Comments Posted By John McCrarey
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Dr. Greg, Hmm, it happens when I’m the only customer, and I never get touchy/feely or otherwise obnoxious to the gals. Hell, I’m usually good for a lady drink or two. I’m more forgiving in a bar with dancers since I understand the gals don’t want to swing to old man music.
That’s a pretty cool strategy to eradicate the pests, though. It would work on me for sure. Hmm, maybe you’re right about them not wanting my business.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 29/June/2026 @ 1:29 pm
Brian, yes, I remember all the old timers back in the day complaining about rock-n-roll sayin’ “that ain’t music!” And now I are one. That said, Barretto is full of old fucks who don’t want to hear today’s crap, especially at high volume. As I’ve said to an uncaring bartender or two, “Look around at who your customers are and play something we like if you want us to stay.” They just shrug and turn it up. Luckily, I’ve got LOTS of other bars to choose from.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 29/June/2026 @ 7:44 am
Brian, no idea what’s in the bag, but he always seems to be carrying something with him. He has the trike drop him off at the corner, then walks the rest of the way to the hotel where he resides. One of these days, I’ll have to try to engage him in conversation and learn more about him.
As to the cost of living comfortable stats, I’d honestly have to rate the Philippines 6th. I see vloggers all the time saying you can live comfortably here for $1000-2000 per month. I say BS to that claim. I personally wouldn’t be comfortable with less than $2500 a month, but I could get by on $2000. Of course, I like Western comforts and food, so that raises the cost. Then there’s my bar life. Visas are easy, at least (30 days on arrival, 60-day extensions for up to three years).
» Posted By John McCrarey On 27/June/2026 @ 10:00 am
Dr. Greg, ah, okay. I can see why that’s a major drawback. I renew my tourist visa every 60 days and only have to leave the country after three years. Much better than Vietnam for sure.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 25/June/2026 @ 1:15 pm
Drain, I enjoyed that very much, thank you. You win the battle of the rap hands down. Kudos to your AI partner as well!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 25/June/2026 @ 12:34 pm
Thanks, Stephen. I also don’t understand the mindset, but this blog isn’t the place for that kind of crap. I’ll try to do better at moderating the comments section going forward.
I’ve just been reading a lot lately about the white South Africans being killed for the sins of their fathers. Maybe they treat expats and tourists differently. I’m sure it’s a beautiful country, just not for me. I also don’t see how it could be ranked higher than a place like Vietnam.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 25/June/2026 @ 12:21 pm
Dr. Greg, yeah, it was a weird story that I didn’t want to read more about. I checked out her Facebook page (thanks for the link!), and there wasn’t much there other than birthday wishes. The photos were all of old, ugly white women. Nope, no thank you!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 25/June/2026 @ 12:17 pm
Brian, I’m trying to remember if you were already a reader here when we met. Or is that why we met? It’s all fuzzy, but I think we were at Dolce Vita in Itaewon. I greeted you by saying, “What brings you here, motherfucker?” You responded, “A taxi.”
That’s a big for sure on the health care ratings. There are some decent private hospitals here, but the public hospitals are called “places people go to die.” Being hospitalized in one of those is my second worst nightmare here, right behind being in a Filipino jail.
Affordability is a big factor, but yeah, claiming you could live somewhere for a ridiculously low amount would also mean living like a local in the province. I’ve never been to Sri Lanka, but I doubt the $700 a month lifestyle would be to my liking. I’m still surprised Vietnam didn’t make the cut. Everything I’ve read says the cost of living is low and the amenities are first-world. Oh well, I’m happy with my choice.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 25/June/2026 @ 12:14 pm
Angela, thank you for the love song, but I already have a girlfriend.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 24/June/2026 @ 10:06 am
Terry, if Todd and his ilk could come up with an example of my so-called racism, I’d be happy to offer a defense. He won’t, because he can’t. Thereby proving to the world he is both a coward and an idiot. He must be a pussy too, since he doesn’t have the balls to respond.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 23/June/2026 @ 1:36 pm
Drain, that’s good because I kneed you to know! 🙂
» Posted By John McCrarey On 23/June/2026 @ 1:33 pm
Todd, the only thing you’ve proven is that your ignorance abounds. I’m still waiting for your “evidence” that I’m a racist. You come to my blog just to trash-talk me. What a pathetic person you are. Get a life!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 22/June/2026 @ 7:30 am
Brian, well, who you gonna believe, the evidence or the Filipino…
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/June/2026 @ 3:31 pm
Brian, no, those crazies involved have left the Hash scene, thankfully. The boyfriend of the instigator “killed himself” a year or so later, although suicide by multiple stab wounds is a pretty rare occurrence.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/June/2026 @ 2:58 pm
Terry, well, it wasn’t exactly a secret. I started using Swan in the early days of the relationship to protect her privacy, but we’ve been together three years now, and her name is what it is. I still use Swan because it is easier to type. 🙂
» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/June/2026 @ 11:44 am
Brian, that’s exactly what is intriguing about my “do-over life” dream. I was just thinking the other night, what if I had moved to the PI as planned in 2010 instead of doing the relationship with Jee Yeun. Well, I could have avoided all the pain and suffering her betrayal brought me. And I’d have had those additional years here in paradise. But who knows what would have happened if I’d spent that time here. Lord knows, I’d likely have found a way to fuck things up.
Anyway, thanks for the tips on films dealing with this topic. I’ll try and sit still long enough to enjoy them.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 18/June/2026 @ 11:41 am
Brian, yes, Alta Vista is definitely the most upscale area in town. There are several other nice subdivisions around that cater to the expat crowd as well.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 16/June/2026 @ 12:54 pm
Brian, I’m a long way from home and don’t keep up with the numbers. From my vantage point, it seems the USA is a lot better off now than it was under Biden. Not just economically, but across the board. Whatever the numbers may show now, we’d have been worse off if Kamala were running things. I have no doubt whatsoever about that.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 21/June/2026 @ 3:34 pm
Brian, it’s interesting to see the reactions to this so-called peace deal. When I was interacting with the folks at the Beach Bar expat table in Pundaquit, three of them were to the right of me ideologically, and they were all opposed to the agreement. I took a more moderate “let’s wait and see what happens” position. Yeah, I think we should have finished kicking Iran’s ass good and hard, rendering them powerless to harm others in the future. Still, Trump is known for his “art of the deal” abilities, and maybe he is playing a long game. Some were worried the mid-term elections were at stake if the war continued, so there’s that. I don’t believe anyone seriously believes Iran will live up to its end of the bargain, so maybe Trump is just securing future impunity should he need to resume the bombing. Here’s some of the more moderate takes on this peace deal from conservative voices I follow.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 20/June/2026 @ 2:55 pm
Brian, I’m far from a Trump ass-licker, but given the alternatives we were offered (Hillary, Biden, Harris), I opted for Trump every time. And given what we suffered as a nation under Biden, I made the right choice.
I’m glad we took Iran down a notch, but I wish Trump had finished the job. Not sure what’s going to happen next, but at least nuclear destruction has been delayed. I don’t expect Iran will adhere to whatever was agreed upon, but at least we didn’t take the Obama approach of providing pallets of money.
Hmm, I accept your offer of half a crown! We could do it better!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 16/June/2026 @ 1:00 pm
Brian, land ownership here is a mixed bag. Some properties are titled; other people live on land by paying property taxes, but don’t have ownership. And yeah, a lot of those shacks are inhabited by squatters.
I don’t know that I have a “top five” issues. I’ll be happy with a continuation of Trump’s policies and programs to make America great again. So, yeah, let’s keep the borders closed to illegal entry, let’s have trade policies and tariffs to bring jobs back home, let’s exploit our ability to harvest oil and natural gas for energy independence, and let’s continue our kick-ass foreign policy of FAFO.
Do you have a preference between Vance and Rubio, or are you in the Newsom camp?
» Posted By John McCrarey On 15/June/2026 @ 12:47 pm
Well, Todd, you’ve proven yourself to be an ignorant loser. It’s easy to call someone a racist; it’s harder to prove it. Goodbye!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/June/2026 @ 10:34 pm
Linda, publishing your story in my comments section is not appropriate. If you send me a link to the completed story, I’ll read it and if I enjoy it, I’ll share the link on the blog. Up to you.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/June/2026 @ 5:11 pm
Todd, thank you for the AI take. I rather enjoyed it. Although I am aware of having many flaws, racism has never been one of them, and your AI analysis of the blog failed to detect any evidence to the contrary. It seems you are the typical lefty who deems anyone who is white and doesn’t share their worldview as being “racist.” Which in itself is pretty damn racist. Oh, well. I’m not ‘woke’ and proud of it!
» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/June/2026 @ 9:25 am
Terry, yep, I didn’t see anything that supported the allegation that I’m a racist. There was plenty of evidence that I’m not “woke,” which I guess is just about as bad from the lefty point of view. Oh well, I am what I am.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/June/2026 @ 9:18 am
Dr. Greg, not sure what you are laughing about. I am aware that Whitney Houston was a lesbian, but then, so am I (I’m trapped in a man’s body, but I love women).
» Posted By John McCrarey On 12/June/2026 @ 9:19 am
Lawyerturd, so, let me get this straight, I’m guilty of racism unless I prove otherwise? No one has provided any example whatsoever of me demonstrating racism. Assuming I’m racist because I’m white is a classic example of racism. I grew up in the era of Martin Luther King, and his words, “Judge a person by the nature of their character, not the color of their skin,” still resonate with me.
Just for the hell of it, despite having nothing to prove, I scrolled through my Spotify playlists for the performers I listened to over the years and still enjoy. Here’s a sampling:
Diana Ross and the Supremes, Whitney Houston, Lionel Ritchie, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and on and on. Admittedly, I liked them for their music and didn’t give a shit what color they were.Now, I confess, I never cared much for Michael Jackson. Does that mean I’m racist?
» Posted By John McCrarey On 11/June/2026 @ 5:56 pm
Todd, for the record, I’ve never deleted any such posts from you. So, if you have the evidence of my racism, let’s see it. I’m not holding my breath because such evidence doesn’t exist.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 11/June/2026 @ 5:39 pm
Terry, thank you for your support. I appreciate it very much. I rarely even mention politics on the blog these days, so I have no idea what triggers idiots like Todd. It says a lot, though, when people have to make things up about you instead of providing evidence.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 11/June/2026 @ 7:30 am
«« Back To Stats PageDr. Greg, I’d had a few beers when I read his comment. If I were sober, I would have just deleted it. Yeah, I’m in my 70s now and have zero tolerance for drama queens like Todd. I’ve said it before, if you want to accuse me of being a racist, point to an example of something I’ve written or done that supports the allegation.
» Posted By John McCrarey On 11/June/2026 @ 7:27 am