Update to a Friend: Still here in Paradise

Well, I'm still here in paradise. It's a beautiful morning with a nice breeze off the ocean but it will get hot later. I'm sitting here at my computer looking over the garden out onto the sea. Beautiful. Maricarl left already to attend her Caregiver class. In May she will also start the Teacher License Review class on the weekends. It is a 5 month-long undertaking as most of the colleges fall short in preparing students for the dreaded exam. Even with the review that most take, only 26% pass which also has to do with the test itself which from what I gather is sort of weird and is purported to have some wrong answers, lol.

In a little while I'll eat my first meal of the day... which always includes rice as does my 2nd and 3rd. Surprisingly, I don't mind. Meat or fish and cabbage in a broth or served by itself with some veggies (and you guessed it: rice, lol). Although yesterday I had my first American style meal since I arrived, at a bar/restaurant which also has a nice pool table (it's also where I practice). A fine rib-eye, french fries and a salad (and a San Miguel Light). The owner is from Texas. Very expensivo: about $6.

My days are fairly uneventful. After breakfast I drive my Kawasaki 130 downtown, take care of any business or shopping I need to do and spend 1 hour practicing. Then I play with the owner and win anywhere from $2 to $10 which generally pays for my coffee and my pool time with a little left over (he seems to be tiring of this part, lol). This generally takes a while as we play for P100 per game (about $2) and I give him a handicap and being a decent player he wins some. Usually, Maricarl will show up after class and have one of their milkshakes (courtesy of the owner, lol).

Then I go to one of 2 pool halls I frequent and there is always someone wanting to match up. One of the pool halls has 2 tables and the other has 3. Never-the-less there is always a table made available for me and my opponent. My matches are for high stakes and usually my opponent will have a financier or many financiers who pitch in to cover the bets (I am glad for this as I never like someone to risk their own money). No one minds that we claim a table because the matches are generally good entertainment for the onlookers which can be as many as 25 people. The owner of one in particular is happy to see me as he and his wife have a snack area which does a brisk business during my matches. They sell numerous individual cigarettes, narrow bags of ice water, penny candy, small bags of chips and several of their lunch specials (a P30 (70 cents) meal of a broth with chicken, a few vegies and noodles and of course the obligatory rice on the side. I've had it and it's pretty good. In fact, they bring out a plastic chair (no rough wooden benches for the honored guest who has contributed more to the local economy then he has removed, lol) and set up a small fan for me since I'm a “Kano” and not as comfortable with the heat as others. Oh, by the way, "high stakes" represents between $10 and $25.

I bought Maricarl's son his first bike. OMG, he was so excited. I paid the princely some of P1500 ($35) for it new. He took to it like a champ and since the training wheels broke the first day (as did the replacement set) he was forced to learn to ride it for real. On the 4th day we noticed that his slippers (the ubiquitous flip-flops) had a great deal of wear at the toes. Apparently, the breaks had given out and were beyond repair so he was doing the Fred Flintstone thing to stop. I noticed also that the basket had come loose and the screws were missing. Anyway, by the end of one week every moving part (and some that aren't supposed to move) of the bike were unserviceable (including the chain) with no hope for recovery. Well, I exaggerate... the spring loaded trap carrier on the back fender is in fine shape as no one understood it's purpose so it went unused. I have yet to find a replacement that is better manufactured. Man, no wonder American goods are much sought after. However, I have seen and bought some locally made stuff that is top notch. Like the rattan coffee table and chairs for our balcony and the bedside tables which were manufactured locally.

I will return to the States on May 22nd. Visit my mother and probably attend the Hardtimes Summer Jamboree tournament in Sacramento in early June. It's one of my favorites. Not sure how long I'll be in the States but hope to keep it to a month or less.