Litter rotty

The Wednesday Walkers tackled the Kalaklan Ridge yesterday. It’s one of my favorite hikes, and it’s been a while since we were up that way. The biggest issue is there is no easy way to the top. You can choose between hard and steep on the Barretto side or endless stair steps on the Olongapo side. We choose the compromise climb–long but less steep starting from near the Ocean View Resort. A ten-minute Jeepney ride from our 7/11 meetup spot, and we were ready to start our morning hike.

The path we walked
Passing through a hillside village on the way up to the ridgeline
A slow and steady up at the beginning
And then there was this. Further up, the road has completely washed out, leaving large gullies and the like. Not letting a good opportunity go to, um, waste, the residents have elected to throw their garbage onto the former roadway. Mother Nature being what she is, washes the trash downhill during rainstorms. Walking this portion felt like being in a landfill. Writing about rotting litter makes me part of the litter rotty, right?
First cookie recipients of the day.
On up!
Pausing for a group photo
Leaving the village behind
Nature’s roadblock
All of us opted for the under rather than over, option
Scott’s zoom shot of Olongapo City
And my version
Looking for a romantic getaway literally in the middle of nowhere?
Maybe I should bring Swan here to avoid those prying eyes she always worries about.
Making our way along the ridge
Every so often, you come to a cluster of houses (or, more precisely, shacks) along the way.
They do love their basketball in this country
Lazy dogs didn’t even bark at us as we walked by.
Deciding which way to go back down. We chose the path past Rolly’s place.
Hung out to dry
A cookie kid
On the downhill journey
But sometimes you have to go up to get down
Who’s side are you on? Um, the hill’s side.
Making our way through the bathhouse.
Sorry to intrude!
Everyone made it across
Arriving at Rolly’s place. I’m not sure how Scott got to know the family here so well; I guess passing through over these past twenty years as a hiker will do that.
Shit talky of some kind about those mushrooms
Almost down
The village above Abra Street
The view from whence we came as seen from Abra Street
The view of us on Abra Street

And so ended another gathering of the Wednesday Walkers group.

Come evening time, I had more work to do–feeding the hungry at Hideaway.

Pizza for the crew
And something pizza-like for Joy. I think it’s called chickx or something like that.
I think someone said they miss seeing Joy eating. Here you go.

After Hideaway, I made a special trip to visit Whiskey Girl to use my 500 peso voucher. Things started well, Jenn seemed happy to see me again, and I rewarded that kindness with a lady drink. We were both in for a surprise when my other favorite, Kim, suddenly appeared. It seems she has already quit the Showgirl bar and returned to Whiskey Girl. Sorry, Kim. Jenn saw me first, and I wasn’t in the mood for double company (and the requisite additional lady drinks).

So, I’m enjoying watching the dancers practice for Friday’s SOB event which will be held at Whiskey Girl this week. I was also appreciating the “buy one, get one” happy hour promo being offered. Or so I thought. One of the other waitresses came over to advise that I had now exhausted the 500 peso voucher. How is that possible? Beers are only 110 pesos and I was on my fifth, which means I’d only paid for three. Sorry sir, you don’t get the promo price when you use a voucher. What? Why not? The voucher is just like cash and says, “good for 500 pesos on customer drinks. The bar didn’t see it that way. The manager told me he was powerless and suggested I speak with the general manager. I will and also Daddy Dave who runs the SOB. If you give me a prize of 500 pesos, it should be worth 500 pesos. You can’t unilaterally raise the price of my drinks because I have a voucher. Bullshit.

Anyway. I left an hour earlier than I intended because I was pissed. If this issue isn’t resolved satisfactorily, Whiskey Girl can kiss my future business (and significant lady drink purchases) goodbye. It’s not even about the money–it’s rude and disrespectful to fuck a loyal customer that way.

I did my nightcap at Queen Victoria, then took my sour mood home to sleep it off. A nice walk this morning with Swan and her sister. I made them breakfast afterward. Swan starts a tutoring gig later this afternoon, so it looks like I’ll be out drinking alone again. But not at Whiskey Girl.

6 thoughts on “Litter rotty

  1. Nature’s roadblock

    Okay, so who is this big guy in the blue tee shirt? He seems new.

    They do love their basketball in this country

    Is that like the national sport or something? Are Filipinos good at the pro or Olympic level?

    Hung out to dry

    I saw that meme this morning: a pic of clothes hanging out to dry, and the caption, “Dry that in a small town.”

    Who’s side are you on?

    Spot the error!

    it’s rude and disrespectful to fuck a loyal customer that way.

    Maybe scratching Whiskey Girl off your rotation will improve your budget.

    I did my nightcap at Queen Victoria, then took my sour mood home to sleep it off.

    We should do a statistical analysis of how many of your days end sourly. Seems to be a significant percentage. Just keep looking forward to moving day.

  2. I have seen vouchers that say, “This voucher has no cash value”, but it appears that this one did not.

    On the other hand, you did basically get 5 beers for free, so there is that……..

    IMNSHO, I side with the bar in this. If it is “buy one, get one”, technically, you did not “buy” any beers. The voucher gave you 500 pesos of food/drink in the bar. And you didn’t purchase the voucher. You won it.

    Anyways, there is quite the variety of bars in your neck of the woods, and if this sticks in your craw, then take your business elsewhere.

  3. I’m with you on this one. The voucher says good for 500 pesos, and not for x number of beers. Unless the voucher clearly states that promos are excluded, the bar should have honored the value of the voucher, period. You’re buying beers with a voucher rather than cash. But you’re still buying. How you obtained the voucher is irrelevant. I really hate petty shit like this. So short-sighted. Kills the party boner. Good opportunity to explore other venues.

  4. Drain, Precisely. The voucher reads, “500 pesos good for local customer drinks at Whiskey Girl.” It doesn’t list any exceptions. A San Mig Zero qualifies as a local drink. The price of a beer at Whiskey Girl is 110 pesos, and between the hours of 6-9, you receive a free beer for every beer you purchase–no exceptions indicated. So, I was entitled to the regular price, regardless of how I was paying for my beer. My prize was the equivalent of cash money; only it had to be used for local customer drinks. What the bar did was DOUBLE the price of my beers, so my coupon was worth less than the indicated amount. As you say, it was petty bullshit that wound up costing the bar the profit they would have made on the lady drinks I would have inevitably bought.

    Last night, I met with the General Manager for the group that owns Whiskey Girl (along with Voodoo and La Oficina). When I told him what happened, he said, “No, that’s wrong. The voucher is worth 500 pesos. No exceptions.” He promised to address the issue with the staff at Whiskey Girl. So, the issue should be resolved.

  5. Brian, I didn’t get ANY beers for free. The regular price is 110 pesos, and you get a free beer for every one you buy. Because I was using my voucher, the bar charged me for EVERY beer I consumed, unilaterally doubling the price. Again, the voucher’s value was 500 pesos, not for a specified number of beers. Anyway, I spoke with the General Manager, and he told me the bar was wrong and he would fix the misunderstanding.

  6. Kev, the big guy is Daniel. He’s also a Hasher (Gas Man) but hasn’t participated lately. This hike was his first time back in several months.

    Yes, basketball is definitely the national pastime. Almost all the neighborhoods have a covered community basketball court. And where there are no courts, folks improvise with backboards like the one in the photo. The NBA is huge here, judging by the number of young folks wearing team jerseys. I’m not sure, but I think the Philippines is competitive in international basketball events.

    I should have said, “whose side.”

    Actually, most nights, I just have a “same, same” experience. That’s why the sour ones stand out. Anyway, the issue with Whiskey Girl has been resolved.

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