Beware the ides of March is an old expression dating back to Julius Caesar and his buddy Brutus. It also holds the biggest holiday in my old hometown of Boston, and that would be Saint Patrick’s Day, A day that in the past I’ve tried to celebrate here in the Philippines with my family, but for some unknown reason they think I’m bring them to church. The last of the things that happen in March is the summer season starts here on Luzon.
School is out, the kids are running up and down the street shouting with glee and abandon, hey I can remember that same feeling from when I was a wee lad. It was the time of the year when my four brothers and I would be loaded into the family Oldsmobile and taken to our summer house in South Yarmouth on Cape Cod to escape the heat of Boston. My Father came down every Friday night, as someone had to work. In those days it was a 4 t0 5 hour trip, but due to the improved Highway system it can be done in one hour now.
But here in the Philippines most of us live close enough to the ocean (And or Bay) that a long trip is not required, plus the many resorts with swimming pools that you can go to for a day trip or a weekend at a reasonable price, the service is fair but they forget to chill the beer and don’t turn on the ref until just as they open. I always bring a cooler of my own, well iced down.
The folks from Manila will be flocking to Subic Freeport and bring their terrible driving habits with them. The local police and the LTO traffic police will be working overtime trying to get the Manilaites to stop at stop signs and teaching them those traffic lights, are not Christmas lights that we forgot to take down. It’s a losing battle.
This is the time of year to hire special Jeepney’s and load up the family and kids and head to the beach for the day. The first thing to be loaded is food, and beverages, if any room is left then the people squeeze in I’m always surprised. I try to hire a local driver, and invite his family also, I get a better price, and the driver tends not to wander off.
Summer is my least favorite time of the year because of the heat; one would think, that I of all people would be used to it after living on Diego Garcia, Puerto Rico, Florida, Guam and many trips to the Arabian Gulf. I don’t hate it; it’s just my least favorite season. But since the Filipino people has come up with a liquid libation call “San Miguel Beer” I muddle through and make the best of it until the rainy season starts on 15 May. (Set your watch by it) Oh and SMB is just as good in the rain as in the sun!
This month of March is also the time that the New Old Honda goes to Mike’s Air/Con in Olongapo City for a complete check up of “the keep the car cool A/C system” that was built into the Honda by those wonderful people in Japan. I will procrastinate on many things but never that.
As I write this I know I’ll get no sympathy from you folks who live in the Northern Hemisphere who are still dealing with freezing temperatures and snow. I can only repeat what I’ve written so many times in the past, go to the Atlas, look up the map of the Earth, and find the middle latitude, it is a blue or red line labeled 0 degrees and called the Equator. If you not living 15 degrees to the North or South of it, you’re in a cold area and should move away from there quickly Now that I’ve explained that, I take back all I said above about summer heat in the Philippines. I guess I really love it! But you can fry an egg on the hood of your car. Or as the oldsters in Florida use to say; “I saw a dog chasing a cat, and they were both walking.”
Hi Paul, I keep sending e-mails to my ex work friends saying the sun is so hot and the gin and tonic so cold but we soldier on lol.
John;
If you’re looking for hate mail in return, then that’s the way to go! (LOL) I explain to my friends that I need an electric powered machine to make ice, whereas they just step outside to get it.
BTW I’ve been ofline since Saturday, I’ll explain next Monday
Wondered why there was no reply’s, thought perhaps one too many adult beverages lol lol.
John;
First I was angry, but when I found the problem I hit the floor laughing.
Tell you what, Paul, if you don’t like your summer there, please send it over my way pronto. It’s a dark winter day today with rain mixed with snow falling in this part of the northern hemisphere where I live, and I have a great hankering for a good old fashion meal of corned beef and cabbage. But since my wife is not here to cook, to my usual canned red salmon and rice I go. LOL
John;
Whoa Nelly! Read the part where I took back all my grousing about the summer here, and finished with I guess I love it. If I could send it to you, you would miss out on spring and that would be a terrible thing.
Paul, alright keep your summer then because no way in hell I’d miss the first day of Spring here which is tomorrow, and it happens to be my wife’s birthday! I, too, was a bit concerned about your whereabouts yesterday when you didn’t post your replies to the comments like you usually do early AM Dinalupihan time. Glad you’re OK.
John;
The no internet story is so funny, albeit I was not cracking up at the time, but next week’s article will write its self. Happy Birthday to your Lady!
Wasn’t there a good old county song “were not cold anymore,since you walked out the door”, just kidding.
Loren;
All Country songs are great, I think of my ex wife everytime I hear Roy Clark sing “Thank God and Grayhound She’s Gone”
Hi Paul: Indianapolis had their St. Patricks’s Day parade today. The downtown canal was probably died green as usual. Bars had green beer but I didn’t get any. I got chicken dinner from KFC to eat at home with my wife who had rotator cuff surgery on her right sholder last month. We don’t go out anywhere right now, except she has a doctor’s appointment tomorrow. It is grey with a temperature of 36 dgrees f outside. We may get some snow late tonight. Our daffodils are sprouting and are about 4 inches high now. They will fill our flower beds with yellow about the second week of April. Enjoy your heat.
Larry;
I really hope your wife heals quickly, and snaps back to 100% soonest. They were going to color Boston Harbor green years ago, but they couldn’t get the food coloring to mix with the pollution. I was out walking in the noon day sun yesterday, but quit that real fast. Spring is coming for you next month.
I know St. Patrick’s Day is over there in the Philippines but as I tell my friends, “those of us who are Irish celebrate year around.” With that in mind, may is sent to online friends whom I have yet to meet,
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Traditional Gaelic blessing
And amended in Paul’s case, to end – “and may you always find a cold SMB in your hand.”
My family in county Roscommon, Ireland will more likely to be found with Guinness and Bushmlls.
LeRoy;
County Kilkenny (Or in Gallic Cill Chainnigh) is where my Sainted Grandmother Molly Dugan was from, my grandfather was from Dublin. And if the ship had been a few days late my father would not have been born in the US, thank heavens for the Merchant Marines! No Saint Pat’s day here, but I did have a few beers and played music by the “Irish Rovers”
Corned Beef and Cabbage and more Corned Beef
Lenny;
My grandmother added turnips in with the potatoes and I never knew. But no other Boiled New England Dinner ever tasted as good, until she told me.
Paul,
Hope you had a nice St Patty’s Day. I don’t wear green because i wear green at the sheriff’s office everyday. I’m not too crazy about corned beef and cabbage. All i need is some cold beer. I will miss the summer there and get there in the middle of rainy season. Have a nice day
PapaDuck;
The rainy season is good too! You don’t like Boiled New England dinner? Please don’t tell anybody that if you’re ever in Boston!
Thanks for the memories Paul. I remember our family vacations going to Cape Cod before the Interstate Highway System was developed and being awakened long before sunrise to begin our journey. To me, climate wise you are in the land of endless summer although school being out really makes the difference. Well, it’s snow and freezing rain in the forcast for Monday night into Tuesday. If I had some SMB’s all I would have to do is put them out on the porch for a while, no ice chest required.
Bob;
It was the trip from hell, but worth it once you’re there. I loved the Cape it was a great place to spend the summer. Dinalupihan Bataan is a better place now!
Paul,
“go to Atlas” — you mean Google Earth?
Lol just kidding
Jonathan;
Google is so big, it has its own earth now! (lol)
Hi Paul, like John here about two hours plus away north of me, we had a sleet and really wet weather going on. I was helping an ol’ retired Air Force guy pumped his front tire in the church parking lot last Sunday with my tiny air pump powered through the cigarette lighter outlet and it took forever, I was “Chilled to the Bone”, as the song goes. But keeping the tradition of a seagoing service, trying to looked tough, I got through it! Once again I carrying the torch to save our brothers-in-arms! ha ha.
I was in Savannah, Ga a week before the ST Patty celebration and the prep are in full swing. Savannah St.Pat’s celebration is somewhere in the top 5-6th largest party in the US, but had to go back to Va.
Normal fare would be Corned beef and sausage and lots of beer. Most local stick to the low country boil of boiled shrimp, sausage, early potatoes, corn seasoned with crab boil seasoning. There’s a lot of oyster roast going on also, minimum donations and all you can eat, good oysters this time of the year.
I hope you had a good ST. Pats.
Mars
Mars;
Retired Air Force? I thought they just stayed on active duty, on Crew Rest, and then were carried feet first out the main gate in a black Gray-hound Bus.
Shrimp and crab boils are a wonderful treat, I do miss them (Lobster & Clam also)
Yup, good life the AF have. Before building the runway, they build the Clubs and swimming pool first. But when I saw him pulled that manual pump you usually for inflating Volleyball and the likes, I feel sorry for him and offered my pump.
Mars
Mars;
In Coco Beach Florida, I used to drive over to Patrick AFB to have a cocktail at the Staff NCO Club with my Gunny buddy Don Wolfe USMC. The bus drivers were shocked when the Gunny kept calling me “Chief” as they thought I was kinda young to be a Chief Master Sergeant. We never told them that I was a Navy Chief.
Paul, been there several times, one of my last act just before retiring was doing evaluation visit at one of the Cutter moored @ Port Canaveral off HY 520.1A, right across the Disney Cruise Ships, just north of Patrick. But figure this out, a few miles north there’s another AF Base-Canaveral AFB probably working with goings on @ the Cape just a little north of it. That’s a beautiful place. In the mid ’70s, I was driving my Mach 1 Mustang through all the way to Base Miami Beach, that’s before the crackdown real hard on DUI, Police officers are kinda lenient if you have a military sticker on your car. Those were the days, my friend…
Mars
Mars;
The days when you could drive from Mayport Naval Base to Daytona on A1A with the top done and drive up to the ABC Liquor Store/Bars and order a beer or mixed drink to go, without ever leaving your car. I never tried it to Key West as I’d be too drunk to drive.
Key West is a very different place altogether. Still have my “Conk Republic & Sloppy Joe t-shjrts. IF I remember right, there was this country music joint right outside the small gate near the piers. Going back to the ship, some of the guys climb the fence for short cut instead of going to the main gate. Once in while the shore patrol would hide and apprehend those fence climbers and take them to the shore patrol holding tank. Few Pina Coladas were normally involved during this evolution. ha ha.
Mars;
Every couple of months we’d ride our Harley’s from the Clearwater St. Pete area to the Keys, cross alligator and pick up A1A. We would always stop on Key Largo to have coffee and Key Lime Pie (No beer on two wheels); our first stop, was at the Hogg’s Breath Saloon on Duval, then start the Duval Crawl and end up at Sloppy Joes. (I still have my Sloppy Joe’s Zippo). Then go to Mallory Pier to see the street performers and catch the sunset. If I had stayed there to live, I’d be long gone from this mortal core.
We had our coldest weather to date so far. Lows in the 50s with highs in the 70s. Also was strange to see the Ilocanos here buying corn beef and wearing green. I guess it does not take much of a reason for Filipinos to party.
Jay;
That is some different Luzon weather, a tad warmer here in the south. Were you eating corned beef brisket or corn beef from the can (Bully-Beef)? (lol) But the no reason for a party is for a fact, correct!
Hello to all you guys there & a belated ”HAPPY ST PATRICK’S DAY”
Great reading all your stories.
I will be visiting Cebu this year, & I would appreciate any info’
(1) I’m a beach man & looking to stay at the beach or within 1 kl, can you recommend where to stay, I was told Green lagoon was nice.
(2) What about the weather in Cebu, is it warm there, any typhoons, floods.
(3) And the cost of living? Where in Cebu is best to stay.
(4) What about the safety.
(5) How does the visa work to visit.
Slainte
Patrick
Patrick;
1. Cebu and beaches go hand in hand; I’ve not been there in over 20 years so I’ll defer to our down South readers to answer the rest.
2. The weather and typhoons; Easy to answer, but we need to know the timeframe of your visit.
3. Cost of Living: Are you coming to visit or live here?
4. As safe as you make it. It’s like any place on Earth; danger does lurk, and just do the proper things to avoid it.
5. Visas; Tourists visa in normally 57 days but again live here or visit?
6. But do come, and you will enjoy yourself for sure!
Hi Paul,
Summer times alot of diffirent kinds of native fruits in the Philippines, i like them all,
i remember when iam a teenager, my parents brought me in nice and beautiful beach resorts all over the Philippines from 100 Islands to Boracay, Puerto
galera, very nice in Camiguin Island, i like the beach resort there, cool and romantic
place. Paul I’ve been there also in white rocks beach resort in subic bay. how is the white rocks now a days, did you been there already? have a nice summer time.
Anne;
First, congratulations on your engagement, the best to you both.
White Rock is better than it used to be, it has had extensive remodeling and is a great place to visit. My daughter Yhen, loves all the summer fruit, at this time of year.