7Dec2022 - crlazlo meanderings 2 is now 2.1 - I will continue to use it as a preview/workspace for my FB posts, but I will also start organizing the many photos from my retirement years, and also start a journal/memories thing. That's the plan anyway.

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

The building photos I posted last were the Crown Regency Hotel, part of our complex. I went up to the top yesterday, both in the daytime, and later at night. Nice!












Saturday, April 21, 2018


The traffic here is amazing! We talk about the traffic in Seattle? No no... Nothing like Cebu. BUT, since I like walking anyway, and my body likes the warmer temperatures, I walk more often than I take a Jeepney or Taxi.
Today we upped the ante when we ended up at the wrong place with our taxi driver. We bartered w two Habal Habal drivers to get us to our destination. p40 each, Inday on one, and me on the other one. Habal Habals are motor scooters and motorcycles, maybe around 125cc. The drivers here, taxis, scooters, buses, all of them, have amazing offensive defensive driving skills. When we’re riding in taxis or whatever, there are these streams of scooters weaving in and out of the stalled traffic. They sometimes have no more than an inch to spare on both sides. My life passed before my eyes, all 72 years of it :) They weaved, and scooted, and spurted along at a clip that beat out any taxi, or even my fast walking. And I looked cool in the helmet the driver gave me to wear, a bright pink “Hello Kitty” motorcycle helmet. Life is good.
It’s been 10 years since I last visited Cebu, a decade. Whew! Our condo building at that time, looking down upon it from Club Ultima, was a big hole in the ground, with all kinds of rebar sticking out. 
Im not very knowledgeable, but I think a lot of regular Filipinos get by on maybe p300 a day, $6? Every nook and cranny is filled w anything and everything you can think of with people selling products and services. We took a Tricycle ride (a motorcycle w a sidecar and seats for up to 5 people?) up towards an area called Oppra, looking for a seamstress to hem our curtains. A Jeepney driver on the way back down pointed out a place he knew that had a seamstress. There was this middle aged guy sitting out in front of his place with a fan and a small variety of fish for sale. He usually goes down to a market (Carbon Mkt) in the mornings and buys fish, which he then sells at a little higher price. Behind him in the first room was a rice store where he had at least 6 large bags of different varieties of rice for sale. In the darkened room behind that was an area where you could see a foot driven sewing machine. There was a small Sari Sari store next door that his wife managed. A Sari Sari store has all kinds of small day to day necessities for sale. They’re everywhere. When my wife was negotiating the curtain hemming job w him in Visayan, I was enjoying his happy laid back voice and smile. Inday made a short Jeepney run back up this morning and picked up our curtains. They look good.
I had no understanding before when Inday said the Malls here are amazing! They are. They are not like our Malls. You have this lush tropical vegetation everywhere here, but there are few “parks” as such. Malls are your #1 relaxation and shopping destination. The biggest draw is the AC, the Air Conditioning! When it’s 79 degrees at 5:55 am like it is now, duh...
AC reigns! When I walk by the Metrobank next door, en route to The Robinson’s Dept Store and Supermarket, I’m often buffeted by this whoosh of cool air shooting out from their lobby. “Come in! Put your money here!” 
In spite of the struggles of many regular people here, the Malls are thriving. The restaurants are busy, lots of shopping options, lots of free entertainment. For p7 (7 pesos; a US$ is around p51 right now), you can ride a Jeepney into the Fuente Osmena Circle near us, and hop on a free shuttle bus headed to the new SM Seaside Mall along the waterfront west of Cebu. There you can just wander around and enjoy the ever present entertainment and happenings, or go up to the top floor Skypark with it’s childrens playgrounds, restaurants, wonderful city and water views, etc. A family can go to one of the many Joliebee restaurants here. Joliebees are everywhere, and they are more popular than McDonalds. At the other end of the spectrum, you have the BMW driving patrons going there to buy their Gucci’s?
The sunset photo I posted recently was taken from the Skypark when we were eating at the “Chika an” restaurant, that wonderful 3 course meal w salad, mango shake and beer for $11 including tip!
I just finished my best morning walk to date. I started out walking west on B. Rodriguez St and walked up as far as Rama, where I turned left. The first 4 blocks or so along Rodriguez was a sidewalk filled with vendors selling anything and everything. Some people were sitting on stools at small food stands eating their breakfasts.7:45 am on a Saturday morning. Us walkers and shoppers were walking along the “parking” lane most of the time.
A short distance after I turned down Rama, I noticed a little commotion ahead of me - Whoa! Was it the same crazy dog, literally, who nipped at me yesterday on Jones Ave? It looked like the same critter, and he was darting in and out from the sidewalk, trying to bite some Habal habal drivers. Weird. I turned around and walked back the way I came.
Halfway back on Rodriquez, I turned right onto a small lane and I entered a different world. I wasn’t comfortable taking photos and I don’t think many “foreigners” wander through there. Just like when I come across another walker when I’m in Renton’s Black River Forest, they’re always looking to see what I’m taking a photo of. They usually think I’m a bird watcher, and they tell me they saw a Heron or whatever down by the lake... I’m usually gettin g shots of trees, patterns in the water, etc.
This walk was wonderful! Like Inday’s brother in law said once, “a feast for the eyes”... Every once in awhile, I would make eye contact with someone, and I would get a “good morning”. One guy asked me “are you looking for someone?” Occasional looks of quiet surprise, but I was comfortable.
When I’m out doing my nature photo walks at home, I can sometimes shoot over 275 or 300 photos. Getting 5 or 10 “keepers” is a good day. If I was a ghost or something, and I was comfortable taking photos, I could have shot what, over 900 photos this morning!? It was that enjoyable, and interesting.
By the way, I was attacked by another critter today, but not quite so intimidating as that dog. A rooster tied to a tree on Rama St tried to get me, but he failed :) “Get out of here!”






Thursday, April 19, 2018


I will never tire of these views. I remember fantasizing about this kind of thing even when I was living in a trailer in the woods by Carbonado. I imagined being up on a mountain looking down on some city lights...





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My breakfast this morning, the leftovers from last night’s Chow King take-out. I should have taken a photo. Next time. The Chinese style “Lariat” w chicken, and a regular Halo Halo. We finished the Halo Halos last night.
Headed out on a few “missions” shortly, following a shower. Unlike hopping in the car and planning to hit Costco for gas, going to Home Depot, stopping off at a Target, etc, and getting back home in 1 to 1 1/2 hours, life is different here. Even walking down the sidewalk is slow. Of course, a lot of that has to do w the climate. I just saw Inday off in a Jeepney, on her own mission. My goals for this mid-day are: P.O. to post a few letters; check w the condo management office about bringing in the carpenter again (I decided to do a hand-off of some of the on-going honey-dos...); walk to and/or taxi to Banilad to our bank branch (I’ve gone on some very interesting walks while here, sometimes making as good a time as I would have being stuck in traffic w Jeepneys or Taxis). I haven’t looked at a map yet, but I’m guessing a Jeepney or Taxi will probably prevail. I already had a nice walk this morning. My goal was to find a place Inday saw online, and get a brochure, etc. I love meandering, and I wandered all over the place en route. I am amazed at the number of businesses and enterprises, some of them itty bitty little places in just this one to two block area.











Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Cebu Post #5 -2
17Apr2018





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Cebu Post #5
17Apr2018

Our view when we had dinner at a Chikaan restaurant the other night... 2 entrees, a salad, one beer and a Buko shake + tip, all yummy! $12
We were at the SM Seaside Mall west of Cebu City. This photo is from the same area, and the multi-colored building is the Crown Regency Hotel.





Monday, April 16, 2018

Cebu Post #4
16Apr2018

It's taken awhile, but I feel like our "vacation" is now beginning. I've been on other walks, but my morning walk today feels like my first Real one. I keep ending up at Uncle Toms. I just have to be careful. The AC is so good here that when I walk into the cafe I have to search out a spot with the least direct air flow. We don't use our own AC that much. Live like the locals...

ps - CNN was on at U Toms, and Anderson Cooper was interviewing someone. No sound. Good. Ticker tape had something about that character in the WH bombing Syria? And the Russians claiming they shot down some missiles? I'm seriously considering cutting back on my "news" consumption when I return home. I'm happier here for many reasons, but one of them might be the absence of the Donald...

ps ps - "Jack" has the lead in my "Chuck" names on drinks cups...

Sunday, April 15, 2018

Cebu Post #3 -2
15Apr2018

They keep the"good stuff" behind the counter at Starbucks, the Half n Half :)
Also, it's been fun seeing the variations on my name "Chuck" when I order a coffee or other drinks at different places. It started with a "Jack" written on my Buko (coconut) shake cup at "Thirstys". Other Chucks have been Chad, Chack and something like Chunk. I know I should just say Charles, but...



Cebu Post #3
15Apr2018




Saturday, April 14, 2018

Cebu Post #2 -2
14Apr2018

I lost the $5 maroon baseball cap I bought at Ross, so of course I had to get myself a "JEEP" cap:




Cebu Post #2 -1
14Apr2018

Filipinos work so hard! It’s bustling activity everywhere, all around u when you’re walking, riding a Jeepney, bus or taxi, a colorful rush of people. I love my morning walks...








I just discovered the word “Bohjour” when I opened my new coffee cup box this morning. I’m collecting coffee cups. I didn’t see the “bon jour” when I saw the sample cup in the Miniso Japan store. Miniso is a higher end version of Daiso. They also have a Korean store version called Yoyoso. I like both the Yoyoso and Miniso stores better than Daiso. We can Not go in there without buying something!





Friday, April 13, 2018

Cebu Post #1
13Apr2018
Hi there y’all,
2 weeks and 3 days into our Cebu adventure, and I’m finally going to start my family and friends Cebu journal thing. 2+ weeks down and lots of condo makeover things accomplished. I have enjoyed this process a lot! Dealing with salespersons, working with Jomar and Berta, the two guys doing most of the work, even our “journeys” to the far reaches of Cebu for specific items we need. Just looking out at Filipino Life as we drive by, it’s a wonder. I’m getting better with my crouching duck walk up and into Jeepneys - no head bonking or stepping on toes. Yeah me! And when we have more than a few items, we take taxis back home, which is better for taking photos. I actually like the slowed traffic with traffic jams. Depending on where we slow down or stop, there are more photo ops! I posted a few photos to FB the other day, and I will continue to post my regular kind of cr photos there. My blog will have more “words”. I wish I was a better writer, but I’m not.
ps - they do Not walk here, with the heat and humidity... I haven’t begun my regular morning walks yet, and yesterday I decided to walk to the IT Park area (Information Technology..., where all of Cebu’s main bank and business headquarters are located) from the Fuente Circle where we live. My phone battery died and I wasn’t quite sure which direction to go on my return trip, so I asked a few people en route. More than once, there answer was “14D”, the number of the Jeepney going to Fuente. I tried to explain that I want to walk, I like walking, and they persisted “14D”. :)