One of the objectives of this trip is to scope out some housing options. Another is to assess my general comfort level with the concept of living here full time. The weekend provided some progress and insights on both fronts. Let’s go to the pictures.
Why Olongapo? Why not!
Saturday afternoon we walked through the Alta Vista subdivision…
…saw quite a few houses that were infinitely livable…
;;;this one was my personal favorite. Not available as of now, but then again, neither am I. Not going to buy anything, but I’d go for a long term lease on the right place…
…I have no intention of going anywhere near this big. The cost of electricity in the PI is one of those things that exceeds prices back home. That and beef.
…but a smaller house with this view would make me a happy man indeed.
I noticed quite a few of these organic lawn mowers in the neighborhood.
All that walking worked up an appetite, so we meandered our way to one of my favorite little eateries, Sit-n-Bull. The quesadillas were good for me…
The highlight of the weekend was meeting up with John B., a vlogger I’ve been following on YouTube. John retired and moved to Subic going on two years ago now, so it was good to pick his brain and learn from his experiences. Also, a great guy and someone I’m sure I’ll get along with after I make the move.
John and his lovely girlfriend Anna.
Finished the evening with some dinner at Blue Rock Resort. Actually moving our lodging there today for the rest of the week.
My employee Loraine seems to be enjoying herself as well…
Started the day Sunday with this “American” breakfast at Johan’s Dive Resort….
This view was included at no extra charge.
Then we hiked out to another subdivision for a look see…
The houses in Santa Monica subdivision are older than what we have seen so far, but they are still serviceable.
And sometimes colorful. I seem to recall this neighborhood experiences flooding issues during rainy season. I’ll need to confirm that of course, but it is an important consideration in any housing decision.
No bay view from Santa Monica homes, but I could get used to looking at the mountains too…
Speaking of the bay, we enjoyed watching the water from our lunchtime perch at Lava on the Beach restaurant.
In other news…
More walking around and exploring the area, met up again with John and Anna and another new friend, Joe, for a pleasant afternoon. Last night I went on a quest for finding a dart bar.
Success! I got invited to join the league and they have never even seen me throw! I’ll come out Wednesday for the Alley Cats bar tourney and see what they think after seeing me in action.
Today we will take a Jeepney into Olongapo proper for a look around the city. Stay tuned!
nice digs. where is the nearest level 1 trauma center? what is the 911 response time?
hope you never need them but that would be a concern of mine. peace out!
Soju, there nearest hospital with an ER is 10 minutes or less away. And within 30 minutes is a hospital that accepts my Blue Cross insurance. Definitely one of the pluses to this area.
L’embarras du choix, as the French say: the burden of choice. If a man’s home is his castle, may you choose the fortress that works best for you.