Getting it done this time | Long Time Gone

***Cheers! (Thanks to Scott for this AI rendering)***

Another day in Siargao del Norte is in the books. And now it will be on the blog. I wanted to fill in some holes from Friday, so we hired a van to take us back up the road we walked yesterday. The driver suggested we take in the “million-dollar view,” and we said fine, but we are only paying you 500 pesos. And the deal was done.

***We were originally scheduled to meet in front of our hotel at 0900. But the van was delayed, so 930 was our new agreement.***

***So we went inside and had a coffee while we waited.***

The van pulled up out front at the newly appointed time, and we were off.

***Our ride carried us the 9 kilometers to the viewpoint, but it was closed. So, we took photos from the highway instead.***

***I don’t know, it doesn’t seem worth a million bucks to me.***

***Nothing wrong with the view, though.***

***Alright then, we’ve got that out of the way.***

The other missed opportunity I wanted to rectify was visiting the beach Chris had recommended, but we failed to find it on our first attempt. I had reviewed the Google map and had a pretty good idea where we went wrong. So, we had the driver drop us off in the village of Baybay, and commenced walking from there.

***It was pretty much deserted on this Saturday morning.***

Which reminds me, do you know why you can never starve to death on the beach? Because of all the sand which is there. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

***A Swan on the elusive Matakhay Beach***

***And now for the 3.3K walk back to our hotel.***

***Maybe I’m nuts, but I want to give this place a try before I go. Do I have the balls to walk there and back (6K) today? That’s what I’m thinking I’ll do.***

***Hmm. Nope, I wouldn’t want to live on Siargao. Too hard to get around and too isolated. I’m enjoying the visit though.***

***Another view along the way back to our hotel.***

***As you can see, the road options are limited. Makes it hard to get lost, at least.***

So, Chris arranged for a tuk-tuk to pick us up at our hotel at 4:30 to transport us the 13 kilometers to his brewery.

***And surprise, surprise, he arrived on time!***

***The Siargao Island Brewery was empty when we arrived.***

***Chris, who is also a medical doctor, does the brewing when he isn’t busy surfing. Man, talk about a full life.***

***T-shirts for sale, but alas, none in my size.***

Shortly before we departed, we learned that a long-time expat in Barretto who was close friends with Chris and Dr. Jo had died suddenly from a heart attack. When Swan showed Chris this photo from her Facebook feed, Chris started to cry:

***I didn’t know John Edwards personally, but by all accounts, he was a good man, active in the community, fundraising for charity projects.*** ***In fact, he was at the RSL Medical Mission when he suffered the heart attack.***

So, the day ended on a sad note and a timely reminder that we never know when our time in life will be over. Live it while you have it.

From Facebook memories, it was ten years ago that I went back to work in my former position as the 8th Army Director of Civilian Personnel.

***I’m glad for that opportunity. All roads lead somewhere, and mine brought me here.***

From the February 2021 LTG archives, I share the story of how my efforts to house a homeless woman were stymied. Surprisingly, she preferred her life on the street to having a roof over her head. Just goes to show that things are not always as they appear.

***I still see “mama” on the streets of Barretto and slip her a little money for food.***

Today’s YouTube video is something a little different: How to stop that after-pee leakage. Well, I was suffering from incontinence a while back, but thankfully that issue has been resolved. But yeah, it is embarrassing to come out of the CR sporting a wet spot on your crotch. I’ll take these tips to heart.

Laugh, and the world laughs with you:

And that’s all I’ve got for today.

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