Yesterday’s episode was a good one. And yes, it included a hike in the morning and some bars in the evening. That’s just the way I roll!
Last time we were out this way was January 2025 when we did a feeding at the village.
I was curious to learn more, so I had Swan call the number. The rent for the complex is 30,000 pesos a month ($475). And that includes electricity and water. Because there is no electric service out here and you get your water from the river. Um, nope. I can’t live that way.
Here’s a short video Swan took as we entered the village:
The usual afternoon duties (shower, nap, blogging) then it was time to head out for the usual evening good times. I chose Champs Sports Bar on Baloy Beach as our starting point.
Then we walked up the beach to Treasure Island, thinking we’d grab a meal. When I asked for a San Miguel Extra Light, the bartender acted like she’d never heard of it. I told her Sloppy Joe’s (same owner as Treasure Island) serves it, and she just shrugged. Okay then, we’ll go elsewhere. We went next door to Foxhole, and they didn’t have it either. Again, this wasn’t a matter of being out of stock; these bars aren’t ordering it. Which tells me they don’t want my business. We caught a trike and had it drop us off at Gold Bar in Barretto. We got the beer I wanted, and a pulled pork sandwich from the little eatery next door. Problem solved.
When it was time to move on, we decided to do our nightcap at Queen Victoria. As we were leaving Gold Bar, we ran into Douglas, the guy I had met in Bohol. He wanted to join us at Queen Vic, so off we went.
I was pushing myself to make it until 9 p.m. Doug left, and then Troy came in and joined us.
And then, having achieved my target time of one hour later than usual, I was ready to head for home. And so ended another day in the life.
On to November 2022 in the LTG archives, and I’m in the midst of a visit to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I had to leave the country for my visa renewal because tourists can only stay for three consecutive years, and Cambodia was among my favorite places in Asia. I also had a dear friend living there whom I wanted to see. It turns out that it was the last time I saw him. I haven’t been in contact with him for over two years. I assume he passed away, but I’ve been unable to confirm that. Dennis was a private person and loathed social media. He was living alone, and I know no one there whom I can contact about his status. The fact that he hasn’t responded to multiple emails from me leads me to believe he’s no longer among the living.
Today’s YouTube video is from a vlogger I’d never viewed before, but I saw online that he had died this week. The video, which was posted last month, indicated that he was happy with his life in the Philippines and had no regrets about moving here. It turns out he was also 71 years old. I’m sorry you had to leave the life you loved.
Here’s the video his son posted announcing the death of his father:
On a happier note:
And now it is time to get back to living my way through another Saturday. Tell you all about it tomorrow.
Re: Sam Miguel Light
It would be interesting to see the total sales of beer in Barretto broken down by brand. (But not having it in stock will skew the numbers. You can’t buy what isn’t there! LOL). In regards to San Miguel Light, wondering (to myself) if the issue is with the brewery, the individual bars, or something else. Maybe overall sales nationwide are poor and relying on Mr. McCrarey to keep the production line open just isn’t enough. LOL
Re: vlogger
Sad, but medical care (or lack thereof) is an issue in a developing country. Drawing maybe unwarranted conclusions, but he/his family having a go fund me campaign to pay for medical care seems to indicate that he probably wasn’t receiving the absolute best care possible. I get it. Medical care is expensive, but man, going to live in a third world country and assuming you are bulletproof and don’t need to set aside money for insurance, etc. is a risk I just would not be willing to take. But I have always been a belt AND suspenders type of person when it comes to things like that.
Hi sorry but there is actually a war in Iran, caused by your country! Try watching the news sometime because your ignorance is appalling. You’ll never get the respect of us Canadians with your eyes shuttered to the world around you.
Trump, thank you for demonstrating that TDS (Trump Derangement STUPIDITY) is indeed a very real thing. My post wasn’t about the war in Iran; it was about a little village named Iram here in the Philippines that I visited. Your ignorance and lack of reading-comprehension skills are truly astounding. I have many Canadian friends, but none as retarded as you.
At least you’re not totally worthless—you can always serve as a bad example.
Brian, based on my observations of the expat community, I’d wager that San Miguel Light is the most popular beer here, with San Miguel Pilsner a close second. When San Miguel introduced its new low-alcohol, low-calorie Extra Light beer, it sold out within a week. It took a couple more weeks before the distributors had more XL available, but now it can be purchased from the delivery trucks again. So, any bar that doesn’t have it is choosing not to stock it. If they can’t be bothered to keep some XL in stock, I choose to go elsewhere.
Regarding the vlogger, as I understand it, he was living on his Social Security income of about $2,000 a month. You can definitely live better here than in the USA on that amount. You can get decent medical care here, especially if you avoid public hospitals. I keep a credit card available for emergencies.