I had to Google to see if it was “A” or “An” historic day. The consensus was “A” so I went with it, although truthfully I like the way “An” sounds better. Anyway, it is a special day of remembrance for me because 41 years ago my son Kevin was welcomed into this world.
The years haven’t changed us a bit.
Kevin was actually born on his due date. I had gone through the prenatal course so I could be in the delivery room for that special moment when he drew his first breath. It was quite an experience for all involved!
Kevin grew up successfully despite having a wayward father. He spent many years in broadcast journalism before leaving for the more stable working hours and better pay of the insurance industry. By all accounts he is doing quite well–a great wife, a great house, a great daughter, and three wonderful step daughters. He’s definitely a great daddy and I’m obviously very proud of him.
Kevin and daughter Sydney. I love them both!
Otherwise things are back to normal around here. An uneventful flight home (unlike the unfortunates on Ethiopian Air). Marissa slept most of the way and only woke up when the wheels touched down. The look of surprise and confusion on her face was priceless. Good times.
Buddy was happy to see me again. He’s got a big heart, that’s for sure.
This morning he was outside meeting the goat neighbors. He was nose-to-nose with the kid but mama chased him off before I could snap a photo…He’s a good dog but sometimes he can be a pain in the ass…
What else? Well, I had a good time explaining to my breakfast waitress what “SOS” stands for…
We both had a good laugh about that…I kept it simple for lunch…
And that’s about it. Time for me to get ready to Hash.
Life is good. Keep smiling!
And oh yeah, today makes 10 months of living in the Philippines. So far so good.
Yesterday’s Hash may have been the best one ever for me. And the reason in large part was we spent a lot of time on perhaps the best beach I’ve ever seen. It was stunningly beautiful.
Puerto Princesa’sNagtabon Beach. A nice drone video of the beach at the link.“Where the sun hits the water and the mountains meet the sand…”“…there’s a beach that I walk along sometimes…” Those buildings at the far end of the beach, Oliver’s Resort, was our on-home location. Only accessible by foot…
So, Nagtabon beach was an hour bus ride from our hotel in Puerto Princesa. That included a 15 minute delay when the lead bus broke down. The drivers did some roadside repairs, got a couple buckets of water from a nearby house, and refilled the radiator. Pretty impressive really. Once we reached our destination we off loaded Hashers and supplies and hoofed it the half kilometer or so down the beach to Oliver’s. The Hare (Wild Wolf) advised there would be three trails with durations of 7, 5, and 3 kilometers. And two beer checks along the way! Beer checks were quite common in my Korea kennel but this is only the second time I’ve experienced them here in the PI.
And then we were “ON-ON”, on the beach as it were.That’s Salty Cum enjoying a cold beverage at the first beer stop.And then it was on up the mountain. The climb was mostly on the road, but it was steep and hot.Looking back from whence I came.That tricky Hare made us climb up an embankment. Once at the top we saw that we could have stayed on the road which curved around just past that house. Oh well.And soon enough we reached the second beer check.Your humble correspondent taking in the view.The unobstructed view of Nagtabon Beach from the top. As is my custom, I opted for the medium length trail…….which meandered its way steadily down the mountain. My Hash shirt makes for good camouflage, don’t you think?The descent was not too steep but did get tricky in places. Salty Cum was taking a photo of me when a woman behind us took a good tumble. Those roots can be treacherous if your foot gets caught while falling. At first the woman thought she had broken or dislocated her ankle. Fortunately that proved not to be the case, just a severe strain. I let her use my walking stick and Salty assisted her the rest of the way back. Almost back down to sea level.This portion of the beach was nothing but rocks. And that made for some tough hiking the last kilometer of the trail.Still pretty though….…and I got to practice my rock climbing skills. Which are pretty much non-existent……but I just leaned into it and made my way back “on-home”.
And so ended my first ever Hash Bash. Lots of fun, lots of interesting people from all over the world and of course, lots of beer!
The Day 1 adventure is now history. As these photos illustrate.
I was anticipating a swingin’ good time.Standing around waiting to get started. Over 100 Hashers in attendance for this event. Let’s get this show on the road! A 30 minute bus ride to the trail head.And we are off!The beginning of the walker’s trail…7K start to finish…And we are ON-ON!Turns out there are mountains in the area. We stayed in the foothills yesterday, but rumor has it will be doing some serious up and down today.It was a nice change of scenery from the Barretto routine…It feels hotter here though than back home.I asked Salty Cum if it was better to walk on flat ground in the sunshine or uphill in the shade? She prefers shade. I tend to agree.One last hill to climb. Actually, the trail was not at all difficult compared to what I’m used to…Heading back down to the sea…The final half klick was on the highway….….which led us “on-home” at Kay’s Hot Spring resort….And yes, there was ice. And yes, I was required to sit on it. My sin was being a pain in the ass for registering late. After the on-home festivities were completed, we bused back to the hotel and prepared for our dinner at Chez Rose, an eatery about 300 yards up the beach. Where we were also entertained with a live band and fire dancers….
No San Mig Zero here so I’ve been getting a little drunker than normal. Need to work on pacing myself better I suppose. Anyway, time to get ready for Day 2. More to come….
I was sorry to see the news that Jan-Michael Vincent has passed away. We spent some intimate moments together back in the day (I wrote about it here).
He appears to have lived life on his terms which is admirable. He also had his flaws and made quite a few drug and alcohol fueled mistakes. No one’s perfect of course.
Greetings from Palawan. May the force be with you!
Let’s ketchup, shall we? Headed out early yesterday morning for the airport in Angeles City, about 1.5 hours away. Driver Donny once again managed to defy the odds and got us there safely. First time I’d taken a domestic flight from Clark, and the terminal really sucked. Still managed to kill the hour before boarding without too much discomfort.
Breakfasted on this hot off the griddle honey banana crepe. Almost as sweet as the gal who prepared it for me.
Then it was time to board our Philippine Air flight to Puerto Princesa. I was curious what kind of plane it would be since no checked baggage was allowed. When the bus from the terminal pulled up it turned out to be an Airbus 320. After landing, I noted some bags being offloaded so I can only surmise the “no baggage” was about my discounted ticket or some such. No problem, for a three day trip my carry-on was more than sufficient. I was just worried about whether my liquids (i.e. vape juice) would be confiscated at security, but I sailed right on through.
Oh, and I was accompanied by a first time air traveler:
It was kinda fun to relive the first time flying experience through the reactions of Marissa/Salty Cum. She seemed to really enjoy the rush of taking off. Once we reached altitude she admitted to feeling a little queasy. I handed her an air sickness bag but thankfully she didn’t need it.And of course she couldn’t take her eyes off the perspective of watching the earth pass by below. The change in pressure as we landed hurt her ears a little, but I taught her a couple of techniques to “pop” her ear.
After exiting the airport our driver from the Blue Palawan Resort was there waiting for us. I had gotten an email a couple of days earlier advising me of the free hotel shuttle which was a pleasant surprise.
The hotel thus far has provided some of the best service I’ve experienced in all my years of travelling. Little touches, like some blue lemonade at check-in are nice welcoming gestures. Friendly and helpful staff go a long way to making a hotel stay pleasant. The food has been great so far as well. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a Monte Cristo prepared right. Well, this one could have used some honey for dipping, but I was hungry and couldn’t be bothered to ask. Tasted just fine without it. The room comes with a free breakfast buffet. I’m not into buffets at all, but this one was well done. And an egg chef cooked your eggs and omelets to order. It’s good that there is high standards for food and service here because the rooms are rather basic. Clean and comfortable, but without amenities I like to have. Like a small refrigerator and microwave. I’m also typing this post on the bed because I don’t even have a desk in the room.
I’m staying here because the hotel that is hosting the Hash event, the Seaview, was booked up. It’s right next door to the Blue so no problem.
In fact, the registration and welcoming event held last night were done here at the Blue. Easy peasy…I haven’t seen the rooms at Seaview, but it appears to perhaps be a bit more upscale.I really love the looks of this treehouse spa, although I haven’t tried it out yet…The “beach” in front of the Blue and Seaview resorts leaves a lot to be desired. I’m told it’s because “the tide is out”. Hmm, maybe.I guess there’s no denying that the water level can’t get much lower. I just haven’t seen much evidence of a recent high tide…The beach is what it is I suppose. I walked it this morning and it was pleasant enough for that purpose. Wouldn’t want to be wading in that nasty water though….If you are going to live on the beach, I reckon this is the way to do it!
Anyway, that’s where things stand as of now. Fixin’ to grab some lunch and get ready for the first Hash trail this afternoon. They have long (9K) medium (6K) and short (3K) options. We are busing out to the start point and have 1.5 hours to get back “on-home” at a place called Kay’s Resort, wherever that turns out to be. I haven’t seen any nearby mountains so maybe it will be easy walking. We’ll find out soon enough I suppose.
Anyway, more of the same around here. Did some exploring this morning looking for new mountain paths to incorporate into my trail when I go solo as a Hare. I’m shooting for May.
My efforts drew some blood but not the passage I am seeking. Ah well, no pain no gain!
Went out again this afternoon and finished the portion of the trail I missed two weeks ago.
I should have known better. Leech My Nuggets is notorious for his paths through creek beds. But I’ll give him credit, even after two weeks his trail was easy to follow. I’m going to learn from his example. Thicker powder and NO CREEK BOTTOMS!
Do not despair dear readers things are bound to get more interesting around here.
My first trail as a co-Hare was delivered yesterday more or less successfully. We had a large turnout of Hashers (47) and although not required of the Hares, I walked the entire trail again with the group. It was harder than the first time for me which I attribute to the afternoon start instead of early morning when I have more energy. Took me about an hour and fifty minutes start to finish, and as usual I was one of the last to complete the trail.
My overall assessment: I could have done a better job with the powder. Although the trail was pretty well marked, the chalk arrows are not always readily visible. You can see the powder from a distance which is helpful. Also, there were a couple places that were directionally confusing and some folks missed the true trail as a result. I should have laid better powder to make things more clear. Also, in the future when I’m a Hare I will walk the trail and put down powder on the day of the Hash. Even after only one day on the ground the powder lost its freshness and appeared faded.
During the trail feedback session of the Hash circle most of the criticism was fair I think, dealing with aforementioned lack of clarity at some trail junctions. Surprisingly, no one said the trail was too short, too flat, or too easy which are pretty standard complaints. A couple of folks even said it was too hard and had too many mountains. Well, we only did two climbs but I admit the second one was a tough slog. And I think given the terrain, the distance (6K) was just about right.
A little anecdote that made my day: I caught up with one of the Germans (Almoranus) about halfway up the second climb taking a breather. He asked if we were going all the way to the ridge line, and I responded affirmatively. I do believe he turned around at the point and shortcutted the trail. Which is fine, but he’s one of the guys that routinely kicks my ass on the Wednesday walks. I think in German the feeling I was having is known as schadenfreude.
And so it begins. The relatively easy first “on-up” of the trail.A view from the top of the second climb.Here’s a fun little story: I always carry two bottles of water so I can share with Salty Cum. She had taken her bottle during the second climb. Once we had reached the bottom I asked if she needed more water. She said “I finished mine”. So I said where’s the bottle? She responded “I dropped it”. Now, littering or theft on the trail is a serious Hash violation so of course I felt obligated to duly report the infraction during the Hash circle. And the standard penalty is being required to sit on the ice. And as we are wont to say at the SBH3, “when on Filipina sits, ALL Filipinas sit!” (In her defense, Salty said that she had put the bottle in her back pocket and it must have fallen out. Still littering though, just glad it was not intentional)Of course, as one of the Hares, I did my time on the ice as well. Once your ass goes numb it’s really not so bad.All in a day’s work. This includes my morning walking prior to the Hash.
My preferred way to end the day. As seen from the Blue Rock floating bar.
That was yesterday after completing right at 29,000 steps. Desperately needed to re-hydrate.
15,000 this morning, a nap, a shower and now ready to go Hash the trail I helped set yesterday. Technically, the Hares are not required to Hash the trail they laid with the group, but I need/want to get some steps in and see if I can follow my own trail with no problems. We’ll find out soon enough.
Commenter Kevin asked how well the powder holds up. Well, I did walk a bit of the trail today (the street portion) and was disappointed to see how dissipated the powder already looked. I’m chalking it up (no pun intended) to vehicle and foot traffic. Hopefully it is holding up better up in the mountains.
So that’s my nothing post on what’s been a nothing day thus far. No complaints though.
The road is filled with homeless souls Every woman, child and man Who have no idea where they will go But they’ll help you if they can Now everyone must have some thought That’s going to pull them through somehow Well the fires are raging hotter and hotter But the sisters of the sun are going To rock me on the water now Rock me on the water Sister will you soothe my fevered brow Rock me on the water I’ll get down to the sea somehow
Today I served as a co-Hare for the first time. This simply involved me assisting the primary Hare, Pubic Head and another Hasher, Buddy Fucker, to set the trail for tomorrow’s Hash.
Pubic Head has been Hashing in Subic since 2004 so he pretty much knows all the trails and where they go. He had a course in mind so off we went. My job was to mark the trail at appropriate locations using powder.
This is what the powder looks like. Appropriate locations include any junctions or turnoffs on the trail. Also it’s good to drop some powder periodically so the Hashers can affirm and be reassured that they are indeed “On-On”. Meanwhile Buddy Fucker would mark rocks, tree trunks, and telephone poles with chalk arrows pointing the Hashers in the right direction. The “8” indicates tomorrow will be the 1,338th running of the Subic Hash.
Overall I deem the trail we set as being a good one, although I had nothing to say about the course selection. We did two moderately difficult climbs and the last downhill through a rocky creek bed was not much to my liking. The trail is approximately 6 kilometers long from the walkers drop off point. The runners will have the option of starting out from our on-home at Johannson’s which adds another 1.5 K to the trail. It should be a good day for everyone!
The Hares are on the trail!
It is a Subic H3 tradition that the Hares sit on the ice during the portion of the circle where the other Hashers give feedback on the day’s trail. And anytime throughout the proceedings if any of the Hare’s are found in violation we all sit: “When one Hare sits, ALL Hares sit” as the saying goes. Last week Pubic Head had a “Hash Crash” at the Grandmaster’s bar which may or may not have been caught on video. That may well result in more time on the ice for all three of us. Hopefully that’s all!
Anyway, I think the trail I’ve been working on may be a little too wimpy for SB H3 standards. Pubic Head likes an easy trail and today’s was quite a bit more difficult than mine (which only has one uphill). I’m going to have to search out ways to spice it up some. I’ve got time to work on it, Hare’s are already scheduled through April.
I expect I’ll be hearing this song tomorrow:
Shitty Trail (A Song For The Hares)
S-H-I-T-T-Y T-R-A-I-L Shitty trail (It sucked) Shitty trail (really fucked) The motherfuckers laid a shitty trail I would rather drink a beer than hash your shitty trail, S-H-I-T-T-Y T-R-A-I-L Drink it Down down, down down…
The final night in town was blessedly uneventful. Before I commenced to drinking I took an afternoon walk.
One of Manila’s finer establishments, The Peninsula hotel. I don’t want to leave my readers with the impression that it’s all sleazy and gritty in the Philippines. It’s just that those are the places you’ll most likely find me…
Last night I ate and drank at place called Handlebar bar. Really loved the ambiance of neighborhood pub. I do miss that. If I were ever going to open a bar (I won’t!) it would be in this genre. Food was excellent too! Thanks for the tip, Brandon.
I opted to go with the bbq shortribs. Much better than mine, that’s for sure. Came with cole slaw and baked potato. Sorry for the poor quality picture and the fact that I’d started eating before I thought to get the camera out.And they had the welcome mat out for Hashers, that’s always nice. Not sure where “on-home” was last night but I didn’t see anyone from the Hash around.
The night ended for me with one of the best damn banana splits ever from the Filling Station. Yum!
My driver Donny picked me at 0600 and we had a mostly traffic free drive back to Barretto. One last surprise from my “guest” the other night. Upon checkout I was advised that the mini-bar had been raided for a bag of cashew nuts. That added 110 pesos to the cost of that mistake. Still pissed at myself for being so stupid.
My last day in Manila and nothing really to do with it, so I spent the morning doing pretty much what I always do–walking around. City hikes are not my favorite but I got in over an hour and a half anyway. Actually saw quite a bit of Makati and the surrounding environs, including some real upscale and gated subdivisions. And this:
A river runs through it. Who knew? I certainly didn’t.
I also found a couple of restaurants on the backstreets that commenter Brandon had recommended. I’ll definitely be giving one of them a go tonight.
Last night I dined at a little hole in the wall place called Tequilaria or something like that. Had some great service from a cute little waitress with a sweet braces filled smile. And I also had the chicken enchiladas.
Never quite seen them prepared and served this way. No side dishes other than the chips. Tasty enough but they were pretty skimpy with the chicken.
Now, P. Burgos street is famous for it’s go-go dancing girly bars. Maybe I’m getting old (shuddup!) but I find them more boring than anything else. And overpriced. Last trip I ventured into one and my beer was 150 pesos–the same price as a lady drink back home and more than double what I normally pay. No thank you! I haven’t been to any of them this trip. I did find some open air sports bars on a side street off the main drag and I’ve enjoyed hanging out in those when I’m not at Cafe Cubana.
And lo and behold, last night the bar I was in filled up with Hashers!
There’s a big Hash event taking place here this weekend called a Nash Hash. I had actually considered joining up but it is a four day affair and most of the events are out of town. I just didn’t want to spend time in Manila traffic getting there. Plus I have the big Hash event in Palawan next week, that’s enough I think. I did run into several Subic Hashers while I was bar crawling last night. Always nice to say hello to a familiar face!
Anyway, I finished the night back at my hotel bar feeling no pain. A woman walking by made eye contact and the next thing I knew she was sitting with me at my table She gave me her tale of woe about not having bus fare to get back home and asked me to let her do a one hour massage for 300 pesos. Like the drunken idiot that I am I consented and brought her up to my room. She performed a lackluster massage and I overpaid her for it. Sometimes I too nice for my own good I guess. Anyway, I noticed this morning that she had repaid my kindness by stealing a vape pen and one of my chargers. A lot of good it will do her when it comes time to change out the wick. Here’s hoping the bitch gets the Karma she so richly deserves.
Greetings from Makati, the heart and soul of the metropolis known as Manila. This is a city I don’t frequent much, in fact, I normally try to avoid it whenever possible. But as I mentioned previously I had business to attend to at the American embassy and this is where that’s at.
Arrived yesterday afternoon following a harrowing drive through murderous traffic with my crazy driver Donny behind the wheel. I’m staying at the Royal Bellagio hotel this trip as it is conveniently located in the foreigner bar district on P. Burgos street. The hotel contains one of my favorite watering holes (Cafe Cubana) and one of the best damn restaurants I’ve eaten at in the PI, The Filling Station. I wrote about both on my last visit here back in November.
A comfortable hotel and a bar perfect for hooker people watching.I really love the 1950s Americana motif featured in the Filling Station diner.This guy was guarding the door last night but I managed to make inside for some much needed dinner….….a very impressive hamburger with fries, onion rings, and cole slaw for less than ten bucks…the beer was extra.
Then it was back to Cubana for more beer and watching the street walkers ply their trade. A couple of them are just bat shit crazy, which is sad. I wondered if they were always crazy or if the life of a prostitute made them that way. I personally just don’t find paying for sex that interesting or exciting. I do enjoy a good massage now and then though.
But this sign in the Cubana men’s room sort of dissuaded me from that too…
So, I get up bright and early this morning to make my journey out to the embassy. My appointment was at 9:45 but given the traffic situation I hailed a cab at 7:30. The first guy wanted a flat fee of 500 pesos. I told him I preferred that he just use the meter, to which he declined so I moved on to another cab. This guy turned on the meter right away but as we drove he asked to do a flat fee. At first I declined but then got to thinking it might be wise to give the driver some motivation to take the fastest route. I asked how much and he wanted 400 pesos. “Fine” I told him, figuring I saved myself 100 pesos anyway.
The trip surprisingly took less than an hour (I’d been told it could take 1.5), so I walked around the Manila bay front area for awhile before making my way through embassy security. There I was relieved of my cell phone, Fitbit, and e-cigarettes. A strict no electronics policy was being enforced. It was only 9:00 so I commenced to walking around the waiting area. I guess it made the security guard nervous because he asked me to sit down. I said “I can’t walk?” He pointed to the back of the room and replied “only there”. Fine. My Fitbit couldn’t register my activity anyway.
Once my appointed time arrived, I was allowed to go upstairs and wait for my number to be called, which it was in due course. I had two power of attorney forms to be notarized and Uncle Sam relieved me of $100 for the service. I caught a cab back to Makati and the driver used the meter without complaint. I was curious how much the actual fare would turn out to be. It came in at just under 200 pesos. HaHa! I guess I did get taken for a ride this morning. I tipped the driver 100 pesos and it still felt like a bargain!
Once back in familiar environs I set about looking for a FedEx outlet so I could get the newly signed POA’s off to South Carolina. Google said there was a FedEx store about 20 minutes away on foot. Damned if I could find it though. I did come across a small shipping business that had a sign saying there were an authorized FedEx agent. I hope so, because I paid 2000 pesos ($40) and gave them my papers. Supposed to arrive stateside in three days. We’ll see.
And that’s been my excitement for the day thus far. I’ll head out soon for some more exploring, then grab some food. And beers of course.
At least that’s my plan.
And the sign said anybody caught trespassin’ would be shot on sight So I jumped on the fence and-a yelled at the house “Hey! What gives you the right?” “To put up a fence to keep me out or to keep mother nature in” “If God was here he’d tell you to your face, man, you’re some kinda sinner” Sign, sign, everywhere a sign Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?
Not a good night for me last night. The usual BS, feeling sorry for myself and thinking about what I’m missing instead of what I have. Luckily the self-pity parties are much more infrequent these days. As is my custom when I’m in “one of those moods” I commenced to drown my sorrows take some pain medication in the form of San Miguel Zero beer. And before long I was comfortably numb.
I started and finished my night at Cheap Charlies Bar. I had a good seat overlooking the highway and couldn’t be fucked with moving on. I was in no mood for company and successfully fended off the thirsty bargirls vying for a lady drink (I’m usually quite generous in that regard). Arrived around 5:00 p.m. and left a little after nine. My bill was 600 pesos. Beers are only 50 pesos each at Cheap Charlies (hence the name) so by my calculation I drank 12 beers in four hours! That’s a lot even for me. And 3 beers per hour is a pretty good pace as well. I guess all that practice is paying off!
Good thing I was doing Zero at 3% alcohol. Had I been doing the 5% brews I’m sure I would have been floored. As it was I had no problem walking the 15 minutes it took to get home. And so ended another drunken night as a lonely guy. Yeah, I acknowledge (embrace?) my patheticness.
Off to Manila this afternoon. A city I love to hate. But, changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes, right?
It’s those changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes nothing remains quite the same. With all of our running and all of our cunning, If we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane.
No, I’m not talking about Filipinas, although many of them are indeed short and sweet.
Yesterday’s Hash trail was just under 6 kms in length with a couple of moderate climbs. The kind of trail I hope to lay as a Hare one of these days, albeit somewhat longer perhaps. That was the major criticism in the Hash circle, not long enough. I went back out this afternoon and walked part of it in reverse to see how I might be able to incorporate a portion into My Bitch. They do actually intersect but I am going to have to work on it some more I think. I’ve got nothing but time.
A rather unusual trail in that it intersected with itself. I asked the Hare about that and he said it was inadvertent–he couldn’t find another path leading down. He doesn’t live in Barretto so doesn’t have the luxury of scouting about beforehand like I’m doing now… A large turnout with quite a few visiting Hashers joining us. The Hare, Bush Diver, giving some last minutes instructions before we head out.On-up!On-On!A Barretto bay view.And one from the Subic side.A mountaintop mansion!The trail passed through Alta Vista subdivision on the way to the on-home at Johan’s. That’s the Hare Bush Diver bringing up the rear. He actually was out on the trail making sure folks found their way. Unusual in that most Hare’s lay the trail and consider the work complete. Good for him!Me, Salty Cum and Free Fuck enjoying a cold beer at the end of the trail…
Speaking of short and sweet, I found this 8 minute long youtube video laying out the history of the Philippines. I thought it was interesting, you might too.
Next Monday I’ll be laying trail with Pubic Head as the co-Hare. It’s my first time and really I’ll just be assisting and learning the ropes. I believe he already has a path in mind so it will just be a matter of marking the trail with powder and chalk.
What I’m really focusing on is the time in the near future (no firm date as yet) when I’ll be the primary Hare. At least for a newbie like me who is still not all that familiar with the area it is a challenging task that requires quite a bit of preparation. The past few days on some of my walks I’ve been working out the details of what my trail will look like.
First and foremost, it will be the kind of trail I like. I mean, that’s the advantage to being the Hare, right? I’m sure some of my Hash-mates will think what I have in mind is too easy. All I can say is fuck them, I’ve Hashed many a trail that is too damn hard. My first trail will have a moderate up and down section, some road time, and the walking portion will be around 8 kilometers–two hours or so at a decent pace. The longer section for the runners will add another 4 K to the trail I reckon.
Having a trail that accommodates both runners and walkers is one of the bigger challenges. My preference as a walker is to walk out from the start–I really dislike riding in the Hashmobile. But if the walkers start from on-home instead of being dropped off further up the trail it means I need to incorporate a longer section that rejoins the walking trail later for the runners. Pain in the ass logistically.
Anyway, I plan to incorporate a goodly portion of the My Bitch trail into my first path as a Hare. I walked that section yesterday and it took one hour from my house. So you can add maybe another 20 minutes to/from on-home. Still need a little more, but that’s getting at least close. The other day I walked a mostly flat route on roads that was just over an hour in length. I could easily incorporate that for the runners to junction later with the walkers, although I’m sure they’d find it a boring trail. The runners are the bastards that seem to pick the hardest path possible in the mountains. Maybe they deserve to be bored when I Hare. We’ll see.
Time to get ready for today’s Hash. I’ll be keeping my eyes wide open for more trail possibilities. Hey, I’m easily entertained!
The obligatory sunset from the Arizona floating bar photograph. There’s more to life than walking after all!
Been doing some thinking as I walk my life away. It occurs to me that in my lifetime I have lived many different lives. Obviously, I’m the same person I’ve always been, but I’m also radically different in many, many ways from who I was in the past. Perhaps that is true of everyone but it seems profound to me to see how this character in the book of my life has become the person that metaphorically stands before you today.
Going with the book theme, I suppose one way to look at it would be calling these lives within a life chapters in my story. But what would a chapter encompass? Decades don’t neatly align with the transitions I’m thinking about. Life events, like marriages to four different women, might come a little closer. I’m currently building a new life here in the Philippines, but you don’t necessarily change just because your location does. It’s probably more accurate to say all of these factors and events play a part in creating the lives we live within a lifetime. It’s a messy business living a life!
Again, I don’t think there is anything special or unique about my circumstances. It’s just something that I occasionally reflect on as I look back on a life (mostly) well lived. And of course given the self-indulgent autobiographical nature of much of what I post here at LTG it seems natural to share my thoughts as I try to make sense of it all.
So I guess you’ve been warned. I think I will periodically write about a “chapter” in my life story if for no other reason than to gain insights and understanding about who I am and how I got here. Of course, that presumes I’ll be able to figure out a method for doing that.
Let me take a walk and think about it. Stay tuned!
Did some rocking and rolling this afternoon when we experienced an earthquake that registered 4.9 on the Richter scale. Yeah, no big deal but something different. I grew up in Southern California and we’d get these several times a year, but it’s been a while since I took an Earth ride. It’s quite the helpless feeling waiting and wondering what happens next. Gives you time to reflect on the quality of construction standards here in the Philippines. Ha Ha! I used standards and Philippines in the same sentence!
Anyway, I’ve been reliving my experiences as a tourist here in Barretto from two years ago courtesy of Facebook memories. It was a good trip! And now that I live here I can’t wait for all the tourists to get the fuck out! Well, summer is right around the corner, that will motivate the Swedes to go back home where they belong. I’m kidding of course. Mostly I like the visitors, many of whom come for several months each year. It’s also been a trip seeing the boyfriend/sponsors of the bargirls. I mean, good for them that they’ve found a guy willing to send some money all year round for a couple of months of pleasure while they are here. It’s just so weird for me seeing a hot gal in her early 20s loving up on an old cripple who looks like her grandfather. Only in the Philippines!
Two years ago I visited Alley Cats bar for the first time and won the dart tournament that night. What I didn’t know was it was their opening weekend (not sure how I missed that fact). Anyway, tonight is the Two Year Anniversary tournament and I will do my best to replicate my first ever victory in Barretto. We shall see!
Also on the horizon is a trip to the U.S. Embassy in Manila next week. I’ll likely go down on Wednesday as my appointment is Thursday morning. Plan as of now is to return home on Saturday. I’m going to have a Power of Attorney form notarized so we can finalize the sale of my parent’s house.
And I’m completing the final preparations for my travel to Palawan on March 6. That’s a trip I’m actually looking forward to making. Who knows, maybe there will actually be something interesting to read here at LTG. Hey, it could happen!
In the comments to yesterday’s post, Kevin Kim gave me a well-deserved kick in the ass some much appreciated advice regarding my reluctance to be on trail alone when I’m hiking in unknown terrain. He included a quote from a well-known hiker, Colin Fletcher, whom I’d never heard of previously. Those words really resonated with me and deserve to be highlighted in a post of their own:
“But if you judge safety to be the paramount consideration in life, you should never, under any circumstances, go on long hikes alone. Don’t take short hikes alone, either — or, for that matter, go anywhere alone. And avoid at all costs such foolhardy activities as driving, falling in love, or inhaling air that is almost certainly riddled with deadly germs. Wear wool next to the skin. Insure every good and chattel you possess against every conceivable contingency the future might bring, even if the premiums half-cripple the present. Never cross an intersection against a red light, even when you can see all roads are clear for miles. And never, of course, explore the guts of an idea that seems as if it might threaten one of your more cherished beliefs. In your wisdom, you will probably live to be a ripe old age. But you may discover, just before you die, that you have been dead for a long, long time.”
Well, hell yeah, that’s exactly right. I knew that at one time and it was a good and timely reminder. Life is for living and living in fear defeats the purpose of living.
And so today I spent some pleasant time hiking on a trail I call My Bitch, letting go of the worry and enjoying the moment each step of the way.
Thanks Colin and Kevin for reminding me what is truly important.versus what is holding me back.
“Every walk of life falls under the Testicular Imperative: Either you have the world by them, or it has you.”
Colin Fletcher
Oh, and speaking of walking, one of the La Union Hashers is also a YouTube vlogger, and he posted a video of Saturday’s Baguio Hash. Your humble correspondent makes a cameo appearance. Give it a watch–the scenery is great.
I’m usually near the back of the pack when I’m walking in a group. Probably average speed on flat ground, slow going up, and very slow coming down. That’s just how I roll, or more precisely, how I try to avoid rolling.
Anyway, did the Wednesday walkers group thing yesterday. Six others of which I was the oldest and slowest. In the past this group differed from the Hash in that there was a “no man left behind” ethos, periodically the group would stop and wait for stragglers to catch up. Not so yesterday.
That kind of pissed me off. Part of my motivation for doing the Wednesday thing is to have some camaraderie. The other is the safety factor–I’m just uncomfortable being alone in the unknown wild with no support should something go wrong. If I’m going to be alone on trail, I want to be choosing the trail. Yesterday I was left to fend for myself coming down the mountain. And sure enough I slipped and fell. Only a cut and some scratches thankfully, but it underscores why you don’t want to be without a hiking partner should the worst happen.
Anyway, I’m thinking maybe I’ll just forego joining the group henceforth. I’ll still walk of course but I’ll do so within my comfort zone. Unfortunately, that means I’ll miss seeing new places and enjoying new vistas.
Like this……and this.
The other thing that is hard to achieve on my own is pushing myself to the edge of my level of endurance. On my own most days I’ll do around 20,000 steps. Yesterday with the Walkers I did this:
I don’t know. To be a wimp or not to be a wimp. That is the question.
I guess we’ll just wait and see how I feel come next Wednesday.
Changing gears, I found this funny as hell:
“I do miss her though…”
Oh, and I won the darts tournament last night which is always nice.
And that’s the latest from Barrio Barretto, Olongapo, Zambales province, Republic of the Philippines. Thanks for checking in!
Enjoying a beer and the mountain views yesterday evening when all of the sudden this happens:
Peek-a-boo, I see you!Damn, climbing that mountain IS a bitch!I am the eye in the sky looking at you…
And then I wake up this morning almost exactly 12 hours later:
Now she’s over on my side of town. Are you stalking me bitch?
Anyway, that’s what passes for excitement around here I suppose.
Meanwhile, over at Big Hominid’s Hairy Chasms, Kevin Kim featured some cool memes. I’ll add this one to the collection:
Let’s just call it a tie…
And finally, Facebook reminds me what I was doing two years ago:
Being a tourist and riding the Jeepney to Olongapo with Loraine. I thought I had it all figured out back then. Of course I had no idea about the detour that awaited me just a few months down the road. Live and learn I suppose.
More ups than downs these days, so there’s that. I can make it on my own.
I found a picture of you, oh oh oh oh What hijacked my world that night To a place in the past We’ve been cast out of? oh oh oh oh Now we’re back in the fight We’re back on the train Oh, back on the chain gang
UPDATE: Well, I see I used the “Ups and downs” title on a post back in May, 2013. That one was about the progress I had made after 13 weeks on the low carb, high fat diet. I was pleased to report that I was down to 254 pounds and a 46″ waistline. These days I’m right at 200 pounds with a 34″ waist. The payoff from being a walkaholic I suppose. That and several heartbreaks…
