Comments Posted By John McCrarey
Displaying 451 To 480 Of 6,501 Comments
Kevin, yes, I got lucky. I really appreciate the effort Vietnam Airlines made to get me to my connection on time.
Damn, I fvcked up my own joke. I hate when that happens. Next time, I’ll be more careful when I X it.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 25/January/2026 @ 1:21 pm
Brian, yes, I need to do better at watching the times when I have a connecting flight, especially when it is with another airline. I got lucky this time.
Yeah, I make a bigger deal of the language barrier than I should, but after almost 8 years here in the PI, I’m spoiled. Also, too lazy and/or brain-dead to learn a new language. No, I don’t recall many deep conversations with a Filipino, but it is still nice to have your driver or waiter understand basic English. That wasn’t always the case on this trip.
Probably the best English speaker I encountered in Vietnam was a waitress at Dirty Fingers. If I lived there, I’d try to hire her as my assistant to handle my transactions.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 25/January/2026 @ 1:18 pm
Bori, there may be more Korea in my future, but no specific plans at this time. There is no visa-free entry for Filipinos, so that’s a hurdle since I’d want to bring my girlfriend.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 25/January/2026 @ 1:10 pm
Kevin, there are worse things than crapping your pants… 🙂
» Posted By John McCrarey On 24/January/2026 @ 6:20 pm
Thanks, Greg. It is like a dream come true seeing that.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 24/January/2026 @ 6:19 pm
Cyclone, nope, not wasting my prayers.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 24/January/2026 @ 6:18 pm
Kevin, I guess I spaced out. That’s just the way itis sometimes.
In my defense, I drank mostly Vietnamese beers and really enjoyed them.
The journey was not free of incident, but I made it home safe and sound. I’ll tell the story of the trip in a post later today.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 24/January/2026 @ 8:51 am
Brian, on my last visit to Pattaya in 2024, I noticed the influx of Indians. Not that there is anything wrong with it. I was surprised by the large number of tourists from India in Da Nang.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 24/January/2026 @ 8:47 am
Marcus, you had it right with the first three words of this comment.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 24/January/2026 @ 8:45 am
Kevin, I recall sharing some nice meals with you in Itaewon. I understand the vibe there is a lot different these days.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 24/January/2026 @ 8:56 am
Kevin, I never knew Itaewon was crass and tacky. Although I hear it is best avoided on Halloween.
Cows are like human females, they love to be eaten. And it is my pleasure to do so!
I think what I’d miss most if I lived here would be the ability to easily escape the city and enjoy a rural hiking vibe. If that exists here, I didn’t see it. Now, if I lived a ways out of town, like in Hoi An, that urge could be satiated.
Yes, I do that the war memories are generational. Most of the population was born after the war ended. I’ve personally only heard it mentioned once (other than on tours) by a local. He talked about the My Lai massacre and how those responsible were never held accountable. I have a friend who lives in Saigon (HCMC) and I asked him if the older folks have bad feelings towards the Americans in their midst. My friend told me he brought that up with an elderly neighbor who just laughed and said, “why would I be angry? We won.”
» Posted By John McCrarey On 23/January/2026 @ 8:51 am
Scotsman, lots more food options here in Da Nang, quality is similar to back home.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 23/January/2026 @ 8:36 am
Brian, it is a better fit for ME. At this stage of my life, I’m too old to start over. I may have decided differently if I had visited here before I retired eight years ago.
Language is a big part of it. Back home, the signs are all in English, and almost everyone has some English ability. I’ve sometimes joked that Barretto is like one of those retirement villages in the USA. Of course, our caregivers are a lot sexier! I’ve been surprised at how many young Westerners I see here in Da Nang, including women. Makes me feel even older than I am. There are other retirees out and about, but I’ve noticed the expats I’ve encountered aren’t all that friendly. Then again, neither am I, so there you go.
Barretto is part of Olongapo City (population 265,000), so all the amenities I need can be found there. It is nice that Barreto is separated by a 5K mountain road and retains its small-town vibe that I’ve grown accustomed to. Like the “Cheers” song says, “sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name…”
Bottom line, it all depends on what you are looking for. I’m sure I could live in Da Nang and be happy, but I’d miss my old life in the PI. Oh, and there is no Hash here, or wide-open spaces where I can hike off pavement (other than the beach).
» Posted By John McCrarey On 23/January/2026 @ 8:35 am
Kevin, thanks for the explanation of the dharma wheel. Fascinating. Although it makes me feel like I’m a failure on many levels.
I guess enlightenment brings about losing a fear of snakes. Funny how a snake played a completely different role in Christian/Jewish theology.
Swan said she plans to watch some YouTubes on making birria tacos!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 22/January/2026 @ 11:42 am
Kevin, okay, now I’m confused. I’m seeing your “correction” the same way. I was going to go and fix it for you, but I’m not sure what you are saying is wrong.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 22/January/2026 @ 12:03 pm
Kevin, wow, thanks for sharing the distinctions and variations in Buddhism. On a surface level, I knew there were differences depending on the regions where it was practiced, but now I see it goes much deeper than that. Fascinating.
Although raised as a Pentecostal Christian, I am by no means a believer. It does seem that the aspects of Buddhist belief that leave it to the individual to find their path to Nirvana rather than an almighty God are more realistic and meaningful, at least from an intellectual perspective. I mean, for God so loved the world that he flooded the planet with forty days of rain, killing everything that didn’t fit on Noah’s ark. Yeah, I’m not buying it.
I assume Buddha didn’t perform Jesus-like miracles, raising the dead, making the blind see, etc., did he?
» Posted By John McCrarey On 22/January/2026 @ 11:59 am
Psoriasis, just think if I’d ordered those nuggets to be delivered to my hotel!
And I don’t nag.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/January/2026 @ 12:37 pm
Kevin, well, the seats were more comfortable than coach-class on a budget airline.
Nope, no Easter Mountain comparison. I visited Marble Mountain yesterday, which was a good adventure.
Yeah, maybe the hotel is going to kill us with kindness. Bring it on!
I wasn’t familiar with those population stats. Been to Ho Chi Minh, and it had a Seoul-like feel (with worse traffic). Da Nang is definitely more my speed. I think I’d get bored in places like Hoi An and Hue after a while.
I think “rails” kinda sorta rhymes with twelve. Call it poetic license. I was going to dump the rhymes for the teen days, but I’ll steal one of your suggestions instead. Thanks for that!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/January/2026 @ 12:32 pm
Kevin, it’s so confusing. Where does Jesus fit in? 🙂 Everyone calls that statue “Lady Buddha,” but I knew that didn’t make sense. Thanks for the explanation. I’m happy now!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/January/2026 @ 12:14 pm
Kevin, I’m happy to hear you’ve been enjoying the vacation posts. I was thinking I was like that boring old fart who shares his photo albums with people who don’t care. Then again, that’s kind of what LTG is all about all the time.
Thanks for your support!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/January/2026 @ 12:36 pm
Kevin, it’s always too many commas or not enough commas with me, it seems. I had it in my mind that a comma was required before a quote within the sentence. The look on her face when I told her, “I’m commatose, you know.”
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/January/2026 @ 12:18 pm
Kevin, yes, The Citadel encompassed all those aspects…it was an imperial city.
I’m not really clear on the role of Indians in Vietnamese history, but they did have something to do with that My Son Sanctuary I visited. I believe the Champa Kingdom had Indian roots.
Thanks for the AI clarifications regarding the buildings. Good stuff!
As a teen, I was a Vietnam War protester. Now I believe our intentions were good, but our strategy was flawed. If you are going to fight a war, fight it to win. All we accomplished was prolonging the inevitable and sacrificing innocent lives unnecessarily. I will say, from my observations, that the communist regime here is not oppressive and seems to let people live in relative freedom.
The pasalubong is the usual tourist crap: t-shirts, bags, and magnets.
As for the menu, it appears to be de-hyphenated. And yeah, they must have lied about the bamboo tube.
As for the meme errors, damn, you are making me work hard. Let’s see, how about this (mistakes are in brackets):
Have you ever realized that [a woman’s] [,] “I’ll be ready in 5 minutes” […} and a man’s [,] “I’ll be home in five minutes [,] are exactly the same[?]Briefly met one part-time expat (a Canadian who winters here), but didn’t talk about the cultural aspects of life here. He said he prefers staying away from the touristy areas (which is where I met him).
Other than traffic making it hard to be a pedestrian here, no real complaints. People are friendly, it’s mostly clean, the infrastructure is good, and the scenery is nice.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/January/2026 @ 12:17 pm
Brian, I’d thought of the Bee Gees version of that song, but I think I’ve used it before and never heard Elvis sing it, though. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, it is easy to see why Vietnam is thriving as a tourist hub. Even Saigon is nice, but I’m loving the beach vibes here in the Da Nang area. Clean, good infrastructure, and affordable. Totally different vibe than the Philippines. Most of the tourists I see are couples, and I’ve not seen one younger Vietnamese girl with an old white guy anywhere. Definitely a different culture here.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/January/2026 @ 11:36 am
Kevin, in my defense, “Sand to the beach” was the blog post title I was referencing, and it is unhyphenated. But yeah, I should do better in general. I just need to stop and think about it more than I do.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/January/2026 @ 12:21 pm
Kevin, how about: of my experience taking sand to the beach with my Korean girlfriend, Eun Oke. Are you sure you’ve told me a million times? Honestly, I’m not seeing it.
I’ve had the Waze app for years, but lately it’s become unreliable. Google it is!
Ah, I didn’t know that “pharmacie” is a French word. Now it makes sense. Most of the signage isn’t in English, so it’s nice to see something familiar, even if the spelling isn’t what I’m used to.
Does removing the comma before “but” fix the problem?
The meme error is “your” instead of “you’re.”
Yep, when I have a ways to go in the future, I won’t use Waze to get there.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 19/January/2026 @ 9:49 am
Dr. Greg, I’ve had some trouble, but I’m not going to let it ruin my vacation.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/January/2026 @ 5:38 pm
Barret, thanks for noticing!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/January/2026 @ 11:03 am
Kevin, I’m sure you would enjoy the local delicacies, even if I’m too set in my ways to indulge them.
The steps up to the Hai Van Gate were not as difficult as they appeared; you’d do fine getting up there.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/January/2026 @ 11:03 am
Brian, when I was a kid, there was a big anti-littering campaign. Lots of TV commercials (I still remember the crying Indian) and signage. Something like that, along with putting out trashcans for people to use, would make a difference. And yes, the trashed environment must be a turn-off for tourists.
I wish Vietnam would do something like Taiwan did with the lawless motor scooters. There must be five or more bikes for every car, and they ride crazy all over the road. Also, park their scooters on the sidewalks, forcing pedestrians into the streets, where you have to dodge the traffic. Crossing the street feels like a game of Frogger. You pretty much just have to walk at a steady pace and let them go around you. Probably my biggest dislike about this country.
Cameras in public spaces don’t bother me. They won’t help, though, if the authorities continue not enforce the law. The Philippines has plenty of room to improve; perhaps the dearth of tourists will motivate the government to make some much-needed changes.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/January/2026 @ 11:01 am
«« Back To Stats PageTruth, I asked if they had “la ferme” but didn’t get an answer. Oh well, maybe next time.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/January/2026 @ 3:50 pm