The house next to mine ( the brown House) is up for rent again! When the owner posted the pictures on Facebook it reminded me what my house ( the blue house) looked like when I moved in at the end of April 2022. I then realised how much more like a home my place now looks- thanks to all my scholars and houseboys who helped me unpack, added blinds, and sorted out all the spices ( which had been in storage for 15 months). I also had come lovely mahogany furniture made for all my books, CD's etc and a beautiful dining room table. So lets see what a difference the finishing touches made.
Behind the shutters at the Brown House
At the front is the Commercial space- the people who rented the Brown house ran a business there with a shop front, whereas mine is my social area ( lounge, dining and office). When I saw the huge space I thought it was perfect and last year we added another identical table and 6 chairs and had a Christmas lunch for 12 people.
I have divided the big area into zones- this part is for blogging and doing my administration- with a great view of the street. It got very hot ( usually 30 degrees here all year round) when the sun was out so I had blinds fitted and an air conditioning unit.
Our dining area set up for Joven ( one of my houseboys) and I on Saturday. On Sunday and Thursday the other two houseboys are here ( Frythy and Noel) and last Christmas there were 12 of us for lunch.
I now leave the roller blinds up unless I am away on vacation and no one is staying- but we display seasonal banners and the kids up and down the road come and see Chester at the window on the way to and from school. They love stroking him and he loves all the attention running to his chair by the window when he hears them coming or my car pulling in.
Chester and I at the window last year with our Christmas banner.
The relaxation area- with CD's , CD player and sofas ( Frythy was having a snooze after cleaning at 8 am and then working on a presentation for University all day) . Chester loves running around here and has a plastic bone and a ball that he pesters everyone to throw for him so he can chase it and bring it back.
When I first moved in the sofa was by the back door and there was a wooden table and two bench seats !
This was the kitchen! For the first few weeks I lived off chicken and pork Leimpo cooked on a rotisserie down the road but when I finally managed to transfer my savings from Bahrain and the UK here I bought a cooker, fridge and freezer and we unpacked all the pots and pans and spices etc- it is now one of my favorite areas in the house as I probably cook 75% of my own food at home.
My kitchen with my gas stove ( useful as we have a lot of power cuts or Brown outs here) spices and pots and pans and recipe books. I recently had a new tap fitted as the old one was dripping
Chester loves the kitchen too! He is convinced I will accidentally drop food which he can eat! We did have more electrical equipment ( toaster and kettle) but they blew up!
I asked TJ to decide which pictures went where ( I bought 50 of my framed photos from around the world with me and various gifts of prints and paintings and a few certificates. She did a great job! I had them all framed by Fakawari frames in Bahrain in my final year ( and gave another 50 pictures away) and Writer relocations did a great job with the wrapping and packing and not a single one broke between leaving Awali on 4.12.21 and arriving in Bagon Sikat on 1st May 2022.
Just some of my momentoes from Bahrain- thanks everyone!
Upstairs I have two bedrooms and a hot shower as well as a storage area. These hose more gifts from Dubai ( thanks Pav) and Bahrain as well as spare supplies of toiletries ( as my mother taught me - "in case it snows dear and you cannot get to the shops!)
Those who I have taught or who know me well will recognise all the frogs around the house! Sadly I failed in my bid to introduce composting to the M & M estate but I still use the green Palaka bins for waste. I even separate my cans, glass , plastic and paper waste even though it all goes in the same landfill as there are no recycling facilities here in Palawan.
My guest room which you will often see on the Facebook pages of those who come and stay! I think you will agree it looks more welcoming than the one in the brown house!
The brown house, if you are interested, is available to rent furnished ( as in the photos) or unfurnished. Below is the master bedroom in the brown house :
This bedroom is the only room that comes with AC. The only downside is it is over the front of the house so you get a lot of noise from motorbikes, Karaoke, dogs, cockerels and so on. It is also above the gates to the apartments behind our two houses. So every time someone goes in or out it wakes me up - however I still manage to sleep from 7 pm to 7 am and have a late morning and afternoon nap ( of the joys of being 63 and retired!)
My bedroom- with Chester's bed on the floor and his bowl. When he was a puppy I had to carry him up to bed and when he saw himself in the mirrored door on the wardrobe he thought it was another dog and used to bark at himself! Then he managed to slide the door open with his paw and realised there was no other dog!
Above my bed is a picture Drew or I took at El Nido Cove back in 2014 of the sun setting over Bacuit bay. This was when I first discovered the beauty of El Nido and ever since then I have been coming to Palawan on vacation before finally deciding to retire here.
So that's a quick tour of my house, I hope you like it. I have two parking spaces, front and rear and a small garden that runs around the house with pot plants ( dessert rose) at the front. There is also a covered area outside to hang my washing when it rains.
The side of the brown house and our gated compound. There are 6 apartments in the compound mostly occupied by expats ( Australian, 2 Americans and a Brit) and all but the two Brits are married to Pinays! We have a monthly barbecue in the compound and all prepare some of the food which is great fun.
Chester and I water the plants each day and Joven picks up all the leaves and litter once a week
The building work next door is now complete ( orange boarding house) and they have a small shop underneath which is occasionally open! You can see the sea at the end of the road and from upstairs I can see the mountains!
The front of the Blue house with one of my parking spaces
The compound is well situated close to the airport, shopping malls, Capitol Building and the three Universities. Puerto Princessa is in the middle of Palawan about 6 hours drive by car from Brookes Point in the south ( where Grecil is studying) and 2 hrs from Aborlan ( where Kit is) and about 5 hours from El Nido in the North where Jhoanna and Elay come from ( and Kit and Grecil and Chalsee- who is now studying in Manila). They all come and stay when they are in Puerto and we try and have get together's whenever we can.
Being close to the sea means we get fresh fish daily and people are forever walking or cycling up the road selling snacks like Banana Touron, Ginataan Biloo Biloo, Vegetables, Fresh fish, Baloot, Tahoo and hot Pandesal ( small pieces of bread). There are a selection of shops ( sari sari) up the road selling soft drinks, ice cream, bread and also some places selling cooked food ( Adobo, Rice, Sinigang, Itlog etc) . A five minute drive away is Puerto Deli which sells cheeses, cold meats, French bread. croissants, pan au chocolat, sourdough etc. They also have frozen Salmon ( and smoked salmon) , Turkey, Lamb and Steak
So now you know why I have put on so much weight! The best beaches are about an hours drive away to the North and are on the West coast ( Napsan, Nagtoban, Tagkawan etc) and Chester and I go to one of them every other day as he loves to swim and run on the sand.
Our first M & M International dinner earlier this year
Well I hope you have enjoyed a look back at how we have transformed the Blue House and I am now taking reservations for the Guest room for 2024! If you want to live here permanently then contact our Landlady , Maggie, and enquire if the Brown house is still available ( she also has other properties to rent)
Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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