Comments Posted By John McCrarey

Displaying 3,301 To 3,330 Of 6,593 Comments

Preparation H

Kev, Actually, being able to stay for three years on a tourist visa is one of the more liberal immigration policies in Asia. After my first retirement in Korea, I was on a tourist visa and had to leave every six months. No big deal, I’d catch a plane to Osaka, hang out in the airport until my return flight departed, and get another six months when I landed back in Seoul.

Yes, that whole “you support me, you support my family” thing seems to be ingrained in Filipino culture. Even before I moved here, I had heard stories similar to your friend’s. If I ever wind up with a steady relationship, my plan is to give my gal a monthly allowance to do with as she pleases, with the caveat that she is responsible for all family “emergencies”, not me.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 27/October/2022 @ 6:34 am

Yes, I’ve already got the photos. Hopefully, I can get it done online. I honestly don’t remember the photo requirement from my first (and only) visit. Then again, that was six years ago, and everything is fuzzy these days.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 27/October/2022 @ 6:25 am

Watch your Nuggets

Justin must be done, haven’t seen any more Relive videos posted.

It’s pronounced “Yoh”, Swedish owner.

Yes, that was a very full moon for sure!

» Posted By John McCrarey On 26/October/2022 @ 7:13 am

A friend in need

Kev, I like to think I’m reasonably savvy and can sense when something “just ain’t right.”
So, I was shocked and disappointed by my gullibility in this instance. Looking back, there were lots of red flags, and it would have been very easy to determine this was illegitimate. Lesson learned, and yeah, I got off cheap–losing some pride but not any cash. Let’s hope I can maintain some common sense in my golden years.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 25/October/2022 @ 6:21 am

Fly by night

Mikey, I had considered a longer trip, including travel to other places in Cambodia, but in the end, went the short route. Actually, even before the scamdemic, I was inclined to take several short trips versus a couple of long ones. Some of that is logistics, and some is having things I want to do here (taking care of my dogs, the Hash, etc.) Since I’ve been to PP before, I think I’ll be able to do and see what I want in a week.

I’ll be missing the pool party because it is on a Monday. The Hash is having an outstation event in Pundaquit I’ve been looking forward to attending on that date.

Yeah, can’t argue that my limited social circle compounds the small-town episodes, but honestly speaking, I have a comfort level being part of the expat community here–I guess it is a sense of belonging. I think the positives outweigh the negatives anyway. And I think you are right about most people maintaining similar small networks. Thinking back to my working days in Korea, I was part of the Itaewon/dart league/works on base crowd and rarely stepped outside those boundaries.

I won’t be attending the pool party. It’s on a Monday, and I’ve got a special Hash event I’ve been looking forward to doing in Pundaquit that day. It’s nice to have options, even in my little town! 🙂

» Posted By John McCrarey On 24/October/2022 @ 6:50 am

Snuggle up

Actually, that’s my hope too. I also want to set a Guinness record for the longest rental tenant in history… 🙂

» Posted By John McCrarey On 22/October/2022 @ 3:39 pm

If I knew you were coming I’d have baked a cake

I’d prefer to make the Sloppy Joe gal my private dancer! 🙂

Yeah, I’m sure it was squatter rights the woman was defending…we stole this land first; now leave! They did have several pigs living with them.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/October/2022 @ 8:08 am

Kev, In the universe of grammatical errors, that was a relatively minor mistake, whoever it was. Especially for me. I read right over “whomever,” and Grammarly didn’t catch it either for some reason.

Well, I’m not a biologist, but that tree has balls, even if it does identify as female.

Oh, and thanks for the tip on using the countdown timer…I honestly was not aware of that option previously. Yeah, that will work much better for me.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/October/2022 @ 6:55 am

Dan, I have no idea of how they met or the circumstances of their online relationship; she just said he was an Instagram “friend.” I was a little surprised by her gullibility as well, but I guess she’s the type who assumes people she meets have good intentions. I hadn’t heard from her in months, so it was strange that she came to me with this, but I’m glad she did. I hate scammers with a passion.

As Kevin noted, she is technically not my ex-wife in a legal sense, but we’ve been apart for over six years now and I don’t consider myself married.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/October/2022 @ 6:43 am

Yes, in a strictly legal sense, I’m married to a woman who ended our relationship six years ago. She is the one who wanted the divorce, so to my mind, she’s the one who should file the papers. I have no motivation to do so at this point in time, but should my circumstances change, I’ll get a divorce back in the USA, where the marriage took place. I don’t consider myself to be married by any definition other than the government’s imposition. How does a Muslim divorce work? You just say, “I divorce you, I divorce you, I divorce you.” Okay, I repeated that out loud as I typed it, so now I self-identify as a divorced Muslim. Praise be to Allah!

But seriously, my legally married state has had no impact on my finding a partner here. I don’t expect I’ll ever feel the need to marry again, and certainly have not met any Filipina woman who had any desire to spend her life with me. If I ever find myself in that kind of relationship, my marriage will be the least of my worries.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/October/2022 @ 6:36 am

Beachy keeno

What? Are you mansplaining, Mr. Misogynist?

You are correct, of course. They even have a word for it here when a Filipina gets upset about something but won’t talk about what it is–tampo. The standard period of silence runs three days, I’m told, then hell breaks loose. A lot of guys say that the lengthy period of not talking is more of a feature than a bug.

It will be interesting to watch and see what, if anything, happens to all that beachfront property. I feel sorry for the former residents, I used to walk through there quite often, and it always seemed like a friendly and happy community.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/October/2022 @ 5:46 am

Teddy, she’s a hottie, that’s for sure. Newest member of the crew, and to be honest, I can’t recall her name at the moment. There are a couple of other “old timers” there that I’m fond of giving my attention. They do tend to be young at Snackbar, early 20s for the most part.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/October/2022 @ 5:39 am

A change of pace

Well, it’s paper, so it is biodegradable. I’ve seen tying plastic or ribbons, and that seems to never go away. But yeah, I guess living in a litter culture has desensitized me some. Ideally, the Hares would go back out the next day and undecorate the trees.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 19/October/2022 @ 5:49 am

It felt like deja vu all over again

That’s true. The terrain was the same, but the vegetation I saw in March was much different in October. Lots more tall grass, for one thing.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/October/2022 @ 6:46 am

Past remembering

Yeah, I do have a small cadre of local readers, so I try to avoid invading someone’s privacy unnecessarily.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/October/2022 @ 6:44 am

What!? The stripper DOESN’T really like me? Oh, shit!

» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/October/2022 @ 10:05 am

Kev, well, my eyes are wide open, and my expectations are low. That should help alleviate the potential for disaster somewhat. I don’t want to become so cynical that I never even give it a shot, though. I plan to test the waters a bit more and then maybe ask her out to dinner. We’ll see.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/October/2022 @ 6:36 am

Jimmy, none of them are girlfriends. Just people to help me pass the time.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/October/2022 @ 6:33 am

Brian, well, my tongue was a little bit in my cheek–I don’t have any serious expectations with Jenn. I find her more attractive than most, and she talks a good game–which makes her a standout among her peers.

Still, I’m considering asking her out on a “real” date just to gauge her response. You never know until you try.

So, what happened when the truth was revealed on Bachelorette?

» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/October/2022 @ 6:32 am

Climbing the stairway to heaven

Kev,
1. No idea what kind of spider that might be. I’ve never seen one quite like it.

2. I had to go back and look again, but yeah, it almost looks like that under-eye face paint some athletes wear to minimize sunlight impact. Obviously, she wasn’t wearing any in the other pics, so it must have just been some weird shadow effect. I also didn’t realize the double entendre of a caption saying “going down” in a photo featuring a young woman.

3. Yeah, when I saw that picture of your recent pulled pork sandwich, I was thinking, what kind of meat is that? Didn’t realize it was melted cheese, but I don’t think I’ve ever had cheese on pulled pork, either. John definitely has the best-tasting pulled pork in town.

4. Namsan’s stairs were always challenging, but I don’t recall them feeling as never-ending as the ones on the Stairway to Heaven. Of course, I was younger back then, and it probably wasn’t as hot. Your mention of Namsan brings back a ton of nice memories, though.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 16/October/2022 @ 6:17 am

A birthday celebration

Kev, oops! That caption was indeed misleading. The little girl is Heidi’s daughter; I should have made that distinction. If she grows up like her mama, I suppose spaghetti will come naturally for her.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 15/October/2022 @ 7:04 am

James, the Snackbar (Snatchbar) remains open and appears to be doing decent business. It was the sister place, Kamto (Cameltoe), that shut down. Yes, I’m friends with the owner. Glad you survived the spork attack! Violence is never the answer, but I’ve been stabbed in the back and had my heart stomped on many times over the years, emotionally speaking. Pain is pain.

I do miss the seasonal weather sometimes, although the below-freezing days in winter not so much. We do have seasons of a sort here: Hot, REALLY hot, rainy, and the “ber months” (SeptemBER, OctoBER, NovemBER, and DecemBER). Christmas music can be heard playing all over town during the Ber months–it’s enough to chill your heart.

Nope, I never imagined a life like the one I am living, never even knew a place like this existed. Like a lot of Americans, I lived an insular life. I guess I was adventurous in the sense that I resided in six states over the years, but other than some vacations (Mexico, Bahamas, Netherlands, Turkey), I never thought much of the outside world. Working and living in Korea changed everything for me. Sometimes I wonder if it was for the better, but this is the road I’ve chosen, and I’m going to ride it out until the end.

I enjoyed my time as a letter carrier, but after several years I needed something more mentally challenging. My journey as a government HR professional provided more than I dreamed of in that regard. No regrets about trading the uniform for the necktie.

As for the walking, that didn’t start in earnest until several years ago when my Korean wife dumped me. I became a walker for my mental and physical health, and it’s kept me alive thus far. In Korea, I didn’t let the cold stop me in winter. Here, I’m either wet with sweat or rain. You adapt to the environment you live in, and it just becomes a habit. I do know walkers more devoted than me–LTG reader and commenter Kevin Kim, for one. Other guys here in Barretto walk much longer distances than I can manage.

Yes, I haven’t forgotten I promised to do a bar crawl series of posts. I just need to put thoughts into action and then action into words. Soon I will!

» Posted By John McCrarey On 15/October/2022 @ 7:01 am

From the end to the beginning

Well, for the record, I didn’t get any boobs to hold onto, but it was still good.

Hard to avoid climbing in these parts unless you stick to the roads or beaches, which would be boring. The trick is finding a path that is not too steep or long. We managed that on this hike.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 14/October/2022 @ 4:42 am

We’ve had just about enough of you!

Brian, I’m going to fly into Phnom Phen. I’ve been there once before and enjoyed it quite a lot. In fact, Cambodia is my Plan B should I ever feel the need to depart from the Philippines. I am considering doing a Hash event in a beach town called Kampot. Never been to Siam Reap but heard it was popular with expats. Thanks for the info; perhaps I’ll check it out too.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 13/October/2022 @ 2:31 pm

Sorry for the confusion on the visa. I go to the immigration office every sixty days and pay for a sixty-day renewal. I have not left the country since December 2019; hence, my three-year tourist stay is about to expire.

Pre-scamdemic, I would make an international trip two or three times a year. I never imagined I would be in a situation where I hadn’t left in three years. My big issue was the PI would not let tourists enter the country unvaccinated. So, I finally had to give in and get jabbed. I should be good to go AND return now.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 13/October/2022 @ 6:36 am

Doing it my way

Teddy, Nah, she’s not living in my head at all; that would imply I give a shit. I was surprised to be disrespected that way, is all, but I’m fine with just knowing who she really is now. I was there for a couple of hours last night, and she was my waitress. I was polite like I would be with any waitress, but I didn’t buy her (or anyone else) a drink. I think she understands the consequences now.

I’m in bed around 9 p.m. every night, so 5:00 a.m. is all the sleep my body wants. Plus, I take an hour’s nap every afternoon. That’s my schedule, and it seems to work.

I’m not sure how the bargirls manage their off-duty time, but I reckon it’s like working a graveyard shift–you just have to adjust your body clock.

The exotic one? I think you are talking about Tanya, the girl from Blue Butterfly. She was there this week, but so far ahead of me on trail that I didn’t get any photos.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/October/2022 @ 3:44 pm

Yeah. I was there for a couple of hours last night. She was my waitress. I spent zero pesos on lady drinks during my visit. I think she got the message.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/October/2022 @ 6:25 am

Livin’ the lie

Benjamin, the thing with Agnes just made me realize I was foolish to consider these gals like friends. I’m a customer, and they’ll be nice as long as I am buying drinks or until someone they like better comes along. It’s really not about Agnes; she was just the catalyst that woke me up to reality. I should actually thank her for that. That said, I would never want to make out with her (or anyone) the way she was that night. There is a time and a place.

Yes, I agree that many (most?) of the girls have Filipino boyfriends. I often see them being dropped off the back of a motorbike for work. I always appreciate the gals who are honest about that. And I’ve heard of cases where the boyfriend supports and encourages his lady to seek out the coveted foreigner boyfriend. It’s a weird situation, but I guess overcoming poverty trumps morality.

Anyway, none of this matters much in the grand scheme of things. Maintaining your health and life are the important things. Keeping everything in perspective is what I need to get better at doing.

Thanks for the comment!

» Posted By John McCrarey On 11/October/2022 @ 7:11 am

Kev, what you say is true, and it is foolish of me to pretend otherwise. My eyes are wide open now, though.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 11/October/2022 @ 6:55 am

Brian, no, I couldn’t do the nasal injection myself. The procedure involves me lying on my back, and a long needle-like device is inserted into the upper reaches of each nostril. Some liquid is deposited, and I have to immediately suck it up as far as I can. Not sure how it works, but it gets into the upper reaches of the sinuses and relieves the congestion.

I went from total blockage in my nose to about 50% capacity in 24 hours, so hopefully, that trend will continue.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 11/October/2022 @ 6:52 am