No time

Posted on 27/October/2024 by John McCrarey

I’m going to be hitting the road soon for that four-hour drive home. I’ve got some nice pics from yesterday’s Hash, but they’ll have to wait until I have more time and a faster internet connection. So, this post is just a placeholder for now.

***Waving goodbye to La Union. I’ll be back in December.***

I’d paid my Hash fees in advance, so most of my expenses for the day were already covered.

Trike: 100 pesos
Tips: 250 pesos
Alcohol: 360 pesos
Dinner: 700 pesos
Total for October 26: 1410 pesos

There’s always time for politics, right?

In keeping with the theme of today’s post, the YouTube video is only two minutes long. The vlogger’s voice is irritating, but the photos are good. Kristine was a bitch, but luckily the damage in this part of Luzon wasn’t so bad. We did have a muddy Hash trail to deal with.

Some quick humor:

Anyway, I’ll get back when I can. But at least this post gives me one less thing to worry about. Later, gators!

Greetings from La Union

Posted on 26/October/2024 by John McCrarey

Or, to be more precise, hello from Bauang, which is a municipality within the province of La Union. We arrived at our destination after a thankfully uneventful four-hour drive. One of the local Hashers invited us to the local hangout, a bar formerly called Footlights and now goes by Amante. There was a Friday night special on offer that included all you could drink from four until eight pm, food, and a special dance performance. It sounded almost SOB-like and was priced similarly, at 650 pesos per person. So, that’s what we did. No Zero or wine was available, so we drank San Miguel Light. The higher alcohol content and the urge to drink my money’s worth created the drunken result you’d expect. The food was a serving of chicken cordon bleu, which was better than I had expected. The dance performance? Well, it was two gals dancing solo. The first song was typical bar gyrations, similar to what you see in Barretto. When the second song started, everything came off. Yep, totally nude dancing. This is the first time I’ve seen that anywhere in the Philippines. Now, being the old-fashion codger that I am, I prefer some things left to the imagination. But it was nice to see something a little different in a bar. Leave it to beaver!

Swan and I did a nightcap at the hotel bar, although, for some reason, I have little recollection of that event. And now, a new and sunny day has dawned. It looks to be a good day for Hashing!

***Our room at the Go Resort in Bauang. I stayed at this hotel last year, and by sheer coincidence, I’m staying in the same room now. I’ve never had that happen before.***

***Last year, I came alone. This year, Cums Alone is with Cum Together.***

***The bar formerly known as Footlights***

***Last time I was here the place was almost empty. The bar was surprisingly full of local expats yesterday***.

***And the meal that was part of the package deal***

Sorry to disappoint, but there are no photos of the dancers. After their performance, they came around all the tables (fully dressed again) with a tip jar. I was happy to reward them for showing us everything they have.

So, it was a good first night here in La Union.

Lady Drinks: 450 pesos
Alcohol: 200 pesos
Party: 1300 pesos
Tips: 350 pesos
Snacks: 550 pesos
Gasoline: 1000 pesos
Lodging: 5000 pesos
Trikes: 100 pesos
Total for October 25: 8750 pesos

Today’s stroll down memory lane:

***Eleven years ago, I was in Myrtle Beach, SC at the Ghost on the Coast darts tournament.***

***Eight years ago, I took a nighttime stroll on the streets of Seoul***

In today’s YouTube video, Reekay provides an update on the body that washed ashore–turns out it was not the kidnapping victim. I doubt he’s still alive though.

Let’s try some humor:

***I’m have keyboard issues, too. But I need new fingers.***

Okay, I’ve got the La Union Hash House Harriers 41st Anniversary event to attend to. Tell you all about it tomorrow.

Still in the dark

Posted on 25/October/2024 by John McCrarey

Power was restored briefly last evening, but it’s been out again since eight p.m. Rain is falling like crazy, and there are some heavy gusts of wind. The downed tree blocking our street has been cleared away, at least. Typhoon Kristine has proven to be a real bitch, and she doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to leave. This doesn’t bode well for our drive to La Union later this morning. Hopefully, it is not still raining when tomorrow’s Hash commences. Nothing to be done but wait and see.

So, let’s find out how long my laptop battery lasts. Yesterday was pretty much a shelter-in-place kind of day. I did visit the cardiologist for my test results. The most surprising news is that I have a urinary tract infection. And now I have some antibiotics to take twice a day. I still need an ultrasound of my leg veins; I am just waiting for the scheduling. Otherwise, the heart is ticking and tocking and doing its job. The goal is to continue that trend as long as possible. I haven’t experienced any breathing issues lately, and I’m especially thankful for that.

After I got back home, the power went out, and I wasn’t looking forward to spending the night sitting in the dark. My neighbor invited us over to join them in the solar-lighted house for some food and beers, and that was a welcome offer. Davina’s shrimp fajitas are amazing:

***The way I roll. Well, I hadn’t rolled it yet, but you know what I mean.***

We also killed an hour or so playing a board game, the name of which I can’t recall this morning. It involved drawing numbered tiles and playing them in sets. My old brain took some time to grasp the strategic imperatives required in choosing where and when to play the numbers, but I was never able to beat neighbor Jeff. Oh well, something different to fill the time. Ah, it was Rummikub.

***Never heard of it until last night***

After the power was restored, we said our goodnights and headed home. The joy of lights and fans didn’t last long, and we were once again cast into darkness. A fitful night’s sleep ensued, punctuated by noise from the howling winds and the drumbeat of rain against the windows. Then, I awoke to another wet morning in darkness.

Well, at least I didn’t spend much:

Prescription Meds: 1300 pesos
Doctor Visit: 700 pesos
Trike: 200 pesos
Total for October 24: 2200

It’s more fun to spend money than not. I reckon I’ll get the chance to make up for it some this weekend in La Union.

Some Facebook memories:

***Six years ago I was back in the USA and eating a Southern-style breakfast***

***Two years ago I was mocking the clowns dressed up for Halloween every day of the year.***

No battery power to preview a YouTube video for you this morning, so I’ll just share this one that looks interesting to this old man’s eyes. Things from the 1980s you can no longer do. Heh, don’t get me started!

Some humor while I can:

***We’ll find out on November 5 if the majority of Americans are stupid people.***

I’ll update y’all from La Union.

***The journey ahead. And yeah, Google needs to learn how to spell Barretto***

Blow me away

Posted on 24/October/2024 by John McCrarey

The wrath of typhoon Kristine is upon us. Not much rain, but lots of wind. And naturally, the power has been out for hours now. My mission is to finish today’s post before my laptop battery expires. Let’s do this!

Another lazy day yesterday, but at least I can blame the weather for my failure to exercise.

The rain didn’t stop me from donning an umbrella and heading for town with Swan by my side when beer o’clock rolled around.

***We made BarCelona our first stop. The rain let up some by the time we arrived.***

I was surprised to see that my waitress friend, Jenn, from Whiskey Girl, is now employed at BarCelona. She says the pay is better, and there is less drama. It’s nice to have a familiar face here, even if I infrequently visit this bar.

***Nice to see you again and good luck in your new job!***

The news from BarCelona is that the bar has finally changed hands. The new owner wasn’t around yesterday, but hopefully, he can find a way to attract more customers. For our first hour or so, we were groovin’ to the classic rock sounds being played on a quality sound system. And then, out of the blue, some crappy rap (but I repeat myself) began blaring. I told Swan if I had heard that noise when coming up the stairs, I would have turned around. Well, one rap song is one too many, but I can tolerate the discomfort. And then the next song was rap. And so was the one after that. I told Jenn it was time for us to go. While she was getting my bill, the only other customer in the bar (he’d actually been out on the rooftop deck) came in to pay and leave for the same reason. As we left, I told the cashier to consider who the customer base was when picking a playlist. She denied changing the music and claimed not to know how to resolve the issue. Whatever.

Wet Spot wasn’t open yet, so we made Green Room our next stop. Business as usual there, and we enjoyed drinking our drinks and watching the pool players.

***It was Chu’s lucky night…two lady drinks, some lumpia, and a one hundred peso tip!***

We brought sandwiches from Sit-n-Bull home with us for our dinner.

***And a footlong meatball sub for me. I could only eat six inches of it, but the leftovers made a nice breakfast for Swan’s sister.***

Not much of a Wednesday, but we made the best of it.

Part-time helper salary: 1000 pesos
Trike: 100 pesos
Dinner: 1200 pesos
Tips: 340 pesos
Alcohol: 800 pesos
Lady Drinks: 680 pesos
Total for October 23: 4220 pesos

The rare day of spending less than 5000 pesos!

Today’s memories don’t come from Facebook; instead, I found them in the dark archives here at Long Time Gone. This post from 2009 was a good reminder that there was a time when I occasionally wrote something of substance on the blog. I had recently signed up on Facebook and reconnected with a high school classmate who worked with me on the school newspaper. He was working as a journalist for a major paper in the Pacific Northwest and was lamenting the declining economics of the newspaper industry. I had been a fellow liberal brother-in-arms back in our youth but had outgrown that mindset. I pointed out some reasons why the left-wing reporting bias was hurting the news business. I guess he disagreed, and like many of my lefty acquaintances, he unfriended me. Oh well, at least his echo-chamber world view was preserved. Probably one of the better posts in the almost twenty-year history of LTG.

The other memory was a photo I posted on the blog from my days as a cross-country skier in the mountains of Northern Arizona circa 1982. That post contained just the photograph and one of my favorite Sara Teasdale poems:

Let it be forgotten, as a flower is forgotten,
Forgotten as a fire that once was singing gold,
Let it be forgotten for ever and ever,
Time is a kind friend, he will make us old.

If anyone asks, say it was forgotten
Long and long ago,
As a flower, as a fire, as a hushed footfall
In a long forgotten snow.

Man oh man, a good reminder that we don’t appreciate what we have until it is gone. I hadn’t thought about those long ago days in a very long time, and seeing that picture again brought back a flood of memories. Damn, I’d like to be a time traveler and whisper some wisdom in that guy’s ear. But knowing me, I probably wouldn’t have listened.

Speaking of fools, here are some updates on that guy I posted about who was kidnapped a few days ago. The more I learn about this young man, the worse it gets. A white guy’s body washed ashore in the region, but it has not been positively identified as being him yet. Anyway, either way it is doubtful he is still alive. You can read a news account here, and today’s YouTube videos have two different vloggers weighing in with the latest details of this guy’s final days. I found it both interesting and sad that he had converted to Islam and taken the name Muhammed. A lot of good it did him.

Time to cleanse the palate with some humor:

***That’s a little too close to home these days.***

Well, the good news is I made it through this post on low batt. The bad news is the storm has just hit with full fury…heavy winds and rain. And now this just happened:

***Blocking the road and landed on top of the power lines. Looks like I’m going to be in the dark for a while.***

Oh well, nothing I can do about it. I’m leaving tomorrow morning to spend the weekend in La Union. It’s on the ocean so hopefully this storm has blown through by then. We shall see. I’ll update tomorrow if I have the power to do so.

Dylan wrote it…

But I grew up on this version:

Still like it better.

Piss ‘n blood

Posted on 23/October/2024 by John McCrarey

Another empty page has now been filled, but it being a Tuesday, there were plenty of open spaces. That’s why we have to live them to see what they may bring.

In a break from the normal routine, we stopped at the Ulticare Hospital on the way to Royal. It seems they were in need of a donation. So, I gave them a vial of my blood, but that wasn’t enough for the greedy bastards.

***They also wanted my urine. I didn’t get pissy about it; I just gave them some.***

Shopping went as expected, and I was pleasantly surprised to see corn bread mix on sale.

Even with the sale prices, groceries don’t come cheap these days:

***The price you gotta pay when you don’t like Filipino street food.***

With the morning chores completed, it was time to think about those late afternoon hours. I had it in my head to do the Baloy Beach thing, but I asked Swan what she wanted to do first. “How about Baloy?” was her response. It is so sweet that we are on the same page most of the time.

And then I noticed this:

***It is, indeed! My oh my, the Donald has fans way out here. “Take America Back!” is a sentiment I support.***

We spent a pleasant hour at Kokomo’s, chatting (and drinking) with the owner. He had planned on anchoring the floating bar this week, but Typhoon Kristine changed those plans. Hopefully, I’ll be spending my Tuesday evenings on the floater starting next month.

When we were ready to eat, we headed up the beach to Treasure Island. They weren’t too busy, and the owner bought us a round of drinks. Swan asked me if I would order some food for the waitresses, and of course, I did not object. Another example of us being on the same page.

***I ordered those big ol’ beef enchiladas again. One for dinner, and one for my breakfast this morning.***

***Swan got a small Hawaiian pizza and brought the leftovers home for her sister.***

We finished our drinks and grabbed a trike to Alta Vista. And so ended another day in the life.

“Money don’t get everything, it’s true, but what it don’t get, I can’t use…”

Dinner: 1160 pesos
Tips: 350 pesos
Groceries: 15,500 pesos
Alcohol: 1110 pesos
Electricity: 3800
Driver: 1000 pesos
Healthcare: 750 pesos
Charity: 200 pesos
Trike: 100 pesos
Total for October 22: 22,970 pesos

Twelve years ago, I was hanging with my pal Simon in Itaewon to celebrate his birthday.

Seven years ago, I penned this gem:

Death to Aria! I was attacked in my sleep last night. The battle raged from 0200-0300. I was unable to digest why it was happening and was in danger of being completely liquefied. I retreated from the bedroom and eventually purged the intruder. When I awoke a few hours later, I found myself on more solid ground. I’m just glad the attack didn’t occur on the subway, or I would have been in deep doo-doo.

Who says those creative writing classes were a waste of time?

I’m laughing at a lot of those Trump doing McDonald’s memes. Like this one:

***The pandering exploded lefty heads almost like a Hezbollah pager!***

Today’s YouTube video is the latest from Reekay, talking about mistakes guys make in their search for the perfect Filipina. I’ve found the right one for me, but it took me over five years of fuck-ups. So, here’s your chance to learn from the ignorance of others:

Today’s funnies:

***Now tell us about the ups and downs***

***He’d hate the Philippines. Christmas music starts in September.***

***Yes, and my reposting it here will probably warrant a ticket to hell.***

Well, so far, at least, the typhoon has brought some mild rain and very little wind. I’ve seen photos of flooding elsewhere in the PI. It was enough to cancel the Wednesday Walkers group hike this morning, though. I’m likely going to break out the umbrella come beer o’clock and give a local bar or two some business. Hey, I call it disaster relief! I’ll let you know how that works out for me tomorrow.

Hashy Anniversary!

Posted on 22/October/2024 by John McCrarey

The Subic Bay Hash House Harriers have been marching for thirty-one years now, and I’ve been honored to be involved in six of them. In a typical week, we have between thirty and forty participants. Yesterday, 133 Hashers, including a large contingent from Pattaya, Thailand, joined the fun. Thanks for sharing in the celebration!

There were three options yesterday: long, medium, and short trails. Long and medium hikers took Jeepneys to Olongapo City and started from there. The short trail (5.5K) involved a harder-than-I-remembered climb, but it wasn’t bad after that. And no, I did not shortcut, even though the thought crossed my mind. The gathering for the Hash circle at Subiza seemed to go well, so that was a relief. The party continued at It Doesn’t Matter following the Hash. There’s a reason we are known as a “drinking club with a running problem.” Good times!

***Passing through the squatter village on the way to the Hash, I was quite impressed with this work of art in progress.***

***The short trail Hashers gather at the VFW. Lots of unfamiliar faces.***

***It felt like the steps would never end***

***And even when the steps ended, the climbing wasn’t over***

***To shortcut or not? Temptation was overcome and we continued onward***

***Passing through Mountain Mama Onelia’s place…nobody was home yesterday.***

***The Thanksgiving turkey was already in the kitchen***

***That ridgeline the short trail avoided***

***The first medium trail hikers to pass us***

***I love this cabin in the woods. Sitting on the porch with a cold beer and enjoying the view would *almost* make the isolation bearable.***

***Getting passed by a runner from the long trail***

***On-Home at Subiza with Blow My Pipe managing the anniversary shirt sales***

***With well over one hundred Hashers in attendance, seats were at a premium***

***(L-R) Queen Asswipe, Roadwhore, Fucking Old Man, and Pubic Head: Subic Hashers with over 1000 Runs***

***Pattaya Hasher contingent discovers that it is nice on ice!***

***Photographic evidence that I do indeed suck***

***We packed the house at the after-Hash gathering at IDM***

***The Gash had their own party outside***

***But you swore nothing would keep us apart!***

***I have no idea what triggered that spike at 10 p.m.–it must have been a helluva dream!***

It’s great to still be living the good life after all these years.

***I’ve had my share of Coors over the years, but none since I left the USA.***

The day was not free, of course:

Charity: 11,500 pesos (donation for cancer treatment)
Prescription Meds: 1500 pesos
Tips: 100 pesos
Alcohol: 850 pesos
Dinner: 750 pesos
Lady Drinks: 400 pesos
Trike: 200 pesos
Hash Fees: 1300 pesos
Snacks: 100 pesos
Total for October 21: 16,700 pesos

Ten more days to go before I do my monthly reckoning.

You may have noticed an influx of spam comments. I turned off my blockers to see if that would improve access for those using VPNs. It might have helped some, but deleting all that spam was a chore, so the blockers are back in operation. Sorry for whatever inconvenience that may cause.

In other news, there’s a storm a-brewin’.

***I’m heading for La Union this weekend to participate in the Hash. It could be a wet and wild one.***

Today’s memory is from seven years ago when I made a four-hour roundtrip bike ride from Pyeongtaek to Asan and back.

***I don’t recall going with anyone, but someone took this picture of my arrival at Asan.***

Election day is approaching, and the voting shenanigans have already begun.

Today’s YouTube video might be my all-time favorite from The Filipina Pea. In it, she takes on a white woman who is critical of men moving to Asia for the women. Pea decimates her in a must-see takedown. The white gal is the perfect example of what Western men are running away from. Have a look and judge for yourself:

Ready for some humor?

***That’s what happens when you monkey around without protection***

***She’s at least half right about that.***

I’m halfway through my Tuesday now and unsure what lies ahead. I’ll consult with Swan for her preferences, but I’m thinking Baloy might be a good option. Come back for more of my drivel tomorrow if you dare!

Getting it done

Posted on 21/October/2024 by John McCrarey

Life is what it is, and this is how it was yesterday: A Candy Walk, a feeding, a dinner, and some liquid refreshment along the way. And I’ve got the pictures to prove it!

***Time waits for no man…and neither does Swan, especially when he is peeing.***

***I was surprised to run into Hashers Wesley and Aurora lounging by the riverside***

**The temporary bridge is still there, but** ***it has been closed to traffic. It does make for a waterpark-like attraction, though.***

***The end of the journey. Over 200 kids received their sweets ration.***

Later in the day, I made my way to Hideaway for the weekly feeding.

Next up was surviving a highway crossing and dining at John’s place.

***Swan ordered this beef and veggies dish***

***Swan was disappointed when her dinner was served, noting the lack of broccoli that was shown in the menu rendition.***

**I rather enjoyed my steak.** ***I wanted to compare its taste and value to the one I had at Jewel the night before. This one was twice the size and much more tender. John’s cost 50% more, but it was worth it.***

***Dinner is over and we are ready for our nightcap***

We finished the day at Green Room, where we enjoyed watching some pool competitors in action. Lady drinks were dispensed, and beer was imbibed. I got a shoulder rub from Sally, but it didn’t get any lower than that.

So, I caught some flack in the comments about my criticism of the guy getting his crotch rubbed on Friday night. Let me try and clarify my objections. To begin with, whatever happens between a customer and a GRO is between them, and it is none of my business. I’ve seen worse than the Friday show. I don’t enjoy seeing guys grabbing tits or gals grabbing dick, but that’s between them. That said, Green Room touts itself as a “sports bar,” not a whore bar. I was there on Friday to watch a dance competition, and I had my girl with me. I saw what was happening at the next table and looked away. Swan got offended. I stand by my belief that it wasn’t the time or place for hands-on behavior, but I’ll concede it doesn’t make the guy a ghastly asshole. It’s a Barretto bar full of girls wanting to make money; I can always go elsewhere if I don’t like it. The fact that I was back at Green Room with my girl last night demonstrates that we are both over it.

Here’s what my Sunday cost me:

Tips: 500 pesos
Alcohol: 1190 pesos
Lady Drinks: 1050 pesos
Snacks: 200 pesos
Dinner: 1290 pesos
Trikes: 300 pesos
Charity: 2150 pesos
Trash Collection: 100 pesos
Lunch: 550 pesos
Total for October 20: 7282 pesos

Another Facebook memory from my Korea life:

***Nine years ago, I enjoyed a picnic lunch on Yongsan Garrison with my team***.

I was looking at pictures from the Anniversary Hash in 2019 and had a chuckle over this one:

**That’s Mountain Mama MJ randomly passing by on her trike with her two kids.** ***This was before I met her, and now I’m her sponsor. It’s funny how things turned out.***

Today’s YouTube vlogger advises against opening a business for the family to operate. The examples given are pretty familiar. My direct experience was sponsoring the eatery Marissa wanted. That lasted all of six months. Still, when I thought about that beach bar in Bantay Bayan I wrote about yesterday, I knew it would have to be in Swan’s name, and I felt confident that it would do fine in her capable hands. I’m just not wanting to upend my life with the major changes that would be required. Still, I’m cognizant of the fact that she’ll outlive me, and I’d like to find a way for her to carry on without my support when the end of my days arrives.

I’ll take this as a sign that today’s humor will be punny indeed:

***When you are as mindless as Kamala and Biden, stealing ideas is your only option.***

***They have their ups and downs, but rarely leave me laughing***

***Sounds like a Hash name in there somewhere***

Speaking of the Hash, today is the 31st Anniversary of the Subic Bay Hash House Harriers. The long and medium trails involve transport to Olongapo City, then a climb up to Kalaklan Ridge and down the other side. Departure for those is at noon from VFW. The short trail leaves at one from the VFW and has a climb, but not a Kalaklan-level (steep?) ascent. You know which one I’ll be doing. On-Home is at Subiza Resort on Baloy. I’m a little worried if they are going to be able to accommodate the needs of an anticipated one hundred Hashers, but we are fixin’ to find out. I’ll share how it goes tomorrow.

The steaks weren’t high

Posted on 20/October/2024 by John McCrarey

But they were pretty small. Here’s where things stood on SATurday.

Swan joined me for the Saturday morning stroll. She thinks walking in Barretto is boring, so we took a Jeepney ride out of town and explored the backstreets of a small village called Bantay Bayan. I’ve walked through there on hikes before and always liked the place’s vibe. It’s an isolated community on the beach but still accessible via the National Highway. The highway doesn’t go through the town; it’s up above it on the hillside. Naturally, Swan handed out sweets to the kids we encountered during our walk.

***On the way to catch our Jeepney, we walked through the small village just outside the gates of Alta Vista***

**On the highway above our destination in Bantay Bayan,** ***a new access road is under construction, which will make the village much more easily accessible.***

***In the interim, we walked a steep path down.***

***I imagine this gets very slippery when wet. Wouldn’t want to walk it after dark either.***

***Wherever she goes, Swan is popular with the kids***

***This alley featured a nice dead-end on the beach***

On my previous walks through this village, I observed a place called “The Index,” but it was never open when I passed by. Yesterday, some construction was going on, and one of the workers said we could come in for a look-see.

***Hmm. This has some potential to be a nice beach bar. Needs a lot of work, though.***

As we were looking around, a Filipino man having coffee and a smoke at one of the tables greeted us. The first thing he said to me was, “Index is for sale.” I told him, “Not today,” but it gave me something to think about.

***An “acoustic sing-along bar”*** ***sounds nice, as long as the volume is turned down some. Swan and I may visit when things are up and running again and see if we like the vibe.***

Of course, upon reflection, I realize the fantasy of owning a beach bar and the reality of actually running one are two different things. I’d have to move to Bantay Bayan for one thing. It’s only five kilometers from Barretto, but it would still be a pain in the ass without some major lifestyle changes. And the bar would cater to an almost exclusively local crowd, so I’m not sure how much fun that would be for me. I did see one other white guy on the walkabout, so there’s that.

***Riding the Jeepney back to Barretto***

***That’s Bantay Bayan at the bottom of the map. No, we didn’t swim across the bay. I turned the tracker off when we caught the Jeepney in Barretto, then restarted it again at our destination.***

I promised Swan dinner at Jewel, and we stopped at It Doesn’t Matter for some pre-meal liquid refreshments on our way there. Ran into my pals Scott and Jim, and before we left a couple more bar hoppers arrived. I never get invited to join in those excursions; I guess I have the reputation of being a lightweight. Oh well, I had a date anyway.

There was a large and loud Filipino group at Jewel Cafe when we arrived, but they left shortly thereafter. Before we’d finished our meal, an even bigger group came in, including a passel of kids. Another large group was seated in the outside area. I like Jewel and was happy to see them doing so well with the Saturday dinner crowd.

Swan had been hankering for the Jewel steak dinner–a filet mignon for 499 pesos. I ordered one as well.

***You are not going to get much meat for ten bucks, but what little there was tasted good.***

We hadn’t been to Alaska Club for a while, and owner Jerry is back in town, so that was our next stop. We were the day’s first customers for them, but the music was good, and the girls were dancing (which is rare in other bars). As is my custom, I rewarded the dance crew with fifty pesos each for their effort (there were ten of them). Our waitress enjoyed two lady drinks and a nice tip for her service. We did our nightcap at Wet Spot and spent recklessly there as well. Aine joined us again, along with waitress Irene and boss lady Beth, and they all quenched their thirst on my tab. Hey, that’s just the way I roll. And nobody rubbed my crotch!

With eight o’clock approaching and my drinking capacity maxed out, we called for our trike and headed home.

***Where a slice of Swan’s homemade blueberry cheesecake*** ***awaited my arrival.***

A sweet ending to the day, indeed!

Easy come, easy go:

Lady Drinks: 800 pesos
Alcohol: 1500 pesos
Dinner: 1000 pesos
Charity: 50 pesos
Tips: 850 pesos
Jeepney: 100 pesos
Trike: 200 pesos
Total for October 19: 4500 pesos

Memories of Seoul from seven years ago when I did a trek to the summit of Namsan.

Damn, I do miss those days.

So, I posted the video yesterday about that poor smuck who was kidnapped in Zamboanga. Turns out he was a vlogger and had posted videos acknowledging that his life was in danger living there.

This news article provides additional information on the sad story of Elliot Eastman.

***That’s the victim with his Muslim wife. Only twenty-six years old.***

Good luck to him where ever he may be. He’s going to need it.

Alright, hard to transition from that story to the humor, but here goes anyway:

***Their bark is worse than their bite, I hope.***

***Another one of my old jokes that has now been rendered in comic form. Damn it, I stole it first!***

***I beg to differ, but don’t take my word for it.***

So, another Sunday feeding at Hideaway is on tap, followed by my dinner with Swan at John’s place. No complaints, even if it does have a “Groundhog Day” feel about it. Kind of like reading this blog, I suppose.

Some days are good, others are a real SOB

Posted on 19/October/2024 by John McCrarey

I report, you decide.

The day began with the Friday group hike. We kept it local this time, and other than fighting our way through the overgrown thatch grass, we had a good walk.

***Sun, smoke, and poverty captured in one photo***

***Almost like a walk in the park…except it was uphill.***

***Michael did a good job keeping us on the right path***

***The grass was taller than Easter Mountain, or so it appears***

***Out of the grass and into the woods***

***Passing through Mountain Mama Onelia’s place***

***Vines on powerlines are common in these parts, but those dangling string-like things are pretty unique.***

***Haven’t seen a funeral banner for a while. Leonida made it to ninety-five. Well done!***

It was SOB Friday, and when I attend, I arrive early in order to secure a good seat. Most of the venues open at five, and the show starts at six. The Green Room’s regular opening hour is four, so that meant having a longer than usual wait. Swan joins me just before the show begins to avoid that suffering. So, how do you kill the time sitting in a bar? Oh yeah, beer!

***I also ordered a sub sandwich from Sit-n-Bull***

The show started on time. Seven hundred pesos each for admission, but the beer is free from six to eight. I consider it a challenge to get my money’s worth, but I can’t drink enough to make up for that slowpoke Swan. No big deal. Before the dancing started, Swan observed one of the GROs rubbing the crotch of the guy at a nearby table. She called the guy an asshole, but I pointed out he wasn’t rubbing on the girl. Anyway, people do what they do, and it is not my concern if it doesn’t affect me.

I was a judge for the contest again, and this week, I was totally in sync with my fellow judges:

***The home team, Green Room, finished second***

***And Wet Spot was this week’s champion***

As usual, when the show was over, I was done. We had our regular trike driver meet us outside and headed home.

Here’s how I emptied my wallet yesterday:

Cable/Internet: 3500 pesos
Alcohol: 450 pesos
Tips: 420 pesos
Trike: 200 pesos
Phone: 3800 pesos
Lady Drinks: 700 pesos
Charity: 3500 pesos
Snacks: 100 pesos
SOB Fee: 1400 pesos
Dinner: 520 pesos
Total for October 18: 14,590 pesos

Ah, the memories.

***Eleven years ago, I was appreciating the unique street art of Korea.***

***Look familiar? Five years ago, I did the same hike I wrote about today***

Yesterday’s YouTube videos about the poor SOB locked up in jail for pot possession were a lesson in the consequences of being stupid. And today, we have yet another example. Reekay shares the story of a Yank who was kidnapped in Zamboanga, a stronghold for Muslim terrorists in southern Mindanao. I wouldn’t even VISIT that area, let alone choose to live there. Stupid is as stupid does, I suppose. I wish him well, but unless he knows someone willing to pay a hefty ransom, he’s screwed.

Alright, to the humor then:

***Kinda like what happened to you, right Kevin?***

Saturday is in play. Swan says she is craving a steak dinner at Jewel Cafe, and I’m going to leave her feeling satisfied in that regard. After that, who knows? I do have some coupons from the SOB to expend, so we shall see.

What’s to do on a Thirstday?

Posted on 18/October/2024 by John McCrarey

Besides drinking? Not much.

***Kicked things off with coffee in my newly purchased mug. There is a first time for everything!***

***Then, there was the morning dog walk. The boys get some off-leash time on this uninhabited street.***

***And then I walked myself—a 6+K stroll on the streets of Barretto.***

Exciting shit, eh? But wait, there’s more! It had been days (two of them!) since I’d last interjected myself in the Barretto nightlife scene. I decided some treats for the girls were in order, so I brought along chocolate marshmallow pies, some lollipops, and this bag of candy:

***This was intended to be a prop for a joke. It cost me five bucks at Royal, but I’ll pay for a laugh. But sometimes the joke’s on me.***

One of my favorites at the It Doesn’t Matter bar is a gal that goes by the name of Hershe. I’ve teased her in the past by misreading it as “he-she” and asking if she was a bakla (trans). So, my plan last night was to call her over to my table and tell her there is something I’ve wanted to do since we first met, but she should get a lady drink first. When she returned, I would say, I hope you will understand my intentions. I’ve already discussed this with Swan (yes, Swan was in on the joke), and she is fine with me doing this. Having created the appropriate level of anticipation, I would then say, “Hershe, I want to give you kisses!” After enjoying her reaction, I would pull the candy out of the bag and hand it to her. Then we’d all have a good chuckle. Except my plans went awry when Hershe chose not to show up for work. Oh well, I took the bag of candy to Wet Spot and told the head waitress I wanted to give all the girls kisses. I let her do the distribution.

We wound up staying at IDM longer than usual and enjoyed some food with our beverages.

***Swan also enjoyed the company of IDM manager Ashley during our visit.***

As mentioned, we did our nightcap at Wet Spot. I bought the usual lady drinks for waitress Irene and head waitress (and Hasher) Beth. The surprise of the visit occurred when Aine came down off her high horse and greeted us at our table before ascending to the stage to join the other dancers. Swan had no issues with bringing Aine down to enjoy a lady drink for old-times sake. In a gesture of goodwill, I offered Aine something to suck on, and she gratefully accepted (a lollipop). Anyway, I sensed Swan didn’t engage with Aine with as much camaraderie as she had in the past. I guess that’s what happens when someone reveals the true nature of their character, as Aine did in turning her back on a friend.

Anyhoo, we had a nice enough evening out in Barretto. Dropped more change than usual in the bars, especially on lady drinks. But that’s the price you pay sometimes when you are having a good time. And I’m sure the gals appreciated it.

Alcohol: 1150 pesos
Lady Drinks: 1400 pesos
Dinner: 850 pesos
Charity 600 pesos
Tips: 250 pesos
Trike: 200 pesos
Snacks: 700 pesos
Prescription Meds: 600 pesos
Total for October 17: 5750 pesos

Facebook memories carried me back to Pyeongtaek where I attended a staff dinner party/housewarming at the new home of one of my employees, Ms. Yi.

***Seven long years ago. My, how my life has changed.***

At least my life has not changed in the way this guy’s did–in a Filipino jail for possession of marijuana. Using and selling drugs in this country is beyond dumb. My number one goal since moving here has been to avoid doing ANYTHING that might be construed as criminal. Yeah, that eighteen-year-old was borderline stupid, but I did at least get a copy of her birth certificate before agreeing to meet her in person. Anyway, this guy is screwed. He was apparently not popular with his fellow Angeles expats, but I wouldn’t wish this fate on anyone. It was his own damn fault, though.

Here’s a take on the situation from another vlogger (including visiting the guy in jail) if you are interested.

I need some humor after watching that shit:

***Dude has some balls, that’s for sure.***

***It’s always the last place you look***

***Been there, done that, that, that, that.***

I woke up to this staring at me through the bedroom window this morning.

Swan and I will be attending the SOB dance competition tonight at Green Room. We’ll turn another page in the story of my life tomorrow. See you then!

Beachy keeno

Posted on 17/October/2024 by John McCrarey

The Wednesday Walkers made the journey out to San Narciso, and we shared a beach adventure. Swan and I enjoyed breakfast together on the Mope Resort beachside pavilion as we awaited the group’s arrival. Oh, and reader Scott reminded me that Mope = My Outta Pocket Expenses. The Aussie sponsor has a nice sense of humor!

***The Mope menu. We shared the pancakes with eggs and toast.***

***The Mope pool that neither of us used***

***Swan never misses an opportunity to dispense some sweetness to the kiddies.***

***The Wednesday Walkers have arrived***

***None of us know what might lay ahead.***

***Here’s a cute little place we passed. The stools ought to be facing the other way, though, so you can enjoy the beach view.***

***Off the pavement and onto the sand***

***It’s been a while since we’ve done a group hike on the beach***

***It was nice, but a little on the warm side***

***Ten Toes On The Nose. Back when I was a beach bum in California, we called it “Hang Ten”***

***Looks like the dogs are keeping a watch on their master.***

***Walking in the sand makes each step a tad more difficult, kinda like one step feels like two.***

***And the beach wasn’t always flat, causing some sideways slippage in places.***

***Michael says follow me! It got deeper a couple of steps further in.***

***Swan is short, and she doesn’t swim. I held her hand as we crossed***. ***What came up to my waist was almost to her neck. We made it, though.***

***Gary, also a non-swimmer, wasn’t so fortunate. He slipped and fell into the current. Michael grabbed his arm before he was washed away.***

***So we found ourselves at this abandoned beach resort***

***Things didn’t work out for Shyrel when she tried sitting on this bench.***

The caretaker (the guy with no shirt) wasn’t too friendly towards us trespassers. He told us the gate to the road was closed. I gave him a bag of cookies for his trouble, and magically the gate was opened.

***And then we hit the river. I’d been seeing ships like that one coming and going throughout the visit.***

***We couldn’t tell what the ship was doing there. Discharging loads of water over the side, but why?***

***We went this way because it “felt” like the right direction***

So, one of the locals told us to turn right. We did, and reached the end of the road. A local there said there was no way through. Scott, Swan, and I retreated back the way we came. The rest of the group continued marching forward.

***The path I took wound up on the highway. I was surprised to see we had reached San Felipe.***

***Walking the highway back to San Narciso***

***And then this trike pulled up and offered us a ride. We didn’t say no.***

***The plan had been to meet up at Joe’s Dawgs. We arrived just a few minutes earlier than the other contingent of Wednesday Walkers.***

***The orange line is the route the others took. It did involve a shallow river crossing, but they had no problems otherwise. Scott and I conceded we should have gone with them.***

***Two of those weird ships passing in the sea.***

After lunch, I walked back to Mope with Swan and Michael. Michael retrieved his car and left to pick up the group at Joe’s. My driver was waiting when we arrived. I checked out of my room, and we headed for home.

***We stopped at the Subic marketplace and picked up this week’s supply of candy***

When we arrived home, the power outage was still ongoing, but it was restored a few minutes before the scheduled six p.m. end. I decided the rooftop was The Rite Spot for me to spend my Wednesday evening.

***The view when I arrived at The Rite Spot***

***Spaghetti with meat sauce is a Rite Spot specialty.***

***Swan’s family from Subic joined us for dinner***

And so ended another day in the life.

Here’s how I emptied my wallet:

Driver: 2000 pesos
Charity: 2300 pesos (candy)
Tips: 400 pesos
Breakfast: 500 pesos
Alcohol: 600 pesos
Lunch: 400 pesos
Trike: 150 pesos
Total for October 16: 6350

I mentioned the other day that you don’t see down-and-out expats on the streets of Barretto. Sadly, that’s not true everywhere. One of the Facebook groups I follow posted this photo today:

***I wish him well, but he doesn’t look long for this world. I’m sure what led him here is a sad story indeed.***

Living with less is a common thing for many Filipinos. In today’s YouTube video, The Filipina Pea visits a provincial family to show us their way of life. I see many similar residences in my backcountry walks, so I found hearing and seeing the way things are quite fascinating.

Today’s funny stuff:

***It stinks when things are ass-backwards***

I reckon I ought to see what’s been going on in Barretto since I’ve not visited for two whole nights now. Someone has to keep the bars in business, right?

Nice to beach you!

Posted on 16/October/2024 by John McCrarey

The rare fun-filled Tuesday is now history. Well, it wasn’t all fun. I kicked things off with a visit to the immigration office for another sixty-day tourist visa extension, which got approved without a problem. I also had to renew my Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR) card, so my fees were doubled this time. Oh, well, that’s the price you gotta pay.

Next up was the grocery shopping chore. I gave the Pure Gold supermarket a try in search of things I can’t find at Royal. Wound up spending over 11,000 so I guess it was a successful endeavor. Then, I went to Royal to fill in the gaps and spent another 11,000. Oh, well. The cabinets are full again.

We offloaded the groceries at home, loaded up the suitcase and backpacks, then headed for San Narciso. I turned on my tracker so I could map the journey, and it looks like this:

**That’s the way to get there.** It turns out it is right at 29K from my door to Mope Resort. That’s less than Kevin will be walking every day on his trek across Korea. In my wildest dreams, I can’t see myself walking all the way to San Narciso in a day.

I got a nice room this time, not that I spent much time in there. We unpacked, I knocked out yesterday’s blog post, and then we headed to the place that makes Mope special…outside seating with beach views. And cold beer, of course!

Our friend Michael arrived later in the afternoon; then he took a swim in the ocean. He joined us for a beer before we headed to resto-bar a few blocks away named Joe’s Dawgs.

***It was nice meeting the American owner, Joe. Originally from Ohio, then he had a hot dog stand in Florida before making the Philippines his new home.***

***We were the only customers during a visit last night.***

***That’s pretty cheap for a roast beef sandwich, so I gave it a try.***

***I prefer a roll to a bun; otherwise, it wasn’t bad.***

When we were done at Joe’s, Michael dropped us back at Mope and headed home. The night’s fun wasn’t over, though. Swan and I grabbed some seats and engaged in our nightcap activities. I had a hankering for some ice cream and sent one of the Mope crew to the store to fetch what I thought would be cones.

***I had given him enough money to get something for everyone, and he returned with two half-gallon cartons. We gave one to the crew to share, and I dove into the rocky road.***

The look on your face when your sweet tooth is satiated. And you’ve had one too many beers. No Zero in stock, so I’d been drinking the higher-alcohol San Mig Lights all night. As you can see, I got a little sloppy scooping the ice cream, too.

So, it was off to bed for a good night’s sleep in preparation for today’s adventure. I’ll tell you about that tomorrow.

What yesterday cost me:

Tips: 670 pesos
Alcohol:1600 pesos
Snacks: 800 pesos
Dinner: 500 pesos
Driver: 3000 pesos
Visa Extension: 6200 pesos
Hotel: 2750 pesos
Charity: 200 pesos
Groceries: 22,700 pesos
Total for October 16: 38,420 pesos

Good times don’t come cheap!

Eleven years ago, I was hanging out at the Puddlin’ Duck in Columbia, South Carolina, with my dart buddies, Gunny and James.

Sadly, both of them left this world behind within a couple of short years after that happy day.

Today’s YouTube video talks about the things Filipinos find weird about foreigners. I’m guilty of most of them.

Humor time:

***Time gets on ticking into the future***

I am literally out of time. No power here and my laptop battery is almost gone. I’ll fill the gaps tomorrow.

Greetings from San Narciso

Posted on 15/October/2024 by John McCrarey

Arrived an hour ago, set up the laptop, and now I’m going to dash off a post for my few and faithful readers. It was Hash day yesterday, so that’s mostly what this post will be about. In pictures.

***The view from home thirty minutes before the Hash. It’s raining.***

***The trail started at the Alta Vista clubhouse. So, at least I had a short walk to get there.***

***A gathering of Hashers. And the rain stopped.***

***And away we go. The trail yesterday was very poorly marked. Yes, the downpour washed away some powder, but there were many junctions with no markings at all.***

***But we were on familiar turf, so found our own way whenever we lost the trail. This happened more than once, and then we’d come across a trail marking again, so we guessed right!***

***Swan and I had just been through here yesterday on our Candy Walk***

***The comfort that comes with flat ground***

***A carabao that didn’t object to our passing through his turf***

***The new hot spot to hang out in San Isidro***

***Pubic Head is no longer full of shit***

***Our On-Home venue this week was Smokes and Bottles***

***The Hares were awarded the Hashit for their shitty trail***

***We did a version of the short (yellow) trail that was longer than the one the Hares laid.***

The after-Hash gathering at It Doesn’t Matter was more party-like than usual. Swan was hanging out with the Gash group, and they were having a good time. I enjoyed chatting with some of the visiting Hashers, including one from Saigon.

***And then it was time to pay the piper. Seven hundred was for food, eight hundred was Swan’s contributions to the Gash party, and I guess I must have drank up the rest of it.***

The damage done:

Dinner: 700 pesos
Alcohol: 1600 pesos
Lady Drinks: 200 pesos
Tips: 200 pesos
Trike: 200 pesos
Charity: 100 pesos
Propane: 850 pesos
Hash Fees: 600 pesos
Total for October 14: 4250 pesos

In the memory department, coincidentally, one year ago, Swan and I were spending time away from home in Pundaquit, a few miles up the road from our current hangout in San Narciso.

Ten years ago, I posted a pathetic account of a day in my USA life. That was the year Jee Yeun decided not to return from Korea with me. I didn’t know then that this was the beginning of the end.

I haven’t yet watched today’s YouTube video about the cost of living in the Philippines, but since I’m tracking mine this month, it should be interesting to get another perspective. I could obviously live much cheaper than I do, but since I don’t have to, why should I?

And now for your daily dose of humor:

***Do either exist in this universe now?***

So, our hike buddy Michael is supposed to meet us here this afternoon, and we are going to visit a new (to me) expat-owned restaurant. And tomorrow, the Wednesday Walkers will be coming to San Narciso for a jaunt. I’m looking forward to that adventure!

***The view upon arrival. Those islands in the distance are offshore from Pundaquit and were featured in that island tour video I posted the other day.***

***Where we be for the next twenty-four hours.***

I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.

Live it or lose it

Posted on 14/October/2024 by John McCrarey

I’m gonna keep on keepin’ on as long as I can!

Another good day in the life. A Candy Walk, a feeding, and a pool party with the neighborhood gang filled the Sunday hours in a satisfying fashion.

We had two candy bags and two backpacks full of refills. This week, we tried something new. Rather than sorting out five individual pieces by rummaging through the bag, we made individual candy sacks in an assembly-line fashion at home. This made the handouts quick and efficient.

The party began at four, so I went to Hideaway early. No Jewel Cafe this week; I just gave the girls cash for some chicken and meat sticks. A couple of beers later, and I caught a trike back home. Then, it was off to Maksil’s place for the neighborhood gathering.

***It was my first visit to one of the more unique houses in Alta Vista***

***At first glance I thought she was peeing in the pool***

***The Alta Vista clubhouse is across the street***

***Swimming pools really aren’t my thing so I stayed dry.***

***I always enjoy watching the sun go down***

***And the beer table. That’s our host, Maksil, on the right***

It was an easy stroll home after I’d had my fill of beer and fun—and it didn’t cost much, either!

Alcohol: 240 pesos
Lady Drinks: 450 pesos
Charity: 1800 pesos (Hideaway feeding)
Trike: 400 pesos
Lunch 550 pesos
Tips: 50 pesos
Trash Collection: 100
Total for October 13: 3590 pesos

I posted a video about island hopping in Pundaquit yesterday, and coincidentally, Facebook memories reminded me this morning that it was one year ago that I was doing that tour:

Eight years ago, I won a darts tournament in Bangkok:

Ten years ago, I posted something that is truer now that it ever was:

I don’t like the leftist agenda, but I don’t mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like the leftist agenda, denigrate means “put down.”

Today’s YouTube vlogger declares that calling the Philippines “third world” is a myth. That made me laugh because he lives in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), the enclave of Manila where the rich folks live. That ain’t the real PI, dude! I often joke that Alta Vista isn’t in the Philippines, but I can hear it from here. The squatter villages and shanty towns are a lot more authentic representations than BGC. Still, the video offers some nice street scenes of the place where the wealthy (locals and expats) can live and pretend the rest of this third-world country doesn’t exist.

Today’s lame humor:

***He’s just considering his breast options***

***Sorry,*** *I didn’t mean to push your buttons*

Hash Monday has arrived once more. This morning on the dog walk I was greeted with this:

***You can see the rainbow, right? What’s weird is we didn’t have any rain.***

My big news is that tomorrow, after shopping, Swan and I will travel to San Narciso to stay overnight at the Mope Beach Resort. The motivation for planning this adventure is that there is a scheduled all-day power outage for Wednesday. No need to stay home for that! We’ll see how the logistics work out, but I may have to alter the blog posting schedule some. We shall see.

Oh, and my buddy Kevin will be heading out for his annual cross-Korea hike tomorrow. You can follow along on the adventure here. Good luck, stay safe, and have fun, Kev!

Today’s closing song is one I had totally forgotten until I saw it mentioned in passing on the Althouse blog today. I also learned that the songwriter/performer, Mason Williams, was a comedy writer for the old Smothers Brothers show. Damn, what a talented man! Glad to get reacquainted.

It was a gas to hear this classic again!

It was also fun to watch these two hear it for the first time:

An island of treasure

Posted on 13/October/2024 by John McCrarey

Well, I live on Luzon Island, and my life here is a treasure (to me), so the title of this post is apt. I also spent my evening at Treasure Island Resort on Baloy Beach. My Saturday on the island began with a street stroll through Barretto. Swan joined me for the walk.

***Leaving the ‘hood under the ever-watchful gaze of Easter Mountain***

***Grabbing some fresh fruits at this stand in the marketplace***

***We ended our trek at the Jewel Cafe with some take out***

As mentioned above, we journeyed out to Treasure Island later in the afternoon. We had some unexpected afternoon rain, so there was a question as to whether there would be live music (it’s an outdoor venue). The rain stopped, and the band started about an hour late, so it all worked out in the end.

***The view from our stools at Treasure Island***

Then it was time to eat.

***I went with the sweet and sour pork. It was okay.***

***Chicken cordon bleu for Swan. She had one bite of the potatoes and said, “These are from a box.” It is real or nothing for her.***

Enjoyed some more music and then grabbed a trike for home, stopping at 7/11 for some ice cream cone treats to share with the guards. And another day came to an end.

Easy come, easy go:

Meat: 4600 pesos
Fruit and Veggies: 700 pesos
Lunch: 400 pesos
Trike: 250 pesos
Charity: 120 pesos
Snacks: 330 pesos
Dinner: 760 pesos
Tips: 150 pesos
Alcohol: 1160 pesos
Total for October 12: 8470 pesos

All I have from the Facebook memories is two quotes I posted twelve years ago:

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.

–Mark Twain

I never forget a face, but in your case, I’d be glad to make an exception.

–Groucho Marx

I have no recollection as to why I posted them.

Today’s YouTube video is an island hop off Pundaquit. I’ve done that before, and it was quite nice. The Pundaquit/San Antonio area is somewhere I could consider living should things in Barretto ever go to crap. I doubt that’s going to happen in this lifetime, though.

Humor break:

A little shakeup in the Sunday routines today. We got the Candy Walk done, but dinner at John’s place has been supplanted by an invite to a party and Maksil’s house here in the neighborhood. I’m going to make an appearance at Hideaway and fund the feeding, but I won’t be sticking around for long because the party starts at four. Something different is always nice!

Styx and Stones may rock my bones, but you can’t breathe without Air Supply

A great full day

Posted on 12/October/2024 by John McCrarey

Most days, it feels like I’m just filling the hours. But yesterday, the hours were full of fun and adventure. Fulfilling indeed!

***It took a little over an hour to get to Barangay Aglao from Barretto.***

Things kicked off when the Friday group hikers traveled to the wilds of San Marcelino to explore the shore of Mapanuepe Lake. The lake was formed after the Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991 blocked the river and flooded the valley, creating a lake and drowning three villages in the process. Check out the link for the interesting details.

***A church steeple is all that remains of one of those villages***

What was unique about yesterday’s hike was that none of us had ever been here before. Well, I came this way two years ago, but we were across the lake in the campground area back then. The terrain we explored this time was virgin territory. I had it in my head that we could go overland to the campground, but I was wrong about that. We also had thought we could hike some of the way on the lake shore, but other than where we started in the village of Aglao, that was not to be. Still, everything being new and us being clueless added to the feeling of adventure. We were only on one hill but went up and down it twice, looking for our way. Ultimately, we had to retreat and retrace our steps to get back to where we started (and where the car was parked). We all agreed it was a fun trek and enjoyed the beauty of nature that surrounded us.

***What our ups and downs looked like…***

***We have arrived, courtesy of Michael’s vehicle***

***It seems the lake is full of clouds***

***No idea what that stickwork is all about***

***Rumor has it that structure was at one time a floating restaurant***

***Swan getting some directions from a local***

***And up we go. For the first, but not the last, time.***

***No idea where we are going, but we are heading there anyway***

***That’s the campground across the lake***

***But you can’t get there from here. Without swimming anyway.***

***The Friday hiking group, unbowed and undefeated***

***There was a sari-sari store at the end of this pier. Alas, no beer for sale.***

***So, we stopped in this place for the first time during the drive home.***

**That’s a creative way to say it.** ***We didn’t try the meat, though. The beer wasn’t cold, and they had difficulty making change. I’m not saying we won’t be back, but we won’t go out of our way to come here.***

***What our adventure looked like from above. It is painfully obvious that my vision of walking to the campground was doomed from the start.***

With the long drive and beer stop on the way back, I got home much later than usual. And I had a grand opening to attend. So, I dashed off a blog post, took a shower, and we set about heading into town.

***Welcome to town, General MacArthur***

***My friend Jessa is overseeing the opening and training the new staff. She will be moving to the other venue on Baloy when the resto-bar there is ready to open,***

***Buying Jessa and the bartender a lady drink seemed like the polite thing to do.***

Good luck to MacArthur’s. It’s a tiny place in a small town with fifty other bars, but maybe it will become an expat hangout. I doubt I’ll be more than an occasional customer, but I’m looking forward to the Baloy Beach venue.

We also had a dinner date with the neighborhood group from Alta Vista on our schedule. Papagayo was the chosen venue, and it is conveniently located almost next door to MacArthur’s.

***My dinner was a chicken enchilada.***

After the meal, the group moved up the highway to another newish venue, Red Stars. Yeah, we made some commie jokes about that name.

It was getting close to nine p.m., and the group was going to make Green Room the next stop. I’d had enough by now, and I pride myself on knowing when to say when. So, I said goodnight, and we caught a trike for home.

It was a gooder day than most and I am grateful to have had it. Here’s what it cost me:

Salary: 1000 pesos (part-time helper)
Prescription Meds: 1400 pesos
Jeepney: 50 pesos
Trike: 200 pesos
Dinner: 415 pesos
Lady Drinks: 520 pesos
Tips: 200 pesos
Alcohol: 1840 pesos
Total for October 11: 5625 pesos

To the memories from my glory days:

***Eight years ago, I was visiting Pattaya, Thailand. I decided to grab a beer here.***

***Turns out, the name was ironic. There wasn’t a pussy in this ladyboy bar. The “gals” were friendly though.***

***Things felt a little safer on the infamous Walking Street***

Seven years ago, I experienced a different kind of danger in Boracay:

***I only walked this path in daylight and while sober.***

In today’s YouTube video, Filipina Pea explores something that used to be near and dear to my heart: transactional relationships. She poses the question of whether, in truth, ALL relationships are transactional. Thinking in terms of me and Swan, I’d say no. But there is a voice in my head asking what would happen if I lost my pension and the house and lived on the street. As am I wont to say, I don’t know, and I don’t care. I’d probably die before crossing that bridge anyway.

And now for some humor:

***Judge me by my character, not the color of my skin. Hmm, never mind!***

***Yeah, so what happened to Jeffrey Epstein?***

This evening, we plan to visit Treasure Island on Baloy and enjoy some live music. Hopefully, the rain will hold off. See you back here tomorrow!

And the “first time hearing” video:

Heart and soul

Posted on 11/October/2024 by John McCrarey

First things first:

Gonna have to rush through today’s post. I’ll explain why tomorrow. For now, let me briefly cover how my two doctor visits (pulmonary and cardiologist) went yesterday. Nothing new with the lungs other than a change to my inhalers. The heart doc reviewed my results from the echocardiogram I did in Angeles and declared, “You have a big heart.” Naturally, I thanked her for the compliment. Turns out, she meant the left side of my heart is enlarged. The good news is my body has compensated, and at least so far, the blood is pumping through in normal amounts and leaving nothing behind. So, there is nothing that needs to be done for now other than monitoring every six months to ensure everything is still functioning as it should be. As for the aortic stenosis, it is in the mild range and, for now, does not pose a problem. That will also be part of the six-month review to make sure things aren’t changing for the worse. The doctor was concerned about the fluid retention in my ankles and prescribed a new med to hopefully correct the edema. These symptoms are all precursors of congestive heart failure, which is what my mother died from at seventy-eight years old. My goal is to make it to eighty-three (to match or outlive my father), so I’ll do my best to follow the doctor’s advice. The bottom line is that, as of now, I am not displaying any of the symptoms that are indicative of imminent heart failure. That sounds like news I can live with!

After the appointments were done, I headed home to enjoy an evening at The Rite Spot On The Roof.

***When the sun was gone, the moon tried to fill the void***

***And the city lights were nice to see as well***

And then it was time for a rooftop dinner.

***My dining companions at The Rite Spot***

A good finish to the day.

Charity: 2400 pesos (candy and Mama)
Doctor Visit: 1400 pesos (two docs, 700 each)
Trike: 400 pesos
Jeepney: 50 pesos
Total for October 10: 4250 pesos

Staying at home is definitely a cheaper option. I’m going to have to do that more often—but not tonight!

The YouTube video I’ve chosen for today is about the poor province girls working at bars in Angeles City. I haven’t watched it yet, so I can’t comment on the content. I do tend to feel sorry for the girls when this line of work is their only option, but taking that option away doesn’t help them either.

And this is where I attempt to put a smile on your face:

***May I ask what the fuss is all about?***

So, a great Friday group hike today way out in San Marcelino. With the travel time and after-hike refreshments, I didn’t make it home until three p.m. Usually, no big deal, but today is the grand opening of the newest bar in town, MacArthur’s. I promised my friend Jessa that we’d make an appearance. Again, not a problem, except I accepted a dinner invite with the neighbors for six-thirty at Papagayo. Hence, the rushed post here (can you tell the difference?) and lack of a nap since I need to shower up and head out. At least I’ll have something interesting to post about tomorrow. See you then!

From 1938! Wow, still nice to hear.

Feelin’ kneedy

Posted on 10/October/2024 by John McCrarey

***I don’t give blowjobs, nor do I pray, but I do occasionally fall down on my knees when I’m hiking. Like I did yesterday.***

So, the plan for the Wednesday Walkers was to go up and over Kalaklan Ridge, then down into Olongapo City for a street walk before catching a Jeepney back to Barretto. It didn’t work out that way. The climb up was more than a little challenging, and then, about three-quarters of the way up, we encountered a carabao tied to a tree and blocking our path. We give those creatures a wide berth these days after learning about the damage one did to some Hashers in Angeles City. Anyway, as our frontrunners looked for a way around the mad cow, Scott and I were looking at the trail ahead. It appeared to be a lot steeper than I remembered it, and it was very much overgrown in the tall grasses that dominate the hillsides at this time of year. Ultimately, we decided it wasn’t worth the effort, so we retreated and took a different way back down. As fate would have it, the path we chose to descend was one of the more difficult downs we’ve ever taken from Kalaklan. Oh well, I made it to the bottom by the skin of my knees.

***Arriving at our departure point on Rizal Extension***

***I’m not as slow as molasses because molasses can’t flow uphill. I do so at a snail’s pace.***

***At least my hike mates can rest while waiting for me to catch up.***

This kid approached me with a gun in hand. It reminded me of the time I got held up by a dyslexic robber: “Okay, mother sticker, this is a fuck up. Get your ass in the air, or I’ll blow your hands off!” (sorry if I’ve used that line before)

***I handed over the cookies and lived to tell about it.***

***There was a time in my life when I got high on grass. These days, the grass is high on me.***

***A view of the ridgeline we failed to achieve***

***Taking a rest before the final push up***

**You can’t really see it from here, but that carabao I mentioned is tied to that tree in the middle of this pic.** ***We could have likely found a way around, but the remainder of the climb didn’t look appetizing, so we demonstrated valor by exercising discretion.***

***Our retreat was lucky for these kids who earned a cookie reward.***

**We rarely see** ***snakes on our hikes, and when we do, it is nice to see them dead.***

***And then things got a little rocky***

***On down. It was somewhere near here where I tripped on a branch and fell to my knees.***

***Going down through a shanty village***

***After hike refreshments at Harley’s Pub***

***It felt strenuous, but my heart rate didn’t seem to think so***

When beer o’clock arrived, I made my way to BarCelona. Swan was visiting a friend in Olongapo and joined me there later.

***From my perch at BarCelona, I could see where I’d been. The yellow is as high as we got; the tower is at the top of Kalaklan.***

And then a scene played out in front of me that was unexpected.

***It’s unusual to see an expat in a wheelchair. I first spotted him on the highway, and then he had his helper push him down the street in front of The Maze. I wondered where he was going.***

Well, there are a couple of homeless folks living on the sidewalk. One of them is a tall, bearded guy who looks a bit like Jesus. I see this guy all over town, picking up recyclables from the trash to sell at the junk shops. He never begs, though.

***The wheelchair guy rolls away after rejection***

So, the guy in the wheelchair has his gal roll him up to the homeless man. Then he holds out a one hundred peso bill for the homeless fella to take. And the homeless Jesus waved him off! I’ve never seen that before. He rejected more cash than he made collecting trash and walking around all day. Maybe pride does goeth before a fall. But what impressed the most was that cripple I was feeling sorry for going out of his way to help someone he viewed as less fortunate. Good for him!

Swan arrived shortly after the abovementioned event and enjoyed a glass of wine. I, of course, didn’t make her drink alone.

***My hero! I’m not in his league, but I can generally down three beers in the time it takes Swan to finish a glass of wine.*** ***(and yes, the punctuation and grammar in this meme is awful, sorta like LTG)***

When we left BarCelona, I was ready for some dinner, and Myleen’s was practically right across the street. So, off we went.

***Enchiladas for me. Spicy they were!***

***Swan wasn’t that hungry and snacked on chicken fingers.***

We did our nightcap at Green Room—wine, beer, lady drinks, and watching some pretty good pool players. Oh, and I brought Choco Pies to share with the girls. Also, some lollipops so they’d have something to suck on. Home again by 7:30 for the second night in a row. I must be slowing down in my old age.

Finally, a day under 5000 pesos!

Prescription Meds: 1400 pesos
Alcohol: 1070 pesos
Dinner: 720 pesos
Lady Drinks: 370 pesos
Tips: 320 pesos
Trike: 200 pesos
Total for October 9: 4080 pesos

Ah, those Facebook memories. Twelve years ago, my wife Jee Yeun and I had a visit with Dr. Yoo at his Soonchunhwang Hospital clinic, and this happened:

Jee Yeun and I had our doctor appointment with Dr. Yoo today. Jee Yeun’s doing great and I’m still fat. And we also got our flu shots.

Anyway, after Dr. Yoo finished checking Jee Yeun I said “Doctor, Jee Yeun’s always complaining about being bored. Can you prescribe something for that”? Without missing a beat he said “Viagra”.

Everyone’s a comedian these days.

Eight years ago, I was exploring Bangkok:

***It’s a beautiful city, even if they do drive on the wrong side of the road***

***I also enjoyed the nightlife there.***

Today’s YouTube video from Reekay attempts to explain why so many of us baby boomers are choosing to retire in the Philippines. When I moved here, my homeland wasn’t the total fucked up mess it is today. I never intend to live there again. There are options other than the Philippines, of course. I like Asia, so my alternatives include Cambodia and Vietnam. I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about the Dominican Republic, but at this stage of my life, that’s just a bridge too far.

Things I find kinda sorta funny:

***The real reason all those boomers are moving here.***

Today, I’ll visit both the pulmonary doctor and the cardiologist (one after the other). I’m hopeful the news will be mostly good. And I’m overdue for spending some time at The Rite Spot, so I’ll be coming home after the docs are done with me and staying here for a change. I’ll share what I find out here tomorrow.

Blasé daze

Posted on 09/October/2024 by John McCrarey

Tuesdays around here are nothing to get excited about, and yesterday was no exception. That won’t keep me from writing about it, though. One of these days, Guinness will recognize the most boring blog in history, and Long Time Gone is bound to be in the running. Thank you, dear readers, for your support!

Let’s get on with it then. Those groceries ain’t gonna buy themselves, so the first order of business was the trip to the Royal Duty-Free Supermarket on SBMA.

***Mama was waiting for me in her usual spot at the time she knew I’d be coming by. I gave her two banana-nut muffins and 100 pesos to start her day.***

Nothing exciting to report from my time in the grocery store.

***I did manage to stay close to the amount I budgeted for groceries, so there’s that.***

On the way home, we stopped at the local print shop to get copies of my echocardiogram results made. I’ll be doing my consult with the cardiologist tomorrow.

A quiet remainder of the morning at home, a nap, a blog post, and then it was time to head into town.

**Along the way, I saw** ***that my first residence in Alta Vista was vacant once again. I like my current place much better, and it is cheaper.***

***And seeing this lonely truck made me feel a little sad***

***Our first stop of the afternoon in town***

***A haircut for me and a foot spa for Swan***

My haircut was done before Swan’s feet, so we agreed to meet at Cheap Charlies. I hadn’t visited there for a couple of months because they didn’t have wine the last time I went. I’d seen the CC bartender the night before, and she assured me wine would be available this time. It was.

**The view from my seat hadn’t changed since my last visit. As I looked at Hot Zone across the street*, it occurred to me that I had climbed that hill in the background more frequently lately than I had visited the bar.***

***The Maze is where you are most likely to find me these days. BarCelona, La Oficina, Alaska, Sloppy Joe’s, Green Room, and Wet Spot all under one roof.***

Swan did, in fact, enjoy the wine she was served when she arrived at Cheap Charlies. My beer was cold and wet, and none of my old regulars work there anymore, so I didn’t have any need to buy lady drinks. I’ll try to fit CC back into my bar circuit.

We had planned on visiting Green Room next, but a peek in the door revealed the place was packed with a pool tournament. So, we plopped ourselves down at Sloppy Joe’s instead. Another wine for Swan and beers for me as we watched the world go by on the street in front of us. And as shocking as it may sound, when we were ready to move on, I didn’t feel like going to another bar. Instead, we went to Sit-n-Bull and ordered some food to bring home. Our night out was over by 7:30. I warned you it was a boring Tuesday!

Here’s where the money went:

Groceries: 13,360 pesos
Driver: 1000 pesos
Charity: 100 pesos
Tips: 350 pesos
Alcohol: 1200 pesos
Foot Spa/Haircut: 400 pesos
Dinner: 1070 pesos
Trike: 100 pesos
Total for October 8: 17,230 pesos

Facebook memories reminded me of a cake I baked six years ago:

**Happy Birthday, RuRu (the gal on the right)****. These days, RuRu is an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) in Qatar.** That’s my friend Jessa on the left, and I still run into her occasionally. She’s helping her boss open a new bar in Barretto and a resort on Baloy. I’m looking forward to a potential beach bar at the resort.

Today’s YouTube video has the Filipina Pea interviewing a recently arrived expat who had all his plans ruined by a thieving woman he’d spent months courting in a long-distance relationship (LDR). Shit happens, as I can attest as a past victim of scammers. As I learned the hard way, the ones you’ve never met can burn you the most. Although truth be told, I got fucked over by ones I had met as well.

Today’s humor offerings:

***My heritage is Scotch-Irish. My father introduced me to the bar culture at a very young age. I recall sipping a Coke in a beer joint while my dad held court at the bar*** ***when I was in kindergarten. As I’ve often said, beer is in my genes.***

This morning, I went on a short but grueling hike with the Wednesday Walkers group. More on that in tomorrow’s post. Next up, I hope to enjoy some of that beer my genes make me crave. And life goes on.

I enjoy these “hearing it for the first time” videos, hope you do too…

Red alert!

Posted on 08/October/2024 by John McCrarey

Hashers in the house! That house being Red Bar for the Hash On-Home festivities. Getting there involved a long slog up into the hills and back down again on the other side. Well, it did for me. The actual Hash trail had another down and another up, which I chose to avoid. Why? Because I like to keep it fun, and I just wasn’t feeling it. That’s the way I roll these days.

***Different strokes for different folks. Purple is the long trail, green is the short version, and blue is my way.***

***The Hares did a nice job, even if I only did a portion of the trail they so diligently marked.***

***Hashers gather at the starting point***

***I don’t know what it is about an uphill road, but they kick my ass.***

***This damn thing reminded me of those streets in San Francisco***

***Finally, onto the dirt. The climb wasn’t over yet, though.***

***You knew that was coming, didn’t you?***

***I’ve lost my sense of smell, but I still enjoy the flowers***

***The first three runners (blue, yellow, orange) passed us as we entered Alta Vista near the end of the hike.***

***And we arrive at our On-Home destination***

***I don’t visit Red Bar very often, but I always have the best lady in town with me wherever I go.***

***Fuck Buddy demonstrates why you don’t wear new shoes to the Hash.***

***The heart did okay during the climb, even if I didn’t like it much.***

As is the custom, the after-Hash gathering was at It Doesn’t Matter. We packed the place last night. Swan invited another Hasher (Beth, our Wet Spot friend) to join us at IDM for food and drinks. We stayed later and drank more than usual but had a nice time.

***Even after the bill came due. One thousand three hundred hundred of that is for food.***

***No tacos last night, but plenty of beer!***

It was a good Hash Monday. Here’s where the money went:

Alcohol: 640 pesos
Dinner: 1310 pesos
Lady Drinks: 200 pesos
Tips: 130 pesos
Charity: 3850 pesos
Hash Fees: 8500 pesos
Trike: 200 pesos
Total for October 7: 14,830 pesos

Those big-ticket items are pretty much one-offs. The student I sponsor in Bohol needed money for his monthly transport to school while his mother is working in Cebu, so I wired the requested 2700 pesos. My peanut vendor friend Emmanuel has been ill and unable to work recently. He messaged me that there was no food for his family and asked if I could help him. So, I told him he could meet me at IDM. When he arrived, I slipped him a thousand pesos. Seven thousand nine hundred of the Hash fees are for the Haggis Bash in La Union coming up this December. That includes our hotel for two nights and two days of Hashing. I’m looking forward to taking Cums Alone on her first out-of-town Hash event.

In the memory department, Facebook reminds me that seven years ago, my trip to Boracay continued and featured the discovery of an aptly named bar:

***I still didn’t have a clue about how grumpy I was soon to become.***

Ah, well. It all turned out okay. I’m still alive and kicking, and that’s the important thing. Which is a nice segue for today’s YouTube video. This gent, whom I watched for the first time, is also sixty-nine years old and offers some good advice and insights on growing older.

WTF? I guess he doesn’t allow embedding his videos. Go ahead and watch it here if you like. I won’t be linking him in the future. Blogs were a thing before there were vlogs.

And now for some humor:

***I understand it makes it hard to swallow***

***This one leafs a lot to be desired. (I know, I know, it is not grammatically correct, but that’s the punster exception. Who says you can’t make a bad joke worse?)***

I’m going to take Swan to her foot spa, and I need a haircut. That sounds pretty exciting, eh? I saw the Cheap Charlies bartender at IDM last night and she said they have wine in stock, so maybe I’ll end my boycott and pay them a visit later today. So many options, so little time!

***I will if I write about them here!***

And the “hearing it for the first time” take: