I have arrived safely back home after my twenty-four hour whirlwind adventure to Barangay Pundaquit, City of San Antonio, Zambales Province, Luzon Island, Philippines.
We arrived at our destination at noon time. I sent Swan to the beach hotel we didn’t have a reservation for to check availability and price. I had her go to avoid the “skin tax” that occurs when a foreigner is quoted a higher price than a local. She returned to report that the resort was undergoing renovation, and no kitchen or bar was available. They did offer Swan a reduced rate of 3000 pesos for the night (down from 3600). Swan also checked the newer and nicer place next door, and they wanted 5500 pesos for the night. It wasn’t THAT much nicer, so we went with the original plan. We did use the restaurant facilities at the other place for lunch.
The restaurant across the street was devoid of guests, and the upstairs section I had been wanting to try since seeing it on my last trip was closed. The bar was the only area not exposed to the wind-blown rain, so that’s where we sat. Being outnumbered by the staff had an eerie feel about it, but the service was good. The wine prices on the menu were shocking–the cheapest being 500 pesos, so Swan had a beer instead. When I got a closer look at the wine on the shelf, it included Carlo Rossi, the brand we buy at Royal for 350 pesos a bottle. Then the lightbulb in my head turned on, and we asked the waitress if the wine prices were per glass or bottle. It turns out that they only sell wine by bottle. So, getting a whole bottle for 500 pesos was practically a bargain, and we bought one.
After our meal, we walked up the street for a look around. I saw a place I had stopped in once a few years back while on a hike and decided to try it again.
Kevin gave us a tour of the facilities. He also has a variety of rooms available, from Nipa huts to aircon rooms. He’s owned the Surf & Sand for eleven years but said they’ve never recovered from the COVID lockdowns. I was a little surprised because Barretto is booming with mostly Filipino tourists, at least on weekends. He said that’s not the case in Pundaquit, and the foreigners who used to come pre-scamdemic have not returned. That’s a shame. He said the place needs several thousand dollars in renovations, but he doesn’t expect he’d be able to recover that investment. He’s considering just walking away from it all and returning to the USA. Damn.
I began drinking much earlier in the day than I normally do. I was drinking San Miguel Light (5% alcohol) rather than my usual Zero (3%). And I didn’t get my daily afternoon nap. So yeah, I fell asleep at the bar. I also ordered take-out food from the Car Wash restaurant up the road but have no recollection of doing so (the unopened containers were in the room this morning). Swan says I was unsteady on my feet but made it back to the hotel without incident.
Swan asked me this morning what time it was when I went to bed. I checked my Fitbit stats and was surprised to see this:
At some point during the night, the power went out. We had no electricity until nine in the morning. I didn’t even bother unpacking my laptop.
Back at our hotel, the staff kindly heated a pot of water on their gas stove so we could enjoy some morning coffee on our front porch.
After our coffee break, we loaded up a bag with cookies and lollipops and headed out to explore the backstreets of Pundaquit.
I’m back home this afternoon, and the deluge continues. In fact, a new storm is approaching, so there is no relief in sight. They have even canceled tomorrow’s SOB as many employees are home dealing with flooding issues.
So, that’s the story of my adventure. All in all, it was a good one.
We need to stop those crazy Trump voters from stealing the election. Here’s a plan that could work:
Today’s YouTube video is a short expose about the sextortion scams and the impact on its victims. I’ve heard tales of this over the years, but it always seemed to me to be limited to a few whacked individuals. Apparently, it’s an organized racket luring in victims these days.
And now for some humor:
Welp, wind and rain are telling me that tonight is a good night to stay safe and dry at home. And that’s just what I’m going to do. Later, gators!
Swan says I was unsteady on my feet but made it back to the hotel without incident.
This is why I don’t think you’re as in control as you claim. This sort of thing happens way too often if your blog is to be trusted.
I didn’t even bother unpacking my laptop.
I did notice the lack of early-morning comments on my blog as well as the lack of a 4:30 p.m. (Seoul time) post at LTG. I’m like a dog who knows when you’re breaking routine.
So! Rain, rain, rain. The monsoon is over in Korea; we’re getting some random, light rain, and that’s it. September is starting off hot but getting surprisingly cool in the evenings. The buildings are often worse than it is outside.
re: cloud formation
Horse? Gorilla? I see the titties for sure, but that’s about it.
I hope the weather clears up soon.
Well, I was more embarrassed that I fell asleep at the bar—that’s something I never do. I should have left instead of waiting for the take-out I don’t remember ordering. Still, I pride myself on knowing when to say when, and for someone who drinks almost every day, these incidents are quite rare. The wrinkle is usually someone tossing a shot of hard stuff into the mix or not adjusting my intake when I drink stronger beer than usual.
We’ve got a couple more months of rainy season to go. It has cooled down some; I didn’t feel like I needed my fan yesterday.
Don’t worry about left or right; if you saw titties, you’re seeing straight!