[smartads] Today was a special day for me. I got to go to my first Kano meeting. There were only 3 of us there, but it’s a start. Cliff Griffin has arrived in town and we decided to get together for a little visit. I knew he’d be an alright guy, mostly because he is from Texas also. I was right. This is how it played out.
I arrived at the Isla Cafe right on schedule, I think. Our met time was to be 1000 and everyone was there when I arrived, so they must have been early. Besides Cliff, Rick Smith was there along with his lovely wife, Flor. Cliff had his girlfriend Mary Grace with him. She is also a looker. The introductions were made and we decided to go ahead and order some breakfast.
We’ve heard that the breakfast here is pretty good, and they have American style breakfast. So that’s what I order, the American style breakfast. It consists of 1 egg, 4 really small pieces of bacon, 1 slice of ham (lunch meat) and 4 pieces of toasted buns. It also came with free refills of coffee. The buns were warm, but everything else was cold, except the coffee. If the coffee that I’ve been drinking at home is considered ‘extra strong’ and that’s what it says on the box, then the coffee at the Isla Cafe would be considered ‘extra extra strong’. But I still drank 2 cups of it, as did Cliff.
If seems that when/if I go here again, I need to order the pancakes instead of what I ordered. Rick and Flor got the pancakes and both of them seem to like it. Rick also ordered the American breakfast. Mary Grace got a ham and mushroom omelet and she ate some of it. It was too big for her small appetite. Cliff got waffles and bacon, I believe, and I didn’t hear him complaining. Yeah the food was cold, but my main purpose for being there wasn’t too eat, but to have a normal conversation with someone. A conversation where I didn’t have to repeat or explain almost everything I said. Yes I know that if I learned the local language, I wouldn’t have that problem.
So after we finished eating, the ladies had to leave for a little while, but us guys headed towards M-Zone electronics store. It seemed to be popular place for Rick. He guided us there and I acted like a tourist and took pictures on the way over there. It was my first time inside this store, but I’m sure it won’t be my last. They have many used cell phones in there and some awesome looking speakers that I know think I should be able to connect to my computer. According to Titing, he does something similar in the warehouse when he plays his music. I took some pictures in there, including many of them here, plus one at my daily post site. Rick also took an interesting picture. He placed it on his Facebook and my son got a good laugh out of it.
After I finished admiring the speakers and the sales ladies, I said my good-byes and headed for the bank to get some money. I stopped a couple of places along the way and when I got to the bank, they were all there. It seems that Cliff need to get a few more pesos, just like I was doing. New was in at the ATM when I arrived. After he got out, the got in pajak-pajaks and headed to Ricks. Cliff had to squeeze into the pajak-pajak. Not that he is so big, I’m bigger than he is, but his is not use to climbing in an out yet. I can climb in pretty easy, but have a hard time getting out at times, especially when they have extra straps connected or the plastic is down because it was raining.
Inside Isla Cafe
I hope that I will be able to see Cliff again. Maybe before he leaves, but if not, then I’ll be looking forward to his next visit. He says he plans to retire here some day, but his is not quite ready to retire yet (he’s younger than me too, in addition to being smaller than me).
Maybe I should have gotten a picture of Cliff. I’d be a terrible photographer. I’d always be taking the wrong picture at the wrong time. I’ll just ‘borrow’ some pictures from his Facebook.
It was nice to meet you Cliff & Mary Grace. I must say that Mary Grace is a lot better looking than Cliff though. I want to get that on the record and I’m sure I won’t be getting much of an argument from anyone.
Rick, thanks for the get together. I should also say that Flor is much better looking than you also. Again no argument expected.
It only lasted about 2 hours, but I enjoyed the time and will be looking forward to the next time, whenever that may be.
- Breakfast – After
*** NOTE *** I have been informed that Jen is not Jen. Jen is Flor. I think I changed them all, but if I missed one or some, please change all the references to Jen here to Flor instead. Maybe I need some memory pills. I’d probably just forget to take them though. ***NOTE***
Thanks Rick for the mental tune-up as I’m slowly beginning to think in PhP, not $$. Good to know there is another Kano in town.
Oh there’s more than 2 of us and more on the way. I think you’re the next to move here though.
Guy I know from online chat from Oregon moved here while back, he stayed with us about 3 months until he had found a nice place, in brgy Carmen now, he shipped 10 LBC boxes here to our address full of stuff no weight limit just whatever would fit in 24 x 18 x 18 box about $60.00 a box shipping, he lives here now, does stock brokerage online, looking to get a teaching job at St Augustine’s Acadamy, or as emt for the city’s new mobile medical unit. So besides myself, the cousin’s husband also from ILL. Charlie from Oregon,that makes 3 kano, plus my friends Cliff and Scotty from DFW area going to marry local girls and on their retirement move here to Calbayog City. My friend and neighbor is Canadian lives here 6 mos then in Canada 6 months too, Most the other guys i met in town are Auzzie,german,austrian, couple norweigins too, another cousin to my wife married a kano lived here 6 years but back in usa now working same for another know i went to his wedding wie is here but he is back in usa working. most these guys lived here from 16 years on down. I have heard about 300 forgeigners live in Calbayog but I don’t know that many or see that many ,and have no way to check on the number, But I do hear my friend Randy Mendoza , head of Immigrations for Samar is trying to move his office back to Calbayog City from Catabalogan as more work hee for him to do. His office used to be intown but closed.
It looks like that slogan “Discover Samar Island…Before Others Do!!!” may need a revision to reade “Don’t Be the Last….!!!” Sounds like the word is out about Samar being somewhat cleaner and more unspoiled in it’s natural beauty. I’m coming there to relax hoping not to fight many tourists and traffic. I think it’s growing just fast enough for me to keep up though. I just can’t afford to buy my own island.
LOL traffic here moves mostly at pedestrian pace or pedal trike pace unless you are on the pan-philippine hihway known as Avelino Ave in town, lots of scooters too.
Thanks UJ. Any chance of finding freshly brewed coffee or ground coffee to purchase? Should we even bring our coffee brewer? I would take my coffee in the morning with an IV drip if I could figure out the easy way to do it. I already eat alot of rice and stuff…would just have to give up the pizza and burgers and such which I spend way too much on anyway.
I have my own coffee brewer here, but no place in Calbayog sells ground coffee or coffee beans, several coffee shops make brewed coffee, but you will need to find a supply to get ground coffee here, tacloban is the closest location, the luzon Batangas grow coffee is pretty good for a locally grown coffee brand, but still no place in Calbayog to buy it now.
Thanks Rick. I guess I’ll just have to cross that bridge later. Maybe they make a ‘patch’ for that.
But the mall is coming and so is the Hypermarket, so they may have it soon.
Randy you sent this message twice, so I deleted the 2nd one.
Aren’t you the one that told me you were raised in Illinois? If so, I probably told you about Dave DeWall at PhilippinePlus.com. He is from Illinois, but all I can remember is that it is central Illinois, not the city.
I wouldn’t bring your coffee brewer, but as Ice Man says, you can get one in Manila that will work here. Maybe when the mall gets up they will have them here, but you will probably be here before the mall is complete, if you are coming this year.
We’re starting to get some expats here, I better get the grill warmed up and the sausage thawed out. Well you might have to give up the burgers if you’re like me and won’t eat the beef, but I think you will still be able to eat pizza, especially after the mall is up. Shakey’s will be here and I hear that Greenwich makes an awesome pizza. So you’ll still need to bring your will power with you.
Thanks for the delete. I realized after I did it, that I didn’t reply, but posted, and couldn’t delete my own post. I left central Illinois when I joined the Navy, then became a Texas (familial) transplant. After the Navy, it was the National Weather Service that dropped me in MS and left me here for 16 years. Hasn’t been all that bad, but now that I am a recovering redneck, I’m ready for beaches and coconut trees. As far as the beef there, Teri already says she’ll ground some round and make me my own burgers, w/cheese.
Lita tells me the same about the burgers too, but she hasn’t done it yet. Maybe I’ll just come visit y’all.
you can buy coffee brewers here in Calbayog don’t bring one from the states as it will not handle the 220v here, my wife bought a kyowa brand b4 i arrived from 5 star i think, works good makes good brewed coffee even has a nice feature that you can remove the pot at it drip/brews and it stops the flow so you can pour a cup without waitting. I’m from central Illinios and our cousins husband here in same compound from ILL also, im from just south of Springfield, he is from Sterling area.
Rick, are you in Calbayog? I too hail from Ill, just south of Kankakee. I was born a poor white farm kid. We was so poor, we didn’t even have a farm. We’ll be there in under 7 weeks and looks like we’re bringing our coffee with us.
Yes Rick does live here. He lives close to downtown. I’m sure he’ll be on here soon to tell you himself.
I used to live and work in K3, worked for Country Companies as an Adjuster, had a house out in Aroma Park on Strsma Dr. Used to hit Ryan’s Pier for the best steaks and huge hamburgers i have every seen. Buy your coffee maker here and you won’t have to mess with a power adapter, but definately bring yourself enough coffee to last until you are ready to make a shopping trip to Tacloban, Leyte, Cebu City, Cebu or back to Manila. Onlt instant coffee here in town or the 3n1 coffee the filipino’s like. I’m a black coffee drinker not fond of instant so i make a brewed pot everymorning, or wifey does for me. Like everything else i taught her in the kitchen about Kano cooking she gets the one lesson then does it better than i can. on google maps type in Acaso Apartments when looking at Calbayog City you can find my place, i put it, baramgay Talahid and Imelda on Almagro island on google maps.
We all had great time John, Lita gotta make the next visit, Flor and her can yak,yak,yak in tag or visaya as we talk together, later in the evening we made popcorn, it was funny Grace had ate it b4 never made it , so i taught her how, she tried to lift the lid as it popped until i warned her not too. Marygrace is quite the looker,very sweet and humble, great girl for Cliff, her family runs a fish stall in Metro Manila so she is used to long hours, early wake ups and know the value of a piso earned. Flor is much prettier than I deserve, it’s true but her beauty comes from the size of the heart inside her mostly, Flor is the most loving,caring,loyal woman I ever met in my life, she makes me proud of her every single day, and she is very mature well beyond her years of age.
Yeah I needed someone to counter the kid in me, so I decided on Lita. I guess the combination is working because it’s been 32 years now.
I have a corn popping story at https://texaninthephilippines.com/2011/07/27/a-corny-popping-story/,have you read it? It’s about Lita’s cousin Bebie cooking what she thought was just regular corn. She never had popcorn before.
Yes Flor seems very sweet and I agree that you are lucky to have her. Didn’t you say that your parents have been married 65 years? Maybe y’all can surpass them.
I’ll tell Lita that she has to go to the next get together. She likes to yak-yak, but I suppose most Filipinas do.
Are you living there George?
No we built house there and visit every year in May until wife retires this year.
We will hopefully be there this year.
Glad you were able to get together with some fellow kanos! I have the same problem in Nueva Ecija!
Thanks Ice Man. You know I thought I already answered this comment, but I don’t see a response anywhere. I’m glad I went back to check things.
It was great to get together and I hope to be able to do it again soon. I think that at least once a month would work out just fine.
I think the only thing cheap is the labor in the Philippines.
http://www.nwpc.dole.gov.ph/pages/car/wage_order.html
It scares me to see the price of a cup of coffee there. Not much different here, which makes me truely wonder about the real cost of living there. I hope everything is not that expensive, especially as the dollar gets weaker.
If you can eat what the Filipinos eat, you can live pretty dang cheap. If you like your American life style (like me) it will cost you more, but not as much as living in the US. At least it doesn’t me. Maybe because the only American life style I require is the food and a flushing toilet.
As for a cup of coffee, we sell cups of coffee here at LolyKat for P8 (.18) and that is Nescafe 3 in 1. If you want it black you only pay P4 (.09) and with cream only (like me) it’s a total of P7 (.16). All per cup, but that’s a lot cheaper than the restaurants around here. I have no clue why they charge so much at that restaurant, except it was unlimited they said. I will try to remember to check out coffee at other places to see what they charge.
Randy to give you some idea i will list my expenses, rent P6000, Power avg P4000, water P287, Internet P995, Cable P365, I don’t have a house rents so cheap for my 2 bedroom 1000 sq ft apartment I’m in no hurry to buy here. So translated into dollars my monthly expenses are about $300 USD a month, back in usa , no ins my meds were $600.00 a month, here same meds P5000 a month , just a bit over $100 usd, groceries are as much as you want to spend and how well you want to eat here, red beef not nearly the same as back home in taste but you can buy fresh scallops and or shrimps daily in the market for about P350 a kilo so about $8.00 for 2.2 pounds, try matching that at home, tank of LPG that fits under our counter runs about P3000 for first tank deposit and fill then refills are about P900 every 3 months after that. My rent back home for me was $595.00 on similar size apartment, so living here can be extreme reasonable at least compared to my experiences back home in central USA. Im on SSD living comfortablely on $2000+ a month here.