From the end to the beginning

More or less (less or more?).

The feeding at Hideaway seemed to go well. My carrot cupcakes were especially popular, and who doesn’t enjoy some hot pizza from Shamboli’s?

Pizza eater
Joy sinks her teeth into a cupcake.

And, of course, there were lady drinks to wash it all down.

After Hideaway, I visited Cheap Charlies for the first time in quite a while. My new mode is not to let the shenanigans of a particular bargirl impact where I choose to imbibe my beers. So, last night when I arrived, the girl in question sidled up beside me, and I told her, “I hope you have a happy life” then I turned my back and ignored her. I guess she got the hint because she moved away. As an old timer advised me once after I first moved here: there’s a word you say when a Filipina disappoints you–NEXT!

Meet Diana, a sweet little 23-year-old, the replacement for my disappointment.

Here I go again with eyes wide open! Actually, I jest. Some lady drinks and some chat are my only expectations. That and at least pretending to be appreciative. So far, so good. The most interesting thing I learned about Diana last night was that she lives with her mom and dad in the little village at the bottom of the dirt path that takes me out of Alta Vista. We are practically neighbors! She said she had seen me hiking by there and handing out cookies. Anyway, it’s nice to make a new “friend.”

While at Cheap Charlies, I received a message from Lydell, one of the Snackbar girls, inviting me to join them.

How could I say no? That’s Lydell on the left with Rosemarie and Heidi.

Today is Lydell’s twenty-second birthday, and I am the proud sponsor for her party tonight at Snackbar.

And since I was the only customer last night, the lady drinks flowed! Everyone seemed to have a good time, and it cost me around $35. It’s not hard to live large in my little town!

So, that’s the update on my drinking life. In my hiking mode, I led the Wednesday Walkers up into the hills overlooking Barretto for a pleasant 6K trek. Only six of us were in attendance this go-round, but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I’ll let the photos tell the story:

Pretty much how it was done…looks like there were a couple of burps in the GPS, though.
Our merry band of walkers.
Let the climbing begin.
Some folks walk this every day; bless their hearts.
That’s more like it
Splendor in the grass.
A nice view of Subic Bay.
Posers!
An Easter mountain view
Blooming thatch grass
Hello down there, Barrio Barretto!
It seems that Todd has his hands full.
We are in over our heads now!
That’s the Kalaklan ridge off in the distance. Not going there this time.
Mountain views.
Todd holding court.
Charles standing at the top of the hill that broke his leg last year.
Another perspective on Easter mountain.
A cookie delivery to my mountain friend, Olivia
Coming back down.
Scott didn’t join us this week, so we tried without success to roust him when we passed his house.
Dynamite Dick’s bound.

That’s how the day went down, from the end to the beginning. I’m happy to report it does not appear to be the beginning of the end.

Back with more tomorrow.

2 thoughts on “From the end to the beginning

  1. I guess a man can say it’s a good day when he hikes a few K, gets himself sweaty and stinky, and ends up with two fistfuls of boobs. A good day, indeed.

    Still not envying those climbs.

  2. Well, for the record, I didn’t get any boobs to hold onto, but it was still good.

    Hard to avoid climbing in these parts unless you stick to the roads or beaches, which would be boring. The trick is finding a path that is not too steep or long. We managed that on this hike.

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