Category Archives: Travel

Tunnel of love

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It’s nice being on vacation from the same old, same old routines.

Here’s the belated report about Day 4 of the Vietnam adventure, which included visits to the Marble Mountains and the historic city of Hoi An. We used our driver, Tom, for transport to both locations. A guided tour of the Marbles might have been worthwhile, and we didn’t have nearly enough time to do Hoi An proper justice. If the occasion should arise that I make a return trip to this area, I’d like to spend a night or two in Hoi An. Rumor has it that there are quite a few expats residing there. I took a shitload of pictures in both locations, here’s a taste of what I saw:

Hitting the highway with driver Tom.
One of the mountains they call Marble.
The entrance to the cave. As usual, there were tons of tourists sharing the experience. I understand this is the busiest time of year for tourism in this area.
Should I stay or should I go?
Penetrating the void.
Inside the cave were statues and other relics.
Most of the passageways were easily navigable, but some places required crouching down.
Hello up there!
It got a little dicey climbing these steep, narrow, and uneven steps.
The voice in my head kept saying, “walk towards the light.”
You only live once (unless you get that do-over life).
Almost there…
Made it to the top!
A view from here.
And one of the other Marble Mountains we didn’t visit.
A random stranger offered to take a photo of us.
Going back down was even scarier than the climb.

Some random shots from inside the cave:

She looks a little lonely.
I can’t read what it says, and I’m too lazy to do a Google translate, but I assume this is referencing the Viet Cong hospital hidden inside the mountain during the Vietnam War.
Beats me.
Still impressive, even without a clue.
Okay, that’s a little creepy.
What the hell?
Umm…
Stop, you’re killing me!
Can it getting any worse?
Okay, I’ve seen enough!

We escaped the hounds of hell and made our way back outside, where our driver awaited. Then we took a pleasant drive to the city of Hoi An.

Along the way, Tom wanted us to see a place called the Coconut Forest.

We opted not to do a coconut boat tour.

Tom told us this used to be an American Army installation during the war years.
This old bunker has been preserved, more or less.
The caption perfectly captures the Vietnamese perspective on the “American occupation period.” Oh, you mean that time when we came to defend South Vietnam from the invasion of their northern neighbors? Anyway, we lost, so the winners get to write the history.
Our driver dropped us off in Old Town Hoi An, so we could explore on foot. Motorized vehicles aren’t allowed on this road, hence the bicycle carts.
This was one of the friendliest vendors I’ve ever encountered. She volunteered to pose for a photo with Swan.
Then she had Swan don her hat and carry her burden.
“You too!” she told me.

Of course, we felt obligated to buy some of her fresh fruits. I guess her strategy worked.

A riverside view.
Nice!
It turns out that Hoi An is famous for its Banh Mi sandwiches. We weren’t hungry yet, though.
I’ll eat at Dirty Fingers, but Poison Coffee is a bridge too far!
Speaking of which, this is the famous “Japanese bridge” built in the 1600s.
Over the river we go!
A Hoi An moment.
We headed back to meet our driver with a stroll on this road.
Still too early to visit a pub, despite being enticed by this lovely lady.
I think I’d love this street at beer o’clock.

And then something weird happened. A white guy on a scooter with a Vietnamese girl on the back pulled up and started chatting with me. Just friendly banter, where are you from, how long are you staying? Seemed innocent enough.

Steve from Wales and the gal who turned out to be his co-worker.

Both do promotion work for the Karma Group, which apparently operates hotels, including one in Hoi An. Steve asked if we’d like to participate in a free drawing, and I shrugged, saying, Why not? He handed us both a ticket. I opened mine and won a free ball cap.

Nothing special, but the price was right.

Then it was Swan’s turn, and when she opened hers, Steve said excitedly that she had the grand prize ticket.

So, she won either an Apple iPhone, seven nights’ accommodation at a Karma hotel, or six million dong ($250).

Of course, there is always a catch. To find out which she won, we had to go to the Hoi An Karma hotel. Then, to collect the prize, we had to sit through a one-hour presentation (about what, I never got a clear explanation). They wanted to drive us to the hotel right away, but we declined, saying our driver was waiting for us. What I didn’t say was that there was no way I was getting a ride from two strangers; I’ve heard stories about people being disappeared. As much out of curiosity as anything, I told them I’d have our driver take us to the hotel. They reluctantly agreed, and Steve took off on his scooter. The gal walked with us to meet my driver.

On the way to the hotel, I told Swan I’m sure her prize would be revealed to be the free hotel stay. When we arrived at the Karma and the ticket was scratched, I was proved right about that. And then there was some confusion. We had agreed to a one-hour presentation, and fifteen minutes later, nothing had happened. Swan told the Karma representative that we needed to leave by 1 p.m., and the rep went and made a phone call. When she returned, she told us that there was not enough time, so the prize would be voided. I said, ‘Okay, we arrived at 12:30; we’ll stay until 1:30,’ and the rep said that still wasn’t enough. We needed to spend one hour with the person making the presentation. I smelled a rat and said, Never mind. We’ll go. The rep apologized and gave us a 500,000 dong voucher ($19) for a local Da Nang restaurant.

I wonder if it was bad Karma?
It turned out the rep was a Filipina.
Missteak (another weird name for an eatery) is nearby, at least. We plan to try and use it for lunch today.

Anyway, I’m still curious what the presentation topic was going to be about, most likely some investment scheme—no big deal on missing out on the big prize.

An uneventful trip back to Da Nang, but I did have my driver show me a place to get the Vietnamese Bahn Mi delicacy. When it was time to eat, we hoofed it over there. It’s a few blocks off the main beach road and surrounded by other restaurants, almost all of which are Korean.

Umm, I hope it is good.
Well, when you only make one thing, I expect it will be done well.
I drank Vietnamese beer to go with my Vietnamese meal.
Swan had a mango smoothie.
Really just a small sandwich shop.
Dinner is served.
Bahn Mi!
Biting into the local culture.

The sandwich was fine, but as I recall, I enjoyed the one I tried in Saigon more. We strolled back towards our hotel on the side streets to see what we could see.

I’d never seen plants growing on the side of a high rise before.
We visited a rooftop venue called Sky Bar, but they didn’t serve wine. We took this photo of the beach and departed.
So, we did our nightcap at the beach bar across the road from our hotel.
Our view from there.

And that was our day. Hopefully, I’ll get to Day 5 later this afternoon. Now it is time for a walk and some lunch at Missteak.

Stay tuned!

Who knows where the time goes?

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Sorry about the lack of the usual daily update. All is well here, I’ve just been on a journey through a fairy kingdom, otherwise known as Sunworld Ba Na Hills. I did a group tour that departed from my hotel before 8 a.m. and dropped me back off here at 6 p.m. I’m whupped, but still going to grab some grub before calling it a day. I’ll try to do a twofer in the morning to bring you up to speed on my adventures from days four and five of my vacation.

Swan surprised me with a card this morning in recognition of two years of being together. I’d totally forgotten the significance of this date, so I pulled a rabbit out of my hat and facetiously said that this trip to Vietnam was my anniversary present to her.

That’s all for now, I’ll be back with the rest of the story manana.

Getting out of Cracker Town

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Day 3 of my vacation from routine led to an escape from the confines of the Da Nang tourist hub. Or as one expat I met called it, “Cracker Town.” The day featured seeing a tall Buddhist gal and then getting some Dirty Fingers. Read on to learn more about the day’s adventures.

My hotel room comes with a complimentary buffet breakfast, so that’s as good a place to start as any.

A huge buffett
And a big crowd.
My plate. Food wasn’t bad for the price.

So, we had been stopped by a local on the street the day before, and he offered to show us around. Real friendly guy with decent English, so we got his contact info for WhatsApp and said we’d let him know. There’s a giant statue located in the hills, visible from town, at a famous Buddhist Temple, locally known as Lady Buddha. Swan arranged for him to drive us there and back with a 1 p.m. pickup.

After breakfast, we hit a nearby convenience store to restock the fridge in our room.
We killed the final hour before the driver‘s arrival at the beach bar across the road from our hotel.
Enjoying the ocean view.

From our perch, I put the camera on zoom mode and grabbed a shot of Lady Buddha.

See you soon!
Our driver, Tom, was on time, and we began our journey out of town.

As mentioned, Tom speaks relatively good English and has a nice sense of humor. Along the way, he steered the conversation to the Vietnam War, which made me a tad uncomfortable. He played this clip of Robin Williams in “Good Morning, Vietnam” on his dashboard video box:

He also talked about the Mai Lai massacre, but the best I could offer in response was that the officer responsible was sentenced to prison (I subsequently went back and read the link above and saw that Lieutenant Calley only served three years under house arrest). Anyway, we moved on to other topics and it was a mostly pleasant ride.

As we neared the temple, we saw these critters monkeying around.
Rules, rules, everywhere there’s rules… We obeyed them.
Statues like this abounded.
I know next to nothing about the Buddhist religion, but I could appreciate the artwork involved.
Many structures like this one were scattered throughout the massive temple grounds.
I was surprised to see this bench emblazoned with the name of the town where I grew up.
Buddha brings the faithful to their knees.
Out of respect, Swan was asked to wear this wraparound skirt to cover her legs while inside the temple.
When I used the restroom, I was provided with guidance on the proper way to pee.
Swan defrocked.
A golden moment
Yet another fancy building.
It seems God was keeping an eye on things.
Dragon my ass up the stairs.
The portal awaits
Da Nang in the distance.
Swan close up.
Who is that looking at my ass?
“Yes, ma’am. Whatever you say, ma’am. No offense intended.”
Whaddya mean he looks like me?
Are you a cherry girl?
I guess even statues get tired.
That’s a bridge too far, Swan, come back!

So, that was our tour of the Lady Buddha. I was very impressed, even as a non-believer. I’d visited several temples in Korea with my Buddhist wife, but they didn’t resonate with me the way this one did.

On the drive back to town, our driver told us about a place we might like to visit for a meal named Dirty Fingers. He said when an American friend first invited him, he found the name off-putting and didn’t want to go. But once he was convinced to give it a try, he really enjoyed the food. It’s about a 2K hike from our hotel, so after some rest, we headed out for some exercise and nutrition. The walk took us away from the touristy district, and there was a more laid-back vibe to enjoy.

Nice signage.
Wherever I go, it seems Texas is never far away.
And that’s just what I did.
This really is my kind of place. I’m sure I’d hang out here and drink beer regularly if I was a resident.
I loved the musician portraits.
Cheers!

We ordered pork ribs and chicken wings. While we waited for the food, the owner of Dirty Fingers came by our table to introduce himself. Scott is an American who hails from Louisiana originally. We had a very nice chat, and he’s another reason I’d enjoy being a regular here.

The ribs…
…and a side of slaw.
It was wing night at Dirty Fingers, so we ordered ten and got ten more for free. Needless to say, we brought leftovers back to our room.
The world leaders in fucking over the masses.

Owner Steve saw me admiring the artwork above and told me it had earned him a visit from the authorities. The complaint was that the figure wearing the traditional Vietnamese hat (the non-la) was mocking Ho Chi Minh, the founder of communist Vietnam. Steve explained to the powers that be that the figure was Karl Marx, and no disrespect to Mr. Minh was intended. At first, they were not convinced, and Steve was prepared to replace the non-la with a clown’s hat, but the authorities relented, and that modification didn’t happen. Ah, the joys of living under an authoritarian regime.

As we finished our meal, Steve complimented my “Drunken Grownups” t-shirt, saying it had taken him a while to catch the Dunkin’ Donuts reference. He mentioned he had hats and t-shirts for sale, and I jumped at the chance to acquire souvenirs from my pleasant visit to his establishment.

The front side of my new shirt and hat.
And I love the backside (double entendre intended!)

As we made the post-meal trek back to our hotel, we stopped for a nightcap at the Maia Beach Bar.

Another busy evening on the beach.

We made it an early night and got rested up for today’s adventures at the Marble Mountain and the city of Hoi An. I’ll tell you about that tomorrow. Now it’s time to head out for dinner, and yes, I have a lead on a place serving Vietnamese food.

A touristy view

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Day two of my escape from the Philippines landed me in Da Nang, Vietnam. This is my first time here, and it’s been pleasant enough so far, but the tourist vibe is almost overwhelming. I wasn’t sure what to expect coming in, but this is definitely the place where youngish foreigners seem to be coming for vacation. Watching folks walk by, they outnumber the locals immensely. And I can’t remember the last time I saw so many Western women in the mix. Admittedly, some of them look mighty hot in those t-back bikinis. So, that’s my first impression of Da Nang, but we’ll see how I feel as the week progresses.

The day began with an alarm on my phone at 4:30 a.m. We had to be up early and ready to catch the 6 a.m. hotel shuttle to the airport. Once there, it was the typical travel bullshit of waiting in seemingly endless lines. I’d never flown with HK Express before, but they did okay for a budget airline. Didn’t charge me extra for my checked bag, but also insisted that Swan check the suitcase she carried on with AirAsia. Well, since there was no charge, it made things easier. On the flight, snacks and drinks must be purchased, and when I asked for a bottle of water, I was informed that they don’t accept cash. Well, fuck you very much then. But the bottom line was that we achieved a wheels-down landing, and our luggage, although almost the last to come out on the carousel, made it too.

Boarding the plane in Hong Kong the old-fashioned way.
World travelers
Looking down on Da Nang.
A surprisingly nice airport.

We called a Grab for transport to the hotel. A little confusion on where we’d meet up with the driver, but that was resolved without too much delay.

A Da Nang street scene on the way to our hotel.
Our home for the next five days. It has forty floors, and we are on the 26th.

The hotel wouldn’t allow us to check in until 2 p.m., but the beach was just across the street, so we went there to pass the time.

Swan is a beach lover.
What’s not to love?

We found a beach bar, and plopped our asses down there for some lunch.

A fruity smoothie for Swan.
And a San Miguel Light for me.
My burger is served.

After lunch, we took a stroll along the beach path.

Along the way, we saw an even nicer-looking beach bar and vowed we’d soon return.
I’m world famous!

We got back to the hotel around 1:30, but our room still wasn’t ready. So, we chilled in the lobby until we finally secured our key and headed for the elevator.

It’s a nice enough room, but I prefer to have more pillows. That’s Swan’s Teddy, who goes everywhere she does.

The view from our room is sensational.

An ocean view…
…and a city view, both from the same window.

Beer o’clock happens here, too, but because of the time difference, it comes an hour later. Oh well, just gotta make adjustments and go with the flow. And we flowed our asses down that Maia beach bar we’d seen earlier.

As seen from the beach
Looking up the beach…
…and looking down the beach. I grew up in Southern California, but I don’t remember the beaches ever being this crowded.
Our drinks have arrived!
The view from our perch.

So, after a pleasant visit to the Maia Beach Bar, we headed for a recommended dinner venue. Stopped at an ATM to enlarge my dong.

Withdrawals are limited to two million dong ($76), so I’ll likely be visiting once a day or more.
Our dining destination. Not a bikini in the place, though. As you can see on the signage, this is an American diner. What? You thought I would eat the local food? C’mon, this is me we are talking about!

Just for the record, I will sample the local delicacies soon.

I enjoyed my pulled pork sandwich very much.

Then we strolled back to the hotel. Swan said she’d had enough, but I went up to see the hotel’s rooftop bar on the 40th floor.

The view was impressive, but the bar was a disappointment.

There was no table service; you had to go inside and get your drink from the bar. Only two beers on offer, a local brew and Heineken. I went local, and it was okay (it had a pull-off tab to open; I hadn’t seen one of those since the 1970s). One beer, then back down to my sweetie and a good night’s sleep.

Well, mostly good. I’d forgotten to turn off my alarm, so I was awakened at 4:30. Oh well, an extra hour to enjoy in Vietnam.

Coincidentally, Reekay just posted a video wherein he talks about why the Philippines is losing expats to Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia. Da Nang is apparently especially popular. It is still early in my visit, but I don’t think I’d like living here. Da Nang reminds me a little of Phnom Penh, but I like it better there.

Ready to hit the road

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It’s time to get out of town and leave the hedonic treadmill I’ve been riding behind. For a week, anyway. Perhaps the stormy weather will spare me in Vietnam. Ironically, despite the wet weather, we’ve not had access to water for two days now. It seems a water line somewhere in San Isidro got severed, and that’s the line that provides for the faucets in my part of Alta Vista.

The kind folks at Subic Water sent this tanker truck out to the house.
And we filled all the containers we could find —ice chests, buckets, wash basins —with liquid gold.
And this morning I got to experience the joy of taking a shower the old-fashioned way. I didn’t much like it.

As for my last night in the Philippines, not much worthy of note. In other words, like every other night. Anyway, fed the crew at Hideaway Bar, and got Swan her weekly ration of birria tacos at John’s place.

I had a pulled pork sandwich without the bun. I didn’t eat many of the fries, but they reminded me of the way they used to be at McDonald’s back in the day — crispy.
Next, we quenched the thirst of our waitress friends at Red Bar.

A nightcap at Wet Spot wasn’t all that pleasant. Some young out-of-towners requested rap music, and since they were spending big, the manager accommodated their wishes. That’s okay, I can live with it. What I can’t accept is buying my waitress a drink and then having her walk away and sit somewhere else. No, she wasn’t attending to other customers or chatting with a regular; she just chose to sit on a stool with the other unoccupied waitresses. WTF? When I left, her half-empty lady drink was still on the table. Needless to say, it’s the last lady drink she’ll ever get from me (I’ve known her for years), and frankly, I may scratch Wet Spot off my list of places to visit—lots of options where they at least pretend to appreciate my business.

So, that was how my Saturday went.

Back in February 2010, I shared the story of the love in my life that changed everything. I’m sure I’ve linked to it before, but here you go again. It’s one of my personal favorite LTG posts.

Today’s YouTube video talks about the reasons some expats regret their decision to retire in the Philippines. I don’t. Although maybe Da Nang will change my mind.

Time for a little humor:

Be careful what you pray for.
What a beautiful couple. They are the breast!
Something doesn’t add up here.

Anyway, time to pack up my laptop and head out. My driver will take us to the airport in Manila, and hopefully, all goes well with our flight to Hong Kong. Spend the night there, then onward to Da Nang in the morning. I’ll post updates as time permits.

The day is done

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Gonna do a photo dump this morning and get on with the new day. More details to come as time permits.

Getting from thee to here was just shy of 35K
Some lunch here upon arrival
Nothing to get choked up about
Pork on a plate
Our room at the Wave Song Resort
The view from the porch
On the beach
Looking for a new place I read about online
Found it!
I was surprised to see my old pal, Gary, was there
She looks happy
Moving from the bar to the beach seats improved her mood
Showtime
Two more guys I know showed up
Met the owner, Erik (the one in the middle)
Life is good
Well done, sun

The bar didn’t have the beer I prefer, so it was a Light night. We went to a nearby restaurant in search of dinner, but they said they were too busy to serve us. So, we grabbed some snacks at a small store and returned to our room.

Maybe I’ll do better at that.

In the LTG history pages, my granddaughter turns one. She’s eighteen now.

5 years ago, I was masked and waiting for my turn to purchase essential supplies at the supermarket. Maintaining social distancing, of course.
Ten years ago, I met with the leaders of the Korean Union and the U.S. Ambassador. I was the only left-handed person in attendance

Today’s YouTube video discusses the cultural differences he has observed in the Philippines.

Joke time:

It’s a hard life
Leaves you feeling pooped.
I need to get up to speed on this

Okay, hope this post was better than nothing. On with my day!

Eye Yi Yi

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You gotta do what you gotta do…

Here I am in the infamous Angeles City “entertainment” district, and I’m not doing much that passes for entertainment. Hey, what else is new? As mentioned in yesterday’s post, I did not join in the Corona Hash hike. Instead, I went to visit an ophthalmologist clinic that Dr. Jo recommended. Well, actually, she recommended a particular eye doctor, but that person doesn’t work on Saturdays. The guy I saw was fine and confirmed what I suspected- I have a Stage 3 cataract in my left eye, and surgery to remove it is the only cure. I’ll need to make a decision about when and where to do that; until then, I’ll be essentially blind in one eye.

We walked for 45 minutes to get there from the hotel. I was a little concerned because the waiting room had a good crowd, but I was seen a few minutes before my scheduled appointment. The only frustration was the dilation process, which took three doses of eye drops, ten minutes apart. But that allowed the doctor to confirm that my retinas were fine. It was hard to see for a couple of hours afterward, which made the walk back a little dicey.

Some of the blurry things I saw on the way back to the hotel:

Back to the infamous Barangay Balibago.
That’s an interesting name for a Korean restaurant. Then again, if I were pig, I’d be pissed, too.
We stopped into Kokomo’s for some lunch, but didn’t eat. And yes, this is the original Kokomo’s opened by Dave Fisher before he moved his operations to Subic. He opened the Kokomo’s on Baloy Beach (and Treasure Island) but sold those years ago.
Swan couldn’t read the menu (she had the same eye treatments as me). I ordered but changed my mind and had my food for takeout. Then I gave it away instead of eating it.
The notorious Walking Street bar district is quiet by day
This is a place I frequented back in my tourist days (circa 2007-2008)
Walking Street has been redesignated “Red Street.” I guess that’s short for red-light district.
Or maybe red alert. My situational awareness is definitely at a higher level than when I’m in Barretto.

Then, it was back to the hotel for a nap and some blogging. When dinner time arrived, we headed out to Margarita Station, just a few blocks up the road.

An old Oldsmobile in almost mint condition we saw along the road.
Dining at Margarita Station
I’d skipped both breakfast and lunch to make up for my sins the night before, but I’m a big fan of a roast beef dip sandwich, so I thought I deserved to treat myself. I was surprised at how big it was and only ate half of it.
Margarita Station is a restaurant with a bar and two pool tables. It also has a large outdoor swimming pool.

After our meal, we went in search of somewhere to enjoy a drink and the Angeles nightlife ambiance. We passed numerous go-go bars, but neither of us was in the mood, instead preferring an outdoor venue.

Some nice lights outside a shopping center.

We eventually settled on a venue I had enjoyed patronizing during those long ago Angeles visits.

A small open-air place suits our fancy
The busy street view from there.

After a couple of beers (and one wine), we continued making our way towards Walking Red Street. Phillies is another outdoor bar I’ve enjoyed in the past, but alas, it was packed full when we arrived last night. After a brief discussion, we decided we’d just go back to the hotel bar for our nightcap, so we grabbed a trike and headed home.

Back at the hotel, I noticed we were being stalked by a moon shadow.

The hotel bar was empty, and none of the other Hashers had come back from the Corona Hash yet. We had a drink and watched some dramas on the TV in the bar. Yep, that’s how we rolled on a Saturday night in Angeles City. Jesus, what’s gotten into me?

Well, one thing that DIDN’T get into me was the apple pie a la mode on the menu. And that calorie deficit almost makes up for the overage the night before. Win some, lose some.
I didn’t skip breakfast at the hotel restaurant this morning.
But at least I didn’t eat all of it.

Today’s entry from the archives of LTG is a July 2005 post about the party I hosted in celebration of Independence Day. Man, oh, man, those pictures brought back some memories. Mi Soon, one of the gals from Sweet Caroline’s, my first Itaewon bar home, was destined to become my first Korean girlfriend. Needless to say, that did not end well. Still, I wonder how her life turned out.

One of my cousins in Memphis, Tennessee, posted this old photo of my grandfather (my dad’s dad) on Facebook. Gramps died before I was born, so we never got to meet. He was a captain on a Mississippi (yay, got the spelling right on the first try!) riverboat.

William Edgar McCrarey died in the late 1940s of a heart attack. I was a little disappointed that his middle name wasn’t Lee, like my father and son. Now that I think about it, my younger brother is Gregory Lee. My son didn’t have a boy child, so no more Lee’s to come.

Facebook memories took me back to my days as a river walker in Seoul.

What I saw on this day nine years ago. Such pleasant walks on the Han River. I miss those times.

Today’s YouTube video is from a vlogger I’ve never watched before, but I enjoyed her talk about whether visiting the PI these days is safe. As far as I can tell, it is as safe as it ever was. There are places you should never go, like Muslim Mindanao and places like Angeles City, where you need to be mindful of pickpockets and the like. Still, I’ve not seen any demonstrations or other civil unrest over the Duterte arrest.

And now I’ve got these to share:

Sloppy seconds
Caring is sharing
Peace be unto you!

And with that, I’ll prepare for today’s adventure with the Angeles City Hash House Harriers. Back with a report tomorrow.

Turn up the AC!

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We arrived safely in Angeles City after an uneventful 1.5-hour drive. Checked into a nice room at the Boomerang Hotel. The only downside (upside?) is that I’m located on the third floor, so I’ve got to endure some stair work coming and going.

The Boomerang Hotel is Aussie-owned, believe it or not!
My room has a nice little balcony in the back. Here’s the view from there.
And I won’t be using the pool anytime soon. A group of us Subic Hashers did sit poolside near the hotel bar last night and enjoyed multiple beverages.

So, today is the fifth anniversary of the Corona Hash. I opted out of doing the trail for reasons of my own, but several members from the Subic Hash are here to join in the celebration. Last night, everyone descended on a Hash-owned bar to kick things off.

A female Hasher runs the place and several other Corona Hash Gash work there.
Some of the crew hard at work. That writing on the wall in the background are the Hash names of folks who have visited Harriette’s in the past.
And yes, I made the list!
Some of the Subic contingent
A big turnout

A bar crawl followed the Harriette’s meet-up, but I opted out of that as well. Instead, I took a stroll to one of my favorite restaurants in AC, Tequila Reef.

Nice to be back!
The view from our table
This was on the cover of the menu. I’d never heard of Banoffee Pie, but damn, it sounds delicious. I overcame the temptation to give it a try. Regretfully, as it turns out.

So, what to eat?

It seemed the writing was on the wall. Or on the column, as it were.
Mexican it is, then.
Dinner is served: a taco and an enchilada with rice and refried beans. The meal was every bit as good as it looks.
Shortly before we departed, this large group of young Koreans descended on the place. There is definitely a Korean vibe in Angeles City these days.

After dinner, we grabbed a trike back to the hotel. As I mentioned, several Subic folks are also staying at Boomerang, and we gathered poolside for beers and chit-chat. I’m not sure how it happened, but when I got back to my room, I had a banana split with me. Damn, I hate when that happens. Well, I hated it this morning when I calculated my calories anyway. It was delicious last night.

I do believe that is a new record violation.

I’m punishing myself today by skipping both breakfast and lunch. That’ll teach me! I hope.

Today’s journey through the archives of LTG features this post from June 2005 entitled, And So Beings The Task. I’m talking about overcoming a tragedy in my life, but I make no mention of just what happened. Unsurprisingly, I don’t remember what it was now. I thought perhaps I had just gotten the news from Carol (wife #3) that she was reneging on her promise to join me in Korea. But then again, she was one of the commenters and doesn’t mention anything about what happened. Weird. Still, I linked and quoted a post from Kevin Kim about “putting it down” that provided some comfort to my troubled mind back then. Of course, whatever that tragedy may have been, I had many more to deal with in the coming years—most of them of my own making.

Four years ago, I was helping the Corona Hashers celebrate their first anniversary, including doing the trail and participating in the wilderness Circle they prefer. Why do I no longer join in the fun? Well, here’s one of the reasons:

I don’t mind being called names at all. I did take the “easy” option, even though it wasn’t.

Today’s trails are long (11K), medium (9K), and short (6.5K). The long and medium trails include a requirement to SWIM across a river. The short trail includes two big hill climbs. As the Hash GM posted on Facebook, the Corona Hash doesn’t do “easy” trails. That’s fine, I won’t spoil your fun by asking for one. I know my limits and also want to enjoy myself when I Hash. I’m not a good fit for the Corona crew.

Here are some more photos from four years ago at the Hash.

The Corona Circle features a camp fire
There was also some kind of contest among the Hash Gash. Can’t remember what that was all about.
Her Hash name ought to be “Cameltoe.”
It’s nice on ice!
This was the Subic contingent from four years ago. This year, less than ten joined the Corona “fun.”

Anyway, to each his own. I go my way, you go yours. I will be hashing with the Angeles kennel tomorrow. They are much more my speed.

Today’s YouTube video is an on-the-street interview with a Korean woman who grew up in the Philippines. She has some interesting perspectives on the differences in cultures.

Well, I thought it was funny:

Guilty as charged
Well, I did stay out until 9:30 last night. Then a banana split followed me home.
Facebook friends can be so fickle!

Okay, next up for me will be dining at another restaurant I remember from the good ol’ days, Margarita Station. After that, who knows? I’m surrounded by bars, which is my favorite kind of tourist trap. Let’s see how that works out for me.

Tranny trouble

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No, not THAT kind! Buddy Fucker, the Hasher I rode with to La Union, had transmission issues with his vehicle, and the repair took longer than anticipated. So, our noon departure from Barretto was delayed until 3 p.m. We arrived at the Hash registration desk to sign in and pick up our goodie bags just a few minutes before they shut down at 7 p.m. With our Thursday mission accomplished, we retired to our hotel, the Go Resort, checked in (I have the same room as my last time here), had dinner and beer (only two, believe it or not), and called it a night.

The sky on the drive
On the two-lane blacktop
Still on the road when the sun went down

The items in the goodie bag that comes with Hash registration included TWO shirts:

The front of the green one…
And the back of the shirt with the typical list of sponsors
The blue one has a collar, a rare thing on a Hash shirt. We’ve been advised to wear it to the Saturday dinner party. I will do so proudly.

The other items in the gift bag:

The blue bag everything came in, a water bottle, a necklace with a whistle and bottle opener attached, a commemorative patch, hydration powder, and a scarf.

For dinner, I stepped out of my comfort zone and ordered off the Filipino menu.

Swan recommended I give the beef Kare-Kare a try.

And so I did:

It was served with a side of rice, of course.

It wasn’t bad, although some of the meat pieces had bone fragments which was a tad disconcerting. It’s all part of the adventure, I suppose.

I’m taking vacation this weekend. From the diet, I mean. Not going to bother counting calories. And I kicked things off with a dessert I’ve been missing:

Nice to see you again, Mr. Split!

Yeah, yeah, I’m a bad boy. But at least I didn’t get drunk. Yet. Today’s Nash Hash itinerary may make maintaining sobriety difficult.

That “Full Moon Hash” should be interesting

Today’s Hash run begins at 10:30 and the beer flows at 11:30. That’s early for me. My plan is to return to my room for a nap after lunch. And to slow down my beer consumption rate in the absence of my preferred low-alcohol brew. We’ll see how that works out for me.

And that’s where things stand. It’s weird blogging so early in the morning, but it’s pretty much a now or never situation. I didn’t bring my new keyboard along (it wouldn’t fit in my computer bag) so I am having to deal with no “c v x z” letters (I had the foresight to send myself a message with those letters so I could paste them in as needed). The things I do for my loyal reader(s)!

Today’s YouTube video is from the Filipina Pea; she is always a good watch. Say what you will about Filipinos, but from my observations, they are anything but lazy.

Some humor before I go:

Buy her a razor
I’ll drink to that!
A joke like that on my blog got me in trouble when I was working for my Uncle Sam. They can’t fire me now!

It should be an interesting first day here at the Nash Hash. I’ll tell you all about it when time permits. Stay tuned!

He’s back!

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It’s good to be home again, be it ever so humble. I used to take all-day-long cross-country drives when I lived in the USA. Nowadays, four hours feels almost like a marathon. Two-thirds of the trip is on the expressway, free from the clutter of trikes, jeepneys, and scooters. The scenery is pleasant as well. So, it was a good trip all in all. I owe you those Hash photos, and I’ve got a lot of them, but they deserve a post of their own. I’ll try to have them up later this morning. UPDATE: I put the Hash photos up at the end of this post.

Once I had the bags unpacked, it was nearing beer o’clock, but I knew I was already at The Rite Spot, so I stayed there. I baked a carrot cake, then headed up to the roof to enjoy the views.

What I saw when I arrived
Burn, baby, burn! No idea what or why, but it is what the local folks do here.
And so it goes

And then it was time to eat. We’d skipped lunch, so Swan and I were both hungrier than usual. We enjoyed The Rite Spot special and had the helpers up to enjoy the meal with us.

The feast: spaghetti with meatball sauce, chicken wings, garlic toast, and a carrot cake for dessert.
The way I roll

After dinner, I watched some YouTube, then called it a night. Not much excitement in my day, but that didn’t diminish the warm, fuzzy feeling that being home brings.

I knew I’d be home too late to do the Hideaway feeding, so I wired the money to Joy and let her take care of business.

  • Charity: 2500 pesos
  • Tips: 100 pesos
  • Gasoline: 1000 pesos
  • Total for October 27: 3600 pesos

Six years ago, I traveled “home” to South Carolina. I haven’t been back since.

But I didn’t miss the opportunity to feed my white supremacy at Cracker Barrel

So, this is one of those videos I watched last night:

So, that screenshot is clickbait, and I fell for it. There is NOTHING in this video that would warrant deletion, and the Filipinas shown above are nowhere to be seen in the video. That said, the “ten secrets” were interesting enough, although there was nothing shocking about them, and they aren’t really secrets. I was not happy about being misled, but otherwise, I found it a worthwhile watch. YMMV.

Today’s dose of humor:

Tell me about it
What a bunch of bull!
If not, there ought to be!

So, it is Hash Monday, Subic-style. Leech My Nuggets is the Hare, and I’ve been advised there is a climb up to Kalaklan Ridge in my near future. Oh well, what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. Speaking of which, I changed my mind–I won’t do a separate post with the La Union Hash photos. Instead, I’m going to post them right here and now. I’ll tell the story of the day in the captions. Let’s go!

Upon registration, I was presented with a new Hash shirt and a bottle opener necklace
83 Hashers in attendance for the 41st Anniversary Run. Four Jeepneys to carry to the start of the trail. I asked one of the Hares about trail options, and he said the trail was a little over 8K, but there was an option to ride a Jeepney to the endpoint at around 5K. Works for me!
Loading up!
Jeepney rides aren’t that comfortable under the best of circumstances. Little did I know that our ride to the trailhead would take us fifty minutes. And, of course, another ride back at the end. Oh well, it’s all part of the adventure!
Arriving at the start after a LONG ride
And we are ON-ON at last!
Through the fields we go
Three of the four Subic Hashers in attendance
We got this!
Walking up a creekside trail that was often quite muddy and slick
All credit to the Hares for a very well-marked trail
This is the first of several water crossings. Oh well, there is freedom from trying to jump stone-to-stone when your feet are already wet. The long version of the trail (that I avoided) included a river crossing through waist-deep water.
The carabao didn’t mind the water
It don’t matter to me. I’m blessed that wet shoes don’t cause my feet to blister.
On up we go. The climb was long, muddy in places, but not very steep. My heart rate maxed at 125, and that wasn’t for long.
Falling further and further behind is just my style.
This guy was also at the back of the pack. Here was having a very hard time keeping on his feet when it got a bit slick. I was actually a little worried for him.
Rockin’ it!
These aren’t anything like the famous Banaue rice terraces a commenter recommended I see, but they were the best I’ve witnessed.
Come on up!
I don’t know and I don’t care!
It must be hard to be farming up here. I assume they use carabao-pulled carts to carry the crops back down.
I took a liking to those twin trees
The way we were
Resting in the shade
Cums Alone waiting so we can Cum Together
A view from the top
And now for the downward trek
The way ahead
Walk this way!
That guy couldn’t keep his feet on the downhill either. One thing La Union does that I hadn’t seen before is having “sweepers” on the trail. They had Hashers spaced at various sections of the trail, and they waited for the stragglers. The guy above was the last one off the mountain, but the La Union Grandmaster was at his side to ensure he arrived safely. Respect!
The first opportunity to deliver some cookies. No kids around, but old folks need love too!
Back on flat, paved ground
The end of our 5K+ journey.
Waiting to be picked up by the Jeepney to be transported to the end of the line. And yes, we didn’t leave without the slow guy. Honestly, I admire the fact that he was out there humping it as best he could. I wouldn’t have the balls to do that if I were as unsteady on my feet as he was.
The end-of-the-trail gathering. Once all the long trail folks finished, we reboarded the Jeepneys for the long ride back to Bauang.
My walk tracker stopped working for some reason early in the hike. The La Union Hash Facebook page had this map of where we were. Which was pretty much the middle of nowhere. Very beautiful, though.
Back in Bauang for the Hash circle
I do tend to stand out in a crowd, don’t I?
La Union doesn’t do the “it’s nice on ice” thing. Instead they have a bucket brigade.
I managed to avoid getting doused. I’ll take my water frozen, thank you very much!
Some after circle beers
A good way to measure if I’ve had too much to drink is my tree climbing ability. Yep, it was time for bed!

And that was how the La Union Hash adventure went down. Hope you enjoyed the photos! I’ll be back with a report on today’s Subic Hash, assuming I live to tell about it. See you here tomorrow (I hope!).

A sweet goodbye

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Greetings from Angeles City, Pampanga province, Luzon Island, Philippines. The internet sucks here at the Boomerang hotel, but I’ll do my best to knock out a post before heading off to the ACH3 anniversary Hash this afternoon.

We began our Saturday with a San Isidro candy walk.

Come and get it!
There she goes, just a walkin’ with her sweets…
I’m burnin’, I’m burnin’, I’m burnin’ for you…
This woman is bringing a bag of mangos for Swan. That happened twice yesterday. What goes around, comes around.
That’s why we’re here
Now, this has never happened before. Apparently, there was some sort of gathering for the neighborhood kids, and when Swan showed up, they got in line for some sweets.
What the hell? You almost never see this kind of nasty graffiti around here.
That mountain I like
And the girl that I love
Working hard

We got in 5K before the candy ran out.

Back home for the usual, plus packing our bags for the upcoming trip. Our ride was picking us up at It Doesn’t Matter bar somewhere between four and five (it wound up be closer to five). So, with everything ready to go, we headed out to Baloy Beach to say our goodbyes to the Kokomo floating bar.

A going away present of brownies
A bay view
The crew putting on a show
You can almost feel the excitement!

We’ll be back when the seasons change.

We grabbed a trike for Alta Vista, loaded up our bags, and then got dropped at IDM. Our ride came, we had a pleasant drive out to Angeles, then checked into our hotel.

It’s the first time I’ve stayed here. A bit off the beaten track but not far from the Hash On-Home at the Premier hotel. Clean and comfortable, but the crap internet makes this post frustratingly difficult.

We enjoyed dinner last night at the new Margarita Station. It was located near Walking Street for many years but lost its lease. This new location is a bit out of the way, but the food is as good as ever. I had a chicken quesadilla, and it might have been the best one I’ve had—at least as far as I can remember, which these days isn’t much.

The new venue is huge and has aircon (the old one was open air)
Not only do they have pool, they have a swimming pool. Never seen that in a restaurant before.

And now it’s time to prepare for today’s adventure. The AC Hash is usually pretty tame, so hopefully I won’t get my ass kicked climbing hills. Only one way to find out.

Today’s YouTube is weather related. Yeah, it rained last night and it appears rainy season is finally arriving. Of course, I’d prefer not to Hash in a storm, but I’m gonna be wet with sweat or with water, so I guess it doesn’t matter much.

A little humor:

Yes, it is weak indeed.
A pretty trashy joke

Until we meet again.

It comes and goes

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I’m talking about time here. And it flew by today. Here it is almost beer o’clock, and I’m just now sitting down for my daily missive to my loyal readers. It’s been painful today, to say the least, but I’ll share that story tomorrow. And to make up for today, there will be TWO posts to look forward to reading. Yep, I am going to save the story of the Hash as a separate endeavor. But I will share a few photos of my yesterday morning in Angeles City before I head out to the floating bar for some bay time with my beer.

Swan and I began our morning with a walk up Walking Street in search of some breakfast. I’ve always had a good experience at Kokomo’s, and that’s where we broke our fast.
Yes, I was a bad boy, but I’m a fan of French toast. I’ll make up for it, promise!
So, this salt shaker was sitting nearby. I called a waitress over and asked for pepper. She looked at me like I was stupid (I can be) and then flipped this one over.
And just like magic, it became a pepper shaker. That’s a cool combination!

I enjoy streetside dining (and drinking at the appropriate hour), but the vendors and beggars can occasionally be problematic. Lots of vendors selling Viagra for some reason, but they accepted my polite “no thanks” and continued on. But one of them caught my interest with this:

Hmm, a new brand-name backpack might be worth a look.

After initially waving him off, I called the vendor back and asked him how much. He wanted 1200 pesos, and I wished him good luck. Then he asked me to make an offer, so I said I’ll give you a thousand. And that’s how I became the proud owner of that beauty above. Look for it on trail soon!

A view from our seat at Kokomo’s. In that take, you can see six bars and a massage parlor. You might also notice the Korean lettering on some of the signs. Angeles City has an actual Korea town away from Walking Street, but the reality is Koreans have pretty much taken over the bar district. I hear that over half the bars in town are Korean-owned.
The view in the other direction. More bars as far as you can see. I kind of laughed to see two of them were named for me. Yep, I’m a High Quality guy, but I can also be a Bad Boy.
Strolling back to the hotel after breakfast on some backstreets, more evidence of the Korean presence was on display.
Koreans gotta eat, too!
The bar across the street from my hotel.
A side street beside the hotel. I see more Hangeul lettering back there, too.
And the pool at Orchid Inn. You can see the Cantina and Sports Bar on the other side.

This visit to the Orchid was somewhat disappointing. I’ve mentioned it is a sentimental favorite of mine, having been the place where I spent my first night ever in the Philippines. I’ve stayed here numerous other times over the years. What I discovered is that different wings in the hotel have wide divergences in the quality of rooms being offered. I guess in the past, I’ve scored the high-end rooms. On this trip, the room I was first given was so bad that I had to return to the desk and tell them, “No way.” They moved me to a marginally better room, but it was still disappointing. When I ran the aircon it was so loud it sounded like a semi-truck idling outside. When I turned it off in the wee hours of the morning, I was shocked to hear the noise from people partying on the street outside. It made me wonder if the aircon noise was purposeful to drown out the hoots and hollers from the locals. But the staff service was excellent and friendly, and the Cantina was as nice as ever. Next time, I’ll know to ask for one of the poolside rooms.

So, that covers the remains of my adventure in Angeles. I look forward to providing a two-fer for tomorrow with the Hash report and my adventures in medicine. Stay with me!

That’s not what he was dreaming of, Jeanie.
It looks like I stole this pun from Uber Humor.
My appreciation for Boy George comes and goes, but this is a catchy tune with a nicely done video.

Let’s go to La Union!

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That’s where I woke up this morning. Haven’t been here since before the scamdemic, but not much has changed. Well, many of the old bars are gone, but the scenery is as nice as ever. I’ll participate in the La Union Hash House Harriers anniversary run later today. I’ve Hashed with them a few times, both here and in Baguio, for their Valentine’s run. One of the Hashers (can’t remember his name now) gave us a tour of a few bars last night. A very sad bar scene compared to Barretto, but there is more to life than bars, right?

Here’s how things are looking so far:

It’s a long walk, but luckily, I caught a ride with my fellow Hasher Dave.
On the road again
A view along the way
Arriving at our lodging after a 3+ hour drive
The path from the parking lot. I wasn’t sure what to expect at the Go Resort other than it was relatively close to where the Hash On-Home is being held. Got a “deluxe room” for two nights for 5000 pesos (a hundred bucks)
My room
Inside my room
Haven’t seen one of these in a hotel room (or elsewhere for that matter) in a long time.
The view from my room
The pool
The Subic Hashers at the Go Resort bar/restaurant
A Go Resort ocean view
We did a walkabout and came across this place that looked like it might be interesting. Came back later last night and discovered it was just a videoke joint. No girls like on the signage.
Passed by a market featuring lots of fresh fish
This tree stump at the edge of the highway caught my eye. I think I see a horse rearing up in there somewhere.
I stayed next door to this place during my last visit, and it was my favorite hangout.
Inside the Blue Cat. It’s right on the beach, and a lot of the local expats hang out here. It’s also a regular On-Home for the La Union Hash, but not this week.
I’m not doing a formal intermittent fasting routine, but I have been skipping lunch. It was getting close to supper time, so I ordered a chicken burger at Blue Cat. On the small side…
…but quite tasty
The ocean view from Blue Cat
A walk on the beach
Heading back to the Go Resort

Nothing significant to report about the bar crawl. None of the bars we visited were places I’d frequent if I lived here (other than Blue Cat). Still, it was nice to see some new faces and places, which is what getting out of town is all about.

My room comes with a free breakfast. That’s the coffee portion.
The morning view from my breakfast table.

So, up next is the Hash. Not sure what to expect. There’s a 5+K “over the hill” version and a 3.5K easy trail. As of now, I’m signed up for the longer trail. It’s a little disconcerting being an out-of-town Hasher because I don’t know my way around and can’t shortcut if needed. If there is only one hill climb today, I should be okay. I just hope my leg doesn’t give out. Assuming I survive, I’ll be back with a full report tomorrow.

I can relate

Oh yeah, I got up to pee last night and didn’t notice there was a two-inch step down into the toilet. I lost my balance and tumbled forward towards the shower. There was nothing to grab onto but I somehow managed to regain my balance before hitting the floor. That would have been a messy headache, for sure.

This was not on my list of potential ways I’m going to die.

Come sail away

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A nice morning adventure on the ocean and a pleasant evening of live music and beer drinking in a popular Pundaquit bar called the Car Wash. I’ll let the pictures tell the story with some added commentary from yours truly. Let’s get started, shall we?

My hosts at Monty’s made the arrangements for the boat excursion. The original quoted price was 3000 pesos, including transportation to and from our lodging. At breakfast, the manager advised she had secured me the discounted price of 2700 pesos for the island tour. At the appointed hour of 0900, a trike arrived to pick us up and carry us to Pandaquit Beach, about a 5K ride. It turns out the trike driver was also the Captain of our boat.

Boats on the beach and islands in the stream
A beautiful morning on the beach, but damn, those sands were hot on the bottom of my bare feet.
Our ride. Yeah, it’s small, and those outriggers looked jury-rigged to my untrained eyes.
But throwing caution to the wind, we embarked on our island tour, leaving the safety of the mainland behind.

I’m not being facetious when I tell you that from out of nowhere, this song began playing in my head:

Spoiler alert–our tour had a happier ending.
The Capones Islands group came later in the tour; we started our journey by heading up the coast.
The skies were clear, and the water calm. That was a good thing because the slightest disturbance rocked our tiny craft, like the wake from a passing boat.
As my mind inevitably considered the various possibilities for disaster, collisions with passing boats was high on the list.
But the beauty of our surroundings didn’t escape me.
Our first island approaches. Well, I guess we approached it, but you know what I mean.
A lot of the coast was just sheer drop-offs
Seeing this was a little disconcerting. A whole other way to perish I hadn’t considered.
I suspect our driver was just fucking with me, but he approached those rocks in a way that suggested a head-on collision was inevitable. I even turned around to look and see if he was paying attention. He was and turned the boat away from doom on the shoal.
Looks like Mt. Doom, only smaller and surrounded by water. Okay, never mind. Still, someone could paint a huge eye near the top just for shits and giggles.
I like it.
Another island
There’s a beach up ahead.
Our driver actually beached the boat here to give us the opportunity to get out and take a look around. I wasn’t in the mood and declined.

The place is called is called Destinare. Having read up on it some after the fact, it does seem like an interesting resort, only accessible by boat or a long mountain hike.

Does that qualify as “glamping”? It looks pretty rugged to me.
Back to the beauty of the wide-open South China Sea.
There in distance we have Capones Island on the left, Pundaquit in the center.
Capones is the largest of the island in this cluster that we toured. It even has its own Wikipedia page.
The Captain of our tour boat.
And my fellow passenger Swan.
Capones is basically two big rocks with a beach in between. I also declined a closer look but almost got one anyway.

Because it was about here that our craft ran out of fuel, and we began drifting ever closer to shore. Our driver did have some extra fuel in the bow and retrieved it to fill the gas tank. He then had difficulty restarting the motor, and my imagination once again briefly ran wild. Until, at last, I heard the reassuring sound of the engine running again.

Underway again and passing by the second half of Capones. Can you see that lighthouse up top?
I zoomed in to get a better view.
The backside of Capones
There is some abandoned construction of a rather large structure on this side of the island. Our driver speculated it was meant to be a resort. He said there are also a handful of squatters who live here.
Up ahead are the final two islands on this tour.
You can maybe make out that they are almost joined together by a narrow beach.
It appears to be quite popular with the locals as a place to hang out.
And a backside view
I’ve seen enough, let’s head back to shore.
Civilization awaits!
The survivors

Back to Monty’s for some R&R. Then it was time to finalize plans for the evening. I had gotten the number for a trike to take us to the Car Wash bar, but we didn’t get an answer or a response to our messages. I messaged a friend who lives in San Antonio that I’d be going to the Car Wash, and he said he and his wife were planning to go later to see the band. I wasn’t worried about getting to the bar; it’s about a 3K walk from Monty’s, but there’s no way I could do that in the dark after drinking. Still, I figured someone at the Car Wash could hook me up with a trike ride home, so I convinced Swan to join me in the walk to our Saturday night outing.

The walk turned out to be painful. I guess the leg isn’t getting better yet. I gritted my teeth and trudged on with the promise of a cold beer providing ample motivation.

About 2K into the walk, I came across a place named after me.
This was an interesting sight as well. I’m not expert on the Star Wars movies, but Storm Troopers and a windmill seemed like an odd juxtaposition. Perhaps it means something to true fans.
This gent was there to greet me as I entered the Car Wash, but I guess it wasn’t my time.
The view from my barstool. This is really my kind of place. Open-air bar, good music, good food, and friendly local expats. I make it a point to visit here whenever I’m in Pundaquit.
The bar features live music on Saturday nights starting at 7:00. I do appreciate the early start. Bars with bands in Barretto usually don’t begin until 9 p.m.–my bedtime.
They also have a pool table if that is your inclination.

Not too long after our arrival at Car Wash, we experienced one of those dreaded brownouts (power outages). I feared it was going to ruin our evening. Soon enough, they had the generator running and most of the lights were back on. Until the generator quit working (I assume it ran out of gas). But, providence was with us, and the power came back on shortly before the band was scheduled to perform.

Chris and his wife Cathy showed up about the time the lights came back on and joined me and Swan at the bar. I did some catch-up with Gary, and we all ordered some dinner.

I went with the daily special rib platter. It was all good. It is surprising to me when a bar hangout features a kitchen that provides more than the typical pub fare. That plate of food was a bargain at less than ten bucks.
And then the band began to play. A group called Star Network. I was quite impressed. I usually don’t like bar band music because it is played loud and not mixed to avoid distortion. Not so with this group; I could clearly distinguish the various instruments and vocals. Very talented musicians and singers, especially the lead guitar player. And they performed the kind of music I like, classic rock and roll from my good ol’ days.

And, oh yeah, the trike driver I had messaged earlier finally responded, and I made arrangements for a 9 p.m. pick-up. So, it was pert near a perfect night out!

I had plenty to drink at Car Wash (and they didn’t have Zero so I was drinking SML) but I was up for a nightcap at Monty’s after the ride home. Alas, the bar was dark. This morning they told me there were no customers, so they closed. Damn, that’s not good for a Saturday night. I hope they are still in business next time I visit.

And that was pretty much my weekend in Pundaquit.

Goodbye Monty’s…
It’s good to be home.

Well, Halloween is right around the corner. Ready for some scary stuff?

Just put some ice cream or whipped cream on top, and don’t think about where it comes from.
Beer is the cure. Or at least it helps you forget about the problem.
But it doesn’t get any scarier than this, does it?

Alright, it’s time to head out and feed those hungry Hideaway gals. See you tomorrow!

A visit to San Narcisco

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If you live in San Narcisco, does that make you a Narciscoist? I guess it doesn’t matter; I was just visiting. This was my third time going to the Mope Resort. I was there in January for Dr. Jo’s birthday celebration, and before that it was for a Hash event back in 2019 (that was the time the Philippine Navy detained us). This was the first time I spent the night at the resort, though, and overall it was a pleasant experience.

In yesterday’s post, I had said I was going to San Antonio. That was my plan–walking the beach at Pundaquit, lunch at the Car Wash Restobar, and spending the night at Monty’s. Plans sometimes change while you are en route. Swan said she had heard about a nice beach area in San Felipe; I’d never been there but figured why not experience something new. When we arrived, however, it was nothing like I was expecting. The beach “resorts” all consisted of Filipino-style beach huts, not the hotel with a restaurant and bar that I prefer. So, Mope became our Plan B.

Back again

Of course, we didn’t have a reservation but didn’t need one; we appeared to be the only guests in attendance. Not overly surprising for a weeknight during rainy season. I chose the “deluxe beach view” room and was given a discounted rate of 3500 pesos. The room was spacious, clean, and comfortable; more than adequate for an overnight stay.

The first order of business after check-in was lunch.

Chicken burger for me, club sandwich for Swan.

After our meal, we did a short walkabout the neighborhood. The skies were cloudy, but we were granted a brief respite from the rain.

The tide was high, and the sea was angry.
A nearby resort appeared to be closed, perhaps for the season.
I liked the name of this boat enough to take a photo.
I’m not sure what this is, but it was also closed.
The beach entrance to Mope. Last visit, I enjoyed some beer in that upstairs viewing area.
The view from our room
A late afternoon water shot
And some brave beachgoers.

We drank some beers to pass the evening hours and had a light meal, then retired to our room for the night. A big storm passed through during the night, waking us both from our slumber. We cuddled until sleep once again overcame us.

My breakfast was more than I could eat. Luckily, a dog was sleeping under our table.
One more beach shot before departing for home.

It was nice to have a brief get-out-of-town excursion. One day at Mope was enough, though. At least during this time of year.

Facebook memories reminded me today that the 1960s weren’t all they were cracked up to be.

Nope, none for me, thanks.

So, it’s back to the Barretto life. The SOB has once again been canceled due to the inclement weather. That won’t stop me from hooking up with some San Mig Zeros somewhere in town.

I’ll let y’all know how that works out for me tomorrow.

Ko Lan oscopy

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Here’s the lowdown on my Saturday adventure with the Pattaya Jungle Hash House Harriers. The Hash took place on Ko Lan island, around seven kilometers off the coast of Pattaya. The island is small (4K by 2K), so our trail covered a lot of ground, relatively speaking.

Less than 4K with a moderate climb

They say getting there is half the fun, so I’ll start the tale with that part. The ferry to Ko Lan launches from the Bali Hai pier, located on the far end of Walking Street. So, I took a Baht Bus from my hotel to the end of Beach Road, then hoofed it on Walking Street about 1K to the pier. Walking Street is the most infamous street in Pattaya for seedy nightlife (i.e., nude dancing), if that’s your thing. I only visited during the daylight hours on this trip.

If you are feeling devilish, I hear you can have a hell of a good time at this disco.
I was shocked to see just how crowded the pier was on a Saturday morning. I read later that the island sometimes has as many as 20,000 visitors a day during high season.
I guess no boats were leaving from this section of the pier. Either that or it is haunted.
A nice view of Pattaya from the pier.
And a look in the other direction
The type of ferry we’ll be riding
The gathering Hashers
Loading up the boat
And we are off!
Some of my fellow passengers
Dave had the worst seat on the boat. He was drenched from spray by the time we reached the island.
Jo sacrificed the view for a dry ride.
Approaching our destination and the spray is a-flying.
I read that there are around 8,000 residents on the island.
Ko Lan is a hilly little place
The beach
Hashers disembarking from the ferry.
A shrine of our times.
That beach I saw from the boat
Our Hare (in the dark shirt) leading us to the On-Home location. His Hash name here is Wild Wolf, but back when he was living in the Philippines and a regular with the Subic Hash, he was known as Slimy Limey. He recently made the news by completing a one-thousand-kilometer walk from Pattaya to Phuket to raise money for a children’s charity he supports.
Our host venue was a small restaurant on the beach. They set us up in some storage space out back for the Hash circle. Pattaya Jungle Hash also does the before and after circle format. The only problem I have is sitting around waiting to get started.
I passed the time counting the shells of this pillar.
And we are (finally) On-On!
We started out on the frontage road along the beach.
Nearing the end of the beach
Along a rocky shoreline
Down the road…
…and up some steps

Then things went south for me. About halfway up the steps I had a breathing attack. Dave and Jo waited for me to reach them, and when I arrived I thought I was going to have to turn back because I didn’t think I could make the rest of the climb. I had my portable nebulizer in my backpack, so I pulled that out and inhaled some salbutamol into my lungs. After about five minutes I had regained a semblance of normal breathing (at least, as normal as it gets for me) and opted to continue the hike. I made it the rest of the way without much difficulty.

The breathtaking view
That’s more like it
On up
I saw some of these (whatever they are) along the way. I guess passersby leave an offering to whatever they worship in the form of a soft drink. I’m sure they have good intentions, but it looks like trash to a non-believer.
Speaking of trash, litter was almost non-existent in Pattaya, not so much on Ko Lan. The Wiki link I left above says that the island generates more garbage than can be hauled away. So, I guess the locals don’t have much incentive for proper disposal. To be clear, the beaches appear clean, but these backroads, not so much.
The old dirt road
And back on the pavement
The view from up here
And then heading back down to the beach

Once we arrived back at our On-Home venue, we got a table in the restaurant to order some lunch.

This? Nope, not for 1000 baht!
I wasn’t in a crabby mood either
Decisions, decisions. I wonder what the “burnt” mussels taste like?
Guess I’ll never know, because I went with the Tom Yum soup…
…with prawns. Very tasty. Or should I say, “Yum!”
Gathering for the “after” circle

The Pattaya Jungle Hash doesn’t normally have the ice feature. Dave wasn’t having that, so he went to the nearby 7/11 store and bought bags of ice to add some Subic flavor to the proceeding. It seemed to go over quite well.

The last boat back to the mainland left at 4:00 p.m., and as the Hash circle drug on, I was getting a little nervous. As much as I enjoyed my time on Ko Lan, I wasn’t keen on sleeping on the beach. I left the circle a little early at 3:30 just to be on the safe side.

Heading back to the docks
I bought a tall can of the local brew to help pass the time until departure.
The stragglers boarding the ferry for Pattaya
Pattaya on the horizon
We were all a little drunker than when we arrived.
“You getting seasick, Jo?”
Pattaya, here we come!
And back on the Bali Hai pier. Check out that girl. No, I mean the one wearing her backpack wrong.

But wait, the fun wasn’t done. There was an after Hash gathering at a bar called June’s. And at the end of the pier, there was a Baht Bus waiting to take us there.

Soi 25, you say? I’d never gotten that far before.
I used to hang out at Sin Bin long ago. The one in Itaewon, I mean.
And I’ll be going to Cheap Charlies later today. The one in Barretto, I mean.
Hanging out at June’s bar

True confession time. I don’t remember much about my time there at June’s bar. I was over my beer-intake capacity, and things are all a little bit fuzzy.

But by the look on my face, I seem to be having a grand ol’ time hanging out with Buddy Fucker and Slimy Limey.

Food was coming, but I knew I was entering “now or never” territory, so I said my goodbyes and headed for home. Well, my hotel, anyway.

It all looks so familiar. And so oddly different at the same time.

I walked and walked but didn’t find any familiar landmarks to guide me. Finally, I hailed a cab. The fare to my hotel was 300 baht; the most I’d paid previously was 200. It turns out I had been walking in the wrong direction all that time. Oh well, the taxi driver got me where I was going. The fucker was a no-show for the trip I arranged with him to the airport the following day, but that turned out alright too.

A bedtime treat at my favorite restaurant, then across the street to my hotel and the peace and comfort of my bed.

I still don’t know how my phone got wet, but when I picked my shorts up off the floor the next morning, they were wet too. I wonder if I peed my pants on the way home?

Anyway, that’s how my last day and night in Pattaya went down. And yesterday, I posted about the longest day that followed. I enjoyed my time in Thailand, but it’s good to be back in my little town again. It’s hard to get lost here.

Stick around, and we’ll see what happens next.

Maybe next time. Although, I’m thinking Vietnam is due for a revisit.

UnThaied

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Welp, my last few hours in Thailand, and things have taken a turn for the worse. My plans to post about yesterday’s Hash will have to be postponed for technical reasons. Primarily a lack of a reliable internet connection. A secondary factor may be attributable to drunkenness, but the evidence for that is a little fuzzy.

The root cause of my connectivity issues is that I somehow messed up my phone last night. I have no recollection of what happened, but it got wet and won’t take a charge. So, my mission this morning is to find a repair shop to fix it or replace it if need be. The phone was my internet connection for the laptop in my hotel room, and without that, I’ve been required to camp out at that little restaurant across the street for WiFi.

So the pictures from yesterday’s Hash adventure will have to wait. Sorry about that! It was an interesting day and something a little different. I’ll share the story when I get back home.

Soi sauce

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Confucius say man who walks through door sideways is going to Bangkok.

Yes, you are seeing a rare morning post here at LTG. It’s now or never, because I’ve got to be at a Hash run meet-up at 10:30. Not sure what I’m in for; I just know we are catching a ferry to some island and are Hashing there. Should be different and interesting and hopefully not too difficult.

I filled the hours yesterday by exploring the streets here in my part of Pattaya. I had some beers, food, and a massage along the way. My hotel is on Soi 4, so I started there and walked the length of each soi (between the main road and the beach) to see what there was to see. You might call it The Dirty Dozen because that’s how many roads I walked. There was the morning version (through Soi 8) and the nighttime edition, finishing on Soi 13-3 (I don’t understand the numbering system either, there were at least three variants of Soi 13). Anyway, in the interest of time, I’ll let the photos do most of the talking:

My neighborhood (for a couple more days)
There are no bars on Soi 5, but this Korean restaurant looks pretty nice.
Well, damn, I guess I have been looking for love in all the wrong places!
I encountered this street food stand complex along the main road between Soi 6 and 7.
It was too early in the day to be open yet, but I wondered about the name…
Ah, that explains it! I have no idea how they got that old 747 here or its purpose, but it seems pretty cool and eye-catching.
I like the beer bars on this soi better than the girly bars on Soi 6
Thai beauties (the non-bargirl variety)
She’s an older gal, but was so damn friendly she was able to entice me into her bar for my first beer of the day.

That bar above was right next door to where I received my first Thai massage since my last visit seven years ago. It was a nice rubdown that ended happily. She was good with her hands, and when she leaned down and whispered in my ear, “You give me 1000?” it was too hard to say no.

I headed back to the hotel after my rub and tug and the beer next door. Stopped into my favorite little restaurant for a light lunch.

Everything that comes out of that kitchen is tasty.

A post, a nap, a shower, then it was time to get back out on the street.

A thirst quencher here before heading on down the soi
Tall and crooked wins the race!
I got hooked for two beers here
I guess I was just enjoying the view
The view across the main road
Some of the streets were barless, and by the time I found this one, I really had to pee.
Since I used their toilet, I felt obligated to buy a beer. It looks to be a nice place, more a restaurant than a bar.
But there was a bar and I sat at it.
I was having a wonderful time
Lots of the bars feature live music, at least on the weekend

While I was enjoying my beverage of choice, I heard from Dave that he and Jo were back in town from their tourist excursion to the elephant sanctuary and wanted to join me. Wonderful Bar was pretty close to their hotel, so I didn’t have to wait long for company.

A lousy photo, but I was surprised to see another Wet Spot on Soi 13. The guy sitting out front said the other was on Soi 6, and I told him I’d been there. I also said we have our own Wet Spot in Barretto.
Soi 13-2 was more restuaranty…

Speaking of food, I needed some. We got to talking about possibilities and when Dave mentioned he’d seen a Taco Bell, it triggered a craving. It had been years since I’ve had that American fast food tribute to our Mexican neighbors.

The last of the sun as we made our way along Beach Road
And there it is! Now that I think about it, way back when, there was a Taco Bell on one of the side streets in Itaewon. I think it went out of business, though.
But I’d never seen a Taco Bell that sold cans of beer anywhere else in the world.
My oh my, nothing like a taco supreme!
The view from our table in front of Taco Bell. There was also a Burger King, a Sizzler Steak House, and a Swenson’s ice cream parlor. You’ve been gone from home a long time when you start missing food franchises.
If you drink, don’t fly!

We had one last beer at the original Wonderful Beer Bar, then called it a night. I caught a Baht Bus for the ride back to Soi 4. But something was calling out to me before I reached my hotel.

Sorry, not sorry!

Alright, time to get ready to Hash with the Pattaya Jungle Hashers. Let the adventure begin! It will likely involve a few beers.

On the Thai way to hell

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Another day in the Land of Smiles. Here’s how it all went down.

I did my usual morning stroll but headed up Beach Road in the opposite direction.

Let’s see where it leads…
On the beach
That might be the biggest Holiday Inn I ever did see.
This place looks interesting; I’ll have to come back later.
Fly me to the moon! It’s on the third floor, but still too early for a beer. It’s on my “to check out” list.
I can’t bear to look.
Stop clownin’ around!
Taking a coffee break. I was actually planning on having some breakfast, but it turns out this place didn’t serve food. Duh!
Getting my Hilt on
Finally having some breakfast at that little place across from my hotel.

The evening plan was to meet up with Dave and Jo at the Virgin resto/bar on the rooftop of my hotel. They weren’t coming until 5 p.m., and I got bored around three, so I went back to that place I liked on my morning walk.

Snacked on some chicken nuggets to pass the time.
The place had a nice ambiance, but when I tried to capture it in a photo, this guy got in the way.

When the five o’clock hour came, I headed up to Virgin for the first time.

Signage in the lobby of the hotel
The advertisement outside the elevator
And inside the elevator
The greeting as you exit the elevator on the rooftop
It turns out this is the only thing I liked about Virgin.

They only offered three kinds of beer, none of which I care for, and the pricing was, well, through the roof. Dave and Jo had yet to arrive, and I was the only customer. It was sunny and hot, with little shade to be found. Definitely a better after-dark venue. The food prices were worse than the beer, so we didn’t order any.

The bar area at Virgin
Looking for a shady spot for me and my lonely overpriced beer.

I stayed for one beer with Dave and Jo; then I suggested we head back downstairs and try my favorite place across the street.

That’s what I had. Dave and Jo’s meal came with ice cream. Not to be outdone, I ordered a sundae. Yeah, the beers were kicking in already, and my judgment must have been impaired.

When we were done eating, we hopped into a baht bus to check out those beer bars I’d seen on Soi 7. It wasn’t busy, and the bars were more tame and sane than the crazy shit on Soi 6. We sampled a couple and enjoyed the outdoor atmosphere while watching the world pass by on the street in front of us.

The recipient of the only lady drink I bought all night. I can’t recall her name now, but she was a sweet gal in her 40s that hardly spoke a lick of English. She pulled out her phone, and we had a friendly little chat via her Google Translate app.

By the time we had traversed the length of Soi 7, we all agreed we’d had enough fun and beer for one night. They turned right to their hotel; I grabbed a baht bus for the ride to Soi 4. I seem to recall stopping into my favorite eatery and having my nightcap beer there with the friendly crew.

This is a crappy picture of the sign on the men’s room door outlining the pricing for using the toilet based on size. Dave came back from his piss and handed the cashier 20 baht, which gave everyone a laugh (the toilet is free for customers).

And that was how things were on this Thai highway I’m traveling.

Six Thai

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Soi Six here in Pattaya, Thailand, to be precise. That’s the street where I hung out and quaffed some brews last night. But let’s start with the beginning of the day, shall we?

So, I’m taking care of my morning business when I see that my Fitbit has gone black. All my efforts at reviving it proved fruitless. I decided to check out a mall I’d seen on one of my walks in search of a replacement smartwatch.

Central Festival Mall from the front
And from the rear off of Beach Road
And from a patio on the 3rd floor
And an inside view. One of the nicest malls I’ve ever visited.
Mission accomplished. Eventually.

I say eventually because I arrived at the mall right about 10 a.m. only to discover it opened at eleven. So, I walked up the road a bit and found a restaurant for a late breakfast.

It must be Thai because they used ham instead of bacon. And what I thought was a coleslaw side turned out to be grated cabbage. Still, it was good enough for me.

There was a nice supermarket at the mall where I could finally secure some underarm deodorant–none of the convenience stores I checked had any.

I took a 200 baht taxi ride back to the hotel to have time for a nap and to clean up before my doctor’s appointment at 3:15.

Reader Brian had commented that the Pattaya International Hospital was one of the good ones for foreigners. It turns out it is on the same street as my hotel (Soi 4), about two blocks away. I was impressed with how clean, organized, and efficient it was compared to my experience in the Philippines. My appointment was for a consult with an ENT, and I was called in to see him right on schedule. I told him about my recent breathing issues and blocked sinuses. He stuck a scope up my nose and cringed at the image on the screen. That was a little disconcerting. He confirmed what I had already been told–I have stage four blockage from enlarged nodules that must be removed surgically. He took it a step further, saying he’d remove some of the bone so the nodules would not regrow. I told him I was reluctant to have surgery requiring general anesthesia with my COPD. He acknowledged that could be an issue, suggesting I have the surgery performed in a hospital with an ICU to monitor my breathing during the operation better. He recommended I return to the US for the procedure. He also confirmed that my sinus blockage likely affected my blood oxygen, especially when sleeping and breathing exclusively through my mouth. So, he gave me a prescription that may provide temporary relief, but he cautioned it is not a long-term solution. I need the surgery. The bill, including meds, came to 3,440 baht (right at $100), so about twice what I’d pay back home.

With that unpleasant business out of the way, I headed back out to a marketplace I had seen near the mall. I needed to shop for pasalubong for all my Filipina “friends” back home and a suitcase to carry the gifts on the plane.

I was there in the afternoon; at least half of the shops were open.
I bought this suitcase first and then filled it with the pasalubong gifts as I shopped the market.
I just hope it is enough for everyone.

Another 200 baht cab ride to the hotel, where I stored the goodies and prepared for my night on the town. I decided to get dinner out of the way first and wanted to try that place across the street from my hotel.

The restaurant of which I speak.
It appears everyone in the world is welcome.
The view of my hotel from my perch at the bar.
As I perused the menu, I narrowed my choices down to four possibilities. These…
And these. I decided on the chicken and broccoli. I like both of those ingredients.
I was surprised to be served this tasty appetizer of pineapple and grapes.
Dinner is served, and it was yummy!

After finishing my meal (I even used my spoon to get all of that sauce in my belly), it was time to set out for my evening of exploration.

Destination: the infamous Soi 6 bar district. I had read about this area on some of the forums I follow, and it is very popular with the type of tourist who pays for girls to sleep with them. That’s not my style (yeah, I pay in other ways, I know) but I wanted to have a look and see for myself.
It’s still early, but from this end of the Soi, it looks pretty tame.
Hey, Wet Spot is one of my hangouts back in Barretto.
Something seems different about this one, though. Actually, it was one of the calmer places on the Soi. I decided to have my first beer here once I completed my reconnaissance mission.
In Barretto, we have a Blue Butterfly. It is not stocked with hotties like these, though.
By golly, there’s even a Queen Victoria here, just like back home. Well, only in name.
One bar after another, with no room in between.
This is the far end of Soi 6
We used to have a Lollipop in Barretto, but that’s where Sit-n-Bull resides now.
I just wasn’t horny enough for most of these bars.
I did have a cold one at Wet Spot. Alas, as I have discovered in most of the bars I’ve visited, the girls’ English level is nearly non-existent. Yeah, shame on me for not speaking any Thai, but joking with my waitresses is what I like to do in the bars, and that’s not an option here.
This bar made me think of my mountain mama friend back home, MJ.
The girls come in all sizes–small, medium, or large. Take your pick!
I don’t know how they come up with some of these bar names. How are you going to Repent when you are next door to Wicked?
And if you Flirt, you are bound to get Horny.
The view from my streetside seat in a bar that I don’t remember the name of now. I only sat down in three bars altogether and bought one lady drink all night.
It’s low season for tourists, but as you can see in these photos, there must be fifty girls for every guy who ventures down the street. I don’t like the feeling of being surrounded by a bunch of thirsty bargirls. Yeah, I have my favorites back home that I take care of, but being a stranger here creates a whole different vibe.

So, I’m glad I had a look at the Soi 6 bar scene, but I won’t be going back. Just not my thing. This morning on my walkabout, I found myself on Soi 7, and it was full of wide-open spaces-type beer bars. That’s more to my liking, and maybe I’ll get a chance to swing by there again when the bars are open.

I had one more beer on Beach Road as I headed back to the hotel; I might have had a second if the service didn’t suck so bad. And then, as I approached my hotel, I saw my new favorite restaurant and thought it was fitting to begin and end my evening there.

And what the hell, I am on vacation after all.
They also feature a handy urinal for the business inherent in a night on the town.

I’m going to meet up with Dave and Jo this evening, and we are going to try the place on the roof of my hotel called Virgin. Since we’ve never been there, I guess we are.

I hear they had some excitement back home in the Philippines today:

A little shaking but no damage from what I’ve heard.

I wasn’t completely satisfied with my Thai pun today, so let me give you this:

I did a double-take when I saw this. *ahem*

Okay, cleanse your palate with this one while I go get showered up and ready for another evening out in lovely Pattaya.

Cum on! That’s a good one!