Comments Posted By John McCrarey

Displaying 3,781 To 3,810 Of 6,501 Comments

Bars of Barretto: Alaska Club

Thanks for the comment, Ed. Yeah, with owner Jerry back things are beginning to feel more normal at Alaska. Still not enough customers when I visit, but I’m always there early. Hope it continues to rebound.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 24/May/2022 @ 6:11 am

The borders are still closed to international travelers here, the only exceptions being those married to a Filipino or the parent of a Filipino child. I don’t know Jerry’s visa status, but even the folks on the special retirement visa can’t return. I expect that is his situation.

I don’t recall the airline Jerry worked for, but he is living the good life on his pension for sure.

Yeah, seeing that photo of Sheryl again got me wondering how she is these days too. She’d be about forty now. We stayed in touch for a while after she left the bar (I’d sent her to caregiver school). About ten years ago she sent me an email telling me she was getting married to an Australian and wanted to be a good wife so she was ending her contact with me. I was happy for her and hope it all worked out well.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 05/December/2021 @ 7:34 am

The rest of the day

Kev, yeah we’ll see. It’s getting to be a very popular hangout. Had beef quesadilla last night and it was excellent. It was excellent too.

Terry, no it was a different John. I know the John with Mango also. See him around town sometimes, but not as frequently as I used to. He’s engaged to Mango now. He still puts up a video now and then, but nothing like in the past. I guess we all slow down…

» Posted By John McCrarey On 04/December/2021 @ 6:22 am

Love’s logistics

Yeah, and people searching for info on Barretto seem to come across my blog too…

» Posted By John McCrarey On 03/December/2021 @ 5:26 pm

Yeah, Almoranus just returned from Germany where he apparently didn’t maintain his exercise routine. He’s back on trail and in the gym now, so I expect he’ll be ripping it again soon.

I appreciate you guys sharing your thoughts on keeping the blog secret. My initial thinking is to be more circumspect in what I say and to maybe post less frequently concerning her. I also like the idea of a casual mentioning that I blog at some point. She probably wouldn’t ask for the URL anyway. But yeah, you are both right, it will be worse for me if she discovers it on her own (or someone rats me out) if I say nothing.

It’s funny, there was a time I actually solicited readership, posting links to the blog regularly on my Facebook page. Now that I’ve gone almost full diary mode, I appreciate the freedom to write with a sense of anonymity. Of course, that’s a false sense given how I often encounter blog readers who me through unrelated Google searches.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 03/December/2021 @ 7:19 am

Remember the date

Sorry, QP. She’s an only child. And childless too. An extremely rare occurrence on both counts here in the Philippines.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 02/December/2021 @ 1:25 pm

Coasting along

Yep, more and more people are waking up to the facts as you relay here, Soju. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I ain’t stupid either. You learn to live with this virus in the same way that mankind has been doing since the beginning of time. These bullshit “prevention” measures are pointless and harmful.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 01/December/2021 @ 9:17 am

Doing the actual trail is not really required. We have three basic groups–the runners, the “sane”, and the socialites. The runners are the die-hards who like it long and difficult and actually do some running on trail. The socialites are the other extreme and don’t walk much more than going directly to the On-Home venue. Each to his own is pretty much the Hash attitude.

Pearl has only been to one Hash and that was before we were dating. She has been busy with the new business, but since she is basically a non-drinker, the Hash (a drinking club with a running problem) isn’t all that appealing to her. She does enjoy the Wednesday/Friday group hikes and usually makes one of those each week. I think we will walk together some when she has more free time.

Re: 18-Kilo Ass. You are quite observant. He recently returned to Subic after some time away and the beard was a new addition. He’s got that Santa Claus vibe happening now! He’s also a regular at the dart tourneys and he’s throwing quite well.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 01/December/2021 @ 6:42 am

Not much…

Harry, what has been interesting to me to see is that Subic is becoming a popular beach destination for Filipino family tourists. The hotels and beaches here are packed on weekends. That doesn’t help the bars much and I haven’t noticed many Filipinos in the dive shops.

If and when Salomeh reopens, I’ll try and find the courage to visit. We’ll see. That wood carving place is still there but I haven’t seen it open in months. Everything changes.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 01/December/2021 @ 6:28 am

Kev, I’m with you on that–the less drama the better. Cousin was back last night.

Harry, I’m not a diver so I can’t say definitively how business has been, but without tourists probably not good. I have noticed the dive boats going out at Mango’s and Arizona a couple of times while I was there eating, so they are open.

I’ve been curious about Salomeh but never been inside. Don’t want to go there alone. It’s not in Barretto and the curfew and alcohol restrictions have been much tougher on the Subic side of the river. Don’t know if it survived or not.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 30/November/2021 @ 6:41 am

What a good day looks like

Thanks, guys. Still taking it one day at a time, but damn, early indications seem to suggest I just might have a great ride ahead of me.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 28/November/2021 @ 6:24 am

Back on

I’m sure it is just a muscle strain…

» Posted By John McCrarey On 25/November/2021 @ 9:18 am

Thanks for the stretching tips. I’ll give them a try! One of my goals is to not have Pearl walking all over me, so I’ll probably skip that part…

» Posted By John McCrarey On 25/November/2021 @ 6:25 am

I won’t back down

Brian, that approach makes as much sense as any other course of action I suppose. Some things are outside of our control and getting riled up about it isn’t going to change things.

I hope my rare rants about COVID here in the PI are too off-putting!

» Posted By John McCrarey On 25/November/2021 @ 3:24 pm

Soju, I do believe there are many of us who share these views. I’m just not sure what the end game is. I’ll get the vax when I’m ready and willing, not when I’m told to do so.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 24/November/2021 @ 1:21 pm

Bars of Barretto: Mango’s Beach Bar

That’s funny! Yeah, I remember your Ligament references back in the day. My high school girlfriend (yeah, we’re still friends, go figure) calls it eating pumpkin pie. I told her recently I still love eating pumpkin pie and she asked if I’d gotten any better at it. Bitch.

Anyway, the Tagalog slang for pussy is pek-pek. A favorite Filipino dish is called crispy pada. Sometimes I get confused and ask the waitress for crispy pek-pek. They usually laugh.

I’m going to have to ask Pearl, who speaks some Japanese, about sakachi. I’m feeling hungry for some reason…

» Posted By John McCrarey On 23/November/2021 @ 2:49 pm

Bars of Barretto: Finger Monkeys

hmm, no there’s a thought. Not!

» Posted By John McCrarey On 22/November/2021 @ 11:48 am

Back out

Thanks, Brian. She’s definitely smarter than most of the women I meet. I reckon that can be good or bad. Time will tell.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 23/November/2021 @ 1:21 pm

Thanks, Soju. Yeah, that what I called the aftermath of those Itaewon nights–getting floored.

So many Filipinas have bad/missing teeth. Pearl does stand out in that regard…

» Posted By John McCrarey On 22/November/2021 @ 10:06 am

Well, she is definitely different than the other women I’ve courted. I don’t know her financial situation, but her mom owns a nice car and they live in an owned house in a subdivision in Subic. They just opened the food stand and will be opening a second restaurant (featuring meat pies!) in a week or two. Says she went into business because she was bored staying home. She lived and worked in Japan for several years but came home to be with her father before he passed. Says she’d love to go back someday.

Oh, and she doesn’t drink. Well, nobody’s perfect.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 22/November/2021 @ 5:40 am

Bars of Barretto: Voodoo

Brian, yes it works the way you describe in most bars here as well. They get a commission (usually 50% of the drink price) but must meet a certain quota of drinks or their base pay is docked. When the bars were allowed to reopen (still no tourists here) the bar owners reduced pay. In one bar I know of it went from 300 pesos a day to 150. Tough times for the girls so I try to be a bit more sympathetic to their pleas of “buy me a drink!”

» Posted By John McCrarey On 23/November/2021 @ 1:25 pm

“The Voodoo you visited sounds a lot tamer.”

Unless that “karaoke” room is used for something else…(pure speculation on my part, well, not so pure, but you get what I mean.)

I love that concept of the transition from restaurant to bar. Best of both worlds.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/November/2021 @ 2:15 pm

Dipping our Tibag in the creek

Yep, finding new trails can be an adventure fraught with peril…or creekbeds!

» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/November/2021 @ 12:04 pm

Could be laziness too. By the time the finals match is set, I’ve had just about enough. Billy is good, but she would have to win TWO best of three matches to be champion. That’s a lot of darts after a long day. Prize money for first is 500 pesos and second is 200 pesos. 350 each instead seems like a good deal. The money doesn’t matter to me anyway, but it’s a day’s wages for some of the gals. So, as I say, it’s a win-win to declare a tie…

» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/November/2021 @ 6:18 am

Take it easy

QP, options can be a blessing or a curse. Choosing the best option is the challenge.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/November/2021 @ 12:07 pm

Yep, Rule #1 is always at the forefront of my thinking. I’m just getting to know her, and so far she’s like no other Filipina I’ve met her. More worldly and yet more conservative in her moral values. That may not bode well for me in the long run, but I’m not going to pretend to be something I’m not either. We shall see what shall be.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/November/2021 @ 7:06 am

Bars of Barretto: Rock Lobster

That was before my time, John Duke. Let me check with the old-timers and get back to you on that.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 13/September/2023 @ 5:11 pm

Brian, yeah, I didn’t remember how nice it was inside. They must have done some improvements since my last visit. I’ll be back again.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/November/2021 @ 10:44 am

Soju, there are only a couple of bars that sell draft beer here. I’m a bottle guy and didn’t even look to see what brand they were pouring. I’ve seen Heineken and Mangers on draft in other places.

» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/November/2021 @ 10:40 am

Thanks for the links. Good stuff!

» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/November/2021 @ 7:09 am