Arrived home safe and sound after my journey to Bohol. Let me slap up some photos from our last day in that lovely land.
We started the day by hiring a boat for an island tour.
Swan and I had the boat to ourselves.Anchors away!Heading out to sea.That would be us.That island was our first destination, but we didn’t stop there.Balicasag Island is known for its snorkeling and viewing sea turtles. Swan doesn’t swim, and I don’t snorkel, so we took a pass on that activity.Could be trouble on the horizon……and we are heading right for it.We got off the boat at Virgin Island for a quick walkabout. The rain found us there, but it was light and didn’t last long.Acting like the tourists that we were.Swingin’ in the water.The water wasn’t exactly pristine, but at least it was nature’s litter.A walk in the sand.The guard at the church building.But there wasn’t much to guard.Is that one of those virgins?Not anymore!Don’t ask me.I understand that at low tide, this is dry ground. Swan waded out anyway.Then we headed back to civilization.And arrived at where we started three hours earlier.We grabbed some lunch at a hostel called Mad Monkey. As you might expect, we were surrounded by young backpacker types.
Back to the hotel for some rest and relaxation, then beer o’clock arrived, and we headed for Alona Beach.
We kicked off our Saturday evening at Oxyanus for a beachside drink.Then moved upstairs to the second-floor restaurant.It was empty when we arrived, but by the time we left, there were several other diners.I guess I’m becoming addicted to chicken quesadillas. At least it is fun to compare and contrast them with the others I tried this week. Oxyanus’s were the thickest, but that dipping sauce was all wrong.Swan played it safe with the hamburger. We both agreed the fries were excellent.
And this being our last night and all, we dropped into our new old favorite, Escape Bar.
Alas, all the preferred beachside seats were occupied, but we still had a nice view from this perch.Eventually, we were able to move up front and watch the beach scene.
There was one other bar I’d been wanting to try, but it’s off the beach and opens later. Last night, as we walked by on our way back to the hotel, I decided it was now or never for the Sky Bar experience.
No other customers except a couple of pool players. And no waitress, so Swan had to go to the bar to place our order.And despite being on the third level, the view sucked.So, I’d rate Sky Bar a swing and a miss.
Tuk-tuk back to the hotel, a goodbye beer at the bar there, and then it was time to bring the day to an end and prepare for our early morning departure today at 6 am.
Facebook memories reminds me of that life I was living fifteen years ago:
Another drunken Itaewon night.
It’s April 2019 in the LTG archives, and being the fool that I am, I posted a gotcha lie, and a true story from long ago that reveals my lame sense of humor and how it backfired at a Postal Service training session in Memphis, Tennessee.
Today’s YouTube video talks about the myth of foreigners being targets in the Philippines. Sure, we get hit with the skin tax thing, but I’ve walked through squatter villages alone on many occasions and never felt unsafe or threatened. I would never walk through similar ghettos back in the USA. And that thing about being offered free drinks from strangers happens all the time. I decline, because I’m hiking, but it is still a friendly gesture.
Just a laugh before I go:
It’s been said that love is a drug.That’s a reflection on the true nature of your character.Recruiting sucks.
And that’s all for now. I need to get ready and see if my old haunts in Barretto have survived without me. Tomorrow I’ll share my thoughts on Bohol: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Touristy shit really isn’t my thing, but when you are one, what else are you gonna do? The road tour we signed up for yesterday would have normally been an eight-hour engagement. Luckily, it wasn’t a group tour, so I vetoed a couple of stops along the way and brought it back down to a more reasonable four-hour journey. One thing I did want to see for sure was the famous Chocolate Hills, about a two-hour drive from Panglao. I also enjoyed the countryside as we passed through Bohol’s mainland. Peaceful, clean, and beautiful.
Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. But you already knew that, right?
The first stop on our tour was a Catholic sanctuary dating back to 1595.
It’s a regular part of the tour. But Swan was wearing shorts, so she wasn’t allowed inside. I didn’t care to see it anyway. I told our driver/guide to head for the hills.And here we be.Only 220 steps to the viewpoint.Keep your eyes on the objective.I got this.Even in my pants?Made it to the top!It rained this week, and I guess that melted the chocolate.I’m told there are 1,776 hills in all.A look in the other direction.I’m thinking, where are those Strawberry Fields the Beatles sang about? Or maybe that girl in white shorts I saw climbing up…Oops, time to head back down!A beautiful day in Bohol.
As I said, this was a standard tour package with several stops. When the driver pulled into this tourist trap called “Python and Butterfly Garden,” I told him, no thank you, and he turned around. I also had him skip the miniature monkey park. Someone had warned me that the monkeys were so tiny they were hard to see.
Our next destination was a place called “Man-Made Forest.” That was much more to my liking.The forest was planted in the late 1960s, so I am older than those trees.Next stop was the Loboc River.The river cruise came with a buffet at 1000 pesos per head. I wasn’t that hungry, so we skipped it and moved on.
The final stop on the tour was the “Blood Compact Shrine,” commemorating a ritual that led to a peace treaty between the Spanish and the Bohol natives. I was unfamiliar with this history and found it quite interesting.
The way down to the shrine was a twisty-turny endeavor, but no worse than steps would have been, I suppose.The participants in the Blood Compact of 1565.How the shrine honoring that history came to be.A Swan amongst the statues.
Then it was time to head back to the hotel. We paid the full price for our voluntarily shortened tour, but it was still a bargain for only 3000 pesos. We had lunch at the hotel, and the owner was there having a meeting with someone at a nearby table. I didn’t want to intrude, so we took a seat at the bar and ordered our grub. And then the Facebook memories feed popped up on my phone.
That’s Nora’s Resort owner, Chris, on the left and our mutual friend Gary on the right. We met on the Kokomo’s Floating Bar two years ago, and I promised I’d come check out Bahol and stay at his place. I have now fulfilled that promise.
I sent Chris the photo to remind him, and as I left, he said, “I was trying to remember where I met you.”
As usual, when it was time to head out for the evening, we made our way to Alona Beach. We really enjoy the vibe there, and next time we visit Bohol, we’ll be staying somewhere nearby (sorry, Chris!).
I mentioned the Korea-centric businesses here. They even have a Dokdo. It’s not their land, though.
We walked the beach end-to-end and didn’t see anywhere we liked better than our favorite hangout. I guess there is just no avoiding Escape.
What’s not to like at Escape Bar? Good views, friendly service, cold beer, and wine at happy hour prices.
We decided to have dinner somewhere, even though we weren’t all that hungry. The vlogger I follow, Reekay, lives in the area, and he messaged me with some of his favorite venues. One was practically next door, so we gave it a try.
A cozy place on the beach.
Reekay suggested the Thai food, but I’m more of a grilled meats kinda guy.
So, we went with chicken wings and a pork chop. They hit the spot!
And so ended the next-to-last night on this trip to Bohol. There will be future visits for sure.
Today’s YouTube video claims ancient humans only worked three hours a day. Hmm, was everyone retired? Kind of interesting to think about how they filled the time before beer was invented.
There ain’t no getting around these:
And eating the clam that pearls come in can be tasty too!I see what you did there.Beats having that sinking feeling.
And now it is time to prepare for the rest of my last day in Bohol.
This is what we did this morning.
Tell you all about it as soon as I can. We have an early morning flight back to Manila. I’m a little worried that finding a Grab car at 6 am on a Sunday might prove difficult, but we’ll figure it out. Or miss our plane. So, hopefully I’ll be writing tomorrow’s post from Barretto, but you’d best check back to be sure.
Getting ready to do a driving tour of Bohol Island, so I’m going to dash out this post about yesterday as quickly as I can. The easiest way to do that is to let the pictures do most of the talking.
Naturally, we started the morning off with a stroll.
Found a resort called Mad Monkey that apparently has lots of branches in Asia. It looked nice enough, but it is also very isolated.We found a little beach time along the way.Solea, not Solea. This big-ass resort was located at the end of a long road in the middle of nowhere. But it appears the tourists find the place, judging from the parking lot.The Korean joints appear not to give a shit about attracting non-Korean-speaking tourists.Wow, a place named after me!More Korean signage.We took a long walk down a dead-end road, and rather than retreat, we decided to see if we could find our way through the woods.It got a little dicey in places, but we eventually found our way back to some pavement.The way we walked our 6K trek.
We stuck close to home until beer o’clock rolled around, then made our way back to Alona Beach. The place I’d thought about trying (a rooftop venue called Sky Bar) wasn’t open. Well, I knew another place I’d like for sure, so we made our Escape again.
The first beer of the day always goes down easy.Good company……nice views.And yeah, we did this again. In my defense, I wanted garlic parmesan chicken wings, but they were out of stock.At least our quesadilla came with dipping sauce this time. It was a tad on the spicy side, though.Nope, never gonna take that ride.Weird to see a local wearing that t-shirt.Then Douglas, the guy I was supposed to meet up with the previous night, arrived. A really interesting character, and we had a nice chat. We’d met before somewhere in Barretto, but neither of us remembered the where or when. I was wrong about him being a tourist; he moved here a couple of months ago. And no, he does not miss Barretto at all.And then, down on the beach, a fire show broke out.It was quite impressive and a nice way to end our evening at Escape.
Here’s a short video I took during the fire show if you want to see more.
From the March 2019 LTG archives is the post about me getting Lucky. No, I didn’t get laid; I rescued a dog. He was lucky, but me not so much. Worst dog I’ve ever owned, even bit the hand that feeds him. Oh, well. I let him live, and that’s enough.
Today’s YouTube video is one I came across by accident. This woman had the balls, er, courage, to visit Siargao Island alone, stayed away from the tourist areas, and slept in a tent by herself. Hmm, maybe not just brave, but also dumb. I post, you decide.
Today’s lameness:
Talk about being a motherfucker!A glance in the wrong direction can cost you dearly.Logic doesn’t work with stupid people, kid.
Now, I’ve got to run. Pick up time is less than thirty minutes away, and I still ain’t dressed. I need to get my priorities straight. Back tomorrow to tell you about today.
Well, I do recall I’m catching a flight in Manila early this afternoon. I originally planned to leave here around 8:30 and stop by Dr. Jo’s office for my weekly Ozempic injection. And then two things happened: Air Asia changed my departure from 2:10 to 1:40, and I realized that I miscalculated the travel time to Manila (which varies depending on traffic anyway). So, to be safe, I’m leaving home at 7 a.m. I’ll let you know how that works out for me in my next post, hopefully from the lovely island of Panglao.
My Hash trail yesterday aligned with a good portion of the Hare’s trail, except I was walking it in the opposite direction. Funny how that works out. We had very low participation (maybe 10 Hashers on the official trail), and I’m guessing the bullshit starting point (the far end of Rizal Extension) had something to do with that. Oh well, I got in nearly 7K doing it my way.
Mountain Mama Onelia receiving her biscuit ration.Hey, the arrows are all pointing in the wrong direction.You go your way, we’ll go ours.The view from here.As usual, we dispensed some sweetness along the way.Looking down from whence we came.Credit where it is due, the Hare’s (Almoranus and Vienna Sausage) did a well-marked trail.As we neared the starting point of the “real” trail, we encounter several Hashers heading out. One of them (Amstel) decided to follow my trail.A reminder along the way that I’m doing alright for 70. At least I’m still breathing. RIP Helen.Arriving On-Home at Johansson’s.Doing it my way.
I was suffering mightily on the second half of my trail. I’m used to muscle aches and pains, but I find that you can walk them off. In my right leg yesterday, I experienced what must have been something wrong with my nerves; each step created a bolt of pain that felt like a hundred needles being jabbed into my upper thigh. Once I finished the trek and sat down, the pain was gone and didn’t return. Weird.
The Gash doing their thing at the after-Hash gathering at It Doesn’t Matter.I ordered tacos for dinner from the IDM kitchen.
And so ended another Hash Monday.
And from Facebook memories, the first day of the rest of my new life eight years ago:
Welcome to the Philippines!
From the March 2019 LTG archives is the first chapter of “One Lifetime, Many Lives.” That series was supposed to be the story of my life, but I never finished it. What I’m doing now with my journey through the archives is tagging the posts I will use when I put together the completed autobiography. We’ll see how that works out, but in the meantime, I do enjoy strolling down memory lane and remembering things I had forgotten.
Today’s YouTube video features a vlogger I’ve never watched before explaining why he no longer visits the bars in Angeles City. Well, I share his sentiments about buying companionship, but that’s never been why I hit the bars. I go for the beer!
Some smiles before I hit the road:
Those rolls are the breast!The hell with it.You can say that again!
Alright, I’d best hit the shower and finish packing. Looking forward to some new views of new places!
I’m losing more and more people that I care about lately. But I don’t feel like I’ve changed.
So, I’m living it up here at the Mope Resort on La Paz beach in San Narciso. Running way behind schedule, so I’m going to have to hurry through this post and get back out to see new places other than this keyboard. I had a nice first day yesterday, taking a walk around the neighborhood. Lots of new places have opened, but I ain’t see many expats out and about. Three altogether yesterday. Matt, the owner of Mope Resort, is currently out of town, but his wife gave us a warm welcome. I chuckled when I was reminded what “Mope” stood for: Matt’s outta pocket expenses. The Resort is for sale, and there may be only one other room occupied at the moment, but we are enjoying our stay regardless. Okay, need to run, but before I go I’ll throw up some photos from yesterday’s adventure:
The thirty-two-kilometer journey to get here.A chicken burger for lunch upon arrival at Mope. I could only finish half of it.A deserted La Paz Beach.Swan walking the beachfront road.That would be the beachfront road I’m talking about.This house caught my eye because of the “for sale” sign out front. I liked the vibe of the place. Swan called the number, and it is 8 million pesos (around $160,000.)Our loop around brought us back to the far end of the beach.We loved going to Kon-Tiki when it was down the road from Barretto. This version has recently opened here. It doesn’t have the beach vibe we like, and the menu isn’t as appealing, but we’ll give it a try one of these days.We were looking forward to seeing an ocean sunset.Heading back to Mope, we passed a cluster of street food stands that weren’t there when we last visited.You don’t see a 1960s Ferrari very often in the Philippines.Back at Mope, we climbed up to a second-floor covered deck to watch the sun show.
So, I took LOTS of photos. Some I zoomed in on, others I cropped, and the rest are just on normal settings. Sit back and enjoy the show:
And that was that.
Back downstairs for more beer by the pool. That’s the deck we watched the sunset from.I’m not sure drinking pool water is a good idea kitty, but you do you.
Then it was off to our room for a good night’s sleep and getting ready for day two.
It’s now December 2018 in the LTG archives, and in this post, I claim to have gotten down to “the heart of the matter.” Basically, I didn’t have love in my life, but I had reached the point where I was okay with that. You can probably guess how long that lasted. Even so, I finally found my keeper, so it all worked out in the end.
For today’s YouTube video, I’ll share the latest from Reekay talking about the “part-time living in the Philippines” option. I used to do six months in the USA and six months in Korea when I first retired. It wasn’t bad, but it never really felt like I was at home in either country.
Some humor before I go:
That’ll teach him!I never do that. Sometimes I give the toilet a loving hug, though.I’m sorry, what did you say?Don’t drive it when you are sauced!
Okay, I’ve got a sunset to attend to and a thirst to quench. Later, gators.
Beer doesn’t always lead to a great story, but it usually has a happy ending. This sign is one of several with similar themes at The Beach Bar.
Speaking of endings, the second and final day of my Pundaquit getaway isn’t in the books, but it is now on the blog. It wasn’t much more than a change-of-scenery excitement-wise, but I enjoyed the visit. Life plods on, and so do I. Here, let me show you what I mean.
A short morning walk to kick off the day:
Where the river meets the sea.That’s proud Swan, strollin’, strollin’, strollin’ on the river.The road ran out but the river did.So we turned around and headed back.Some coffee and breakfast at The Beach Bar, then back to the room for some time on the porch, a nap, and a blog post.
At the appointed time, we walked back into Pundaquit proper to feed our faces at the local BBQ joint.
It’s owned and run by a white guy (Aussie, I think).Nothing fancy about the place.But it has a friendlyand inviting atmosphere. As is our custom, we prefer to forgo the tables and belly up to the counter to watch the world go by outside. During our dinner visit, four or five other expats came in to dine and drink.I think the pricing probably doesn’t appeal to the local folks.Lots of menu options…But we came for the BBQ.And I can’t say no to pulled pork.The pork rib was yummy, but a tad on the expensive side (750 pesos).And damn, that was a big-ass pulled pork sandwich. I don’t recall being served pulled pork with cheese on top, but I liked it. Sorry about the onions, Kevin.We were happy campers after enjoying our meal.
So, we hit the street again and marched our way to The Beach Bar for some liquid refreshments, sand, and another sunset.
The bar wasn’t as crowded as it was on Wednesday, but it still had a nice buzz going on.Then we set up our seats for the show.We still had a while to wait.We were the only two customers on the beach portion of the bar. But the owner sent one of the waitresses out to stay and take care of us exclusively. Now, that’s service!Uh oh, are the curtains going to close before the show begins?Erick, the bar owner, sent out a couple of free shots to enhance our enjoyment.Breaking on through!Getting down!And then on down behind the clouds.
It’s nice to spend some time at a legit beach bar. It irks me that we don’t have anything like this in Barretto. After the sun went down, we moved back to the bar area for our nightcap.
And then said goodbye to the friendly waitresses who took good care of us during our visits.
Wherever we are, we try to stay on schedule. But in vacation mode, we overindulged early (Swan had THREE glasses of wine!) and then did the short beach walk back to our room. Poor Swan had a rough night trying to sleep, but I was out like a light.
Yeah, asleep before 8:30. I’m such a wimp!
Like I said, nothing exciting about the day, but we enjoyed the change of scenery.
Moving on to February 2018 in the LTG archives, and in this post, I reminisce about the only time in my life when I was placed under arrest and carted off to jail. Now, I’m not saying I never committed other crimes; I just never got caught. And I’m fairly certain the statute of limitations has rendered me untouchable now. We’ll see if I find anything in the archives about the time I [allegedly] stole a car.
Today’s YouTube video is something I came across in Facebook memories from seven years ago. It’s a parody song about dating a Filipina. Based on what I learned from hard experience, it’s mostly true. It’s only a couple of minutes long, so give it a watch if you are so inclined.
Here’s some funny business:
She might be right about that.And a person from the Philippines is Pinoy. Go figure.Knock, knock, knockin’ on Heaven’s door…
Made it back home to Barretto alive, and I reckon I’ll get back into the flow of my routines tonight. We shall see. Speaking of seeing, and not wanting to be an ass about it, Swan took a photo of the bruise that came with my Hash fall last Monday. It may well be the biggest bruise I ever did have, no ifs, ands, or butts about it. For those who may be morbidly curious, I’ll post it below today’s song. You’ve been warned!
My ouchy:
Back is still a little stiff and sore, especially in the mornings. But I expect I will continue to grow older.
Greetings from the province of Zambales, municipality of San Antonio, at Barangay Pundaquit! It is nice to be soaking up the beach vibes that go so well with an icy cold San Miguel Light beer. We are staying at the Wave Song Beach Resort once again, with a lovely view from our front porch of Capones Island. Had a short walkabout, then met up with an old friend who lives in San Antonio at the beach bar next door to our hotel. The place was packed in a way you rarely see in Barretto. There were even a couple of other familiar faces there to greet. We enjoyed a nice ocean sundown from the beach, had some dinner, and then had a sandy walk back to our room. Not a bad way to spend the day!
It was 33 kilometers door-to-door from my house to Wave Song. Coincidentally, Kevin Kim took a 33K hike yesterday. Upon arriving in Pundaquit before checking into our hotel, we stopped at one of my favorite places, CMC Car Wash, for lunch. Swan’s friend Mercy, at the far end of the table, provided the driver service. If all goes according to plan, she’ll find her way back to pick us up in the morning.CMC is a big open-air bar with a great kitchen.This snake was only on display, not on the menu.I enjoyed my big pork rib lunch.Our room at Wave Song is small, but clean and functional. 3000 pesos per night.The view from our front porch.That’s a good sign that I’ll be sleeping well.Boats on the beach.Boats on the water.Mountains, sand, and water. Pundaquit has it all.
Speaking of sand, this sand is thick and soft. Much harder to walk on than it is in Baloy. Maybe that’s a natural difference between ocean and bay sand.
I gave up on the beach walk, and we ventured through this little village on our way back to pavement. The natives were friendly.This is where we will be dining tonight. Full report tomorrow.We finished our walk at The Beach Bar.We were surprised to see some familiar faces, including this gal who works at Queen Victoria in Barretto.Then the sun started doing that thing it does at the end of every day.We settled in to watch the show from our chairs on the beach.And we were not disappointed.The bar was still hopping after sundown.The Beach Bar pork chop dinner.
Then it was one last beer, back to the room for a good night’s sleep, and waking up ready for day two of our Pundaquit adventure.
From Facebook memories, twelve years ago I made a cameo appearance on a local news broadcast from Augusta, Georgia.
That’s me in the blue, trying to pretend I’m good enough to compete with the dart pros.
One of the Facebook groups I belong to is about remembering the 70’s.
I remember those good ol’ days.Being in my 70s isn’t nearly as much fun, but I’m glad to still be around anyway.
From the January 2018 LTG archives, I climbed a mountain in the snow. And damn, it’s been all downhill from there. Oh well, I can still look at the mountains, and I don’t miss the snow and ice.
I’m done with seduction as well, but in today’s YouTube video, the Filipina Pea has some guidance for those who are not. Turns out, she’s using Visayan language phrases, not Tagalog, so it probably wouldn’t have helped me here on Luzon anyway.
Ready for the funny stuff?
I don’t have a clue, but it sounds as unworkable as my “do-over” dream.The joke notwithstanding, I’m pretty sure the way this meme is written is enough to make an English teacher’s head explode. Right, Kevin?And it explains why we know Elizabeth Warren was never an Indian.
I guess those weren’t so funny after all. Oh well, I’m on vacation, and I need to get back to not working. We’ll try again tomorrow, assuming I find my way home.
The long day’s journey into night began with a 7 a.m. pickup by our driver, Bong. The first stop was the gas station to fill up with 2500 pesos’ worth of fuel for the trip. Then we met fellow Hasher Beth (BF’s Wet Spot), loaded her camping gear into the car, and were ready to hit the road. I put the destination into my Google Maps app, and we were on our way.
It was an uneventful drive until we reached the end of the expressway. Google told us to go one way and driver Bong wanted to take the route to Baguio he was familiar with. I told him, “up to you,” and we proceeded his way. Normally, the map apps recalibrate to follow the chosen road. Not this time. The Google voice kept telling us to turn around, so I knew something was wrong. I advised Bong that since we weren’t technically going to Baguio City (the venue is actually in Tuba, Benguet), we should go the way Google wants us to. That turned out to be the right call. I spoke with a Hasher who went the other way, and it took him an additional 2.5 hours due to heavy traffic in Baguio.
I’ve always been fond of mountain drives and enjoyed many journeys in the Rockies and Sierras when I lived in the USA. That said, I don’t recall a more narrow, twisty-turny, steep route than the one that took us to our final destination. The excitement was heightened by blind-corner passing, necessitated by idiots who parked and blocked one of the two lanes. It was both a beautiful and a scary ride, but Bong got us there alive.
There were also a couple of impressive tunnels we passed through on the way up, including this one-lane version.Destination achived!We arrived at 11:30 and things were still being prepared for the afternoon Hash gathering.We pitched a tent for Beth and one for Bong.
I opted to stay in a kubo instead of a tent.
My lodging for the night. Don’t let looks deceive you.
That’s kubo #2 (out of three units). Inside, there are FOUR separate rooms, two down and two up.
Looking through the kubo’s front door, you can see two of the rooms. I was thankful to be in the lower room, but later, maybe not so much.Inside our “room.” I’ve seen bigger walk-in closets. And that thin mattress pad was better than sleeping on the ground, but not much.I can’t say we weren’t warned.
Oh, there were two toilets behind our kubo, shared by the four guest rooms. The toilets didn’t flush, so you scooped buckets of water into them until the nastiness went away.
Also, the kubos weren’t at the campsite; you had to walk down quite a few steps to get to them. I didn’t count how many, but I was sweating bad when I walked back up to camp.
This photo is from the campsite. That red car down there is parked across the road from the kubos.
But the worst part of the kubo experience was the noise. I swear, every time the person sleeping upstairs from us rolled over on the bed, we could hear the bamboo loudly creaking through the floor. And whoever it was did a lot of tossing and turning throughout the night. All in all, a tent with an air mattress would have been preferable.
Oh, and speaking of noise, someone at the campsite was doing karaoke until one in the morning or so. Luckily, we were far enough away that it didn’t bother us much. I mean, it couldn’t drown out the creaking floor from upstairs. Bong, in his nearby tent, said it kept him awake.
I guess this rule doesn’t apply when the Hash has rented all the space.
Anyway, enough bitching about the minor shit like accommodations, we came for the Hash! We were checked into our room a little after twelve. A Hash lunch was scheduled for 1:30 with the trail due to begin at 2:30. So we had some time to look around.
Loved the signage on the bar.Swan had a swingin’ good time.A little bit further up the hill was an actual motel-like room. Wish I’d known about that beforehand. It was already booked by a LUH3 Hasher, of course.Looking back down at the campground.Hey, good lookin’!Beth, Swan, and Bong at the campsite. Bong wasn’t a Hash participant, but we’d packed plenty of food and beers for him to help pass the time.Other arriving Hashers setting up camp. I understand there were thirty tents, all told.
I was surprised to see that food delivery was available up here (presumably from Baguio), but at the appointed time, a motorcycle rider pulled up with twenty boxes of pizza. Each Hasher was afforded two slices, and I ate mine in due course.
And then right before the Hash run was set to begin, this happened. Yep, those clouds are full of raindrops.
I was really on the fence about the Hash trail. There was no “easy” trail available, and the Hare assured me that shortcutting wasn’t possible either. On the plus side, the trail wasn’t long (around 5K), but on the flip side, it was steep downs and ups the entire length.
Last-minute guidance from the Hare, Booked Up.Well, fuck it. I came to Hash. Let’s go!We began by going down the super steep road leading to the campground. With each step, I was dreading the thought of hoofing it back up here at the end of the trail.And oh yeah, it was still raining.The view from here.Time for a pee break.After a kilometer or so on the highway we came in on (all downhill), we got off the pavement and continued our downward journey. You don’t see any other Hashers because we were bringing up the rear by a long shot.That path took us through this pigsty, and then into the jungle.Damn, this down was a lot more difficult than I’d bargained for.But the up was so much worse!
And then, when we got to the top, the trail almost immediately headed back down through the jungle. Fuck that! I could see some nice houses and figured there must be a road to reach them, so the search was on. And by golly, we found not only a road, but the actual highway leading back to the On-Home campground. Better yet, it was part of the Hash trail. I consulted Google Maps just to make sure, but we were on the road to success. Which, of course, is always uphill. Also, I’m a master shortcutter!
And then we got passed by the female Hasher known as Front Running Bitch (I don’t think that’s her actual Hash name, but she is consistently the first LUH3 Hasher to finish the trail.That relentless uphill highway walk totally kicked my ass. And when I was faced with that long, hard climb back up to the campground, I had to sit down and contemplate options.
And I decided to call Bong to come down and pick me up. Yeah, I’m not proud of it, but I was wiped out.
Much harder than it looks. At least it was for me
Back in the safe confines of the Hash On-Home, I do what most Hashers do after a grueling trail: I opened a bottle of beer, sat down, and waited for dinner to be served.
The burgers hot off the grill were muy bien!Hungry (and thirsty) Hashers filling the void.The rain stopped, but then the fog rolled in. I figured the sunset I was hoping to enjoy was doomed.But the horizon did clear up some a bit later.And we got to see some color.I was seeing red by the time it was done.
La Union Hash Circles are much more mellow than the ones in Subic, and that’s fine with me. We all pulled up our chairs around the bonfire and enjoyed the comraderie.
Flame on!
I stuck around later than usual, hoping the beers would help me sleep through the night. As I mentioned earlier, they didn’t. I slept in bits and pieces, eventually giving up around 6 am. We packed our gear and headed up the stairs to the campsite.
The morning view from in front of our kubo.And a morning campsite view. You can barely make it out on the mountainside, but that’s as close as we got to Baguio this trip.Here, let me zoom in on it for you. Of course, that’s only a small portion of the large city of Baguio.
Bong and Beth were up and about shortly after we got to the campsite. The Hash breakfast wasn’t scheduled until 9, so we packed up our gear, said our goodbyes and thank-yous, and headed for home. Google Maps unsurprisingly took us back the same way we came.
Going down the mountain, I thought to myself, those rock retaining walls wouldn’t keep a vehicle from plummeting over the edge into nothingness.
And if that happened, you would never land.We were above the clouds.
And now I’m back in Barretto safe and sound. Feeling tired, though, for some reason.
So, dear readers, I’ll leave it up to you: Did I rough it, or am I a pussy? At least I lived to tell about it.
I’ll get back to the usual posting BS tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by.
Greetings from the Philippines. I made it home safe and as sound as I ever was, although getting here was quite the adventure. Assuming stress equates to adventure, that is. Living it was probably more interesting than retelling it here, but when has boring ever stopped me?
A morning view from the Haian Beach Hotel’s third-floor restaurant.
Up early and packed, a final complimentary breakfast, then down to the hotel lobby to check out, a call for a Grab car, then headed for the airport. Our Vietnam Airlines flight from Da Nang to Saigon (sorry, I’m old school, no Ho Chi Minh for me) was scheduled to depart at noon, arriving in Saigon at 1:30. Our connecting flight to Manila left at 3:45. I was a little nervous about that because there was little margin for error. It is what it is, and as Swan kept reminding me, our mantra was “Be Positive.”
So, we arrived at the Da Nang airport a comfortable two-and-a-half hours early. The check-in counters all had long lines, and I walked the length of the lobby looking for the one serving our flight. The signage was in Vietnamese, and I assumed the words were the names of destinations. I didn’t see any for Ho Chi Minh, but the last station said “all other destinations,” so I joined that line. A few minutes later, I noticed that the airline for this line was Viet Air. Shit. Yeah, I’m that dumb these days. So, we went back to the Vietnam Airlines section and took our spots at the end of the line. Oh, well. At least we were there early and had plenty of time.
When it was finally our turn to be served, I handed the agent our passports and flight information. She noted that our connection to Manila was with a different airline (Philippines Air). I acknowledged that and asked whether our bags would be checked through to our final destination. “Sorry, sir, that’s not possible.” Okay, so that means when we get to Saigon, I’ll have to retrieve my luggage from baggage claim and recheck in with Philippines Air. And then the agent told me, “You’ll be arriving in terminal three, and the connection is in terminal two.” Okay, how do I get to terminal two? You’ll have to take the airport bus. Shit, that two-hour window between flights was looking more and more insufficient. I guess the Vietnam Air agent noticed my distress. She put “priority tabs” on our luggage so that they would be offloaded early when we landed. Then she changed our seats to row twelve near the front of the plane so we could exit as quickly as possible. Hey, every minute saved helps. We thanked her for the assistance, then made our way through security and arrived at our gate more than an hour before boarding time.
I checked our gate at 11:30 and was distressed to see that no plane was there yet. I didn’t see any way they could deplane arriving passengers, get those of us waiting on board, and take off on time for our scheduled noon departure. When the plane finally pulled into the gate a few minutes later, it was empty. That helped, and Vietnam Air had us all aboard in time for a departure that was only 10 minutes late.
Let’s get this show on the road, er, in the air!
An uneventful flight, and I kept checking my watch to see if we would arrive as scheduled at 1:30. If wheels on the ground count as arrival, we made it on time. And then the fun began. Our plane taxied for several minutes before coming to a stop. Except we weren’t at a gate, one of those portable stairways was rolled up to the door for us to exit. Damn it, that means there is a bus ride to the terminal ahead, so much for being moved to the front of the plane.
Getting off in Saigon.
The bus was uncomfortably packed to the gills (standing room only) before we finally departed for the terminal. I swear to God, that was the longest airport trek I’ve ever been on. From our parked plane, we travelled to the other side of the airport, and had to occasionally wait for passing airplanes to clear. It took almost ten minutes to reach the drop-off point. When we entered the terminal, we were in the baggage claim area, which was a relief. And then, in a first for me in a lifetime of air travel, we saw a Vietnam Air representative (a damn attractive one to boot) holding a sign with two names on it in English: mine and Swan’s.
She welcomed us in broken English and advised that she would be happy to assist us in getting to our connecting flight. Man, I really appreciated that! She walked with us to the baggage carousel, and our luggage was indeed amongst the first to arrive. Then she walked us to where we could catch the bus between terminals, but suggested we consider taking a taxi instead, since that was the quickest way to get there. Let’s do it! She took us to the taxi stand, and we thanked her for her help. The taxi driver wanted 250,000 dong ($9.50) for the ride, which seemed like a lot, but then he said it was a 6K ride. WTF? 6K between terminals? Fuck it, let’s go.
Wow, what a ride. We exited Terminal Three, drove through crazy Saigon traffic, and finally arrived at the Terminal Two drop-off point. Paid the driver, grabbed our bags, and made a dash to the Philippine Airlines check-in counter. Luckily, I had done an online check-in, so I was able to be at the front of the bag drop-off line. The agent promptly checked our bags and issued our boarding passes. Then she asked how long I’d be staying in the Philippines. I know you have visa-free entry to the PI for the first 29 days, so I told her I would be departing on February 16. Where to, she asked. I knew that was coming, so I pulled out my phone and showed her my e-ticket to Hong Kong for the 16th (the throwaway ticket cost me $16 at OnwardTicket.com). She punched in the numbers, and we were free to go. Yay! We made our flight!
Oh, except we still had to go through immigration and security. I had visions of my immigration nightmare upon arrival, but this time everything went smoothly. But, oh my, I’d never seen a longer line to get through security. That extra cushion of time I thought I had quickly evaporated. When we finally got through and redressed (shoes, belt, watch, pockets), we made a dash for our gate and heard the “last call” announcement. We answered, “We’re here!” and boarded.
And we had a very pleasant flight with Philippine Airlines. A whole row of seats to ourselves, a tasty snack, and two free beers! Well done!
That gal I traveled with.
We landed 30 minutes ahead of schedule, went through immigration without a problem, claimed our bags, and went out to find our driver. The traffic outside the terminal was insane. And Swan couldn’t reach her friend Bong (my new driver since Danny’s departure) on the phone. I suggested we move to the far end of the arrivals concourse, which was less crowded, and we’d be more easily seen there. Sure enough, Bong saw us and walked over. He went to get the car he had parked somewhere, and then minutes later, we were on the final leg of our journey home.
Traffic is notoriously bad in Manila, and apparently, on Friday nights, everybody wants to get out of town. Bong handled it as best he could, and we plodded on, finally arriving at the place I call home a little after 11 p.m. Yep, that was a LONG day for me, but it went a lot better than it might have, especially if we’d missed our connection.
Coincidentally, it was a mere 21 years ago that I took a journey that changed the rest of my life forever.
That’s the bird that carried me from DC to Seoul for my first adventure in Asia. As things turned out, I never went back “home” to stay.
And from the October 2016 LTG archives, this post gives my assessment of Thailand after the first scouting visit as a potential retirement destination. As I have said, there are many paths in life to choose from, and we never know what might have been. Unless we get a do-over.
Since I’m back in the Philippines, let’s check in with the Filipina Pea for today’s YouTube video. I’m not sure I’d want to survive a zombie apocalypse, but just in case, here goes:
I’m not funnier now than I was in Vietnam, so take these as you will:
That’s a golden oldie.It appears someone stole the ability to spell thief as well.I’d rate this one an X.
And a Saturday night in Barretto is on the horizon. Will all the bars seem new again? Only one way to find out.
Vacation is over, but I’m still alive. Just sayin’.
Not much new to experience on my last day in Da Nang, so we just went with the flow and did the things we enjoy here. We had the amazing breakfast buffet at the Haian Beach Hotel as usual to start our morning. Then we embarked on a walkabout that wound up being almost 10K, which is LONG by my low standards. Said farewell to the familiar scenes and saw some things for the first time. After a well-earned nap, then came some city nightlife that included a new bar and a favorite restaurant. We finished our evening on the roof of the hotel we stayed at last year, taking in the views from a 40th-floor perspective (the Haian tops out at 22 floors).
Here are some highlights:
On the road again.Saying our goodbyes to the Han River.Another river view.Signage that caught my eye. Love the name of this place under construction, even though I no longer have any need to hate Mondays. Well, unless the Hash Hare sucks.I zoomed in to read the fine print. Apparently, it’s a popular restaurant in Saigon owned by a Korean chef. Perhaps I’ll have the chance to visit in the future should fate bring me back to Vietnam.This is a gated subdivision called “Euro Village,” which I assume is an expat enclave.I hadn’t intended to cross the river, but what the hell, who knows when I’ll have another chance to do so.There’s such a thing as too much water for a tree.Taking the roads less traveled on the way back to the hotel.We went thataway.
First stop on our evening out was at our favorite beach bar, Maia.
They had a new DJ playing the music.Some girls have all the luck.
Then we made our way to a place the owner of the 501 Bar had mentioned:
An Irish pub. We sat outside, of course, but the place had a nice vibe—dart boards and pool and a pretty good crowd.Swan and I both got a kick out of this: Red Horse is a very popular brandfrom the Philippines. Filipinos love it because it is strong and cheap.
When itis your last night in Vietnam and you are hungry, where are you going to eat?
An American diner named Fly Burgers, of course.I gave their pulled pork sandwich a try, and they got it right! Better than any of the Barretto versions I’ve had.Swan got the chicken nuggets. I had them on our previous visit, and they are the best I’ve ever tasted.
So, with our hunger satisfied, we wanted to get high.
Forty floors high to be precise.Looking down on Da Nang.The angry sea.The other side of town. See those black hills in the distance? Those are the Marble MountainsI posted about.Goodnight, Vietnam!
It’s been an interesting fifteen days. Things didn’t always go according to plan, and I suffered a loss I’m not ready to talk about, but no regrets for having experienced this adventure.
From the October 2016 LTG archives, I write about getting lost in Pattaya. In some ways, Pattaya is like Da Nang, but it is a much wilder town full of girly bars. Da Nang is much more my style. I’ve been back to Pattaya since that first trip for some Hash adventures, and there is much more than the bar scene to enjoy.
For today’s YouTube video, I’ll share a walking tour of all those now-familiar places I’ve seen with my own eyes.
And before I go:
That’s what friends are for.Honey, you won’t be pretty anytime soon.Yeah, real life can be funny sometimes, too.
And now it is time for me to get ready to fly. Da Nang (DAD) to Saigon (HCM) to Manila (NAIA), Take off at noon and arrive in the PI at eight o’clock tonight, assuming things stay on schedule. I’ve arranged for a driver to take us back to Barretto, so hopefully, I’ll wake up tomorrow in my own bed. Looking forward to getting back into my routines again.
Be careful what you wish for; you could have wound up dead.
Yesterday is over, and tomorrow I fly, so that makes me in between, right? As much fun as we’ve had, Swan and I agree that two weeks is too much. From having to lug around big-ass suitcases to running out of new things to see and do, it just makes more sense to stay less and do more with each day.
Anyhow, when we reviewed the list of things to see and do in Da Nang, we had already done all of the ones we wanted to do. So, we just stayed in the neighborhood and walked about, taking it all in. We found a new place for lunch, then visited our favorite beach bar again. The big excitement of the day was not being able to log in to my blog. I could still access LTG on the ‘net, but I couldn’t perform my admin duties like writing new posts. Yeah, maybe someone’s prayers had been answered. Anyway, I contacted my blog host, and after an hour or so, they found a solution. And here I am again with the kind of content you’ve come to know and loathe love.
A Da Nang streetwalker.
We planned to go back to the 501 Bar, which we had discovered the night before, to give their food menu a try. Alas, they weren’t open for lunch. Along the way, I had spotted a place that featured “American BBQ,” so we retreated there for our lunch.
Authentic American sandwiches, you say……yet you spell “fovourites” like a Brit.I’m always up for a good pulled pork sandwich. I’d rate this one average at best.My side of coleslaw was even more disappointing. There’s more to slaw than chopped up cabbage.Swan said her wings were dry and appeared to have been frozen when put in the deep fryer (still pink around the bone).
Oh, well. We knew we had some authentic barbecue in our future — our dinner plans were for Dirty Fingers.
A brief visit to Maia for some beach views……then we headed back to the hotel.
I took a nap and finally got my blog access restored, then we showered up and headed out for some dinner at Dirty Fingers. It’s a couple of kilometers’ walk to get there, but that only enhances the appetite.
We passed through a mini-Koreatownalong the way.Don’t ask me……I haven’t got a clue.A kiss for luck and we are ready to order.A heaping helping of grilled meat platter.A closer look of our dinner for two.
Service was outstanding, and the food was as good as it looks. If I lived here, I’d be a Dirty Fingers regular for sure.
We decided to hoof it back to the 501 Bar for our nightcap. Owner Karl wasn’t there last night, but we still had an enjoyable visit.
This neighborhood would suit me as an expat.But we both agree, Da Nang is a nice place to visit, but we wouldn’t want to live here.Talk about street food, this guy set up his grill literally in the street. He appeared to be doing pretty good business, and no one got run over.
Oh, and I’ve switched to Google Maps to find my way around. Just for shits and giggles, I checked out an alternative route home:
That’s at least an hour too far.
The map app did give us an easy walk back to the hotel, and that’s where our night came to an end.
From the October 2016 LTG archives, I’ve landed in Thailand for the first time as I continue to explore where my future may lead me.
Today’s YouTube video discusses five reasons people avoid visiting Vietnam. I didn’t consider it as a retirement option, so I never came before my move to the Philippines. I do enjoy it here, but the Philippines is a better fit for my life’s final chapter.
To the humor we must go:
Ouch!Yeah, I got that same diagnosis.He’s on the lamb, but he ain’t no sheep.
And now for the rest of the last day. No real plans other than a river walk. Yep, ready to go home.
I didn’t go crazy yesterday, but I lost my Marbles. But I found them again, and paid a second visit. Last year, I explored the Marble Mountain caves inside entrance #1. This year, we walked to entrance #2 and started our climb from there.
One of the mountains as seen from the Grab car we hired to bring us from Da Nang, a mere 8 kilometers away.The line to enter the most popular cave was very long, but I’d been there and done that, so I moved on.A statue garden we saw along the way.The second entrance on the other side of the mountain was much less crowded.Let the climbing commence. Uneven stair steps only enhance the joy of ascending.A quick stop to catch our breath.Yep, more shrines.A view from the top.And another one.Peace be unto you.You ain’t got nothin’ on me!Nobody rubbed my belly, though.Nice architecture.Hello, there!Inside the cave.Where have you been all my life?Oh, sorry. I didn’t know she was your girlfriend. Put the sword away!And then I saw the light.Is that you, God?Where’s that do-over life you promised me?
Swan captured the moment on video:
Wait a minute…is that what it looks like? You can see the ocean from here.The wheel in the sky keeps on turning.A tower on the mountain.A dragon lair.Thank you for the blessings.
After our walkabout on Marbles, we rolled back to town in a taxi. We planned to grab some lunch at Paradise, the beach resto-bar across the road from our hotel. They were busy, and after sitting for several minutes with no acknowledgement, Swan got up and asked the bartender for menus. They didn’t do us any good, because no one came to take our order. We got up and left. I kinda sorta remembered a place further up the beach, so off we went. Turns out, it was a lot further than I thought, but on we trudged. And so we came to enjoy our first experience at the Espo Beach restaurant/brewery.
They were also busy, but we managed to score a table with a beach view. And the service was prompt.I had to give the Philly cheesesteak a try, and I was not disappointed.
After lunch, we walked back to our hotel on the beach so Swan could get her toes-in-the-sand fix.
The Espo Beach as seen from the beach.Swan loves the sand, I toed you so.
Some rest and recuperation, then it was time to begin our evening exploration on the backstreets of Da Nang.
We laughed at the name of this place.
After wandering around and not finding the bar I was looking for, we stopped in at the previously visited Game On bar.
The first beer of the day is always the best one. So far.Our Game On view.
We were still in the mood to explore, so after our drinks we hit the streets again.
And lo and behold, I discovered another bar district I didn’t know existed. I took this photo from a place called Corner Pub. When we couldn’t find a server, we crossed the road and gave the 501 Bar a try instead.It turned out to be a good choice. As soon as we sat down, the owner came over to greet us.That’s Karl from the UK. We had a very nice chat. He’s been in Da Nang for 8 years and is also part-owner of another bar called Shamrock.This sign was on the restroom door. It’s a relief to know that strangulation is not allowed.
I’ll definitely try to find my way back to 501 before we depart. I’d promised Swan some birria tacos for dinner, so we said our goodbyes and headed out.
I’d asked Karl about girly bars in DaNang. He said there are some places where the girls sit with you and earn lady-drink commissions. This is one of them. No idea what goes on in the Black Hole.It was nice to read the story of how Adobo came to be.They seem to be doing well; all the tables were full, inside and out.Damn, those tacos were beefy and delicious. Poor Swan won’t be able to get her weekly fix in Barretto now that John’s place is closed.I don’t recall the last time I’ve had churro, but it was a sweet after-dinner treat.
And then we trudged back to our hotel and got some shut-eye.
It is now October 2016 in the LTG archives, and this post covers some work happenings and the usual other bullshit.
For today’s YouTube video, let’s do five minutes of the Marble Mountain experience.
Humor time:
Should be easier to stick with the diet from the hospital.Bounced it off of her, eh?I guess it must be nice to have a Big Brother looking out for you.
And now it is time to move on with my next-to-last day here. We’ve pretty much seen and done all there is that we want to do, so it’s time to begin with the routines, I suppose.
Waiting for the morning southbound train.On the platform.And here she comes!All aboard!My first train ride since the Seoul-to-Busan bullet train all those years ago (other than a commuter train in Manila, the PI is devoid of this means of travel).Ah, so those motorbikes WILL stop for something after all.She’ll be comin’ round the mountain when she comes…On the drive to Hue, we went over the mountain. The train took a lower route that included several tunnels.
And three hours after we began our journey, we pulled into the station at Da Nang. We took a Grab car back to the hotel we had stayed in last week, the Haian Beach Hotel. The gal at the check-in desk remembered us and gave us a hearty welcome back.
As we settled into our room, there was a knock on the door, and we were presented with this gift of fruit.
This is the nicest hotel I’ve ever had the pleasure of staying at: friendly staff, a great breakfast buffet, and comfortable rooms. The Haian is doing it right!
When you are staying across the street from the beach, it is only appropriate to go there, especially when the beach features our favorite beach bar, the Maia.
The Maia was packed, but a few minutes after our arrival, we got the seats and view we came for.It was surprising how much more crowded the beach was than last week. It’s warmer now, too.A zoom shot of the Lady Buddha statue on the hill across the water from us.
When it was time for some supper, we talked about making the hike out to Dirty Fingers, but decided to save that for another day. We walked a bit into town, and Swan declared she wanted another Fly Burger. Fine by me. Turns out, this joint with the disgusting name is quite highly rated.
Here’s a short bonus video so you can get a feel for the place:
I wasn’t in the mood for a burger, so I went with chicken nuggets.
They were the best damn nuggets I’ve ever had. The coleslaw was delicious, too.Swan enjoyed her fly burger too.
To tip or not to tip?
How could I refuse? And what have they got against Polish people?
We headed back towards the hotel after our meal, keeping our eyes open for a suitable nightcap venue. Not seeing anything appealing, we rode the hotel elevator to the 22nd floor and had a drink at the rooftop bar.
The view from the rooftop.The girl who joined me there.
And we were a short ride away from our 5th-floor room when our evening out came to a close.
It’s the end of September 2016 in the LTG archives, and it is also the end of another relationship. Go figure.
Today’s YouTube video shows the train ride I took, with better shots of the scenery (I was on the wrong side of the car for the best views). She mentions the Hai Van Pass, but the train doesn’t go that way; it takes a lower route. No way it would have made it up and over the mountain, even on the relatively small inclines we encountered, the train slowed to a crawl.
Let’s get these out of the way:
Well, you need gravity to mash potatoes, so…I didn’t mean to go out on a limb here.What a shitty thing to happen.
It’s only words, and words are all I have to post about the day…
Being fat and happy qualifies as hog heaven, right? We did a nice 7K hike to the former Imperial Palace and back without getting lost. Later, we took a boat cruise on the Perfume River (I didn’t smell a thing, though) and then had some dinner and drinks in the tourist section of Hue. Damn, three days in town and I’ve already reverted to routines. Oh well, at least they’re good ones.
Here are some photos from vacay day eleven:
A complimentary breakfast on the riverside to start the day. Nothing special about it other than the price.My girl is such a poser…Our destination is on the other side of that wall.Getting through that wall is a lot easier when traffic is light, as it was yesterday morning.We didn’t get blown away by the cannons either.I didn’t take notes about the former purpose of the buildings we saw. Sorry!The fish were hungry.This critter was kind enough not to attack Swan for posing again.Old buildings somehow make me feel younger.I did read that many of the buildings in the complex were destroyed during the Tet Offensive in 1968. Viet Cong were hiding out inside them, so the Americans bombed them.The survivors still look nice.Doggone it, Swan!Bang the drum……or ring the bell? Of course, we didn’t do either.Waterworks.A stair climb brought us here.That’s as close as we got to the building with the big flag.There she goes again!Then there was this demure Vietnamese girl in traditional clothing.The way we went.
Back to the hotel room for some R&R, then we headed out for our rivercruise.
I hope this Tet isn’t offensive.It was a small boat, but we had it all to ourselves. One hour for 300,000 dong ($11.50).On the river.That white building in the middle is our hotel, the Century Riverside.This gal was bathing in the river as we passed.Oh, and we brought some beer with us to enhance our river experience.On the banks of the Perfume.And I was keeping my eye on the sun.A temple on the riverside.Okay, let’s get this out of the way.Trying to hide?Bye for now.And that’s about the time our river ride came to an end. Swan said we got shorted on the hour we paid for, but I’d had enough and didn’t see any value in cruising in the dark.
Once we were back ashore, Swan went shopping for pasalubong (it’s a cultural thing, but basically souvenirs for family and friends back home) and I had a beer or two at DMZ bar while I waited for her to finish. When she rejoined me, we headed out to the backstreets of the tourist zone looking for some grub.
Do you want to try this place? I asked. Why not? she responded.That would be us…The view from our table.I decided to try the ga xao chua ngot.And Swan ordered the heo nuong ong tre.Oddly enough, my meal was both sweet and sour.Swan deemed her meal “spicy.”
When we were finished, we went back to DMZ for our nightcap, conveniently located right across the street from our hotel. And so our final night in Hue came to a close.
Still plodding along through the September 2016 LTG archives. In this post, I’ve got a new hiking buddy. Yep, I convinced Eun Oke to join me on a climb up to the Seoul Tower on Namsan. It wasn’t easy for her, but she made it. She seems so perfect for me. What could go wrong?
Speaking of Eun Oke, here’s a drawing she did of me. Talented girl, I look almost handsome!
For today’s YouTube video, let’s visit the Imperial City (aka The Citadel) during less peaceful times.
And now for the daily dose of humor:
Just let them whine.Time keeps on ticking, ticking, into the future…I heard it is better to be lucky than good.
I’m back in Da Nang again, so I reckon I’ll be picking up where I left off. Check back tomorrow to see how that works out for me.
The big adventure for day ten of my Vietnam visit was a quest to explore The Citadel, also known as the Imperial Palace. We failed in that attempt, mainly because my map app, Waze, led me astray. Nevertheless, we saw some parts of Hue we wouldn’t have otherwise visited, got in some extra steps, and passed by our intended destination on the return journey. So, now I know where the Citadel is located, and I learned not to trust Waze. No big deal, we found our way back there this morning.
I’ve got to hand it to this sculpture we saw while passing through a riverside park.A Swan in a shady spot.These kids and their teacher came running up to greet us as we passed by.Turns out they were English students, and they got to practice their greetings with a native speaker. Good job!Another statue in the park. Mother and child, ain’t that sweet?Wait a minute! What the hell is he doing back there? Well, I guess that’s one way to keep from having another baby.Crossing over the Perfume River.A marketplace on the other side of the river. This is where Waze first fucked with me. The Citadel is to the left; it had me turn right here.I’m not sure what this is supposed to be, but there it is.Insane motorbike traffic (going in both directions) made passing through that narrow wall opening on foot more than a little scary. And yeah, I figured the wall meant we were close to the Imperial City, but alas, that proved not to be the case.We did see another temple-like structure.And damn, Kevin Kim is a big man around here. Or a dead one.A bridge we didn’t take. About 500 meters further up the narrow road we were walking, Waze announced we had arrived at our destination. Except there was nothing there other than a couple of decrepit houses. Fuck you, Waze!
I plotted a course back to the hotel using Google Maps, and off we went.
We passed through another narrow wall opening, but this one didn’t have a traffic jam to navigate through.Y not?Our route home took us past our intended destination. We decided to save it for today.Back on the river.Our hotel is on the other side of that bridge.
Back to the room for some rest, a blog post, and a shower. Then, we were off again.
All dressed up and ready for dinner.A river cruise is on our agenda for later today.We saw this floating restaurant on our morning walk, so we decided to come back and give it a try. It’s up on the roof.We were the only customers, but they were setting up for a big birthday celebration later in the evening.The river view from our table.My first beer of the day. I’m becoming quite fond of Huda. And they had wine in Swan’s favorite flavor.Pork on a stick for Swan……fish and chips for me. Neither was anything special, but they filled a void.
After our meal, we took a stroll through the tourist district, but didn’t see anything that enticed us to stop. So, we ensconced ourselves at the DMZ and enjoyed some additional alcoholic beverages before crossing the highway to the hotel and calling it a night.
The idiot vlogger Vitaly has been deported from the Philippines (and he’s damn lucky they didn’t hold him in jail for years pending trial). I saw this on Facebook this morning, and if it is legit, he’s still an asshole.
From the September 2016 LTG archives is the final chapter of my taking sand to the beach experience with the Korean girlfriend, Eun Oke.
Today’s YouTube video is a walking tour of some of the buildings in the Imperial City complex. I’ll share my photos in tomorrow’s post.
Time for the smiley part:
Hope he didn’t get the short end of the rope.It’s what’s inside that counts.You can get arrested for shoplifting!
Here’s the song my nephew sang at the gathering after my mother’s funeral:
My hotel is located right in the middle of where the action was almost fifty-eight years ago (near the gray square).
My first impressions of Hue are generally positive. I’m still in the tourist zone, but it’s not as oppressive as the one I experienced in Hoi An. Getting here took almost four hours, including a twisty-turny drive over a mountain. Saw plenty of nice scenery along the way, so no real complaints in that regard. Found some nice bars and restaurants in the backstreets near our hotel last night, and the exploration of which has just begun! One nice thing they do is close those roads to vehicle traffic after 6 p.m., allowing safer stumbling walking about.
Here are some photos of the getting here and our first evening out:
That mountain between Da Nang and Hue we had to cross.The Hai Van Gate is at the summit.You can read more about it at the link above.One of the fortifications.The ocean view on a hazy day.Who needs a shitty map?Coming down the mountain.An interesting-looking village we passed along the way.When you gotta go, you gotta go.Finally made it to our hotel in Hue.The view from our room.The DMZ, a restaurant/bar, is conveniently located right across the road from our hotel.I chuckled over this name and thought of It Doesn’t Matter back home.No thanks, I read the book.Looks like my kind of place.Nice ambiance upstairs at Browneyes.My blue-eyed view from Browneyes.At the dinner hour, we moved to the HotTuna and enjoyed the street view as an appetizer. I asked our waitress if they served cold tuna, but the language barrier aborted my attempt at humor.Some of the local food offerings at HotTuna.We had something called calamari……and grilled pork ribs. Talk about stepping outside the comfort zone!An after-dinner nightcap at DMZ.And then we climbed the stairway to heaven and called it a night.
A good day so far, despite getting lost on our hike this morning. Two more nights to go here.
And in news from home:
As I suspected, John’s place in Barretto is closing. The new location is going to be in Olongapo City, way out of my reach. It was good while it lasted. Thanks for the memories.
Back to the September 2016 LTG archives for part 3 of the bringing sand to the beach adventure.
Today’s YouTube video features combat footage from the Tet Offensive back in 1968—some of the heaviest US casualties of the war in that battle. I can’t help but think about all those who died here while I’m living the high life on the streets where blood was spilled. You can read the gory details here if you are so inclined.
And now for today’s lame attempts at humor:
Did you get a spanking?Well, I’m an old man with bladder control issues. Yeah, ever been to Switzeland?
A rather laid-back day there in Hoi An yesterday. In fact, it was almost Barretto-like: a morning hike and an evening in the bars. There is nothing wrong with Hoi An, which might explain why the streets are packed with tourists. I can’t complain about that since I am one too, but honestly, I think it would make it hard for me to live here as an expat. Then again, it is likely the expat community has its own side of town away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist district. The locals here do seem much friendlier than those I observed in Da Nang.
On with the day. It was a little over 5K from the hotel to the beach. Traffic isn’t so bad here, but you do have to maintain situational awareness, especially with the omnipresent motorbikes racing about. We began in the “old town” district near the riverside, then passed through some rice fields before reaching the beachside urbanization. Here’s some of what we saw along the way:
Over the river near our hotel.Hoi An has a history of being a major trading center (mostly spice exports) with the Chinese back in the olden days.The streets of old town are full of shops catering to tourists.One of the temples we passed along the way.This is the first McDonald’s I’ve encountered on this trip. It’s like no other McDonald’s I’ve ever seen. No drive-thru, no parking, and housed in an old building. There’s also a KFC next door. It seems so weirdly out of place.This park enticed us in for a quick look around.I couldn’t find anything about this guy in a Google search (everything was in Vietnamese), but the placard said he was a scholar who became a leader opposed to French colonization and was executed for his resistance.That’s what my mama called me sometimes.Through the paddies…What do they call a carabao in Vietnam?Even out here in farm country, they have set traps for the tourists.Working for a living.My first thought when I saw those houses was, “We must be getting close to the ocean.”A river runs through it.Life on the river.Where’s the beef?Destination achieved!I saw zero locals on the beach.You can see Da Nang from here. That’s a zoom shot.We found a cozy place to grab some lunch and enjoy the beach view.“I blew out my flipflop, stepped on a pop top, cut my heel, had to cruise on back home…”When is the last time you’ve seen one of those?The route of our journey. We took a cab back to the hotel.This fat fuck was hanging out in our hotel lobby.
At the appointed hour, Swan and I headed out to do some exploring and find a place to grab dinner.
I wasn’t in the mood for colonial food.Um, no thank you.Off with our heads?A very friendly young Aussie guywelcomed us to the restaurant.I was craving some pulled pork, but had never seen it on a bed of fries. Sure, why not?Hmm, more fries than pork. It tasted alright, though.The view from our table
Oh, and there was a vendor next door selling something called “smoke ice cream.” Swan wanted to give it a try.
Neither of us liked it much.
Lantern boats on the river.
We decided to go back to the LyLy pub for some drinks and music. We were welcomed there like regulars.
The same trio from last night was performing. I asked our waitress where the singer was from, and she said, “Vietnam.” In my defense, did say “kamsamnida” when people applauded at the end of a song. A Vietnamese girl who speaks good English and knows some Korean. Wow! What are the odds?
Here’s a song for you:
Then we moved on to the Bob Marley bar for our nightcap.
They remembered us here, too.
Here’s the Marley’s duo (Filipinos) doing a song:
And now I have arrived in the historic city of Hue (pronounced “Who”), where I will be spending the next three days. First time here, so it will be fun to explore some.
In today’s entry from the September 2016 LTG archives, the story of my taking sand to the beach in the Philippines continues.
Today’s YouTube video is an introduction to the things to see and do in Hue. I’ve never heard “Hue” pronounced as “He” before, but then again, I’ve been calling it “Hew” for as long as I can remember.
Now for the funny business:
Something doesn’t add up…Just turn the page.Aren’t they all?
I know someone who would be PERFECT for that role!
One week done, and one more to go. So far, it’s been a good time. I’m writing this post from the lovely river town of Hoi An. I’m honestly shocked to be surrounded by so many tourists in this area, many of them young couples. Lots of old-timer couples, too. It is probably the laid-back atmosphere here that makes it more desirable for some than Da Nang’s big-city vibes. Whatever, it is what it is, and I like both.
On the way here, we made a side-trip to visit My Son (pronounced Me Sohn), the site of ancient Hindu temple ruins. Until I read the history at the link above, I was not aware of why this area was so historically significant. Life is for learning, and I learned something new.
Oh, and best of all, it is not cold here! It is nice to be comfortably out and about in short sleeves again.
Let’s get to those heavenly photos, shall we?
A foggy morning as we said goodbye to Ba Na Hills.Into the cable car for the ride back down to the lowlands.I have a slight case of acrophobia, so looking down while our car was swaying made me a tad lightheaded.Swan had the barf bag ready just in case I needed it. I didn’t.Gettin’ down!I have no idea what this water was angry about, but it was ragin’.On the road to My Son.And here we be.A cart ride to the starting area.I would estimate that half of our fellow tourists were from India.Let’s go check out these ruins.Swan ain’t afraid of no ghosts.We saw a few monkeys along the way.Ruins, ruins, everywhere there’s ruins…Hello, there.I guess they had monkeys back then, too.A bridge too far. Meaning I didn’t take it.
As I said, the viewing might have been more interesting to see if I had known some of the history beforehand—still, not a bad experience. Our driver was waiting to carry us onward to Hoi An, about an hour away.
Checking in at the Lantana Hotel, right on the riverfront.My room came equipped with this high-tech device. I’m not sure how it works.
I must say, I have never seen such attentive, caring, and friendly staff before. At the reception, a woman sat with us and explained all the amenities available during our stay. This morning, when Swan and I were plotting our course to the beach, the receptionist came out, asked us where we were going, showed us on our map app, and suggested an alternate street where we would see more historic buildings. Thank you for that!
Hoi An is a tourist town, which means being besieged by vendors.This one was very friendly, even though I couldn’t understand a word she said.The Hoi An River slices through the middle of town.These boats offer “lantern tours” when the sun goes down.
It was beer o’clock, and we were thirsty. Where can we get a drink around here?
The riverwalk has numerous bars to choose from, some with live music. No dancing girl bars, not that that matters.We made the LyLy Irish Pub our first stop.That’s a Tiger in that Magners glass.Then I saw they had a “buy one, get one” happy hour deal, so I switched to bottles.The LyLy street view. No cars are allowed on this section of road, which makes it much more pleasant for everyone. Well, except for drivers.Our next stop was the Bob Marley bar. They had live music, and the singer did a pretty good job singing some Marley tunes.Those lantern boats I mentioned.Us chilling at Marley’s.
We’d seen a rooftop place called Sky Bar and decided to give it a try.
A sexy tree grows in Hoi An.Like a bridge over troubled waters.Swan says Sky Bar is right up this alley.
Yikes! Four floors of dicey stairs. And you have to duck at the top before entering the bar. They are even worse coming back down. I figured this must be an expat hangout since it is off the main drag and a pain in the ass to get to.
Despite the obstacles, Sky Bar had a good crowd last night.A Sky Bar view.And another.
It was time to get some grub, and Jeff liked the menu at LyLy, so we overcame the stairs and headed back to where we had started.
We are back!And the live music had begun. This gal had a fantastic voice and sang in perfect English. I don’t think she is Vietnamese, though. She looks Korean.Our pub fare included chicken nuggets……and fried shrimp.
I’d reached my limit, so we bid goodnight to Jeff and Davina and headed back to the room.
Onward to September 2016 in the LTG archives, and in this post, I recount the happenings of the first day in the Philippines with my Korean girlfriend.
Today’s YouTube video is a vlogger walking around An Bang Beach, the one Swan and I hiked to this morning. Nothing all that exciting in the video, but at least you can see what things look like around there.
And you knew these were coming:
What’s up, Doc?Hard to argue with that logic.Puns like this should be against the law.
Alright, I’ll stop now—time to get on with the rest of day eight.
It’s been a LONG time since I’ve seen a heating unit. I was very thankful for this one in my hotel room last night.
Damn, it’s been cold. I’ve become acclimated to the heat of the Philippines, and my body hasn’t responded well to the chilly winds at my current nearly mile-high altitude. All I have are shorts, but I’m thankful for that long-sleeved sweatshirt I purchased in Da Nang. Anyway, this too shall pass. We are heading down the mountain to Hoi An this morning for the next phase of our Vietnam adventure.
As for Ba Na Hills, I’ve never experienced anything quite like this place (other than my visit here last year). It’s got a unique beauty, and the buildings bring the vibe of a French village from long ago. If you are curious about the history of this area, here’s a good place to start.
We covered a lot of ground taking it all in yesterday, and I’ve got the photos to prove it:
Up at dawn, once again hoping to catch the ocean sunrise in Da Nang, only to be disappointed by the clouds hiding the sun. On the road to Ba Na Hills.Ba Na is around 35K from Da Nang.The only way to the top of the mountain is by cable car…the longest cable ride in the world. With our bags and us, we filled the car.Up, up, and away. (Yeah, this is actually looking down from where we started.Almost to the top.The highlights of being a tourist.
Dropped our bags at the Mercure Hotel (the only one on the mountain) and had three hours to kill before check-in. Here’s the sights we took in as we wandered about:
Reach out and touch someone.Yes, she’s my world.Pretty in pink.So many castles, so little time.Swan in a big red dress.Rock on!Don’t mess with me, motherfucker!Some nice pussy up here.We took a short cable car ride to check out the famous Golden Bridge.That would be it.I’ve got to hand it to ya…Then we toured the old French wine cellars.A wine lover in her element.The tour admission fee included a glass of wine at the end.On with the exploration.That guy in the back looks familiar.Dragon the line.Don’t monkey with me!The view from here.Another nice view.Take a picture, it lasts longer.Her name must be McDonald…the original Golden Archer.
It was time for some lunch (and beer), so we headed to the brewery.
My hero!Something’s brewing down there.The place was packed.Swan and I shared this platter.Let’s eat!
After lunch, it was time to check into our hotel rooms.
Nothing like being greeted on the TV screen.
Rooms were clean and comfortable. I got in a blog post and a nap before it was time to head out and meet up with Jeff and Davina again. I was surprised that so many places were closing at 6 p.m. (or earlier). I guess it really is the slow season, but damn, why book a room on the mountain if there is nowhere to go at night?
We did find this cozy bar close to our hotel that stayed up until 9:30.And our hotel bar was open until midnight, so we didn’t have to go without.The bar was at the bottom of these stairs. It felt almost like walking into a cave.But it was actually very nice inside.The fish and chips we had for dinner were surprisingly delicious!Ba Na Hills is quite a sight after dark.
Speaking of dark, I woke up at 4:30 and peeked outside the window. I asked Swan if she wanted to take a stroll with me for a better look around. She did.
It felt like a zombie apocalypse.Scary shit in the shadows.The end of the world as we know it?
Well, we made it back to our room without seeing any walking dead, so there’s that. It was a really creepy morning, though.
And now I’m writing this post from the lovely town of Hoi An. I’ll tell you all about the getting here and how things are going tomorrow.
The last post in the LTG archives from August 2016 features a recounting of meeting the American Ambassador to Korea in my new suit, having some birthday shots with friends at Shenanigans, and a brief mention of my upcoming trip to the Philippines that would include my new Korean girlfriend. They call that bringing sand to the beach. We’ll find out how that went soon.
Today’s YouTube video is all about where I am now. I visited here for a few hours last year and knew I wanted to come back when I had more time. Let’s see how two nights work out for me.
Maybe I can put a smile on your face with these:
I know what I saw lit me up.Imagine that.He’s on the sheep but he ain’t no lamb.
I agree! Those young bucks need to back off and let us old fuckers have some fun with those sweet lasses!
Yesterday featured a walk, a cruise, and beer. Lots of beer! Let me show you what I mean.
After a couple of kilometers down the beach road, I turned left, thinking it would lead to the Han River. Turns out I was wrong about that. Or maybe I gave up too soon. I’ll try to find it again today.A couple of elephants.A Swan.And whatever the hell that’s supposed to be.A lion or tiger, perhaps?I didn’t eat here (yet).But we did give this place a try.OMG! They had birria tacos! And guacamole, just the way Swan likes it. They were damn good, too.That’s probably the biggest burrito I ever did see.Open wide!That’s what the innards looked like. Yep, those are fries inside, another first.We stopped in here to see if I could find a long-sleeve sweatshirt in my size.Yeah, it gets chilly at night this time of year, and we are heading up into the Ba Na Hills tomorrow.This one fit, so I bought it.Our loop was a tad over 5K. I’ll try for the river walk again today.
After a nap and a shower, we met up with Jeff and Davina for our river cruise. We couldn’t board until 7 p.m., so we checked out some of the bars down by the river.
Our first stop.Very large and well-appointed. A nice selection of craft beers, too.This place has a definite expat vibe about it. If I’m not mistaken, it‘ is Aussie-owned.
The signage in Bamboo’s restroom was also worth a couple of photos:
Wipe that smile off your face!Yep, that’s the wrong kind of lump in your pants.
Then we made our way along the river towards the boat dock.
A clean well-lighted place.The Marriott Hotel pays homage to its communist overseers.A Swan on the river.There she is again!One last beer at the Novotel before heading to the riverboat.The riverboat dock.Just like last year, we were booked on the Poseidon for our river adventure.Our table on the bow of the Poseidon.A heavenly view.We even saw Chloe, our waitress from last year,and she remembered us, too. The first of many Larue beers consumed during our two hours onboard. Two bottles of wine for Davina and Swan.Cheers!
After a decent dinner was served (Swan and I had the salmon), it was time for the cultural dancers to perform.
The live music…And those dancers I mentioned.
Here’s a short video of the dancing you might enjoy:
Thanks for the show, ladies!
Then it was time to hit the Han River:
Off we go!The lights of the city.Heading for that Dragon Bridge.There it be.And it’s a fire-breathing dragon.I guess the dragon spits but doesn’t swallow.
So, the cruise ended at 9:30 local time, which makes it 10:30 back home. My body had had enough fun for one day, so Swan and I caught a cab to the hotel. I think I did okay for an old guy.
In the LTG archives, it’s August 27, 2016, and I turned 61. The post has all the songs I like about growing older. Hey, it must have worked, because almost 10 years later, I’m still getting old.
Today’s YouTube video is a short (less than four minutes) presentation about the realities of Da Nang nightlife. It is spot on, at least from my limited experience here. Nothing like you are going to find in the bars of Barretto or Angeles City. The good thing is, I prefer the laid-back chill atmosphere that is in abundance here.
And that leads us to these:
That absolutely stinks!That’s gonna be some stinky ink.When he gets fired, he won’t have a wok to piss in.
And now for day five of the Vietnam experience. No specific plans for today other than a walk/exploration. Hopefully, I’ll spot a new place to try for dinner. We leave Da Nang proper tomorrow morning and will spend a night up high in the Ba Na Hills. I’ve been looking forward to that the most on our vacation itinerary. After that, we have stays in Hoi An and Hue before returning to Da Nang next week. Let the adventure continue!
