Well, I guess technically, “I” didn’t buy the house. Foreigners aren’t allowed to own land here. What I did was “loan” the money to the person who bought it. Her sob story was that by owning her own place, she could provide shelter for her and her daughter and not have to worry about monthly rent. And lest you think that I violated Rule #1 (don’t be a sucker), the amount she wanted for the “purchase” was “only” 6000 pesos ($120.). Also, I know this woman from the Hash, and I have zero interest in her physically or emotionally. This truly was an act of pure generosity with nothing in it for me other than the satisfaction of making a difference in someone’s life who is less fortunate than me. Do I think the money will ever be repaid? Of course not. Do I think she actually bought a titled piece of property, including a shack, for P6000? I doubt that is possible. What I think is more likely is that she paid what we used to call “key money” in Korea. There is a Tagalog word for it that I can’t remember at the moment. Basically, you give a lump sum to the landlord upfront in lieu of rent and then live there free for the term of the lease. When you move out, the initial down payment is refunded to you. Anyway, I’d spend that amount on lady drinks over the course of a week. If the money helps someone live rent-free it seems like a good investment.
My Tuesday festivities included a visit to the Snackbar, where I met up with my friend Erik. Earlier this week, one of the well-known expats here got run over on the National Highway. He’s been in a coma for two days, and one of the guys who donated blood (B+ is hard to find here) gave us an update on the victim’s circumstances. They finally did the surgery to remove a portion of his skull to relieve the pressure on his brain from internal bleeding. The fact that it took two days and bringing a surgeon up from Manila is concerning. Whether he wakes up again and the extent of any damage to his cognitive abilities if he does remains to be seen.
He’s former Marine who is well-liked and respected in the expat community. Crossing/walking on the National highway is probably the most dangerous part of my day. I’m frankly surprised more accidents like this don’t occur.
Get well soon, Mike. Your wife and child need you.
After a couple of brews at Snackbar, Erik and I hoofed it over McCoy’s on Baloy Beach.
I really do enjoy the visual ambiance, which is why I make the journey out here once a week or so.
Well, McCoy’s caters to the Filipino crowd, and Filipinos seem to love singing loudly. It’s really not my place to complain; I’ve got lots of other options. Still managed to sit through the noise through four beers before catching a trike back to Barretto.
Next stop was Kamto, my friend’s place. It wasn’t long after we arrived that a party-like atmosphere developed. I handled the DJ duties, and everyone seemed pleased with my selections. Beers were drunk (and so were we), food was ate, and we all had a good ol’ time.
I made it home safe and sound, went to bed, and woke up alone. Where are you hiding, my love?
I don’t know Mike all that well, but that’s him at our table
I don’t see a table, so I assume Mike is the guy in the foreground. Here’s hoping he gets better. The brain is a remarkable organ: while delicate and easily damaged, it has strange powers of self-healing in some cases. And post-trauma therapy definitely helps with the healing.
Fried ice cream looks good! Sorry it didn’t taste better.
You know, if I ever visited the PI to see you in your natural habitat, I think there’s very little that you and I would do together aside from walk some Hash routes. You’re a creature of bars; I’d be more about touring the local restaurants (and eating my way through John’s menu), visiting the local churches, finding some martial-arts establishments to watch a lesson or two—that sort of thing. I think you’d be as uninterested in my interests as I’d be in yours! Although I know I’d definitely want to meet “mama” and talk with her at length. She seems like a real character. We can both agree on that.
Kev, well at least all the good food spots serve beer, so there would be a middle ground for our mutual satisfaction.
“visiting the local churches”
Now, that’s something that’s never really entered my mind, and I am a little surprised that’s one of your interests. I don’t pay that much attention, but we have a relatively large Catholic church in town. The Iglesia ni Cristo has some impressive chapels and an interesting history/philosophy based on the Wikipedia entry I just scanned.
“finding some martial-arts establishments”
Again, nothing I’d ever considered but there is a martial arts gym/training facility right here in our little town. The bars are just a block away; I’ll wait for you there. 🙂
I’ve only had one in-depth conversation with mama, but I’d wager she does have an interesting story. She’s a local icon, popularly known as the “umbrella lady.” Whenever I see her, she thanks me with an “I love you, papa.” Makes my day!
“I am a little surprised that’s one of your interests.”
For the first few years of my blog, right up until my mom got brain cancer, I used to write a lot about religion. Religion was a topic that fascinated me, to the point where I got a Master’s degree in religious studies (it’s one of those “Do you want fries with that?” degrees that didn’t prove at all useful… you basically have to become a religion prof for the degree to mean anything). After Mom died, my interest in religion waned, but it’s still there, hiding somewhere. I don’t write much about religion these days, but I’m still attracted to holy sites and sacred spaces. There’s something calming about them. So wanting to scope out a local church is a natural thing for me.
As for martial arts, I used to do taekwondo as a kid, and even now, I retain a lot of the flexibility I acquired in my youth: I can still deliver a kick at head level, although my gut kind of gets in the way these days. I’ve long been fascinated by martial arts, too—the discipline and focus are somewhat reminiscent of monasticism.
I agree with Kevin on the calming effects of holy sites. I am not religious at all, but do like to visit various houses of worship – definitely a peaceful feeling when I go off hours.
Completely different topic – are any of the floating restaurants/bars still around?
Lastly – positive thoughts to your fellow expat Mike. I always try and walk against traffic in Bangkok, but all it takes I some idiot going to wrong way or something like that. Definitely have to be a defensive walker.
Kev, yeah, I remember you blogging about Buddhism and sometimes making comparisons with Christian philosophy. I seem to recall that you actually stayed a weekend with the Monks at a Temple somewhere south of Seoul, right?
If you can do a head kick, all I can say is I hope I never piss you off! And if I convince you to visit some bars, I’ll introduce you as my bodyguard, which will explain why you aren’t drinking.
Brian, it’s interesting you guys experience peace at Holy sites. All I feel is a fear of being struck by lightning! 🙂 My Korean wife was Buddhist, and we’d occasionally visit some Temples. Most of them were on mountaintops and were quite beautiful. I enjoyed that aspect for sure.
Nope, no floating bars this year. With rainy season on the way, they would be going into storage now anyway. Hopefully, a couple of them will be back next year. I do miss that ambiance of having a cold one on the water.
Mike is one of the good guys, and the community is pulling for him. He seems to be making slow progress. Recognized a visitor by squeezing his hand and has regained some movement ability on his right side. Honestly, I was afraid he would be brain dead, so this is encouraging.