TBK travels to the Philippines, part ten , meeting up with Bailey in Port Barton

Bailey

 

Expectations were running high as we entered Port Barton. I had seen so many photos and read so much about the place. It did not help that we had a long bumpy journey and soon after we arrived it started to rain heavily. The room was ok (you get what you pay for) but it is only when you are without electricity you realise how much you cannot do. No lights to see in the dark room to unpack, the bathroom was even darker, no AC , no Wi-Fi, Unable to charge the laptop whose battery I had used up in the van working on blogs as word documents to upload when I am finally blessed with Wi-Fi at 5pm.

 

                                                             At Dam Dam's in the rain

Adam dropped by to say "Hi" and tell me he was working at his restaurant down the road so once I got sorted I walked down there – where at least they had electricity. There was a large group having lunch and another couple came in for drinks and stayed for food when it started raining, so I was last in the queue to be served! 

        How Dam Dam's used to look after the cottages were added

My sweet (which I ordered early as the starter was so slow) arrived before my starter, and I had to remind Adam to get me another Calamansi juice when he took the sweet back and chased the sweet fries. They were hot and Masarap .  As the week went on the service got better and the food was always freshly made, delicious and cheap.

                                         Bailey enjoying a sleep between walks

The best thing about Adam’s restaurant , Dam Dam’s , is that after your meal you get to walk his beautiful Golden Retriever Bailey! I so miss walking my Labrador Cross Trixie, who I left behind in the UK, and walking the dogs from the animal shelter in Bahrain , that it was a real joy to walk Bailey. She was so excited to have a new walker, having patiently sat at the back of the restaurant all morning . He took me to the beach and as we went everyone said “ Hello Bailey” so he is obviously well known around there. 

   My favourite photo of Adam and Bailey at Sunset, from his Facebook

At the beach he went swimming, jumped all over me , and at one point raced along the sand after another dog. On the way back to the restaurant Adam and his friend came down to the beach for a swim and Bailey went racing out to them and contentedly swam after slippers that Adam threw for him. In a fit of energy I even swam out to the slipper with her, and am ashamed to say Bailey got there first! I definitely need to start swimming again.

Since I wrote this blog Adam has added cottages to the restaurant and on my second visit in 2019 I watched them being built.

Adam provided a great breakfast for everyone staying with Ate Rose two doors away and connected by a path at the back...

The restaurant was fabulous layout and menu wise, and I ate my way through the extensive (well far more extensive than El Nido Cove) menu in my week there. 

  

 My Bed at Ate Rose on my first trip to Port Barton with Patrick the Starfish

I just thought I would add as a post script this sad photo from Adam's Facebook . It shows a picture one year on after the Philippines was closed to tourists for a year in 2021. Sadly Adam, and all his staff, have had no work for a year due to the Pandemic and will have a big job to get ready once the President opens the borders, widely predicted to be in 2022.

Special thanks to Adam for the pictures, and I look forward to staying again at Dam Dam's when the borders are open again. He tells me they do not have the exact date for reopening yet but if you want to make a booking you can do so through Booking.com or direct with Adam on damdamplace@gmail.com 09199534091/ 0915695006

Until then this is The British Kabayan wishing you Ingat Palagi and Kita Kits