archive for the “recreation/leisure” category
The weather here on Penang is breezy and sunny and irresistible, so I went on another motorcycle tour of the island. And I saw teenagers playing Sepak Raga on three courts within a kilometer of each other. I was pleasantly surprised! I hadn’t brought a camera, because I had only intended to swim from the beach of a fishing village on the corner of the island opposite from home, 24 km away. But after passing the first court then passing the second not so fast and thinking about spectating, I stopped to enjoy watching matches at the third court that I’d come upon at low speed in a neighborhood with a mosque, Islamic school and a small Sepak court. »→
Today I swam from the rocky shore near Queensbay Mall to a neighboring island, Pulau Jerejak. I’d intended to do so for a while, but I wanted to be sure that I was fit enough to swim to the island and return, and Queensbay Mall and the island aren’t near home. »→
Between the presidential mansion and Mines View Barangay, I found kids sliding down streets on plastic scraps, including a broken personal computer case, a broken computer monitor case, and a cash-register drawer tray. I made some photos of the gleeful street-sledding kids then joined them in sledding three times.
Yesterday I walked from Vizco’s to, then up Mount Santo Tomas, Kubayao, Tuba, Benguet. I spent two hours, fifty minutes to reach the top, as I knew exactly how to get there, unlike the first time, and I wanted to arrive before nightfall. I saw the city lights this time, as darkness fell while I admired the view from the summit. I didn’t take a camera, though. »→
Today I walked the streets of Baguio City to revisit The Jeepney magazine vendors. Afterward I decided to walk to home in Tuding, as is my custom lately (the past two weeks). I have three routes. Today I walked south on Session Road to Camp John Hay, then I ran on the Eco-trail. That was fun. Jogging uphill was quite challenging in some places, because I’m not very fit, Baguio City is at altitude with humid air, and the trail was steep. I recommend walking the Eco-trail to everyone who can, and I’d encourage runners from the lowlands who visit Baguio City to run Camp John Hay. It’s less-polluted and more picturesque and peaceful. You can go too fast downhill on the Eco-trail, jarring your knees, or you can slow to a jog or walk downhill where it’s steep. It reminded me of running in University of Tennessee’s arboretum in Knoxville.
This morning I took Rose* and two of her neighbors to Baguio City to eat lunch in a Jollibee restaurant and ride rental tricycles and a pedal boat in Burnham Park. I have wondered in previous outings if a pedaled boat would be preferable to a rowed boat, so today we went to the concessionaire who had royal blue-and-yellow pedal boats and row boats. I picked an open-top boat. »→
I walked down to Baguio Gold to see the family and take the girls back uphill so that we could get a jeepney ride to Baguio City. On Thursday, the sisters had expressed in riding tricycles in Burnham Park, so I said that I’d take them today.
I didn’t know that the kitchen in Olahbinan Resthouse had a box of Lipton tea bags. I only knew that Masferré and other restaurants don’t serve black & orange pekoe tea. They serve delicious Mountain Tea, which you should savor if you come here. I wanted some caffeine to help me perk up, as there was no chance of dozing in the bright sunshine from the east window of our hotel room while Dominic snored, a hog squealed, traffic roared up and down main street and someone cut lumber with a circular saw beside our hotel.
So while Dominic slept, I asked in the stores along the main street for black tea bags for sale. I didn’t find any until I had gone far down the lane. I had to buy a whole box of 100 tea bags. I wish that I had known that Olahbinan already had an opened box in its kitchen! »→
I feel as if I’m covered with a layer of fine dust after hiking four-and-a-half hours then riding a jeepney back to Baguio City downtown. I’d really like to take a shower, but while I’m in the big city, I thought that I’d use an Internet café to check my e-mail and my weblog.
Late this morning I took recyclables to the mall (‘trash to cash’), then trudged downhill to Vizco’s for a beverage and a scan of the national newspapers. After slaking my thirst, I began walking without aim toward Burnham Park. I had no destination nor photographic subjects in mind. I just wanted to walk in the glorious autumn weather, and if I tired of walking, I’d take lunch and resume reading a book about spiritual healing. »→
When I began to feel better after a week of sickness, not wanting to read anything and not having my computer intact for reading the internet, I picked up a paperback book that I’d bought months ago: Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides. I read it for two nights. It was fantastic. The back cover and inside leaves are loaded with snippets from favorable reviews – glowing praise from many sources. Dominic and I had seen, via DVD, The Great Raid, a movie based on this book and another. »→
I woke to the sounds of dogs wildly barking and was surprised, as usual, that bright sunlight from the eastern sun flooded the hotel room.
Dominic and I ate breakfast on the terrace of Bana’s Café. We walked north back toward Olahbinan, and I detoured to room 7 to retrieve a camera. Then we perused the wares in the Saturday morning outdoor market all along the main street, from Masferré past Saint Theodore Hospital.
Around 9:20 we boarded a jeepney bound for Bontoc, a neighboring city. The ride on the rough, rocky, dusty roads lasted about fifty minutes. Bontoc, capital of Mountain Province, was sunny and very warm, as Alwin had told us it was. We found PNB, used its ATM, took a few pictures, visited a pharmacy and a clothing store, found a jeepney on a side street loading passengers for a trip to Sagada, and we climbed aboard. »→
Charlotte, Rose and I walked more than a mile uphill from Baguio Gold to Tuding Road so that we could await a ‘Tuding Express’ jeepney ride to the big city. We wanted to go to Holy Mass in the cathedral, eat lunch, then ride tricycles in Burnham Park. »→
Today Nick (12) brought his sisters, Charlotte (8) and Rose (6) to the apartment, and after I ate breakfast and drank a cup of tea while they watched cartoons, we headed to Baguio City. I expected that we’d ride a jeepney, as is customary. But every jeepney that passed us as we stood beside Tuding Road was full. Rural residents like to go to the big city for shopping, churchgoing or selling their wares (handicrafts), produce and livestock. So we couldn’t get a jeepney to stop for us. We boarded one of the several taxis that were going toward the city without passenger. »→
Sunday morning in Sagada we arose early in Olahbinan Resthouse and walked down the lane to Yoghurt House for a delicious, filling breakfast of ham, vegetable and cheese omelets, pancakes and mountain tea. Afterward we tried to find AA batteries, razors and shaving cream in the convenience stores along the main road. I had brought my trusty Braun, but Dominic wanted a disposable razor and a can of foam. »→
Sunday I walked down to Baguio Gold to deliver groceries that I’d bought and refrigerated dishes left-over from Saturday night’s big meal in Leah and Mike’s home. I found that the A-V-C-A family had already eaten lunch, but the folks were grateful for what I’d brought. I heard that 17-year-old Pat, who’s been working in a mine in Rino Hill in Baguio Gold had brought 500 pesos of his wages to his grandmother, so the family had dined on fish and rice. »→
……Nick came up from Baguio Gold after his chores so that we could go together to Baguio City and register him for Taekwondo training in UFC Fitness Center. Upon arrival downtown, we checked my mailbox for his birth certificate again (not there, alas). Then we crossed Father Carlu Street, walked toward the cathedral and descended into the Porta Vaga Building that the diocese owns to go into UFC’s martial arts school. »→
Well, I have nothing interesting to report. We have shopped for groceries and checked our mail box in the city, worked at our computers as rain falls almost continuously… For days I have been fighting against mold in my bedroom. We have had so much rain since Saturday, one wall of this apartment is against earth, is cracked and is seeping water which puddles on the floor and must be mopped. »→
