Went to sleep in Paradise and woke up this morning in Paradise, but things just aren’t quite right here anyway. Still no power at the house, which is making my final preparations for the trip a lot more complicated. My e-visa for entry to Cambodia arrived by email, but I can’t print it out. Same with my onward ticket for my expected return to this lovely land. Hopefully, I’ll have power restored at some point today.

It’s Hash Monday, and it is still windy and rainy outside. I’m going to show up, but I don’t think I’m going to tempt fate by leaving the pavement today. This will be my 156th consecutive run with the SBH3, and that streak ends after this week. I hope I never have anything approaching that number again–I need to get back to my original retirement plan of traveling every three months or so. Although preparing for this trip has been such a pain in the ass that I may have to rethink whether the joy of getting away is worth it. I’m sure it will get easier when it becomes more routine.

Speaking of Cambodia, there’s a website I’ve been following for several years called Stickman Bangkok. As the name implies, it focuses on expat life in Bangkok specifically and Thailand in general. And yes, most of that focus is on the bar scene. So, it was somewhat surprising to see this entry regarding Phnom Penh today:

Across the border in Cambodia, Phnom Penh has always been known as an edgy place and for some, that’s part of the attraction. At the same time it always felt like if you were street-smart and didn’t do anything stupid then you should be ok. Word is that things have changed a bit – there is more street crime including pickpockets, and even muggings. A Bangkok bar manager who recently spent time in Cambodia was surprised when hotel staff suggested he take a tuk-tuk after dark and urged him not to walk alone at night. They also said he should carry no more cash than he needs for that night and leave valuables in his hotel room. (The first thing I thought when I heard that is that they’re setting you up to rip you off themselves!) They also said that if you must take your mobile phone, keep a close eye on it and don’t put it down on a bar table or counter top, lest it be snatched. And if you’re using your mobile phone, be aware of your surroundings. Some folks have had their fancy phone snatched while they were using it, the junkie who snatched it dashing away like Usain Bolt, never to be seen again. He was also told to consider avoiding the night market, dark streets and especially to keep an eye out for junkies. It doesn’t end there. Apparently there is a scam in the $5 massage shops where punters claim their money is switched to fake dollar notes while they’re in the middle of a massage. This is a problem in the cheaper places and not in the bigger, better, more upmarket massage outlets / spas. It should be noted that Cambodia has stopped dealing in $1, $2, $5 bills so you get lumbered with the local currency, Riel, in change. To be clear, these smaller denominations are all still accepted if you have them, but don’t expect to receive them back in change. Word is that Phnom Penh was actually safer in the early, so-called dodgy days. It’s not just visitors but locals who are victims. That’s when you know it’s bad. If you visit Phnom Penh at this time, keep a very close eye on your valuables.

That’s not exactly inspiring news. Still, it’s a good reminder to maintain situational awareness wherever you are. On my previous trip to PP a few years ago, a masseuse I brought back to my room stole $100 from my pocket while I was taking a shower (that she suggested). Life’s lessons can be harsh at times, but that’s the price of an education.

So, my last night on the town in Barretto for a while went down like this:

I baked brownies (luckily, I have a gas stove) and bought some takeout food from the Jewel restaurant (lasagna, chicken wings, chicken fingers) for the Hideaway girls.

After Hideaway, I paid a visit to the lobby of the Paradise hotel, located between Wet Spot and Sit-n-Bull. It’s a small place, with, I think, eight rooms upstairs above the bar. I had stayed there briefly once or twice before. I had a 50% discount coupon for a room there, and given the uncertainty of the power being restored, I decided to hedge my bets by having a room to retreat to if necessary. The problem was there was no one behind the counter and no one to ask about a booking. Wet Spot wasn’t open yet, so I went to The Green Room. My waitress didn’t know anything about it but went to see what she could find out. A few minutes later, she came back with a room key. Talk about service!

Once Wet Spot opened, I went to pay the cashier there for the room. With my discount, it came to a whopping 650 pesos ($12). So, with my insurance secured, I headed down the highway to Snackbar to help Anne celebrate her birthday.

When I arrived at Snackbar, it was lit by candlelight (it’s on the same power grid as my house), but right as I sat down, the lights came on. Naturally, I took credit for the restoration of power. I checked with my domestic helper to confirm my house was also lit, and she said the lights had come back on, and then she heard a transformer explode, and things went dark again. Just my luck.

When it was time to depart, I took a trike home and had him wait while I gathered up my laptop, phone charger, and a change of clothes. Then he triked me back to the Paradise hotel. I set about plugging everything in to recharge and discovered that my laptop has a three-pronged plug, and I had neglected to bring the adapter. Then I noticed the airconditioner had a three-prong recepticle. And now I know the internet is more important to me than cool air. It was also a good reminder to pack my universal plug adapters–I don’t recall what the outlets take in Cambodia.

With my electronics being restored to life, I decided to venture downstairs for some more beers entertainment. I wanted to reward the waitress at The Green Room for helping to secure my room, so that’s what I did with lady drinks and a pizza for her and her co-workers to enjoy.

Then it was back upstairs to sleep it all off and hope for a better day to come. Alas, it was still blowing rain this morning.

After my meal, I packed up my belongings and got a trike home, only to discover the power was (and still is) out. Not a damn thing I can do about it, though.

Everything I’d hoped to get done today will have to wait. I’m sure I’ll be in no condition for anything but sleep after the Hash, even if the power has been restored. My flight tomorrow is at 10 p.m., and my driver will pick me up for Manila at 3:00. It’s All Saints Day, and I’m sure Manila traffic will be worse than normal, but I should have plenty of time to jump through whatever hoops lay ahead. Wish me luck!

Another tropical storm passed through last night and is still active today. Which has made me inactive. Too wet and wild for walking, and the power went out a few hours ago. So, I’ve been lazing on the couch with the sliding glass doors wide open, watching the trees dance in the wind and letting Mother Nature blow me.

Last night saw me filling in the hours in the usual way. I started out at IDM and had a nice visit with my pal Chris over a couple of beers. The waitress crew has apparently figured out that I’m not inclined to buy lady drinks there anymore–good service but not friendly or chatty these days. That’s okay; you get what you pay for.

My next stop was Cheap Charlies, and I had my usual gals there happy to keep me company in exchange for lady drinks. I was hungry, so I bought some food (chicken fingers, lumpia, and pancit) in a large enough quantity to share with most of the girls. I didn’t stay long there, though, because I had promised my Whiskey Girl girl that I would attend their Halloween party last night.

Anyway, as you can see, Halloween is a big deal in these parts, and the girls really seem to get into the whole costume thing. Nice seeing them have some fun at work.

When I left Whiskey Girl, I was planning on heading home, but there were no trikes waiting in the usual locations. So, I walked to the trike stand at the 7/11, and seeing as how I was right there at Snackbar; I popped in for a nightcap. It was as busy as I’ve ever seen them, and it got even busier during my visit. So busy, in fact, that I started feeling claustrophobic inside, so I retreated to one of the few remaining open seats at an outdoor table.

Once I sat down, Jenn (what is with all the Jens and Joys in my bar life?) pulled up a chair to join me.

My other favorite, Lydell, I had left inside when I was fleeing the crowd.

Actually, I enjoy them both, and since I’m buying the drinks, I don’t have to choose. Which is good because I’m not sure who I’d pick. I appreciate that Lydell comes hiking with us, though. And I’d really love to see more of Jenn, if you get my meaning. Oh well, that’s part of the fantasy life in my retirement town. None of it is real.

Speaking of crowds, I’m sure my readers have heard about the tragedy last night in my old hometown of Itaewon in Seoul. Halloween weekend has always been huge there, and frankly, I’ve walked the street where the stampede took place on a Halloween long ago and swore I’d neve do so again. Last night was the first post-scamdemic gathering, and I understand the crowds were even larger than normal. ROK Drop has a post with several chilling videos of the nightmare if you can stomach them.

I checked on my nephew Justin and several of my friends who still live in the area, and thankfully, they are all okay. Justin said he was in Itaewon but stayed safely inside of my old hangout, Shenanigans, all night. That’s how I used to roll too.

Shit, my laptop battery is about to go! Gotta run. Hopefully, the the power is restored here soon!

Yesterday we experienced a scheduled power outage, what the locals call a brownout. The lights went out at 0800 and weren’t due to be restored until 4:00 p.m. (they actually didn’t come back on until almost 4:30). The brownout covered parts of Barretto and all of Subic, so both Scott and I suffered from the impact. We decided to meet up and enjoy some sweaty exercise rather than spend the time in sweaty misery. Since it was just the two of us, we figured we could head out and see some rarely-seen sights. We considered San Antonio but ultimately hopped on a bus for San Marcelino. The last time we’d been out this way was in 2020. We usually do a 6 to 8K hike, but circumstances resulted in a longish 10K jaunt. Mostly flat and a little hot but enjoyable enough to be worth the effort.

What could have been a shitty day turned out to be a good one. I’ve already posted about the bar crawl, so give it a read if you missed it.

A promise made, a promise kept. I finally got around to documenting a Barretto bar crawl, the first of what I anticipate will be several “themed” adventures in exploring the various drinking establishments here in my little town. My motivation for last night’s adventure was this tiny scrap piece of paper:

Because of a day-long power outage, I was getting a later start than normal. I usually leave the house around four, but it was nearly six o’clock before I headed out last night.

I began my “crawl” at the junction of the National Highway and Baloy Beach road. I turned on my Map My Walk app, thinking that would show the distances between bars (they are all located on the highway). Unfortunately, that map came out looking like this:

Anyway, the entire distance between all the bars was only around 1K. Every bar except one were on the same side of the highway, so I didn’t have to play frogger too much. I did the first three bars in the order I passed them on the street. Then I went to the most distant remaining venue and worked my way back to others. Enough about logistics; let’s get crawling!

They do have bargirls here, but they are not aggressive. I usually just sit at the bar and never even get approached. That’s fine with me. My favorite, TinTin, hasn’t been around my last few visits. The male bartender is friendly and provides prompt service, so no complaints there.

Queen Vic’s claim to fame is that they feature live bands several nights a week. That’s not an attraction for me personally, but they have a nice setup for those who do:

I understand that on weekends after the bands are done, they do a disco routine that lasts until four in the morning. Heh, I’m not into the disco scene, and I’m NEVER awake during those hours, but it’s the only disco in town, and I reckon it’s a good venue for meeting freelancers (the bargirls from around town that come get discounted drinks).

Whiskey Girl is located almost directly across the highway from Queen Vic. Be careful when crossing!

I always enjoy the music here, especially now that I sit further away from the stage. I was the only customer during my brief visit, but it was still relatively early.

Back across the highway, and maybe a one-block walk, is the Alaska Club.

Alaska is one of my sentimental favorites, it being the first bar I visited in the Philippines back in its Angeles City iteration.

Next, I walked up the highway about half a kilometer to visit Voodoo.

I rarely patronize this bar except when it hosts the SOB. It’s a small venue and only offers dancers and bar girls for entertainment. They have a pretty decent lineup of girls, but photography is not allowed, so you’ll need to check them out on your own.

Walking back up the highway towards Baloy, maybe a hundred yards from Voodoo is the Hot Zone.

Once again, I was the only customer. They had eight attractive dancers on stage, and I couldn’t help but think about what a hard job it must be to be an entertainer with no one to entertain.

I felt sorry for the dancers and wanted to recognize their contribution to making the world a more beautiful place, so I handed out 50 peso notes to everyone on stage. There is a certain amount of pressure when you are the only best customer in the place.

Yeah, those beers were beginning to kick in, but I was only half a block away from my next bar.

To my surprise, the place was packed. I was thinking it was just a slow night in town, but I guess folks were just in a Green Room frame of mind. One of the waitresses asked me “what are you doing here? It’s already nine o’clock.” Yes, my habits are well known to some in this little town.

The also have a couple of gals that do back and shoulder massages. One of them I used before wanted to give one to me, and I said sure. But when I tried to take her picture she declined. That pissed me off a little, so I said, no picture, no massage. Yeah, I can be a bit of dick when I’ve had too much to drink.

Time to move on, and my next and last stop was right next door. Didn’t even have to leave the building.

It was also quite full of customers.

I drank my two beers here and congratulated myself on the successful conclusion of my bar crawl. It was actually kind of nice to be drinking with a purpose. Fourteen beers is pushing my limit, but I wasn’t stupid drunk or anything like that. A later start and a later finish, but probably not a significant amount of increased consumption.

And there you have the first in what will likely be a series of future themed accounts of my visits to the bars of Barretto. Hope you enjoyed it.

Grab it while you can! Love it or lose it! Take it to the limit! (I’m talking about life here, although, given my history, I can’t blame you if you assumed I meant something else.)

The life I enjoyed to the fullest yesterday included a great morning hike with the Wednesday Walkers and my usual quality time with my best friend, San Mig Zero, in the evening. Lots of photos from the trail at the end of this post.

Started my beer drinking at Hideaway and shared a pizza and some blueberry muffins with the gals. A customer had a muffin, too, and liked it so much that he bought me a beer. I’d call that a win!

Manager Griff bought me a beer as well, so my night was off to a sodden start. After I departed Hideway, I popped into The Green Room, but it was packed with a pool tournament. Luckily, there were plenty of seats next door at Wet Spot, so I settled in there for a while.

Lydell from Snackbar sent me a message requesting my presence there, so I made my way up the highway for a visit before calling it a night. Some fucker passing on the righthand shoulder where I was walking almost clipped me. The most dangerous part of my day is walking that pavement, and I fear someday it may kill my dream of dying while making love to a beautiful Filipina.

As usual, I wound up buying drinks for several of the Snackbar girls in addition to Lydell. I guess that’s the price you pay when you are a barroom hero! I’m not complaining; just saying. My belly full of beer and my wallet running on empty, I called it a night.

Now for the hike. It was a beautiful day, and we had a record turnout of fifteen fellow travelers. We hiked some paths we hadn’t done for quite a while, so that added to the sense of adventure. And we finished with lunch at a barbeque place that’s a bit off the beaten track, so it was the first time I’d actually sat down for a meal there. I wasn’t disappointed!

And so ended another hike.

Today was full of surprises, and I’ll share those with you tomorrow (that’s what we call foreshadowing). In fact, I envision TWO posts are going to be required. See you here again soon!

A pleasant enough evening out on the town last night. The SOB competition was held at Voodoo, a small venue, and it was packed. I was fortunate to be seated at the VIP table with the event sponsor, Daddy Dave. Also had my Voodoo sweetie by my side to keep me comfortable during the event. And it turns out SOB history was made in that, for the first time, Alaska, Wet Spot, Green Room, and Hot Zone were NOT among the winners. Yep, the three perennial also-rans really upped their dance game last night to finish in the money. It was an impressive showing.

I didn’t attend the Aftermath event, instead choosing to hang out in The Green Room for a while. I actually got coerced into playing a game of pool for the first time in years. Of course, I lost, but I didn’t give a shit. I played better than I expected I would.

Home by my appointed bedtime hour as is my custom.

Which leaves my daytime activity–the hike with the Friday walking group. We kept it mostly flat and somewhat beachy, doing a little over 7K in and around Calapacuan.

And there you have another episode in the story of my life in the retirement community called Barretto.

I had it in my mind to bake a cake for the Hideaway girls and proceeded accordingly. Once all the ingredients were blended, poured into the cake pans, and popped into the oven, I set my phone alarm for 2:53–thirty-five minutes later. Except in a moment of Biden-like idiocy, I somehow set the timer for 3:53. I got busy blogging and didn’t notice the passing of time until it was too late. The cake was not exactly burned, but it was dry and hard. My pride would certainly not let me serve such a debacle of tastelessness. Oh, well, it happens. With scarily increasing frequency.

The girls had to settle for Oreo cookies to go with their Chook’s fried chicken. They didn’t seem to mind.

With my duties completed (and several beers downed) at Hideaway, I moved on back up the highway. I was thinking I’d pop into the new Mugshots bar, but it was closed. Not sure what’s up with that. Hard to believe the owner threw in the towel less than one month after opening. I’ll update when I learn more about the situation.

I made Cheap Charlies my second stop instead. I don’t go there as much these days. The bargirl there that is scamming her foreigner “boyfriend” or her husband (or both) ignored my presence, and I notice she has unfriended me on Facebook. That’s fine with me; her messages of “love” to that dumb fuck in the USA were disgusting to witness. Maybe she was afraid I was going to rat her out, but I would never do such a thing. That’s why I’m not using her name on the blog, either. It’s not my place to get involved–I’ll let Karma sort it out. I got a nice back rub and some company from my other two regulars, and hey, it’s cheaper to buy two girls drinks than it is three. Win-win!

When I departed CC, I wasn’t sure where I was going to go next, but I was thinking I’d visit somewhere I rarely frequent. Then on a whim, I decided to hit Sloppy Joes. As usual, I sat in the outdoor area, watching the world go by on the highway. I got good service from a cute waitress but no companionship. That’s fine too. A bit later, two other young ladies came out, and I assumed they were employees as well. They sat at the table next to me, and when I finished my beer and asked to pay my tab, the cute one in a short skirt encouraged me to stick around for a while and enjoy “the party.” Hmm, well, I still hadn’t hit my bedtime, and I couldn’t think of anything better to do, so I ordered another beer.

Then the two girls changed the music to something from this century and got up and danced together. Well, twerking would be more accurate. And that one in the short skirt was amazing. She could really shake that ass, but she was also doing full-leg splits to the floor like a gymnast. And then twerking from that position too. Naturally, that little skirt rode up, and I had a direct panty-shot view. It was the sexiest dance routine I think I’ve ever seen, and she was certainly more skilled than most of the bar dancers in town.

When she finished her routine, I got up to take a leak. When I returned, she was having a bit of a confrontation with a young woman who had driven up during my absence. It was a scene reminiscent of a jealous girlfriend trying to drag her man out of the bar. Hard to believe such a sexy gal who seemed to enjoy putting on a show for me could be lesbian. Maybe the other woman was her sister. Anyway, Miss sexy short skirt went out to the car with her friend or whomever it was. My waitress explained that the girl did not work at Sloppy Joe’s; she was just hanging out at the bar. A kind of weird end to my night, but I did rather enjoy it.

Well, I did have another weird thing occur–I heard from my Korean wife, something that rarely happens. She wanted some advice about someone she had met online. He claimed he was an American doctor in Iraq and couldn’t wire money from there to his daughter for her birthday. I advised her it was an obvious scam. But she told me that he sent her a copy of his American passport.

Jee Yeun thanked me and blocked him. I hope she’s more careful about who she befriends in the future.

The other event in my day was the morning hike with the Wednesday Walkers group. We took a Jeepney out to Calapadayan (about 5K from Barretto). Our original plan was to do a short hill climb, then walk back to our little town. A wrong turn led to a much longer and steeper climb, and by the time we made it back down from the mountain, we were tuckered out, so took a Jeepney back home. Finished our adventure with lunch at John’s place.

Here are some photos from our journey:

I decree it to have been a good day!

It felt like hell along the way, but we made it to the top.

There's some hikers who know there's a long way to go
And they're climbing the stairway to heaven
When the get there they know they'll have sweat-soaked clothes
But they'll gain the sweet views that they came for

And they're climbing the stairway to heaven

Someone claimed it's a thousand steps, but we couldn't be sure
Because it seems no one has ever really counted
As we climbed our way up the locals thought we must be nuts
Because who goes that way if they don't have to

Ooh, and it makes me wonder
Ooh, and it makes me wonder

There's a feeling I get, that seems like regret
As my lungs they are crying for breathing
In my thoughts I have said this makes me feel dead
And I'm climbing these steps for the last time

And it makes me wonder

But then we make it to the top
And see our town down there below
And we can't help but let it show
How glad we are that we did go
We took each step and didn't stop
And though the hike was very hard
And we weren't moving very fast
We were all for fun and fun for all
We tripped on rocks but did not roll

We were climbing the stairway to heaven

(apologies to Led Zepplin and everyone who just read those butchered lyrics)

Alrighty then. Yesterday, our Friday group caught a Jeepney to Olongapo City and hiked back to Barretto by going up and over Kalaklan ridge using the path that has been dubbed “the stairway to heaven.” It’s been a long time since we’ve taken that route up and yesterday was a good reminder of why–it’s a tough bitch. I don’t know if it is really a thousand stair steps, but it was a 235-meter climb. But we got it done, and that brings with it a special sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Maybe for the last time.

And that was my daytime trip to heaven.

Last night I did attend the SOB at Whiskey Girl. I met one of the Whiskey Girl girls, and she joined me for a few drinks before the show.

I wound up not going to the Aftermath and made it a relatively early evening. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll

And she's buying a stairway to Heaven