It occurs to me on this, my 15th day in country, that this is longest period I’ve ever stayed at one time. It definitely feels different. Not quite home yet, but then again, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt at home anywhere. At least since the marriage ended.
It’s different in a good way as I’m starting to feel like a member of the expat community now. I see people I know around town and we exchange greetings and it’s just a nice feeling somehow. I’m learning shit too. Had a nice long chat we my neighbor Bill yesterday and he gave me some good pointers on the best way to wire money here. Good stuff to know.
Another new friend is Jerry, who lives out my way on Baloy Beach, plays darts some, and is an avid walker. We had a nice long chat last night at the Alley Hideaway darts bar. He’s been living here for over 12 years now and he pretty much knows everything about everyone it seems. I mentioned my attraction to a certain waitress at Treasure Island and he apparently knows them all by name. When I fessed up that it was Joana I was craving, he said he couldn’t blame me for that. But, as I suspected, Jerry told me she has at least one boyfriend and will be joining him in Thailand soon. Ah well. He advised me to just be patient and the one that is right for me will find me. So yeah, that’s what I’ll do.
Speaking of the Alley bar, I got fitted for my Alley Cats dart team jersey last night. WooHoo! It will be good to be playing league darts again, that’s for sure. Played in a tourney last night and there’s another one tonight, and again tomorrow afternoon. It’s for sure a lot cheaper for me to spend my time with dart pals instead of thirsty bargirls!
Not exactly sure what is going on with “my” house. I still haven’t seen a contract yet. Landlord is in Manila which doesn’t help matters much. Gem is doing her best to facilitate getting things done as promised. So hopefully there will be some movement soon. The caretaker let me inside for another walk around yesterday and I took advantage of the opportunity to snap some photos.
Two voids I need to fill in the kitchen…a stove and a refrigerator.
I’m gonna be lovin’ the view while washing dishes…
A spacious living and dining area. There’s actually an alcove not included in the photo where I’ll set up my television (also to be purchased).
The downstairs bathroom is rather unique. It’s pretty much an open-air shower set up. I think it looks pretty cool, but I’m already thinking it creates easy access for mosquitoes and the like. I doubt I’ll rarely if ever shower in there though.
Instead I’ll be using the handy master bath with a walk-in shower.
The master bedroom is plenty nice with built in closet/storage space and a great little balcony featuring the awesome bay view I’m paying a pretty penny for…
Anyway, that and two more bedrooms and a bath completes the package. Hope things turn out. Because whatever thought I had of saving money by moving upstairs from my current place to a more spacious and well-appointed apartment were dashed by this:
That’s the only access road to my current digs. Rainy season seems to have kicked off with afternoon thundershowers. We had a pretty good rain last night. I took a trike home which is good because otherwise I’d have been swimming across Lake Baloy to get home. This photo was taken this afternoon when the waters had receded enough to get around the edge without wading. That will not be the case once the rains come in full force. No thank you!
That’s it for today’s snapshot of life in the Philippines. It’s far from perfect here, but it is also oh so much better than the pathetic life I left behind.
There’s talk on the street
It sounds so familiar
Great expectations, everybody’s watching you
People you meet
They all seem to know you
Even your old friends treat you like you’re something new
Johnny come lately, the new kid in town
Everybody loves you, so don’t let them down
You look in her eyes
The music begins to play
Hopeless romantics, here we go again
But after awhile
You’re lookin’ the other way
It’s those restless hearts that never mend
Johnny come lately, the new kid in town
Will she still love you when you’re not around?
There’s so many things you should have told her
But night after night you’re willing to hold her
Just hold her
Tears on your shoulder
There’s talk on the street
It’s there to remind you
It doesn’t really matter which side you’re on
You’re walking away
And they’re talking behind you
They will never forget you ’til somebody new comes along
Where you’ve been lately? There’s a new kid in town
Everybody loves him
Don’t they?
Now he’s holding her, and you’re still around
Oh, my, my
There’s a new kid in town
Just another new kid in town
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAy49P8Tjuw
Am envious of the kitchen-counter space at your soon-to-be digs. Such space is a rare thing in Seoul.
Interesting that the new place seems well appointed with furniture but lacks a stove and fridge. Are there online shopping/delivery services in the PI, like Amazon in the States and GMarket in Korea? Can you order the appliances you need via that method, or will you have to go shopping at brick-and-mortar stores for the stove and fridge?
And how about laundry-related appliances?
There’s something like Amazon called Lazada, but it gets mixed reviews. There’s an appliance store here in Barretto that has everything I need, so I’ll likely go there. Having laundry done is cheap and convenient, but if I decide to hire a helper I may get her a washer and let her earn that pay!