Comments Posted By John McCrarey
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Greg, indeed, most of the houses in my neighborhood have elevated tanks that keep the water flowing. If these outages continue, I’ll definitely consider joining the crowd and installing one. As with the generator, it is not about the money, just the pain in the ass factor.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/July/2025 @ 9:16 am
Kev, no laws against water storage tanks, in fact, I’d wager that more houses have them than don’t here. I don’t drink the tap water here, so I have a good supply of bottled water. If these water shutdowns become a regular fact of life, I’ll look into the water tank.
At least I don’t have to worry about dehydration as long as there is beer in the fridge!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/July/2025 @ 9:13 am
Greg, I thought of getting a generator, and maybe someday I still will. An hour or two without power I can handle, an all day outage is too much. Of course, it gives me an excuse to get outta town for awhile. The water problem won’t be fixed by a generator anyway.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 19/July/2025 @ 6:08 pm
No worries, Gary. People can say what they want in the comments and I don’t take offense. Feedback is a gift, you don’t have to like the present.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 19/July/2025 @ 6:06 pm
It is not an issue these days. I have the few “charity” cases I give to on a monthly basis. Nothing else.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 19/July/2025 @ 12:51 pm
Kev, I didn’t talk to anyone at the credit union; I messaged through the website. I cleaned my ATM card, and it worked yesterday. This morning, I received a message from the CU stating that they had seen I made a withdrawal and inquired if I still wanted a new card. I asked again if they would mail it to the FPO address. We’ll see. I’m glad the card worked again, but it makes me nervous that it’s unreliable.
Yes, the steaks are high and small(er). Oh, well. Half the size and half the price of John’s place.
Swan cuts and serves me mango like that. I hadn’t made the connection to that look on the mashed taters.
Yeah, the lez gals are hot. I’d like to do them (if I were single) together. But then, I’m a lesbian trapped in a man’s body.
True, I am guilty of “loaning” money, but I have an ulterior motive. By calling it a loan instead of a gift, I can deny future requests by saying, “You still haven’t paid me back from last time.”
» Posted By John McCrarey On 19/July/2025 @ 11:17 am
James, the funeral banners are hung on or near the residence of the recently deceased, so I do randomly encounter them on my walks around town. The disconcerting thing is that well more than half of the dead people I see died younger than me.
There is a new guy who has been buying up bars around Barretto. I believe he is up to four now (Whiskey Girl, Voodoo, Tryst, and the recently closed Oasis). Rumor has it he has a couple of other projects in mind as well. I’m not sure the bar/laundry idea is one of them, but you never know.
I fear the SOB is dying on the vine. Down to five bars and it is not even being promoted online anymore. The founder, Daddy Dave, is in failing health and his bars are up for sale. Changes to to Barretto bar scene are on the horizon.
Yep, need to keep walking as long as I am able.
The main reason I’m going through the blog archives is to tag worthy posts with “The Story of My Life.” Maybe I’ll even have those posts made into a book so the grands will know that mystery man who lived in Asia.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 19/July/2025 @ 11:06 am
Damn, I keep getting worse and worse. Maybe I need to take an interlude and see a grammar psych-ologist.
Yes, the Jeepney option is just for the comfort of knowing I can quit if needed. I think that will actually help me keep going when fatigue sets in.
It may not be biology; it could be the beer! 🙂
» Posted By John McCrarey On 19/July/2025 @ 11:25 am
Kev, I’ve always been an eat and then walk kinda guy. Never been a problem for me.
Regarding the walking together thing, that photo is misleading. I’m usually in the lead because Swan walks slower than I do. When I pause to take a picture, she’ll zoom by, but I catch up pretty quickly. About the only way we stay side-by-side is when I grab her hand.
I’m not sure why the distance measurement from San Narciso to my house changed. We didn’t take the bypass road, but I always assumed that was a longer route. Oh well, I’ll just have to psyche up for 30+K. I’m thinking 10K interludes with a rest break in between. The nice part of a highway walk is the ability to grab a Jeepney ride if I need to bail.
Well, I know my boy disapproves of my politics, and his wife doesn’t want my grandkids to discover my blog, probably because of the lifestyle things. But yeah, you hit the nail on the head. Barretto is my retirement community, full of bars and young women willing to lend a helping hand to the aged. A stateside old folks’ home would be a nightmare for someone like me. Imagine me living in a world with no bars!
I’m not sure why the distance measurement for San Narciso to my house changed. We didn’t take the bypass road, but I always assumed that was a longer route. Oh well, I’ll just have to psyche up for 30+K. I’m thinking 10K interludes with a rest break in between. The nice part of a highway walk is the ability to grab a Jeepney ride if I need to bail.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/July/2025 @ 10:16 am
James, thanks for following the blog and your comments. The AI comments are a relatively new phenomenon. I approved them at first, but some of my regular readers found them off-putting, so I discontinued doing so. I highlighted some excerpts of deleted comments I found hilarious in their stupidity (Artificial Intelligence, indeed) in a post, but that won’t be a regular feature here at LTG.
HaHa! The friend you mention is a fellow Hasher and hiker, so the AI would want to rehabilitate him as well.
The scheduled outages are for maintenance and repairs, once we have storms the power will go out unannounced. That sucks even more.
This year seems like one of the worst for tourist trade, and frankly, us expats aren’t enough to keep all the local businesses going. I expect unless something changes soon we will see a big shakeout coming.
Lately I’ve been in a same old, same old rut, but I’ve been thinking about taking one day a week to visit random bars I don’t normally patronize to keep my loyal readers like you informed. Stay tuned.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/July/2025 @ 9:56 am
Kev, I tracked it again on the way home yesterday and it came out 32K this time. It’s all paved and mostly on the National Highway. Not scenic, but mostly flat.
I guess I’m lucky that they at least announce these scheduled outages in advance, giving me the opportunity to escape. Still, you’d think there’d be a back-up system in place. Oh well, just gotta take the bad with the good.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/July/2025 @ 10:45 am
Kev, When I moved to Korea I was impressed with the quality of the subways and train system. Much more efficient than what I was used to in DC. I also miss those river paths and hiking trails. You have to experience the real third world to fully appreciate the benefits of the first world.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/July/2025 @ 10:41 am
Tell us how your really feel, Dr. Greg.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/July/2025 @ 10:38 am
Gary, yes, it is much easier to get warm than to stay cool. No more winters in my life these days, so it is all about sweat.
Compared to the Philippines, Korea is first class first world caliber. Everything is relative.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/July/2025 @ 10:38 am
Daeguowl, I don’t spend as much time in front of the TV these days, but maybe a dose of Dexter would be worthwhile. Thanks for the tips!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/July/2025 @ 10:33 am
Brian, I have Blue Cross as part of my retirement, but no one takes it over here. I’m supposed to pay out of pocket and then file a claim for reimbursement. My “emergency plan” is a credit card with a $15,000+ limit should I need to get admitted to a hospital. I also have a savings account I could dip into if need be.
The dollar to peso exchange is still higher than it was when I moved here. I should be okay with fluctuations in the dollar value provide the US government doesn’t declare bankruptcy.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/July/2025 @ 10:32 am
Terry, yeah, the dumb AI misinterpreted the meaning of “Hash.” I got a chuckle when it suggested instead of doing Hash I should find a healthy alternative like walking. We are doomed if AI takes over.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 17/July/2025 @ 10:27 am
Kev, Tom unfriended me over ten years ago now. His loss.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 16/July/2025 @ 12:01 pm
Brian, for missing the Hash last week…
» Posted By John McCrarey On 16/July/2025 @ 12:00 pm
Brian, good times, indeed! Thanks for the HK tips, we enjoyed strolling around Hollywood.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 15/July/2025 @ 9:18 am
Thanks!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 14/July/2025 @ 9:12 pm
Mike, what’s the point of being a tourist if you don’t eat like the locals don’t, right? 🙂
» Posted By John McCrarey On 14/July/2025 @ 10:17 am
Kev, first time there so nothing really to compare it with. The train loaded up at the airport stop, and there was lots of pedestrian traffic in town. No where near as busy as Da Nang. Great infrastructure in HK. Yeah, I just hope that don’t find any of my anti-CCP posts on the internet.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 14/July/2025 @ 10:16 am
Man, the stupid is deep with me. Bahn isn’t banh, I know that on some level.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 14/July/2025 @ 10:19 am
Kev, man does not live by bread alone–scum and villainy are like dessert.
Yes, just add three zeros to the menu price.
I’ve had Tiger before (it’s a Singapore brew), and it’s a good-tasting light beer. Given the options, I was happy to get reacquainted.
Yes, I described that lobster wrong…the tail was the least of it.
Upriver was what I meant to say. When it comes to writing it right, I’m up the creek without a paddle.
I’m in Hong Kong today and already missing the fun I had in Da Nang. If and when I return, I will definitely seek out some new dining venues. Still lots to explore there. I need to go back to Hoi An, which is purported to be the Bahn Mi capital of Vietnam.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 13/July/2025 @ 1:13 pm
Kev, it were indeed!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/July/2025 @ 4:53 pm
More like the 70s, Roger.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/July/2025 @ 4:53 pm
Daeguowl, Okay, then my guess was right. I’ve owned timeshares in the past and lost money on the deal. Glad to know that Karma is legit. That also explains why the Karma “hotel” in Hoi An wasn’t really a hotel, but more of a rented timeshare situation.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 13/July/2025 @ 1:00 pm
Yeah, Brian. She is such a copycat!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/July/2025 @ 4:52 pm
«« Back To Stats PageKev, Damn, I didn’t make the Zodiac calendar connection. I’m such an unobservant dunce sometimes.
Not how much a trekking pole would help on those narrow and uneven steps. I used my hands on the ground in places.
Thanks for the translation. At least I guessed right. I’m told the American airbase was within hearing distance from the tunnel.
Yeah, I figure it was probably one of those “timeshare” type things. I fell for that a couple of times when I was a younger man.
At least I’ve been consistent with my bad spelling over the years. No matter how you spell it, it’s a good-tasting sandwich. Maybe it’s the French connection. I also enjoy the French Dip.
I do appreciate the Buddhist lessons. It’s an interesting religion. I’m not a believer, but it sounds like I’m gonna be screwed if they have it right. Damn, my do-over idea of heaven turns out to be hell defined. Now what?
» Posted By John McCrarey On 11/July/2025 @ 8:49 pm