"Smurf and Bryson , aka Santa Claus"

There's a south american feeling to this place . It doesn't feel like Asia at all . I constantly have to remind myself that I'm not in some mexican border town . The place is full of U.S Navy retirees , expats with a dodgy past and like Mexico , the local law enforcement gentlemen have a deeply american-influenced sense of fashion . I could also be lost in some Caribbean ex-Spanish colony . The Filipino's genes are deeply mixed by centuries of colonization . And the local alcoholic delicacy is called Tanduy : Not another one of those lethal Rice based fire-starter beverage but a really nice brand of locally distilled Rum !!! I recently stopped buying the really cheap one as i learned from an acquaintance that making a 75 pesos (about 2 dollars) full-size bottle of Rum is quite impossible unless it's ethanol based :) I'm now spending a little bit more for the really really nice one , and the morning headaches have magically disappeared . At night , driving through Barreto , the Tijuana-flavored part of town , really reminds me of times spent south of the border . David , aka Smurf , calls that place the Dark Side , and he's quite fond of it .
The Skipper was born in New Zealand and he's now enjoying life aboard Lady Emma , his beautiful 55ft sailing yacht . Smurf , an australian passport holder , replied to his ad on the internet asking for a crew and joined him aboard his ship . Both of the are making a great couple , and perfect partners in crime . I truly believe they'll never leave this place , life for them is just too good here .
The cruising life is a good life .

The List is like an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie : It'll be back !!! and once again i've started a new list :) It's already growing out of control , and trying to burn it won't be enough , i'll probably have to use nuclear power this time to get rid of it "permanently" this time . So apart from fixing the things that got damaged in the storm , i'm planning on doing a few important modifications to the boat . I've split "The List" in two categories : "cosmetic" and Design issues ... Don't get me wrong , it's already a good boat . Hell , it survived a typhoon so it can't be that bad but there's a few things that i'm going to fix now before i get in trouble again !!! Guess i'll be staying here in Subic Bay until all is finally done right !!!
So i'm slowly getting used to my new home . Subic used to be the biggest american navy base outside of the U.S.A . They've left and it's now a Tax-Free port with restaurants , shops , supermarkets and light industries . The Marina is "On Base" too , and if you want to get out to the city , you need to go through guarded gates . It's a big change once you're out . Tons of crowd , traffic , small shops and hundreds of "Bars" where you can find a "girlfriend" for a night or a wife for life . The Philippino people are really poor , most leave in shacks without running water or any other comfort us westerners are used to . So for the girls , finding a husband to get out of this is quite understandable and i don't blame them for trying their best . But i still have a problem getting used to the view of those old , ugly , fat and sweaty retired guys drunkenly walking down the street dragging a tiny cute girl behind them ... Quite disturbing !
Anyway , the marina is a really nice place and there's a few restaurants on the beach quite close to it so i think i won't be leaving the base that often :) Too much to do on the boat !
C U SOON
Ben Ben