Sorry, wrong San Antonio. I’m in Zambales province, not Texas. Still, there is adventure to be found here, especially when you don’t know where you are going. That was the case when me and the nephews decided to hike to the beach from our riverside resort. Things didn’t go as planned, and rather than retreat, we fought on, following little-used paths that kept dead-ending in pond water. We pressed on, though, taking different trails leading in the general direction we wanted. Luckily, Justin had a Google maps app, and we could see we were getting closer to a road that led to the beach. Just when we thought we had found our way after crossing the water on three rickety old bamboo bridges, we discovered a fence that blocked our path. Our options were to go back from whence we’d come or wade through the pond and find a way around the fence. We chose the wet feet route and, in that way, successfully achieved our goal of walking on the beach. I’ve got a slew of photos from the hike I’ll share at the end of this post.
I’ve been to Monty’s a couple of times previously for Hash events, but it’s the first time I’ve spent the night here. My room is surprisingly spacious and much nicer than the one I had in Baguio last weekend for the same price (3500 pesos/$70).
A view of the roomA little kitchenette too
It turns out, though, that I’m sharing the bathroom with a non-paying guest.
He’s been hogging the toilet all morning. Bastard.
I decided not to end his life, however. He was here before I was, after all.
It’s a weird location for a resort. You drive a kilometer down a dirt road to get here.It’s owned by an American named, you guessed it, Monty and his Filipina wife.The bar area features a second floor affording heightened views.But the views from the lower floor bar area suited me just fine.The riverside view.Huts on the water if that’s your thing.I took a nap after the hike but woke up in time to watch the sun go down.Going, going…Gone!Being down a long dirt road with no vehicle after dark limited our drinking options. We wisely chose to do our Saturday night imbibing at Monty’s.Monty’s wife, Jenny, does the cooking and did a nice job on this Philly cheesesteak sandwich. Justin had a Rueben that he raved about. I don’t remember what Josh ate.
Alright, to the hike, then. We arrived at noontime and, after checking in, decided to do a beach hike. I asked Jenny if the dirt road out front led to the beach, and she seemed to indicate that it did, so off we went.
On the road to nowhere.Posers on the riverside
After going down the dirt road a kilometer or so, we came to a house, and the man who lived there asked where we were going. We responded to the beach. He told us you couldn’t get there from here. Hmm. We weren’t sure if he was just being a prick or not, but we changed course and found a path going in the general direction we wanted.
And this is where it took us.We found a different trail, and it led to the first of three bridges over the pond that was blocking our way.They were rickety, and some of the bamboo footings were cracked and rotting.Same with the second bridgeThe last bridge was much sturdier but led us to an insurmountable fence.Fuck it; we’ll just wade through the water to get around the fence. Google Earth said there was a road on the other side.And at last, we were on pavement again. Now to find the beach.A paper tree in full bloom Actually, they wrap the mangoes in the paper, I assume to keep the birds and bugs away until it is time to harvest.This resort was the last obstacle to overcome to reach the beach. The receptionist was very kind and accommodating, showing us the way to access the water.Across this bridge, and we are there.Goal achieved!Wide sandy beaches that were much cleaner than the ones in BarrettoBut damn, that thick and loose sand was a bitch to walk through. We did about 2K on the beach, and it felt like four.I’ve Hashed in those hills.Boats on the beachIt was slow going for Josh doing the sand walk, and we’d had enough of it for one day. Time to hit the road again.Justin on the mean streets of Pandaquit.Nice to have seen you again!Making our way to my favorite venue in San Antonio–the Car Wash bar and grill.Let’s do lunch!The pork steak in mushroom gravy was the daily special.I got mine with a side of coleslaw.Heavy on the carrots and not all that flavorfulLoved this advertThe Car Wash features a live band on Saturday night, but it was too far to walk in the dark from Monty’sTwo kilometers to walk after lunch to get back to Monty’s. I loved the way that tree had chosen to grow over the highway. It probably saved its life by doing so.Beauty along the way.The way we went.
You can Relive the adventure here if you’d like:
It was a good day with the nephews in that other San Antonio. Time to pack up and head on home to my Sunday night in Barretto. Justin and Josh are heading to Manila tomorrow to complete the visa process at the Korean embassy.
7 thoughts on “Where’s the Alamo?”
Rueben → Reuben
“Justin on the mean streets of Pandaquit.”
I assume that’s “Pundaquit,” per your previous spellings (and that photo!).
Looks to have been quite the adventure. Great pics of the path, of the food, and of your non-paying hotel denizen. And the walk was over 8K. Not bad, not bad.
Enjoy your return to Barretto. Good luck to Justin on the next step of his visa application.
Sorry—I meant Josh. Justin’s the Korea veteran. Yeah, I have senior moments, too.
Ha! Thanks for panning my misspelling–no pun intended! It’s a weird word and pronounced “poon-dock-it,” which still doesn’t excuse the “a” instead of “u”. Just my typical sloppiness. And you corrected your name error before I could gig you, damn it!
Anyway, it was a good trip. Justin and Josh are off to the Korean embassy in Manila this morning.
Did you say your nephew was going to try to work in Korea? Is that hard to find?
Cool pics as always. And sometimes, it is the journey, and not the destination!
Re: the sunset. Maybe it is only me, but I am always intrigued by how fast the sun seems to go down in the tropics. One moment, bright daylight, and the next, dark. Must have to do with the angle of the sun being much more direct as you approach the equator.
Good luck to your nephews on their visa quest. I assume that Josh did it in the PI vs. US so as to have a chance to get a mini vacation in before going to Korea?
Brian, no idea about the sun, but yeah, maybe it’s a hemispheric thing. It goes down quick and fires up the sky, that’s for sure.
Actually, Josh was in Korea visiting Justin and accepted a job teaching English at a private school. Since he was on a tourist visa, he was required to leave the country to have a work visa issued. Visiting his uncle was the most convenient way. Justin had a visa issued from the Korean embassy in Manila previously, so he flew in to assist Josh with the process.
QP, it depends on the type of job and qualifications. Josh will be teaching English at a private school. His degree and experience were a good fit as a teacher. There are contractors on the U.S. military that hire U.S. civilians as well.
Rueben → Reuben
“Justin on the mean streets of Pandaquit.”
I assume that’s “Pundaquit,” per your previous spellings (and that photo!).
Looks to have been quite the adventure. Great pics of the path, of the food, and of your non-paying hotel denizen. And the walk was over 8K. Not bad, not bad.
Enjoy your return to Barretto. Good luck to Justin on the next step of his visa application.
Sorry—I meant Josh. Justin’s the Korea veteran. Yeah, I have senior moments, too.
Ha! Thanks for panning my misspelling–no pun intended! It’s a weird word and pronounced “poon-dock-it,” which still doesn’t excuse the “a” instead of “u”. Just my typical sloppiness. And you corrected your name error before I could gig you, damn it!
Anyway, it was a good trip. Justin and Josh are off to the Korean embassy in Manila this morning.
Did you say your nephew was going to try to work in Korea? Is that hard to find?
Cool pics as always. And sometimes, it is the journey, and not the destination!
Re: the sunset. Maybe it is only me, but I am always intrigued by how fast the sun seems to go down in the tropics. One moment, bright daylight, and the next, dark. Must have to do with the angle of the sun being much more direct as you approach the equator.
Good luck to your nephews on their visa quest. I assume that Josh did it in the PI vs. US so as to have a chance to get a mini vacation in before going to Korea?
Brian, no idea about the sun, but yeah, maybe it’s a hemispheric thing. It goes down quick and fires up the sky, that’s for sure.
Actually, Josh was in Korea visiting Justin and accepted a job teaching English at a private school. Since he was on a tourist visa, he was required to leave the country to have a work visa issued. Visiting his uncle was the most convenient way. Justin had a visa issued from the Korean embassy in Manila previously, so he flew in to assist Josh with the process.
QP, it depends on the type of job and qualifications. Josh will be teaching English at a private school. His degree and experience were a good fit as a teacher. There are contractors on the U.S. military that hire U.S. civilians as well.