No pun intended. Well, call it a play on words. Greetings from Barangay Pundaquit here in the lovely town of San Antonio, surrounded by the beauty that Zambales province is known for.
An uneventful thirty kilometer drive to get here.We stopped at the Car Wash for lunch before we checked into our hotel. Matt and Joyce arrived shortly thereafter to join us.As soon as we got to our rooms, neighbor Jeff and Davina headed for the pool. Those are the lovely Capones Islands in the background.Sweet Swan keeping an eye on things from the front porch of our room at Wave Song.
And that is all the news from here so far. Looking forward to hanging out with my friends and the change of scenery. I’ll update tomorrow as time permits.
Oh, and about yesterday. We didn’t Hash, but took a nice 8K walk to fill the gap.
Our hike included walking the length of Baloy Beach.When the beach ran out, we caught a boat to cross the river.And of course, we dispensed some sweetness along the way.The way we went about it.We finished up at IDM around four p.m. and a couple of hours later, the Hashers who actually did the trail arrived.
After seeing and hearing about the Hash trail, I’m satisfied that I made the right decision in avoiding it. Doing things my way is how I roll these days.
I’ve progressed to February 2011 in my journey through the LTG archives. I’ve purchased a house (a HUD repo) and now I’m engaged in buying furniture. It made me sad to remember how I spent extra for the best quality leather sofa and chair, thinking it would last me the rest of my life. Turns out, the life I had planned on left with the woman I loved a few short years later. Oh well, the post is not about that, it is about a strange coincidence that occurred when I was shopping. Small world, indeed!
Eight years ago, I was walking the lonely streets of Anjeong-ri. I was foolish not to enjoy that life for what it was. Give me a do-over, Lord!
Today’s YouTube video is about China’s FAFO moment while harassing a Philippine vessel. Karma is a bitch, you bastards!
A little humor before I get back to the real world.
It all tastes the same to me.Don’t fish off the company pier!That dog won’t hunt, little girl.
Okay, the beach and beer await. Thanks for stopping by.
Greetings from the Philippines! My third country in a week! So, Day 7 of the vacation spilled into Day 8 as I didn’t arrive home until a little after midnight. I don’t remember the last time I was out and about (other than to the toilet) that late. I guess I should be thankful that my AirAsia departure was only thirty minutes late, rather than two hours like my outbound flight. Anyway, not a whole lot to say about what was essentially a travel day. Since my plane was supposed to leave at 6:15 p.m. I arranged a late checkout at the hotel. That still didn’t leave me with enough time to venture back into Hong Kong, so we explored on foot the Sky City neighborhood where we were domiciled.
Man does not live by beer alone. In lieu of that, the Marriott folks kindly provided this beverage in our room free of charge.
Downstairs for breakfast at the hotel restaurant:
We shared one order of pancakes and one order of waffles, plus a cup of coffee. All that for “only” $27 US.A commenter asked how much Pringles cost in Vietnam. I never got the chance to check, but in the Hong Kong Marriott, they were three US dollars.
Then it was time for a walk. There was a lot of construction, a boat dock that apparently serves the boats that transport folk from mainland China to Hong Kong. Sky City has a ghost town vibe about it, at least during my visit. I mentioned the deserted Asia Expo building in yesterday’s post. This huge building was the most interesting thing I saw on the stroll:
11 Skies was the only signage. What the hell is that?Well, there was this, but it didn’t add much clarity.
What intrigued me was that there was no activity or people around. Was it abandoned? When I got back to the hotel, I Googled to see if I could get the story. The Wiki link posted above says:
Airport Authority Hong Kong announced on 2 May 2018 that New World Development had been awarded the tender for the SkyCity integrated development, which comprises retail complexes, dining areas, hotels, entertainment facilities, and offices. Under the agreement, New World Development will design, construct, finance, and manage the development on sites A2 and A3, adjacent to HKIA’s passenger terminals.[7]
On 23 November 2020, New World Development had announced the official name of the project––11 Skies, operated by K11 under the New World Development’s portfolio.[8] Scheduled to open in phases from 2022 to 2025, the 3.8 million-square-foot complex will contain 2.66 million sq. ft. dining and retail space, 570,000 sq. ft. experiential entertainment facilities, and 570,000 sq. ft. grade A office space. There will be over 800 shops, including more than 120 restaurants
Apparently, things didn’t go as planned. Weird.
So, no hotties, only ugly girls allowed?A rolling stone gathers no moss, but this building did.Walking the eerily empty streets of Sky City.
When it was time to check out from the hotel and head for the airport, we caught the convenient shuttle provided by Marriott. We arrived too early to check-in with AirAsia, so we grabbed some lunch.
The joint was packed.I ordered some American food for old times’ sake.
After a goodly wait, we were finally able to check our bags and get our boarding passes. We still had two hours before our scheduled departure. What can we do to pass the time?
This bar serving Blue Girl draft beer was a nice distraction. That’s a 500ml serving, and I had two.
I checked the monitor and saw that they had finally assigned a gate for our flight, 201. I saw signage that seemed to indicate Gate 201 was just an escalator ride away. So, I felt no rush to finish my beer. Still, being the prudent traveler that I am, I left my stool behind at 5:30, giving me plenty of time to reach the gate that my boarding pass said closes twenty minutes before the 6:15 departure time. So, then I took the escalator downstairs, and the signage led me to yet another escalator descent. And then one more. Which put me on a platform to catch a train to my gate. And my gate was at the end of the line (two stops). Then it was up three levels on the escalator only to discover that my gate was at the far end of the terminal. I didn’t run, but I double-timed it to the boarding area. It was ten minutes to six, so I was still within the specified window. I didn’t see any passengers around the reception desk and thought they must have already boarded. Nope, that agent advised they had not yet begun, and I should take a seat and wait for the boarding announcement. Once I was seated, I noticed there was no plane at the end of the jetway and knew my flight was delayed once again. The plane finally arrived at the time it was due to depart, and I was surprised they managed such a quick turnaround, minimizing the delay.
On board at last, and ready to fly!There was a large queue of planes waiting for the runway, but we got to go before United, so I was happy.
We arrived in Manila at nine, and after doing the immigration, baggage claim, and customs, we hooked up with my driver for the ride back to Barretto. It was Monday morning when I arrived home for the first time in over a week. I enjoyed my vacay, but it is good to be back on familiar ground.
One journey ends, and another resumes. I’m talking about my trek through the LTG archives. I had to look to see where I left off, and it was February 2010. This Blast from the Past post recounts the story of meeting the love of my life, losing her, and how a seemingly minor impulsive decision changed my life forever. It is one of my favorite stories.
Have you been missing the YouTube video segment? Well, today we have an interesting history lesson about the Philippines. I enjoyed it, maybe you will too.
And yes, I’m going to restart the lame humor section as well:
It’s a family affair.Unless you are commatose like me.It all cums out in the wash.
Sorry about those. I’ll try to do better going forward. Meanwhile, it’s time to reacquaint myself with the normalcy that comes from routines, starting with a Hash this afternoon. I’ll be back with the story tomorrow.
With a stop in Hong Kong along the way. Day 6 of my trip consisted of a morning departure from Da Nang, an early afternoon landing in HK, and then taking the express train downtown and exploring on foot for a couple of hours. Once again, I’ll let the photos do the talking:
The view from my departure gate at Da Nang airport (DAD). I’m not sure of the origin of those Quonset huts on the other side of the runway, but they resemble American military structures.
Landed safely in the Sky City section of Hong Kong and checked into the Marriott hotel. Our flight out today doesn’t depart until 6 p.m., but the Marriott folks graciously accommodated my request for a late checkout at two.
A view from my room……and another. Yes, there is some rain in those clouds.
The front desk clerk told me we could walk to the train station at the Asia Expo Convention Center and take the express train to downtown Hong Kong. And that’s just what we did.
The station was eerily deserted, as was the convention center.I’ll be what I am, a solitary man…We had the train almost all to ourselves until we hit the airport station.The night before, I’m cruising the Han River, and then the next day, I’m riding the train into the big city. It felt like being in Seoul again.It rained during our train ride, but luckily stopped before we reached our destination.This also reminded me of the Seoul subway maps. I didn’t bother trying to figure out where to transfer; we just went to the end of the line and started walking.There were only four stops on our train.Off the train, out of the station, and into the marketplace.Hello, Hong Kong City!Compared to Da Nang, the traffic was sane. Sidewalks and elevated walkways made being a pedestrian safe and almost carefree.
Frequent commenter Brian had made some suggestions of things to see and do on the mainland of Hong Kong. Given the time of day (late afternoon), we opted to visit Hollywood Boulevard. We put the name into Google Maps and followed the course it suggested.
Wow! Who knew pulled pork was a Chinese delicacy! But we kept going.On-On!Swan falls for the tourist trap.We made it to Hollywood!We came to a nice little park along the way.Thou shalt not pass!Looking out the entrance.A nice pond full of fish and turtles.And a tree I liked.We weren’t in any hurry to visit. Lots of antique shops along this stretch of Hollywood.And many of these interesting-looking pedestrian side streets.An impressive skyscraper.A small temple we didn’t visit.East side, West side All around the town The tots sang ‘Ring-a-Rosie’ ‘London Bridge is falling down! Boys and girls together Me and my girl Swan Tripped the light fantastic On the sidewalks of Hong KongRegretfully, we didn’t stop here. I kept looking for a cozy place where we could eat and drink, but alas, I didn’t find what I was looking for and it was too late to turn back.There ain’t no Circle K store in the Philippines or Vietnam.And the last time I saw a streetcar was in San Francisco.Heading back to the train station. Swan said many of these young ladies were Filipino OFWs. She chatted with a couple of them in Tagalog.Everybody was kung fu fighting. Or whatever it’s called.A view from the train on the way back to Sky City.A view from the Asia Expo train station.A water landing?Does that say her farts don’t stink?I’m almost ashamed to admit we did our dining and drinking at the hotel.While waiting for our food, this driverless vehicle was making the rounds. I’d never seen that before.When dining in Hong Kong, one must partake in a clubhouse sandwich with fries and some chicken tenders.With a Blue Girl beer from Korea, of course.So, I went from spending over a million dong for dinner to “only” $584Hong Kong dollars (about 75 bucks American). Things ain’t cheap here, that’s for sure.
And that’s where Day 6 came to an end. Heading back to the Philippines tonight.
Day 5 of this trip was my last day in Da Nang. It feels like five days wasn’t enough, so I guess you can call the visit here a success. I do hope I can make it back again someday.
For your viewing enjoyment, here is the day in pictures:
Looking out the window of my hotel room in the morning and remembering my trek underneath one of those Marble Mountains.Then we took a stroll on the beach in the opposite direction for the first time. It seemed a little fishy…I liked the look of this hotel. Perhaps on my next trip here, I’ll give it a try.Is that an “i” or and “e”?It’s always nice to encounter a pickup truck older than I am.I really like the look of this beach bar we hadn’t seen before.Next timeThis is an intriguing looking building.Another place to check out if I ever make it back.
After our beach walk, we used the Waze map app to find our way to the Missteak restaurant for lunch.
Passed this place along the way. I bet I’d like it.Missteak is upstairs from Vietnom.They accepted my voucher without question.The menu selections were mostly limited to steak items.I had a bottle of Saigon beer to go with my meal.I’ve never used a cutting utensil like that one in a restaurant before.Inside Missteak.I had the flat iron steak and it was quite good.Swan enjoyed her steak sando as well.Our dining trek to Missteak was not a mistake.After lunch, we walked back to our hotel.
The maid wasn’t finished with our room, so we headed to the 40th-floor rooftop to kill time and take in some views.
The beach we had walked earlier in the day.Da Nang in all its glory.That Dragon Bridge over the river was scheduled to be in my evening plans.
We did a river dinner cruise that began at 8 p.m. Hell, that’s almost my bedtime when I’m not on vacation. But it was a special way to spend our last evening in Da Nang.
We had one last visit at the Paradise Beach Bar while we awaited our driver’s arrival.The boat harbor on the Han River.
Yep, the last time I did a river cruise was on the Han — the one in Seoul.
I got a sinking feeling when I saw our boat was named “Poseidon.”Swan didn’t care and enjoyed touring the craft.That’s her on the upper deck/Our table was on the bow, but the inside was nice, too.A passing boat. There were at least a dozen on the river with us.I had my first Tiger beer on this trip.A tasty salad appetizer.Followed by this yummy soup.Then we were entertained by some cultural dancers.The only dancers I saw during my visit to Da Nang.SkylightsThe main course. Man, it’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a lobster tail!Heading up river.And there’s that Dragon Bridge again.All the river cruise boats lined up to see what the dragon was up to.Turns out it was breathing fire.Another colorful bridge further upriver.Our cheerful waitress volunteered to take a photo of the lovebirds.Thank you, Chloe.
So, our last night in town was a good one. Up early this morning to catch our flight, and I’m writing this post from my room at the Marriott Sky City Hotel in Hong Kong.
Day 5 was an all-day group tour at Sun World in Ba Na Hills. I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I’m not big on group tours, but for a first-time experience, it worked out okay. I’d love to go back someday and visit at night. Yesterday was packed with tourists, and that diminished the enjoyment level considerably.
The only way to the top is by cable car (there is a service road for workers). It is the longest and highest cable car system in the world. At the top is an amusement park-like setting, the resort calls a Fairy Kingdom. I understand the old buildings in the French village section are relics from the colonial days.
Here’s a drone video to give you the flavor of the place:
And here is some of the shitload of photos I took throughout my day long visit. For the first time ever, I totally depleted my phone battery. I’ve got another adventure in store for tonight, so I’m going to have to rush this and let the photos speak for themselves for the most part.
Getting there from Da Nang took about an hour. Once out of the city traffic, it was a scenic and pleasant ride.The entrance at the foot of the mountain.The cable car takeoff was a jolt.I have a bit of an aversion to heights, but it was still a fun ride to the top of the mountain (almost 5000 feet).Looking back from where we started.Approaching the Golden BridgeOn solid ground again at the top.Statues everywhere. She was the breastA Golden GirlSwan made a new friendFeeling festiveOMG! Is this heaven?
Part of the the entrance fee included a coupon for free beer.
I gave the barkeep my two coupons……and he gave me FOUR draft beers. Swan had one, and I had three. They were small glasses, mind you.The beer pavilionBut only if you are alone or with someone.Swan horsing around.A windmill is good to have.A time travel vibeA garden of Goddesses.Our tour package included a free buffet (one t) lunch.My plate.I paid for that beer and got a full pint.A rare appearance of Old Glory.The Golden Bridge awaits our crossing.It was insanely crowded.But we made it.What a pisser.I guess that’s a sun skirt.I’m not sure what to think.I forgot what I was going to say about this.The back of Buddha’s head. I understand there is a temple here, but we didn’t see it. Not part of the resort, and not sure how you would access it.The view from our mountaintop vantage point.What are you pointing at?Never mind, she has a heart of stone.This is definitely a hands-on resort.And it is huge.And apparently, they aren’t done yet.As we prepared to depart, I caught a glimpse of Gandalf. Is he grey or white?Down we go.I would enjoy a return visit someday.Rush hour traffic in Da Nang was no picnic.
Left the hotel before 8 a.m. and got back a little after six. But we weren’t done yet. We walked the 2K to Dirty Fingers so we could partake in the steak Thursday promo.
Owner Scott said the beef was from Argentina. It was definitely tender.And dinner for two was just a tad over a million dong.
Another fun convo with Scott and one of his buddies. I’ll definitely look forward to seeing him again should I come back this way in the future.
We walked back to the hotel and bypassed the various nightcap opportunities. We were both whipped.
We did a lot of walking on that mountaintop.
And that was Day 5. Our last night is upon us, and we have a river cruise dinner and fireworks show on the horizon. Then we fly out to Hong Kong in the morning. I’ll update when I can.
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.
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.
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 buffettAnd 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 momentYet another fancy building.It seems God was keeping an eye on things.Dragon my ass up the stairs.The portal awaitsDa 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.
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 travelersLooking 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 beachLooking 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.
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.
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 35KSome lunch here upon arrivalNothing to get choked up aboutPork on a plateOur room at the Wave Song ResortThe view from the porch On the beach Looking for a new place I read about onlineFound it!I was surprised to see my old pal, Gary, was thereShe looks happyMoving from the bar to the beach seats improved her moodShowtimeTwo more guys I know showed upMet 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 lifeLeaves you feeling pooped. I need to get up to speed on this
Okay, hope this post was better than nothing. On with my day!
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 dayThis 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 StationI’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 fancyThe 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 secondsCaring is sharingPeace 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.
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 contingentA 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 tableThis 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 fireThere 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 chargedWell, 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.
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 driveOn the two-lane blacktopStill 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 sponsorsThe 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.
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!
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 arrivedBurn, 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 itWhat 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 necklace83 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 rideAnd we are ON-ON at last!Through the fields we goThree of the four Subic Hashers in attendanceWe got this!Walking up a creekside trail that was often quite muddy and slickAll credit to the Hares for a very well-marked trailThis 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 waterIt 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 treesThe way we wereResting in the shadeCums Alone waiting so we can Cum TogetherA view from the topAnd now for the downward trekThe way aheadWalk 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 groundThe 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 circleI 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 beersA 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!).
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 hereNow, 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 likeAnd the girl that I loveWorking 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 browniesA bay viewThe crew putting on a showYou 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.
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.
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 againA view along the wayArriving at our lodging after a 3+ hour driveThe 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 roomInside my roomHaven’t seen one of these in a hotel room (or elsewhere for that matter) in a long time.The view from my roomThe poolThe Subic Hashers at the Go Resort bar/restaurantA Go Resort ocean viewWe 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 fishThis 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 tastyThe ocean view from Blue CatA walk on the beachHeading 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.
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 streamA 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-offsSeeing 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 islandThere’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 CaponesThere 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 viewI’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!
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 roomA late afternoon water shotAnd 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.
