Not gonna miss that bitch 2020! I did make the best of the final day of that ill-fated year. Had a pleasant breakfast at a place I rarely visit–Harley’s.
It’s one of the first hotels you come to as you walk down Baloy beach road.The view from my table…And another view…Seeing as how it was the end of the year I decided I deserved to splurge on the carbs. I ordered up the Swedish pancakes. They are like regular flapjacks except super thin. They are served folded in half, I guess to give them some substance. Tasted fine though.
As a New Year’s Eve treat, I decided to document my daily walk using the “every 1000 steps, snap a photo” technique. Here’s how that came out:
It started with a morning time full moon…Nothing really interesting to see at 1000 steps so I took this shot.I’m still in Alta Vista at 2000 steps (walking the dogs) and this dwelling was the best photo op. It’s a bit of an aberration given its ramshackle appearance in a neighborhood full of McMansion-type houses. I’m guessing it predates the subdivision and somehow survived. Until a couple of months ago one of the security guards lived there with his family. Vacant now though. Maybe I should become a squatter?On my way to breakfast when I hit 3000 steps in front of the squatter village right outside the main gate of Alta Vista.The best I could find at 4000 steps was this palm tree on Baloy road near Harley’s.That’s the ass side of my shack at 5000 steps.An Alta Vista view at 6000 steps.The path I didn’t take at 7000 steps. I’ll save it for another day.The path I’m on at 8000.I said hello to Easter mountain at 9000.10,000 found me down in the valley, the valley so low…Crossed this bridge at 11,000.Sawmill Road at 12,000.Entering Purok 3 of Barangay San Isidro at 13,000. (a purok is a neighborhood, a barangay is a district within a city.)On the Govic highway at 14,000.The entrance to the Sierra Hills subdivision at 15,000. It’s the first time the gate has been open in months so I ventured in. The lady sweeping asked where I was going and I told her I was just passing through. She shrugged and said okay.On the mean streets of the Santa Monica subdivision at 16,000.17,000 steps brought me to the National highway.I passed through this small village near my house at 18,000And then I was home again at just shy of 19,000. That’s my helper Gina hanging out the laundry. Heh, I started my walking with a full moon and ended it with one…
So, I spent the next few hours doing my normal routines–blogging, napping, interneting, showering. And then it was time to hit the bars and celebrate the pending new year. My plan was to have one drink and buy one lady drink in each bar until I could go no more. I figured I’d be out of it by 9 p.m. at the latest. Nothing ever goes as planned it seems. First of all, I was downright shocked to discover about half the bars were closed. Why would you close a BAR on one of the biggest drinking nights of the year? As it turns out, with just a couple of exceptions, the bars that were open were dead. Go figure. So I wound up visiting fewer places and staying a little longer in them than I originally intended.
My first stop of the day was an old favorite, Alaska Club. It was the first bar I visited in the Philippines, back when it was in Angeles City. The door girl above escorted me inside so I had her join me for a drink. I was the only customer. There was something kinda-sorta familiar about the door girl. And then she reminded me. I had barfined her sometime last year and she gave me a massage with a happy ending. Ah yeah, now I remember! Anyway, I’ve got her number now and may give her a shot at filling the masseuse vacancy.Next up was Hot Zone. These two were the only ones on stage so I brought them both down for a drink. The one next to me was the touchy-feely type, but the night was young. I had two beers here and headed on down the street.I’d never been in bottoms up before and I’m unlikely to ever go back. Just a really depressing vibe for me. One other customer inside.My drinking companion in Bottoms Up. Already forgotten her name. A waitress came up and asked me if I remembered her. I didn’t. She told me she used to be my waitress at Treasure Island and specifically mentioned the Hash events we held there. Still didn’t remember her though. Oh well.
There were a couple more bars on this end of town I had planned to visit but they were closed. Except for Dive In, a bar I don’t particularly like. I used to date the bartender there though so I went inside and bought her some drinks.
Yep, that’s Jessa. Still not sure what happened between us. Just some disconnect. Well, it might be that she wanted more than I was prepared to risk. Anyway, I was the only customer. I stayed for three drinks and when I left the bar closed.That damn full moon kept on stalking me.Popped into Cheap Charlies and shared drinks with a couple of my regulars there.Next up was Wet Spot. I appear to be slightly intoxicated at this point. That’s Catherine, the neighbor gal who is always pestering me for rent and/or food money. Last night she got a lady drink. Today I’m back to ignoring her messages.I intended for Queen Vic to be my final stop for the night (it’s the last bar on my way home). And then Will (a fellow Hasher) showed up and started buying me beers. Queen Victoria’s manager announced they were closing at 10 p.m. so we finished our beers. Will was going to a party at another Hasher’s house in Alta Vista and invited me along. I had the good sense to decline but accepted his off of a ride home. Somewhere along the way I changed my mind and joined him at the party. More beers were drunk and so was I. I actually left a few minutes before midnight but knew the magic hour had arrived when the fireworks started while I was stumbling home.
And that’s how I spent the final day and night of the year. Except for the getting drunk part it wasn’t much different than most of my days here. Starting the new year with a hangover but I did struggle my way through a 7K walk this morning. Took a nap, wrote this post, and now I’m thinking about a massage.
So it would seem.
6 thoughts on “Turning the page”
So many brace-faced smiles! Most of those ladies look too old for braces, too. Is that a thing in the Philippines? Braces?
Bad teeth are a thing here. Unlike the USA, dentists here seem to prefer pulling teeth rather than saving them with crowns and the like. I guess it is a matter of economics. So, you see lots of gals with huge gaps in their smiles. Heh, that was the case with the gal I drank with at Bottoms Up…when she took her mask off I felt like saying put it back on, please!
I don’t know that braces are a fashion statement but when a gal gets the financial support to have them installed they don’t hesitate. I know women in the 40s with braces.
Same with Thailand. Price for braces has come down enough or economics standards have risen enough to allow the lower middle class folks to afford them. There are also some (thankfully a rather small amount of) young ladies who think it is a fashion statement and have these “stick on” braces that have no purpose other than to look stupid. Oh well.
Happy New Year John – enjoyed the photo tour. Good way to end the year that was and get read for the year to be.
Enjoy your New Year, Brian. I also appreciate your comments and insights.
So many brace-faced smiles! Most of those ladies look too old for braces, too. Is that a thing in the Philippines? Braces?
Bad teeth are a thing here. Unlike the USA, dentists here seem to prefer pulling teeth rather than saving them with crowns and the like. I guess it is a matter of economics. So, you see lots of gals with huge gaps in their smiles. Heh, that was the case with the gal I drank with at Bottoms Up…when she took her mask off I felt like saying put it back on, please!
I don’t know that braces are a fashion statement but when a gal gets the financial support to have them installed they don’t hesitate. I know women in the 40s with braces.
Same with Thailand. Price for braces has come down enough or economics standards have risen enough to allow the lower middle class folks to afford them. There are also some (thankfully a rather small amount of) young ladies who think it is a fashion statement and have these “stick on” braces that have no purpose other than to look stupid. Oh well.
Happy New Year John – enjoyed the photo tour. Good way to end the year that was and get read for the year to be.
Enjoy your New Year, Brian. I also appreciate your comments and insights.
Happy New Year Big J….
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