The fun times continue! Such as they are. Well, you’ve got to go with the flow and make the best of an unfortunate situation I suppose. You never know what’s going to happen next. But I do know what happened since I last posted here and I’m happy to report that info to you, my faithful readers.

I did an afternoon walk down Baloy Beach way and it was deserted and kinda spooky. Almost all the resorts are closed now, and the couple that remain open are for take-out food only. Honestly, I would not want to walk that road alone in the dark.

Once I’d donned my mask, had my temperature checked (36.5C), and lathered my hands in the required alcohol solution, I stepped inside my local DiviMart to see what was available. I was actually pretty surprised that there were only a handful of customers inside the store. I was hoping to score a loaf of bread but there was none available. The meat section was pretty much wiped out as well. I grabbed some off the shelf milk, some cookies, and some candy (to hand out on my hikes) and headed for the checkout. Three cashiers, no one in line. I picked the cute one, paid and headed on home.

On the way home I ran into my Filipina neighbor, Joy. She jokingly asked if I left anything for her and I warned her about the bread situation. I saw her again later in the afternoon and she was pissed. It seems the Barangay folks wouldn’t let her go to the store, telling her she had to go during specified hours. She pointed out to them that a foreigner (me) had been allowed to shop and the official just shrugged and said: “we aren’t stopping foreigners.” That REALLY got her goat (she is married to one by the way).

Anyway, that’s the kind of bullshit that makes an already difficult situation worse. The store was practically empty while I was there, why deny a person entry? Ignorance abounds.

Last night found me back at my new old favorite hangout, “Gomans”.

The same handful of customers from the previous night were also in attendance. I kept my distance, both to avoid the virus and to not have to engage in their political discussions. I did learn from one of those present that she had run into a waitress from the [nearby place] on her way to work. I was surprised because I’d heard they were closed. This called for more investigation, so I left Gomans at 7:00, well in advance of the 8 p.m. curfew, and headed on over to [nearby place].

Upon arriving I saw a large sign saying closed and that the front door was blocked by a security guard. As I approached he said “Closed sir”. I asked if the manager, Sean, was working. The guard nodded and I asked him if he would tell Sean that John was outside. The guard left and a few minutes later Sean appeared, nodded, and gestured for me to come inside. He escorted me into the indoor bar (not poolside like in the past). There were half a dozen customers inside enjoying alcoholic beverages. Woo Hoo! Now I have another option for those lonely quarantined nights. I had a quick couple of beers and laughed with Sean about it feeling like a prohibition-era speakeasy joint. Left in time to make it home prior to curfew. No need to push my luck!

This morning I met up with Scott, Dave, and Joh (Dave’s wife) for a very pleasant 8K hike.

And now it is time to once again go peruse the menu at Gomans. Let it be.