Phili-Phiesta...BnMe: Round 2

The Legendary Simon & Brian


Snickers anyone??? 4 Simonster
---> see profile Mindless Man in Manila (me, not him)


After 2 rhetorical questions it was str8 2 Tanduay--the quencher that stays with ya from the philippines...maybe a bit of coke too. Somehow Simon and I were magnetized by our dual natures and found each other several times after the initial intro in Manila. Brian, Simon, Sean--an aussie who intro'd me to a guy who took me to 11 local bands that made for a great Wednesday night--and I pulled our chairs in a drunken circle (ie. oval) and swapped stories of months past and tingled our spirits 4 the next 7+ days to come. Jan 30 we were off 2 Pipeline, where Simon and I got our groove on with the help of Jack n' his hooch coke, while Brian was finding his zone and Ken--the "hook-up"--was fending off the bill...fine chap he was. Somehow we got wind of green acres and burned off 2 a baking club Vuduu; grooved and moved till the booze oozed and ladyboys were unvealed, finally making 4 a 5am breakie call that the girls workin' the resto weren't ready 4; mango/banana shakes all around to push the hang a couple days over. B&me walked the streets the next morn and rediscovered reunion. Chatting amongst ugly x-mas decorations, we agreed on much and left much more undiscussed. NYE had us on our heels and we were begging to be pushed over; however, Sunflower would offer us only 20 minutes of crowd chatter/silence b4 Brian's lashing oration of fierce and unwavering principle that muzic is a must on any night we usher in a 007; wherein they started the show...nice work B-man! Bri, Si and I visited every bar in Cebu City that night, but NYE2007 in CC was a house venue ostensibly. In cebu Brian and I managed a lil' hike up to the aptly named point of a mountain called "Tops".




Mactan Island (ASEAN Summit held here) & Cebu City

The little bit of sunset we could manage

As uneventful as the incoming was, it did allow us the motivation and mind-control 2 push south 2 Moalboal 4 something unknown. Better sounding than Malapascua which B & I discussed more than 2 months up to his arrival, we decided to scrap the original plan. Simon would follow thanks 2 B&my persuasive tendencies. Moalboal (mo-all bo-all) also lacked the peg we wanted 2 stick, though Si and I boated off to Pescador Island 4 a wall dive that was just ok. The next morn it wasn't a surprise we were all on the same page; that being 2 skip 4 chapters 2 the heart of Phili-Phun.

Boarding a bus w/out open seats, we all stood and stared at eachother with locals in between. B managed 2 squirm into a seat and chat up some old dude while Si and I dreamed of the next step.

Sayin' goodbye 2 Simon, B&I left 4 a tiny town that even the locals didn't know existed...though it was just over 2 hills and 2 jeep connections away. We wanted to get to the circular island of Bohol by night's fall, which required us to first go 2 a pier that would (in our minds) have a boat docked w8n to transport the 2 of us from Cebu to Bohol. We were dropped at the junction 2 walk 500meters to a pier that had old men playin' pool in a kiosk/bar getting wasted, girls splashing in the sea hollering 4 the white boys' shirts to sail, but not the one thing we wanted...the boat 2 the island we wished to sail 4.

B had a brilliant idea and demanded we pause 4 prayer 2 San Miguel...2 liters of his confessional kiosk komfort actually. Some dude came up 2 disclose that he worked 4 a secret op (not so secret if 2 foreigners arrive and find him out w/out even asking b4 they finish the first bottle) in prep 4 the ASEAN summit (that is now underway). He was so happy that his moustache feigned his countenance...a lil' 2 happy. He offered us, as did 1 very drunk boatman, 2 transport us 2 Bohol. However, B & I agreed we wanted 2 survive this gr8 adventure and declined multifold.



The dog at the kiosk looked in better
condition than the boatman


Neither of us know how we ended up in this little known town of Argao but it would be the 1st night that would carry into day without a lull. One and a half spit-roasted chickens l8r, we were accompanied by 2 females 2 a pier with a karaoke bar where B put his efforts 2 the Bon Jovi ballad "Bed of Roses" which he claimes he's never heard...I claim I've never heard it sung like THAT! I tried the night's theme, "People Are Strange" (which also got no applause) and after declining an evening of unknown pleasure with the 2 counterparts, we grabbed 4 our advisor Tanduay. It was looking like another dull evening in some 2 horse town (our horses). We strolled down darkened streets we probably shouldn't have, then proceeded 2 buy another session of Tanda-therapy and hit the pier again. We passed the cathedral where B was relieved 2 relieve himself on a surrounding wall b4 we found a stiff seat at the end of the road and beginning of crashing waves.

Sitting at the pier we found out how little we knew about eachother. A good heart-2-heart while sippin' our sublimity and we were up moving slowly back 2 town where we met 7 boys who told us of a party where there were lots of "chicks" (they love that word here). I've heard this tale told thousands of times and was skeptical, but after some BBQ sticks and the final sip of our bottle, we were game.

Big Bang of a get down surprise HIT it was and I was back 2 the dance floor (4 I'd been swingin' it the 3 nights prior). In short, Bri paid the entrance of all 9 of us, then bought the kids a beer. I taught 2 5yr olds how to shake their asses, then 2 22yr old girls taught me how to shake MY ass, and in the background I only heard my wingman claiming that "it's always the fat chicks dude!"--Maybe not always bro, but definately THAT night--toasted "prost" with a drunk Norwegian at this local fiesta--wtF was he doing there?...I guess U could ask the same of us--and a ladyboy or 4 offering their dancing+ services, and an exchange of lost mobile #s all occurred b4 we had 1 of "my girls" pushing us onto her moped to drive us back to our cottage...romantic I know...local time 3:45am. At this point, I should mention that our boat was to leave at 5am and we had a good hour to get to our place and then to the pier...FAT chance we'd actually make the boat, which would prove the drunken tricycle driver that gave us a life earlier, correct...and we couldn't have that. We stumbled into the room with our stuff, grabbed it, and made a go 4 the road. After I ran frantically 2 catch a tricycle that wasn't there, I lay on my big backpack drunk, void of hope, full of acceptance and happy at that hour under the stars. Somehow B scurried away and returned with a tricycle...I have no idea how. His savior looked very Japanese to me and there we were driving along the shore, Brian in the sidecar (attached by weld) and me behind the driver-san. The hum of the motor on the darkened coastal highway we floated like samurais and as we approached the intersection the driver was flashing his light at the boat. We made the turn, flew the 500m earlier walked, jumped aboard, ran up the stairs and before we could sit down, the boat was unmoored...U RULE DUDE!!! Arigatao and Mushi-Mushi to Bohol.

B & me fell into a lovely sleep with serene smiles at the joy of the unexpected and the reward of spontaneity. We arrived 4 hours l8r and would curse those very virtues 4 having left us delirious and burdened with finding jeep connections, a hotel that had a vacant room on the beach, and all in the hot sun. Finally, we were stationed on Alona Beach, Panglao, Bohol and it would give us 1.5 days of another chapter.



U can't find 2 sexier dudes...than our boatmen


We rented (rather B rented) a couple bikes and we were TOTALLY Easy Rider...no really, we WERE! After a bit of financial fiasco we returned to our place and B prematurely passed out for the first time in all the years I've known him...he IS human after all. Next morn was on a boat to the beautiful and famous island of Balicasag where we would snorkel for a couple hours before the rain would crash our undersea party. We grabbed a shower, then dinner, then B felt a return of our Indo ending in stomach rejection and was in for another early night as I talked with an older Englishman about the beauties of the Philippines at a bar. Bohol consisted of all this in addition with me trying the mango shake making capabilities of each waitress before Bri did the inconceivable and talked me into returning to Manila for the last 2 days. Actually, he did one better and funded the trip that would be the ending.



I think this is the point of stomach failure


1st night in MNL was gr8 4 both of us as we danced the night away in a likable club. The next morning I strolled into the hotel at 14:00 to find Simon and Brian chatting over a pool side table--SURPRISE!!!

As usual, the plans 4 our last night didn't once fall onto the track of actually events. Simon and I were absolutely lovin' life as B was fendin' off the urban crew of confusing panhandlers. We all split up and would only find each other the next morning.

As it always is, the butterflies of the "end" fluttered all about me while B and I had break; Simon and B were both set 2 leave that day. However, after learning from past experiences, I decided 2 NOT stay and pursue all the potential; rather I would also gtFk outta infamous MNL. It sucks 2b left where so many memories were made. So I set into motion the 3rd dimension and we were all 3 flowing outward like the top-view of a triangle.



3 Kings by Robelle's Pool

This could be written so much better, but it was a phregin' phunkphest phat phili phiesta is what it was. Though the last taste may have been sour B, I know we'll both recall all those moments that kept our feet racin' 4 more with a grin in store. Cheers 4 everything and all that'll greet us next time...yes...NEXT TIME!