That’s the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority or the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, also known as the old Navy Base.

Anyway, Swan and I couldn’t decide where we might go for our Thursday hike, but we proceeded down to the highway anyway. I figured we’d grab a Jeepney, but I wasn’t sure which direction to go. When the moment of truth came, we headed towards Olongapo. We initially thought we’d get off near the Kalakalan gate at SBMA and then hike the beach back to Barretto. On the way there, I was trying to discern if the tide was high (which makes a beach walk more of a wade) when Swan declared, Why not just walk on SBMA? Yeah, why not? Hadn’t done that for a while.

So, off the Jeepney, through the gate as pictured above, and onto SBMA.

Now, SBMA is unique in that laws are enforced, and things like littering aren’t tolerated. Sadly, the bay is full of crap from everywhere else, and when the tide recedes it leaves behind the trash it carries.

I didn’t see any straws, at least. I told Swan that almost nothing came in a plastic bottle when I was a child. Soft drinks were in glass bottles, and you were charged a deposit when you bought one (three cents each). Litter didn’t last long, because kids like me would go scavenging for bottles and cash them in for pocket money. Ah, an old man’s tales from the good ol’ days.

So, that’s how we spent our morning, but there was more sand and water to come as we made our way to Baloy Beach.

I’m not sure what is happening on Baloy, but it had a ghost town vibe yesterday. We started things off with a beach walk to Kim’s Place. It was closed, but Kim was drinking at a table outside with some friends. He said he’d be ready to reopen on Monday for the Hash On-Home. Kim said there was no point in opening in uncertain weather.

Next, we went to Kokomo’s, which was closed as well. This was especially surprising because just a few days ago, I saw a post from Kokomo’s on Facebook saying that although the floating bar was gone now, the Tiki bar on the beach was open to serve you. Except it wasn’t. We checked with the receptionist at the front desk, and she said it closed because there were no customers. And now, when customers come, they aren’t open. That’s a self-defeating circle.

In our quest for something to drink, we continued on to Foxhole (aka DaKudo’s). Yay! They were open, although we were the only ones there except for the bartender/waitress, Nhel. She’s an old friend from Mango’s, so it was nice to say hello again.

When it was time to eat, we headed next door to Treasure Island. Not many customers, but it was fully staffed and felt like an oasis from the surrounding isolation.

As usual, we enjoyed our Treasure Island dining experience. When it was time to decide on a nightcap venue, we’d both had had enough of the desolate Baloy vibe. So, we grabbed a trike and headed into Barretto, getting out at Whiskey Girl.

We don’t come here often, and the last couple of times they didn’t have wine. I verified that red wine was in stock before we were seated. Our regular waitress, Kim, was there to serve us and enjoyed the bounty of my lady drink generosity. Kim lives on our Sunday Candy Walk route, so her kids are also always happy to see us.

I guess it is not just Baloy; there are not many tourists around this time of year, and for whatever reason, the expats haven’t been out in force either. Well, I’m doing my best to keep the bars in business, but there is only so much one man can do.

During our outing last evening, I kept getting messages from one of the bargirls I know. When she told me she needed help with the rent, I put her in ignore mode. I don’t get the mentality of why someone I’m barely acquainted with thinks I should give her money. In this case, I know her sister has a foreigner boyfriend, so why not ask her? My charity budget is maxed out helping folks with important stuff like medical expenses and tuition. I hate to seem Scrooge-like, but random bargirls just aren’t my priority these days. Yeah, there was a time when I might have done one of those “transactional” arrangements, but those days are gone now.

I’ve progressed to September 2009 in the LTG archives, and I enjoyed reading this post about my best Labor Day ever again.

Some Facebook memories from this day in history:

Today’s YouTube video is a travel documentary revealing some “unseen facts” about the Philippines. I found it interesting, perhaps you will, too.

And now for the funny business:

A Frenchman, an Italian, and a Texan were discussing lovemaking.

“Last night I made love to my wife three times,” boasted the Frenchman. “She was in sheer ecstasy this morning.”

“Ah, last night I made love to my wife six times,” the Italian responded, “And this morning she made me a wonderful omelet and told me she could never love another man.”

When the Texan remained silent, the Frenchman smugly asked, “And how many times did you make love to your wife last night?”

“Once,” he replied.

“Only once?” the Italian arrogantly snorted.

“What did she say to you this morning?” asked the Italian.

“Don’t stop,” said the Texan.

I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.

That’s all I’ve got to offer for today.