A full and for the most part satisfying day yesterday. I made a long overdue shopping excursion in the hopes of upgrading my hiking footwear. First stop was Harbor Point mall on the old Navy base. They have a Merrell shoe store that has been closed since the onset of the pandemic. Alas, despite having a tantalizing display of hiking shoes in the window, it remained closed yesterday. I swallowed my disappointment and prepared to leave, then noticed that the American Outlet store across the aisle was open. I’ve not had much luck in that store as they generally have very limited selection. But, I figured I’m here, why not take a look?

Now I wear a size 11 which is either a rare or a popular size here. I say that because most of the time when I see shoes I like I’m told it is not available in my size. So, I was surprised that the first pair of Merrells I saw on display was size 11. Tried them on and they were a bit snug on the sides but had plenty of toe room. They were half price so I took them hoping for the best. The clerk brought another pair of size elevens over, some brand I have never heard of, but I figured they would make good “everyday” shoes. They were also half price. Also found some Jockey briefs in my size, another rare find here. Success!

Took my new purchases to the car, then headed to the SM mall next door. In a JCPenney-like department store, I was happy to see a whole section of Merrell’s on display. Of course, only one of the styles was available in my size. I liked the look and they were comfortable, so I bought them along with a pair of Skechers I fancied. Picked up some socks and shorts too.

After completing my shopping expedition, I told my driver I was hungry for some Korean food. He took me to a place on the old base I had never even seen before.

It had been a long, long while since I had dined at a Korean joint and I was really jonesing for some samgyeopsal. I also noticed they had bulgogi the way I prefer, in a stew. I ordered up a bowl of that too. I was more than a little surprised to see that the side dishes that make a Korean meal Korean, were only provided a la carte–you had to pay for each one separately. What kind of insanity is that?

The staff was all Filipino, so my attempt to practice up my Korean was wasted. Oh well, I’ll be back “home” one of these days.

The other big happening for the day was my solitary Thursday walk. I always try to make that one a little longer than usual. I was quite surprised that the walk came in at exactly 12 kilometers, door-to-door. What are the odds of that?

I decided to photograph street scenes on the highways, byways, and pathways I traversed during the walk. Here they are:

Here’s the Relive version:

https://www.relive.cc/view/vevYXJooryq

For some reason on my pleasant but lonely hike, I remembered this Sara Teasdale poem:

A diamond of a morning
     Waked me an hour too soon;
Dawn had taken in the stars
     And left the faint white moon.
 
O white moon, you are lonely,
     It is the same with me,
But we have the world to roam over,
     Only the lonely are free.

There are worse fates than being alone!

So, it was a good day. How about I close out with something humorous and something political? Hell, it’s getting hard to tell the difference these days!

And as a bonus, here is something very insightful about how relationships work here in the Philippines.

You are welcome. Be careful out there!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjpP0Qx0ph8