I’ve created a monster!

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I asked Swan if she wanted to do a hike yesterday. She responded affirmatively, so I asked, where do you want to go? “Kalaklan Ridge. I miss those views.” Damn, so I plotted which way to the top. The easiest was a Jeepney ride out of town and going up to the ridge from Lower Kalaklan. But then I changed my mind and decided to go up from Abra Street in Barretto: a little harder climb, but a shorter walk to the viewpoint from there. And we were off.

Made our way up through this neighborhood off Abra Street.
I’m glad I don’t have to walk home here after a night in the bars.
Swan getting back to her roots.
Did I mention it was a steep climb in places?
Was feeling pretty good about my ability to make the climb despite its difficulty. Then this young lad zips past carrying a load of water on his shoulder.
Arriving at Rolly’s place at about the halfway point in the climb. Most often, I come down this way. Yesterday was a good reminder of why I almost never come UP here.
The kids remembered me and were rewarded with cookies and lollipops.
Ridgeline achieved, and this view of the former Navy base was our reward.
And there lies my home town of Barretto.
The final steps to our objective…the viewpoint.
Happy now? I fantasize about having a house in this spot and enjoying this view for the rest of my life.

Take a minute and look around, I’ll wait.

The bay from here.
And there be Easter Mountain.
This horny goat kept wanting to nudge my crotch.
We passed this guy high up in a mango tree collecting fruit.
Living the ridgeline life.
Feeling a little horse…
The path we took back down.
Oh beautiful for spacious skies…
Even though I only pass this way three or four times a year, it seems my regulars are always waiting for me. This place is called “Cookie Stop” on our Hash maps.
The final down was a little tricky in places.
Grow some, Santa!
Hard and short. (that’s what she said!)

Our Thursday on the town began with some liquid refreshment at BarCelona.

A BarCelona view.
And looking out from my BarCelona perch at the Kalaklan Ridge, I could barely make out the viewpoint we had visited earlier in the day. Here it is on full zoom.

We moved on to dinner at Sit-n-Bull next and ran into our neighbors, Martin and Joss, so we all dined together. We’ll join them, along with my other neighbors, for an outing to a resort in Castillejos tomorrow.

We finished our evening at The Green Room, and I was pleased to see Daddy Dave back in town. I told him he must be the luckiest SOB around. He agreed and said, also, the unluckiest. Welp, I hope I’m going as strong as he is in my 80s.

In other news, I am again wearing a Fitbit after a more than two-week hiatus. As usual, Lazada keeps things challenging. I got a refund for the false delivery (microphones instead of the smartwatch I ordered), so I ordered a Fitbit from a different supplier. It never got delivered, and Lazada emailed saying the order was cancelled. I then ordered another Fitbit through a third supplier. Yesterday, it arrived.

And lo and behold, the delivery included the one that had been “cancelled.” The driver told me I could refuse one, but I decided to keep both and have a backup on hand. At least I won’t have to order one again anytime soon.

In April 2008, I wrote about my first-ever visit to the Philippines the month before. Yeah, I was very sporadic with my posts back then, none of this everyday bullshit my readers have to endure these days. Sadly, almost none of the photos I posted survived the transition to my current server/domain. Well, nothing I can do about that. At least, not that I know of.

Eleven years ago, I was a drunken darts master. Or so it would seem based on most of my posts in the LTG archives. Darts and out drinking until dawn. Damn, how did I do it? And look at what I wimp I turned out to be now…

Today’s YouTube video from Smart Girl Philippines tells about the nine types of men she will not sleep with. Alas, I didn’t make the cut. Watch and see if you are her type.

And here we go again:

Wet and wild, what are you waiting for, Riker?
Yeah, that sucks…
Socket to me!

There you have it, another day, another post. I guess this is my penance (or your punishment) for all those times I’d go days or weeks without posting back in my glory days.

2 thoughts on “I’ve created a monster!”

  1. By that girl’s standards, I’d be as successful in the PI as I am here in Korea. And despite her attempts at rationalizing, she does sound a bit slutty and self-justifying.

    Looks to have been a nice (if steep) walk. Very nice views at the top, as always.

    Ever thought of adopting a goat? Or having pets other than your dogs?

  2. Beautiful pics from the top of the ridge. Definitely million dollar views. Pain in the ass to get there however.

    Re: video
    So, what traits of the nine disqualified you? Age, length of time in PI, marital status. Any of the others? LOL

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