, I was afraid he was going to say that!  (A couple of friends had suggested that may be my problem, but I was in denial).

There it is, the price I paid for 25 years of moderate smoking.  The fact that I’ve been off tobacco for over 2 years now is certainly a positive.  It appears my COPD is still in the early stages, and there are things I can do to slow it’s progress.  So, that’s what I will do. We all got to die of something, but my death is far from imminent.  My dad had COPD and made it to 83.  That’s a worthwhile goal I reckon.

I came home with some drugs and an inhaler and instructions to return for a follow-on visit in a week.

In the meantime, it is always possible I will run into someone like this:

And maybe she’ll live up to her name!

It’s all good.  Onward!

 

 

Journey through the past

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Sheryl the sweetie.

Back in the day (circa 2006) I was a member of internet information board devoted to visitors and expats in the Philippines.  Once I got married the wife insisted I divest myself of all things Philippines and so my membership lapsed.  After the wife jettisoned the marriage, I renewed my membership.  Unfortunately, all my old submissions were nowhere to be found and I assumed they had been consigned to the dustbin of internet history. But it turns out that all my old posts had been archived, and with the help of a board moderator I was able to recover them.  So I’ve been enjoying reliving those optimistic times when I first discovered the PI.

The best day ever was in July 2008.  I had returned to Angeles City and hooked up again with Sheryl, a gal I had met on my first visit.   To set the scene, the bargirls were provided lodging by the bar, which was called a “stay-in”.  The first time I saw where the girls lived I was shocked and saddened.  It was a one room apartment, with bunk beds lined wall-to-wall.  I’d say each girl had maybe 4 feet of personal space.  No aircon, just a solitary fan. Sheryl assured me however that compared to life in the provinces this was a big improvement.  For example, most of the girls had never enjoyed indoor plumbing prior to moving to Angeles.  Anyway, here’s the story of that special day all those years ago:

Sheryl’s niece has a birthday coming up so I had promised a trip to the mall to pick up some presents. It has been a LONG time since I shopped for a two year old (heh, other than my granddaughter) so it was kinda fun. We picked out a couple of cute outfits and I said, mom will love this, but a kid needs a toy. Preferably one that makes noise (which mom will of course hate). So we got a pull toy and a “teddy-rabbit” and I said now its your turn. Sheryl is always shy about accepting my gifts, but I insisted, so she picked up a nice skirt and a couple of tops. Unlike Koreans, Pinays are quite easy to please and I do appreciate that fact.

So, we headed back to the stay-in to drop off her bounty. Man, that place still depresses me. The girls seem alright with it though and it beats the hell out of living on the street I suppose. Anyway, the plan was to invite the girls over to the Wild Orchid for a little swim party. We wound up with eight happy takers, and off we went. Speaking of easy to please, an old fat guy walking down the street with a covey of young brown-skinned beauties sure did put a smile on my face! 

Soon enough the party was in full swing. I guess it is natural to love the water when you are born in a country made up of 7000 islands, and these girls were no exception. The music of their laughter as they frolicked in the pool just warmed my heart. And the stares of the other guests as we all partied and goofed was kinda cool too. Hell, I will just let the pictures do the talking…

They enjoyed the water, they devoured lunch, and finished it off with a gallon of chocolate ice cream.  It was a day full of smiling faces!  Not the least of all, mine. 

All too soon the sun was sinking on the horizon and the girls had to head home to prepare for another night entertaining the monger horde. God love ’em. I’ll tell you what, I had the best time that afternoon, and I didn’t even get laid. There is more than one way to find satisfaction in AC, and this was my way. Got them out of the hot stay-in, put some smiles on their faces, gave them some good food, and got it all for less than 3000 pesos (about 60 dollars). I’d call that a bargain!

These days I’m not into the go-go bar scene at all, but I still respect the hard lives these young women experience.  I hope the men they entertain treat them with kindness and dignity. They certainly deserve it.

What became of Sheryl?  Well, she wanted me to take her away from the bar life, but I didn’t have it in me to have a long term relationship with a 25 year old Filipina.  What I did do was pay her tuition to become a certified caregiver.  Once she graduated she was able to escape the bar and return home to Manila.  Last time I heard from her was in an email from Australia.  She had married an Aussie and she was trying to be a good wife and therefore would not be staying in contact with me.  I was very happy that she had made her dreams come true.  Thanks for the memories!

When the winter rains
come pourin’ down
On that new home of mine,
Will you think of me
and wonder if I’m fine?
Will your restless heart
come back to mine
On a journey thru the past.
Will I still be in your eyes
and on your mind?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3RIJ-NmVGM

A New Year in the Philippines

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Other than being sick a lot of the time, the trip to Puerto Galera was enjoyable.  Here’s the story in pictures.

Woke up early Thursday morning to find some snow on the ground. Took a cab to Incheon and caught my plane. We left and arrived on time. Good job Korean Air!

Met my tour guide Loraine at the Manila airport.  She had secured us transportation to Batangas (about 2 1/2 hours away on the toll road) where we caught the ferry to Puerto Galera.

The “ferry” was this banka boat, capacity 110 brave souls.

Every seat was full for the 1.5 hour trip across the water to PG. Seas were relatively calm which is good, because I’m prone to sea sickness…

Looking forward towards arrival at Puerto Galera…

And there it is!

Can’t remember the name of the town we docked in, but it looked like this. It wasn’t White Beach which was where we were going. To get there we had to take a van ride of 30 minutes or so.

As I mentioned in my previous post, we were booked at the Tribal Hills Mountain Resort.  The shuttle van met us in White Beach and drove us straight up the mountain (literally).  Checked in and proceeded to our room where we saw the sign stating there would be no power from 1:00 – 5:00 while the generator underwent maintenance.  With no air con we took advantage of the huge deck outside our corner room.

the deck was larger than our the room, I do believe…

…and afforded views like this…

…and this….

….this…

…this…

…and of course, this.

The resort featured a restaurant with fantastic views and average food, a pool with a bar that closed at midnight except when it closed earlier, like the night we went down at 11:00.

The pool area at night.

The resort rented 4 wheelers, had an archery range, and a guided hike up to some mountain falls.  We partook in none of the above, although I really did want to take the falls trek.  Lungs and leg convinced me otherwise.  The WiFi was spotty at best, but we made do.  Mostly missed it on those sleepless nights I mentioned in yesterday’s post.

So instead I hired one of the hotel vehicles to drive us into Sabang, a comparatively large town best known for its diving resorts.  1000 pesos round trip (about 20 bucks).  Saw lots of downed trees and storm damage along the way.  There is only one road into and out of Sabang, and like most other roads I saw in Puerto Galera, it was quite narrow.  Our expert driver managed it quite well however.

Once we arrived, the tour guide recommended a steak house she was familiar with.  Once again, the views were much better than the food.  I had a fish fillet that was so salty it was inedible.  But the mango split we shared for dessert was outstanding.

Loraine the tour guide sets up my phone with a local sim card. It gave me a usable phone number, but I was more interested in the data network for internet. It even worked some of the time!

Beer was cold, which is how I like it!

From our dining perch, the view to the right…

…the view straight ahead…

…and the view to the left.

After lunch I treated Loraine to getting her hair treated.  Turns out it was a three hour long process, which gave me time to wander around a bit.  More than enough time, because there just ain’t that much to see there.  Luckily for me, I’m easily entertained…

Found me a beachside bar featuring cold SML beer and enjoyed the view and watching the passerby…

Lots of dive boats coming in and going out…

And a walkable beach if you were so inclined. I was not.

By the time Loraine’s hair was finished, I was half(?) drunk and hungry.  There was a Korean restaurant across the street from the salon so I figured we’d give it a go.

It’s hard to go wrong with samgyapsal, even though I had to cook it myself.

Sabang has a smallish nightlife entertainment scene.  We sampled three bars, all of the go-go variety which I pretty much disdain.  One drink and out in each of them.  One difference from the bars in Angeles City and Subic I’ve visited is that the gals danced one at a time, rather than as a group.  I didn’t see the value in that, but what do I know.

Called our driver for the return trip to Lost Hills and he got us there in due course (about a 45 minute drive).  Once back in our room I had another bout with my bronchitis issues.  Feeling trapped in the room, figured I could be just as miserable at the poolside bar.  Which was already closed, more than an hour prior to the posted closing time.  Oh well, sat out there anyway.  Suggested to the tour guide that we check out one day early and celebrate New Year’s Eve in Manila.  There was really nothing left to see in Puerto Galera and I had a desire to be closer to reasonable medical care should my condition continue to worsen.

After breakfast the next morning we caught the banka boat ferry back to Batangas.  Upon arrival had several touts offer to drive us back to Manila at a discounted rate of 2500 pesos, including tolls.  Although that was a bargain price, I was uneasy about riding in an unlicensed “taxi”, weighing the odds of robbery or some other scam unworthy of the savings.  Took a comfortable bus ride instead for 1/3 that price.

I had previously booked a room for January 1 at the Red Planet Hotel in Aseana Center.  It’s near the airport, the Mall of Asia, and a couple of casinos.  Just prior to checking out of Tribal Hills I went online to Agoda.com to add the 31st to my Red Planet booking.  When we arrived at Red Planet there was a long line for check-in, and the clerks didn’t seem particularly competent.  When I finally got to the counter and provided my ID the clerk couldn’t find my booking for the 31st.  I explained that I had just made it that morning and didn’t have anything other than the email confirmation, which I pulled up and showed her.

She said “sir, this booking is for the Red Planet in Makati”.  Damn, I hate when that happens.  So, we had to “grab” a taxi across town.  (Grab taxi is the Philippines version of Uber apparently.  I like it.)  On the way to our hotel I noticed an oddly familiar neighborhood–the P. Burgos street nightlife district!  I had visited there on my previous Manila adventure back in June.  Our hotel turned out to be within easy walking distance, so at least the location of our New Year’s Eve activities was taken care of.  I like when that happens!

Got settled in the room then took a cab to the Greenbelt shopping district that the tour guide had suggested as a good place for dinner.  She had a Filipino dish, I went with the chicken-on-a-stick (although it had a fancier name (and price) on the menu.).  When it was time to head back to our neck of the woods we had a helluva time getting a taxi.  All the queues were long and the cabs few and far between.  I’m not known for my patience and it was shortly exhausted.  I said fuck this, let’s walk away from this area where there is less competition for cabs.  Loraine told me later she was surprised how I was brazenly walking down dicey streets with no apparent fear of being robbed.  I wasn’t brave, just clueless. Regardless, my plan was not working as there didn’t appear to be any cabs to be found here either.  (If I lived in Manila I would definitely get the Grab app on my phone).

In frustration, I walked over to the doorman at a small hotel and offered him 100 pesos if he could fetch me a cab.  His efforts standing in the street were no more successful than mine.  He asked Loraine in Tagalog where we were going and how much we were willing to pay to get there.  After consulting with me, we said 300 pesos (six bucks, about double the taxi fare).  He had a friend nearby, and after some discussion he agreed to drive us to our hotel for that price.  Problem solved–money talks, we didn’t walk!

Rested up and cleaned up then headed out to Burgos for a night of bar hopping.  Surprisingly, many of the bars were lacking the usually ubiquitous numbers of bar girls.  Apparently many go home to the provinces for the holidays.  No problem as I wasn’t in the market for that anyway.  We had a pretty good time bar hopping until the clock was ready to strike 12.

My first kiss of the new year!

After another rough night and little sleep because of my health issue, we decided to make a visit to the Mall of Asia.  Loraine had a hankering for pizza, and Shakey’s is the place for pizza in the PI.  Which was surprising, because when I was a kid growing up in Southern California, Shakey’s was the big thing!  I still remember their commercial jingle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJmufzgzRoA

I’ve been to Mall of America, and this one seems bigger to me…it’s HUGE!

We serve fun at Shakey’s. Also pizza!

A nice little amusement park behind the mall…

Which is situated on Manila Bay…

Later that evening we hit a casino but I wasn’t impressed or in the mood.  Did hit an 800 peso slot win, with only a 1000 peso investment!

Then we took a cab to the Ermita area of Manila and visited the famous L.A. Cafe. It’s a notorious hang out for freelance hookers, but also a fun, albeit smoky, bar.  Glad I got to experience it.

Next morning it was up and out to the airport.  And the rest as they say is history.  Except for the being sick part, it was a good time.

 

Stayin’ alive

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Welcome to my first post of 2017!  I’d wish you a happy new year but…

….I will wish you more good days than bad instead. My goal is to get out of this year alive!

So, regular readers know that I rang in the New Year in the Philippines.  The trip turned out to be about half as good as I hoped.  I’m going to do a post about the travel portion of that visit soon.  This post is about the bad part.

Here’s a helpful hint:  Don’t take a vacation when you are sick.  I had my meds and figured I’d either get progressively better or stay about the same.  Didn’t think things could get worse until they did.

I arrived with my “tour guide” at our chosen Puerto Galera lodging, the Tribal Hills Mountain Resort pretty much on schedule at 1600 on Thursday the 29th.  I’d left home at 0430 though, so that constituted a long day of travel and I was pretty bushed.  Now, the day after Christmas PG had taken a direct hit from Typhoon Nina.  Lots of downed trees and the roads were pretty much a mess, but the resort was not in bad shape.  Except that the power was out.  No worries, they had a back up generator.  Although from 1300 until 1700 it was down for maintenance.  So, we arrived in our room without power, or more importantly, no air conditioning.  Took advantage of the wonderful deck off our room with outstanding views of the surrounding mountains and the ocean.

It wasn’t long before I noticed a bite on my arm from what I presume was a mosquito.  I belatedly got out my insect repellent and liberally applied it to the exposed areas of my body.  Shortly thereafter, a worrying rash appeared all over the arm that was bitten.  Then it spread to my neck and chest.  And then the other arm.  What the fuck?  I took a long shower and after a couple of hours the rash receded into nothingness and I felt no further ill-effects from the experience.

I had no idea just how isolated the Tribal Hills Resort actually is.  It’s on top of a mountain accessed by a narrow road that goes straight up.  I’d judge it to be a steeper climb than getting to the top of the stairs on Namsan.  And given my diminished lung capacity and bum leg, that was a non-starter.  They resort does offer a free shuttle to the base of the mountain near White Beach.  Although truth be told White Beach seemed like a sleepy little village with nothing much of interest to do there.  And the shuttle stops running at 2200 hours. So the resort has a restaurant and pool bar, who needs to leave, right?

Except late on the first night I experienced a new low in my battle with my lungs, as in a prolonged period where I had shortness of breath.  Which felt like drowning to me.  I tried not to panic which would lead to hyperventilation, but it felt like I was going to pass out at any moment.  My tour guide asked if I wanted to go the the hospital in Sabang, a good 45 minutes away under the best of circumstances.  And these weren’t the best of circumstances in Puerto Galero.  Imagining the nightmare of a small town provincial hospital in the PI, I declined the offer.  Back home during coughing jags I’d work up a sweat and found some comfort and relief having my fan blowing into my face.  I mentioned how I really longed for that fan now, and to her credit my tour guide set out on a midnight quest to find me one.  I assumed it would be fruitless because the resort basically shuts down after the last shuttle run, but she had roused a staff member who came to the door with fan in hand shortly thereafter.  It did provide a modicum of relief and I made it through a mostly sleepless night.

Things went better for most of the next day, which included a visit to Sabang.  So glad I didn’t try to go there for medical assistance!  That night I had some breathing problems again, but with the fan and some deep breathing exercises I learned from the web I was able to deal with it.  Again, just a couple hours of sleep though.  Decided to check out one day early and head back to Manila.  Call me a pussy, but the thought of not having access to emergency medical care should it be required was fucking with my mind.  Besides, there was just not much to see or do in PG and it seemed like a pointless place to ring in the New Year.

Had a nice New Year’s Eve celebration on P. Burgos street in Makati, coincidentally located very near the hotel I accidentally booked (I’ll cover that in the trip report installment).  More of the same, felt fine mostly until it came time to lay down for some sleep, which brought back the coughing fits and shortness of breath.  Managed a little more than 2 hours sleep from pure exhaustion, and woke up with the zit from hell on my cheek.  What’s up with that?

Last day in country had the worst bout yet and the tour guide suggested I get a nebulizer. I considered it briefly, but figured what I really needed was a doctor’s opinion, so I opted to wait until I got back to Seoul for that.  The plane ride from Manila went without incident, even managed a bit of sleep.  Once we landed I made it through immigration, bag claim, and customs in a jiffy.  Started walking to the AREX station and got hit hard with the lack of breath thing again.  The train departed in five minutes so there was no stopping to rest. Made it on board and collapsed in my seat.  I did my breathing exercises and told myself to suck it up and calm down, and eventually I did.  No other option really, it was after 1900 so my doctor’s clinic was long closed.

Caught a cab from Seoul Station and somehow managed to successfully navigate the cabbie to my villa’s front door through grunts and gestures.  Good thing too, because carrying my suitcase up two flights of stairs set off another lack of breath incident.  This one wouldn’t go away.  Around 0100 I was seriously thinking I needed to go to the emergency room for some oxygen.  Couldn’t think of anyone I felt comfortable calling to take me at that ungodly hour, and I figured trying to explain to 119 where I lived was pointless.  So I somehow managed to get through the night.  Through the power of sheer exhaustion I even managed a couple hours of sleep.

As I prepared to depart for Soonchunhwang hospital this morning, I stepped on the scale. 201 pounds!  A new record low for me, and down an amazing 6 pounds from last week.  I obviously haven’t been walking at all and on vacation I don’t strictly keep to diet (had a fantastic mango split for example).  The weight loss I’m certain is the result of my body and heart working overtime lately.  My fit bit advises that my resting heart rate has been in the high 80s to low 90s.  During my fits I’ve pushed it up to 130.  Prior to my illness my resting heart rate was around 70 and I only saw 130+ at the summit of the stairs to Namsan.  I DO NOT recommend this weight loss program however!

Arrived at the International Clinic without an appointment.  Receptionist asked if I preferred to see the hilarious Dr. Yoo or the sexy Dr. Kim.  I opted for Dr. Yoo who has been treating me for years.  But I felt compelled to mention in all other things I would pick Dr. Kim.  The receptionist smiled and said she understood.

Explained to Dr. Yoo (who coincidentally also has a cough and he blames Chinese pollution) what was going on, basically everything I’ve said above in more abbreviated form.  I know, why is HE so lucky?  Get over it!  I told him I needed to get this fixed.  He said if I had a fever he’d want me in the hospital.  I told him being hospitalized was something I really wanted and needed to avoid.  So, he had me do blood work, an EKG, a chest x-ray, and a nebulizer treatment.  After completing these rounds, I returned to see what Dr. Yoo’s conclusion might be.  I was happy that my hard working heart was still doing it’s job.  The blood work showed all indicators in the normal range.  The x-ray revealed that my lungs remain congested (no duh).  And the nebulizer treatment as far as I could tell was a success.  At least I wasn’t coughing.

He told me I was on the “borderline” for being hospitalized, but if I was willing to come in everyday for some nebulization we could try that.  I suggested that I just purchase my own nebulizer and do that at home. Dr. Yoo was down with that.  He also had mentioned having me hospitalized to administer intravenous antibiotics, but he was willing to try something stronger in pill form to see how that works out.  So, as of now I remain a free man!

My new best friend!

Don’t we make a nice couple? And check out that zit! Massive!

The doctor does wants me back in the morning for a follow-up, I guess to see how I’m reacting to the meds.  I’ve done two nebulizer treatments at home now and have had no issues with the cough or breathing problems.  I also had an uninterrupted two hour nap today which left me feeling surprisingly energized.

I’ll go to bed tonight feeling hopeful that the corner will indeed be turned and I can avoid the nightmare of being in a Korean hospital alone with no one to assist me.

I tagged this post in the “me, me, me” category which obviously fits.  I’m thinking I need to add a category of “aren’t you glad you’re not me?”  I suspect many of my readers come here to feel better about themselves.  Hey, glad to be of service.  No man is totally worthless, he can always serve as a bad example.

Cheers!