Out and about again

Yeah, it’s been a nice ride. Wish I could do it all over again.

Welp, I’m still standing, and when the weather permits, I’m up for a nice walk. It’s been a while since we’ve gathered for a group hike, but yesterday morning’s break in the rain afforded us the opportunity to get together once more. We confined ourselves to the pavement for the most part, but that’s just prudence in action. We all carried umbrellas, but didn’t need them. So, the plan was to take a Jeepney out to Waltermart and walk the backroads to Barretto. We didn’t quite make it, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Here’s how it went down:

My fellow Friday group hikers, Steve, Swan, and Scott.
Crossing the river in Mangan-Vacca.
The river we crossed.
Boys will be boys.
Swan tossed them some lollipops.
Strollin’ on the river.
The photo didn’t quite capture the beauty I saw, so just trust me on that.
Then we came to a fork in the road, so we took it. It was the road to Naugsol.
Wait a minute! We know that guy! It’s Karl, the locally renowned hiker who is still going strong in his 80s. He’s an inspiration.
Good to see you again, Karl. Keep on keepin’ on!
Someone opened a new junk shop since the last time we walked this way.
Easter Mountain’s backside.
Been there, done that. Maybe we’ll try it again someday.
Coming into Naugsol town.
As we walked out on the streets of Naugsol, as we walked out in Naugsol one day…
There’s something fishy going on down there.
Heading over Bridge #4.
Dead-end ahead.

So, there’s a narrow creek bed coming up that used to have a rickety bamboo bridge to walk over. Yesterday, we discovered the bridge is no longer there. The creek is at the bottom of a steep four- or five-foot-deep embankment. Too wide to jump across, too deep to crawl down and pull yourself up the other side, at least for old guys with diminished upper-body strength. We looked for an alternative route, couldn’t find one, so we were forced to retreat back the way we came.

Boys having a good time rafting on the river.
I was surprised to see this funeral banner as we made our way down Sawmill Road. I had heard of Keith’s passing, but had no idea he lived so far out of town. I saw the three-wheel electric bike he used to drive around on in Barretto parked behind that gate. He died the day after his 83rd birthday. RIP.

When we got to San Isidro, it started to rain lightly. That’s all the excuse we needed to grab a trike for the rest of the way back to Barretto.

Our journey was a tad shy of 7K, but it was nice to be into the great wide open with the Friday group.

The weather was nice enough to warrant a walk out to Baloy Beach when beer o’clock rolled around. It didn’t take much enticement when I told Swan of my intention to feed her birria tacos at the Foxhole Resort.

As we were leaving Alta Vista, we saw this recently vacated house being renovated and inquired as to its availability. The landlord gave us a walk-through and said the rent was 20,000 pesos (that’s around $350) a month. That’s a good deal. I’ve got a phone number if anyone is interested.
Toes in the sand.
They did a good job cleaning the beach since Monday’s massive surge. This big-ass log that washed up in the storm was still there.
Looks like it had been in the water for a long time before being dislodged. Scary to think of it floating like an iceberg just below the surface and having the banca boat you are riding in slam into it. I’ll have to add that to my list of ways I might die in the Philippines.

So, we started off with wine and beers at Tropical Zone and had the place to ourselves. The barkeep let me log into the Bluetooth speaker, and we listened to some nice music from my Spotify playlist. That was actually quite enjoyable, picking the songs and the volume.

When the hunger pangs came, we moved on to Foxhole, where my long-time acquaintance, Norman, was tending bar. He gave us the sad news that birria is currently out of stock. So, we settled for grilled pork chops. Foxhole was surprisingly busy with a large group of Filipino visitors. We enjoyed our meal and our visit, staying until it was time to call it a day and head for home.

I’m not sure what happened our why, but my f’n brain wouldn’t let me get much sleep last night.

That’s a record-low sleep score for me.

I seem to be doing okay today despite the lack of sleep. Let’s see how I hold up after a couple of beers this evening.

Courtesy of Facebook memories:

Me and my brothers back in the 90s.

It is now June 2021 in my journey through the LTG archives, and I finally found some drama to report. Well, if you can call a Quora quarrel drama. I still check in there daily, but almost never engage by commenting anymore.

Let’s check in with the Filipina Pea for today’s YouTube video. I’m not much of a foodie, but it’s pretty interesting to see the things you can make to eat from the wild. I knew the female Hashers are always picking from plants we come across on the trail, and now I know why. I looked through some of the comments and discovered that Pea has a boyfriend, and he is 66 years old! Lucky man!

Like them or not, here they come:

No golf for me, but otherwise…
Half still makes a whole.
Sorry for the politics. Feel free to change it to any party you don’t support.

And on that note, I’ll sign off for now.

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