Well, we enjoyed it while we had it, anyway. It’s raining again today, but life goes on. Until it doesn’t. Started the day yesterday with a bit of a scare. I woke up around 4 a.m. feeling frisky, but the happy ending triggered a severe and scary breathing attack. I took a couple of puffs from my inhaler, but it didn’t seem to help much. I stumbled to my desk, and while Swan loaded up my nebulizer, I slipped the oximeter on my finger, which rendered a reading of 85.
Fortunately, my nebulizer had me back up to a 97 in short order, and I’ve felt fine ever since. I’m going to schedule another consult with the pulmonary doctor and perhaps a cardiologist to try and see WTF is going on. My oximeter reading right now is 98, so whatever it is that ails me seems to be something that is triggered, not constant.
It being Sunday and all, we loaded up our bags and ventured out for the weekly Candy Walk.
And then we were forced to alter our planned route by events beyond our control.
At first, my thought was to wade across the river. But after making our way down to the bank and seeing the strong current and not knowing how deep the water might be (or what was on the bottom), prudence dictated a retreat. Instead, we followed a path I’d never seen before, and it turned out that it led to Bridge #3, a pedestrian crossing. It was an interesting walk as well.
Swan slipped one of the guys a hundred pesos so they could enjoy some gin with the meal. I enjoyed a close-up view of how the other half lives and it was nice meeting some happy and friendly folks along the way.
The planned dinner at John’s place went awry due to a lack of red wine availability. I stopped in after Hideaway and asked, and for the third week, there was none to be had. I messaged Swan and had her meet me at Jewel Cafe instead. I also messaged John this morning to let him know. He thanked me and said he would take care of it today.
Jewel Cafe is not one of my regular dining venues (other than my weekly purchase for the Hideaway girls), but the food is always good. A steak for 499 pesos is unheard of (that’s less than half of what John’s charges), so I knew the portion would be small. It was, but the meat was very tender and well-prepared. With the veggies and mashed taters, my appetite was satiated.
We did our nightcap at Wet Spot. We got there shortly after opening and were the only customers.
One of my neighbors, Maksil, came by and joined us at our table. We had a nice chat about how to turn BarCelona, the rooftop bar that’s for sale, into a successful operation. We both had the same ideas–a barbeque grilled meat menu and an elevator to get to the third floor. Our expat community of old men don’t handle stairs well.
Anyway, I don’t think either one of us needs the hassle of bar ownership in our lives.
And that’s how I survived my sweet, sunshiny Sunday.
Facebook memories today are all from five years ago when I visited Saigon. I ought to go back again, I really enjoyed myself.
Today’s YouTube video ponders why expats leave the Philippines. Well, I ain’t going nowhere. And if I ever do, it won’t be back to the USA.
Things you might find funny:
Geez, I’m bad. Anyway, it is Hash Monday. Today is the Grand Master’s birthday, and he is also the Hare. Today’s trail, if I understood correctly, will consist of a Barretto bar hop. It is a good day for one of those. I’ll let you know how it works out tomorrow.
Our expat community of old men don’t handle stairs well.
With all the hill-climbing you do???
Nice food pics, and yeah, that’s a small, gravy-slathered steak. When I serve mine surf-and-turf style, i.e., with shrimp, I put sauces on the side: a pan sauce (beef dripping, red-wine reduction), chimichurri (the most awesome sauce ever created), and butter-garlic (standard but delicious).
I hope the Hash went well. Sorry to hear about the breathing attack… damn, and right during the happy ending. I hope you don’t start to associate happy endings with breathing attacks.
I think another thing that causes expats to leave any country in SE Asia is medical. If a person has a chronic or fairly serious condition that requires ongoing or specialized care, it can be difficult to get the same level of treatment that would be found in the US (or other western country). Especially if their insurance/finances are limited or not valid.
(On a side rant, I am always a bit frustrated when approached by someone collecting money for an expat that got injured in an accident or had a medical issue. Invariably, they did not have insurance, and now when confronted with some serious medical bills, they have to go begging for money. I feel bad for them, but at the same time, they kind of got themselves in that situation.)
Yeah, that’s true, Brian. Thailand is a popular medical destination for expats here.
I, too, shake my head in wonder at the folks who choose to live without any safety net if an emergency should arise. I’d also be selective in who I choose to help in that situation. Living dangerously comes with consequences.
Kev, I can still take the stairs, but they do get tiring. Some of my fellow expats would have much more difficulty than I do. With so many ground-floor options, BarCelona loses customers. I think a small elevator would fix that issue.
Other than a Salisbury steak, that’s the first time I experienced gravy slathering on a good piece of meat. It would have been much better as a side dish option instead. The size was what I expected for the price. John messaged me that he purchased wine yesterday, so next time, I’ll get a full-size steak for 1500 pesos or so.
Yeah, it sucks to get old and lose the joy that comes with the finer things in life.