Comments Posted By Kevin Kim
Displaying 1,771 To 1,800 Of 4,392 Comments
7K walk and then a Hash, eh? Gonna be a lot of walking today! Nice pics as always. You somehow make the “pic every mile” thing work.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 14/November/2022 @ 4:29 pm
For whatever reason, that link I left isn’t working. Try this instead.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 13/November/2022 @ 6:11 pm
Daddy Dave doesn’t look 80 at all, but with a nickname like that, he sounds as if he manages a stable of porn actors. He could’ve played the Burt Reynolds role in “Boogie Nights.”
Nice photos of the walk, especially that scenic river view. On my own walks, when I photograph stuff, I’m often attracted to dilapidation and decay. Old and worn-down things have their own strange beauty in how they show off the passage of time. It was interesting, in that photo, to see how garbage got repurposed into housing material.
Yeah, charcuterie usually refers to prepared pork products ranging from cuts of meat to sausages. I think that, in American English, a “charcuterie plate” normally refers to a platter of thinly sliced meats—mostly pork, but possibly other meats as well. The plate will also often come with some sort of sliced cheese(s). Definitely the makings of a sandwich, but without the bread. There might be crackers or other carbs, though. See here.
I’m increasingly convinced that the best vegan food doesn’t even bother imitating carnivore stuff. I keep remembering that one Buddhism conference I went to years ago, I think in Anyang, where they served a high-end, unrepentantly vegetarian spread, and it was absolutely delicious. I never once missed meat. Vegetarian/vegan food, when done right, can be awesome. That said, I remain a confirmed carnivore. All the stuff I do in the vegan realm is just curiosity-driven experimentation.
Oh, and since I’m not gluten-intolerant, I never worry about gluten-free shit. Vital wheat gluten is, in fact, a major ingredient I use in making many keto breads. (It’s bread flour after you wash away the starch [i.e., the carbs], leaving only the protein behind, i.e., the gluten.)
May the crew appreciate your wings, bulgogi, and cupcakes.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 13/November/2022 @ 6:08 pm
Bars of Barretto: Hops & Brews
Lots of waitresses, but only for providing service–no bargirl interactions or lady drinks.
Sounds like my kind of place. No scuzzy vibe.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 13/November/2022 @ 5:41 pm
With Almoranus always going shirtless, you’d think he’d be way more tan by now. He’s looking slimmer again, too. For such a muscular guy, he was flirting with man-boobage a while back.
Some especially impressive shots of the walk today. I’d say that 10K is a legitimately long distance when you’re in the mountains. I know you said it was a valley walk, but still, I bet there were some ups and downs, even if minor.
The dancers look cutest when they smile.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 12/November/2022 @ 5:47 pm
A vivid 7K walk. Always nice to reconnect after some time away. Which reminds me: where’d all your other commenters go? They really livened the place up. Do they only show up when you leave the country? I’m missing all the noise and ruckus in the comments section.
Anyway, you’re jabbed and thus able to travel. Where to next?
And while I’m thinking about it: when I sign my comment, there are three things to fill in—name, email, and website. Up to now, my Chrome browser’s auto-fill has normally filled in all of this information; all I do is click on a blank, then click on the information when it appears on a drop-down menu. Now, however, that works only for name and email. I have to manually type in the URL of my blog. Did something change somewhere? I’m not complaining; am just wondering.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 11/November/2022 @ 5:34 pm
Having taken a week off from my hiking routines, the trail felt more challenging than usual.
Oh, a good opportunity to talk about dangling modifiers! Who took a week off from hiking routines? You did! But the subject of the main clause doesn’t show that. Instead, the subject of the main clause is “the trail,” so according to this sentence, it’s the trail that took a week off from hiking routines!
Possible fix (not the only possibility):
Having taken a week off from my hiking routines, I found the trail to be more challenging than usual.
A dangling modifier is a modifier with nothing to modify.
WRONG: As a child, French was difficult.
RIGHT: As a child, I had trouble learning French.
WRONG: Staring at the election results, it was incredible to see DeSantis’s landslide.
RIGHT: Staring at the election results, I was amazed to see DeSantis’s landslide.Adultery is actually a crime in this country[,] which I hope her new boyfriend doesn’t learn the hard way.
Sorry to be a broken record, but that’s a good, practical reason for you to get a divorce. If authorities find out you’re still married while also still steppin’ out with the ladies, things might not go so well for you.
Rockin’ it!
I’m glad you guys can enjoy trails that lead you through all sorts of different terrain. With my post-stroke balance issues, I can never join you, alas.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 10/November/2022 @ 6:18 pm
For the real 1-to-1 comparison, though, you should revisit Cambodia and seek out some small towns that are comparable to Barretto. As for Phnom Penh specifically, I just Googled “Phnom Penh for walkers” and got a few promising results. A lot of those results say Phnom Penh is a great walking city, but you do have to watch out for traffic. I guess one’s mileage may vary.
That said, all of this may be irrelevant if you’re as comfortable as you say you are in Barretto. Stick with what makes you happy. Retirement should be about happiness, right, not stress and frustration and drama?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 09/November/2022 @ 6:12 pm
A good trip, all in all. Welcome back home.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 08/November/2022 @ 7:14 pm
Sorry to hear you got clipped by a tuk-tuk. While what happened absolutely sucks, I’m happy it wasn’t worse, or you might have found yourself in Cambodia for a lot longer than expected.
That roast-pork dish looks good. And now, I’m hungry all of a sudden.
Is Cialis harder to find in the PI? Asking for a friend.
Ah, women and their drama. Here’s some Bill Burr to lighten the mood.
Enjoy your final night. Safe flight back to the PI.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 07/November/2022 @ 6:49 pm
I agree with Dan: it’s apples and oranges. Phnom Penh is Cambodia’s capital whereas Barretto is a small town, so you’re more likely to see those multigenerational foreigner families and white women traveling alone in a big, populous city that’s also the country’s seat of government. I can totally get the head-turning thing if a white woman pops up alone in Barretto. Think about Koreans visiting an all-white American backwater—all those slack-jawed stares from the hillbillies. (My gripe with Seoul is that Seoul is supposed to be cosmopolitan, but foreigners get the countrified, slack-jawed stares here, from the natives, despite us not being in the sticks.)
Trivia: you know that boondocks is a Tagalog word (bundok = mountain)?
Hope I wasn’t being too cruel with my hairy-arms remark, Ted! Can’t help it, though: Ah sees wot ah sees. And she’s got a little wispy mustache action going, too. I’m starting to think there may be a bit too much testosterone coursing through her veins. But hey, according to Tolkien, dwarf women have beards, and by that standard, Yaya’s pretty feminine.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 06/November/2022 @ 10:46 pm
I’m likin’ that river walk, although the Mekong(?) sure has a muddy look about it.
It’s doubtful that you and Yaya will fall in love during your short time in Cambodia, so I wouldn’t stress about whether there was any sort of connection. I’m sure there are other Yayas-for-a-day out there.
I see there’s a river called the Tonle Sap that converges with the Mekong right about at the location of the Palais Royal de Phnom Penh. How much of the riverside walk was along the Tonle Sap, and how much was along the Mekong?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 05/November/2022 @ 9:24 pm
So you’ve got some weird sex-lung connection going, eh? Maybe the universe is trying to tell you something.
He pulled out a crisp new one hundred dollar bill, and I said let me try and use one of my old ones. I gave it to our waitress, and she came back and said the cashier wouldn’t accept it. I said, well, that’s all I’ve got; what do we do now?
Am I understanding this correctly? They rejected 100 dollars because the bill looked too old?? Yikes.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 04/November/2022 @ 6:08 pm
The first full day of what will be a string of full days. Nice.
So, I’m at the end of Street 136 on the riverside. One block up, the next street is numbered 130. The street after that is 118, and the final road I explored is Street 110. If there is rhyme or reason to this system of numbering, I can’t fathom what it is.
Asian culture? Rational and linear? Yeah, good luck with that.
Oh Yeah, I reckon that’s enough of these bar signage photos.
The Oh Yeah Bar (technically, it should be “Oh, Yeah” with a comma, but you can’t expect the alkies to be grammarians) was the only one whose name really appealed to me.
The smallish bathroom, but the shower water pressure is strong, and the water is hot. I like it!
Are you supposed to tip housekeeping in Cambodian hotels?
That damn post is a strange sight to see. I haven’t banged into yet when I make my nighttime pee runs, but the week is young.
Maybe it’s a load-bearing column, so it can’t be moved, and they did the best they could in arranging the room. I don’t know.
I’m not sure what this is called. A pagoda?
I wonder. It looks empty of any religious items like altars, etc.; maybe it serves a religious purpose on occasion, but stands empty otherwise. Or maybe it’s a completely secular structure.
The red-and-gold color scheme reflects a Chinese influence; the complexity of the design reflects an Indian influence. If Cambodian Buddhism follows the pattern of Thai Buddhism (and it seems to), it’ll be an older style of Buddhism with deep Indian roots, called either Theravada (Way of the Elders) or Hinayana (Smaller Vehicle) Buddhism. Temple architecture will look fancier than the simpler, somewhat less sophisticated stylings you’ll see in Korea and Japan (the Buddhism in Korea and Japan is of the Mahayana/Greater Vehicle variety, which is a couple centuries younger).
Some steps I didn’t take.
The snake imagery in this shot comes from the nagas, snake-beings found in both Hinduism and Buddhism (some nagas supposedly arranged themselves as shade to protect the Buddha while he was meditating).
Best clock ever!
I’m mentally comparing it to the Horloge Fleurie (Flowery Clock) in Geneva.
Our next stop was the Hard Rock Cafe.
We had one of those in Jamshil, but it went under, and I can see why. I don’t know why I went there several times because, even though the service was okay, there was always one major thing wrong with the food each time I visited. Once, it was a stale appetizer. Another time, the burger was awesome, but the fries next to it were cold, as if the chef had only grudgingly fried them superficially. Awful. At other times, the drinks were watery, or the dessert sucked. You get the picture. If a place shows that little care for the quality of its food, it’s gonna lose business. I hope your Hard Rock experience was better.
This is not to say you can’t buy a thirsty waitress a drink.
She needs money so she can keep growing that impressive forearm hair!
I hope the Korean food turned out to be good, and may your blind date end with warm, gooey spurts of happiness.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 03/November/2022 @ 9:16 pm
Not that it matters, but I believe “Skechers,” the brand name, is spelled without a “T.”
Seems you’re off to a good start. Is the time difference so great that your internal clock won’t let you sleep before 3 a.m.?
Buffet breakfast looks good to me! I’m all about buffets.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 02/November/2022 @ 5:31 pm
before the Harsh circle begins
Was that deliberate?
And you don’t have a USB stick? How on earth did that happen? Want me to mail you one of mine? Otherwise, I’m pretty sure you can hit most stores and buy one off the shelf. Amazon sells 256 GB sticks for $20-$25. It’s a good investment.
Maybe buy a ton of bottled water for your next power outage—water you can use for sponge baths and maybe even for cooking/dishwashing. It really is a shame that you have to go through this inconstant-electricity nonsense. Do make sure that the generator at your new place actually works. Fire it up and plug some major appliances into it.
Meanwhile, have fun in le Cambodge. Good practice, blogging from your phone (or are you bringing a laptop?).
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 01/November/2022 @ 8:22 pm
Good luck with the upcoming trip. Phnom Penh sounds fine as long as a person doesn’t engage in the typical white-expat/tourist vices. Why would you find yourself in a dark alley, anyway, right?
Sorry to hear about the power outage. Electricity is something of a running joke on this blog, making existence unnecessarily tenuous. Maybe when you acquire your new property, you can think about investing in a generator.
Nice cake!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 31/October/2022 @ 4:42 pm
I deemed this the creepiest costume–it struck me that she wasn’t trying to hide her true nature.
I interpret “true nature” to mean “glutton.” She’s the heftiest (or maybe second heftiest) of the bunch, and she’s got “blood” smeared all over her mouth as if she’s been gnawing voraciously on some corpses. Yum.
I didn’t notice until I looked at my photos this morning that she had come outside, maybe looking for me. Based on her expression, it could be she wasn’t happy to see me drinking with Jenn.
Lydell is the foreground girl in that pic? 2 girls are looking your way, and I can no longer keep track of who’s who.
The mamasan is still hot for an older gal.
Ah, the ambiguity of English! The above means one of two things:
(a) The mamasan is an older gal, but she’s still hot.
(b) The mamasan still pines sexually for a gal older than her.Itaewon death toll got updated to 151. I’m torn between “this would have been preventable with better regulations” and “death is sometimes the price of freedom and government non-intervention. People should be allowed to be stupid.”
Wasn’t so torn about the Sewol disaster in 2014. I wonder what the moral difference is, if any.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 30/October/2022 @ 6:18 pm
Meant to add that it’s weird you need permission to leave the country.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 29/October/2022 @ 5:35 pm
Yes, “executive with bullet wound in forehead” is your go-to almost every Halloween. It works as a kind of social commentary!
Neighbor Jack definitely deserved his prize. That was hilarious!
The Wet Spot girls deserved their prize, too, for some very disturbing headgear that made them look like refugees from a Hellraiser movie.
Looks to have been an entertaining night.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 29/October/2022 @ 5:10 pm
The lights went out at 0800 and weren’t due to be restored until 4:00 p.m.
Interesting how you went from military time to the 12-hour clock. Why not 1600?
Scott in the middle of a cashew tree grove.
Wow, that shot looks as if it could’ve been taken in Virginia.
Have you ever had the creepy sense that you’ve been teleported back to the States? I’ve had a couple moments like that on trails in Korea. In some of my older walk blogs, I’ve talked about the uncanny feeling of finding myself in a neighborhood that felt American: the shapes of the houses, the look of the roads, the US-style fences—pretty much everything except the Korean-language signage contributed to that weird feeling of being somewhere familiar.
Looks to have been a magnificent hike. That 5K stretch of placid road, in particular, looks very appealing. Glad you guys had a good time.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 28/October/2022 @ 8:01 pm
That was a beautiful evening shot to begin the proceedings.
The two map graphics are hilarious for the scribbled numbers and the zigzaggy tracking lines. The tracking lines look like the path of a coke addict.
In that first pool-table shot, there’s a girl sitting against the back wall. I couldn’t tell, at first, whether she was part of that huge photo or actually there in the room.
Bar #2: Whiskey Girl shot—the one on the left is giving me guy vibes. Bakla?
Did any of this have to do with the things you said were being foreshadowed?
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 28/October/2022 @ 4:03 pm
I sense a disturbance in your schedule: today’s post was almost two hours later than usual!
Anyway, it looks to have been a very nice hike, and that BBQ place has a beautiful menu—the kind that makes you want to come back repeatedly and work your way through the whole thing. That one BBQ platter looked awesome, too.
I look forward to whatever’s being foreshadowed.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 27/October/2022 @ 7:42 pm
I don’t envy you the bureaucratic nightmare. I’m happy to be on a visa that lets me remain in country and doesn’t require me to leave the country to renew it. I’m not traveling internationally until this whole pandemic nonsense is finally over.
Good luck with the rest of your paperwork and with your trip.
Joy might not have realized what your boundaries are. I can only hope she understands the situation now. An American buddy of mine here in Korea is married to a Filipina, and at one point, he found himself funding all sorts of things for his in-laws until he finally put his foot down to stop the shenanigans. Not pleasant.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 26/October/2022 @ 5:57 pm
Whew, another tiring-looking walk. I’d have been wiped out. Is your nephew still toiling along in Jeju?
Johansson’s
Pronounced “joh” or “yoh”?
I see there was an interesting moon out.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 25/October/2022 @ 5:46 pm
I’ve been scammed before, so I feel your pain. I guess this could’ve been worse, though. At least you didn’t lose any money.
Shit gets worse as you get older. After my great aunt died at the age of 87, we were going through her things, and we saw that she had actually been trying to write letters to sweepstakes officials and other people who send out junk mail. Old folks are talky, and they’re sometimes convinced that people on the other end will actually respond. This loneliness makes old people easy to take advantage of. I’m worried that, if I could get suckered as I did years ago, what will life be like when I’m in my 70s? Better to become the crabby, independent old fart with a shotgun always on his lap.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 24/October/2022 @ 3:31 pm
Another adventure for the books. This one looked like an obstacle course.
Congrats, meanwhile, to the new SOB winners. May they bask in their victory.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 22/October/2022 @ 8:38 pm
Grilled chops look good. Continued good luck re: your future domicile. I hope it’s not too morbid to say: let this be your LAST domicile!
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 22/October/2022 @ 2:53 pm
If I knew you were coming I’d have baked a cake
Dan,
No, John is still technically married. He did not divorce his latest wife, although he contends that he is divorced “in his heart.” Personally, I think this makes it difficult for him to find a proper life partner in the Philippines, given the obvious legal issues, but he seems content with his current situation, and I think he gets some sort of tax benefit from still being married. I find the situation morally questionable at best, but how John lives his life is his business. Just shrug and accept the McCrarey way.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 21/October/2022 @ 12:21 am
«« Back To Stats PageOh, yeah—about setting a timer: maybe use your phone’s countdown timer in the future. It may not be that different from setting a regular alarm, but you’ll be less likely to make that specific mistake.
» Posted By Kevin Kim On 20/October/2022 @ 7:17 pm