Born and raised in southern California. My career exodus has taken me to Arizona, Oklahoma, Arkansas, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, DC. And as of 23 January 2005, Seoul, Korea. Married with 6 grown children (blended family). First grandchild is in the oven! I created this blog to document my adventures as an expat living and working in Korea. I'm also pretty confident that I will on occasion feel the need to express my views on current events and other matters I find of interest.
Put differently, how might we be enchanted by discovery’s opposite — routine — and find in constancy a stimulation as rich as novelty provides?
“To learn something new,” the wise explorer John Burroughs noted, “take the path that you took yesterday.” A knowing friend in New York sent me that line when he heard that I’d spent 26 years in the same anonymous suburb in western Japan, most of that time traveling no farther than my size 8 feet can carry me.
For me at least, it’s about finding the right mix of old and new. This morning I walked my familiar path down Rizal street, around Abra road, back to the National highway, along Barretto and Baloy beaches, then onward to home. I marveled at how the market stalls had been torn down on Rizal. I sadly wondered what happened to the occupants of the now demolished squatter houses on Abra. And I was surprised at seeing the lowest tide I can remember on the beach. Everything old seemed new again somehow.
Greetings to all you sunny beaches!
Anyway, last night I was drinking beers in Alaska. This morning I had breakfast in Arizona. I get around some, don’t I? And I never even had to leave my beloved Barrio Barretto.
I just wasn’t feeling the eggs and bacon routine, so I switched it up and had a chicken quesadilla. Quite tasty!
And that’s just about all I’ve got for you faithful readers today. Well, this cracked me up:
“Justin Trudeau greets a man wearing a blue shirt”
I’m so sick of American politics. It’s good to mock the lefty hypocrites (but I repeat myself) in Canada for a change.
No I’d rather go and journey Where the diamond crescent’s glowing And run across the valley Beneath the sacred mountain And wander through the forest Where the trees have leaves of prisms And break the light in colors That no one know the names of
And when it’s time I’ll go and lay Beside the legendary fountain ‘Till I see her form reflected In its clear and jewelled waters And if you think I’m ready You may lead me to the chasm Where the rivers of our visions Flow into one another
I will want to dive beneath the white cascading waters She may beg, she may plead, she may argue with her logic And mention all the things I’ll lose That really have no value in the end she will surely know I wasn’t born to follow
A second place finish in darts last night. My partner and I lost in the first round but fought our way back through the loser’s bracket to make the finals. Yep, faced off against Steve, the Englishman who doesn’t drink, once again. We won the first match 2-0, and we went to the third leg of the championship match before succumbing to Steve’s superior darts. Still, I was happy that I threw well for most of the night. Perhaps I’ll be motivated to practice some more and take my game back to the level at which I once played. We’ll see.
It’s a weird thing though. I played better at the end of the night than I did at the beginning. The only difference I can think of is the several beers I consumed during the intervening period. It doesn’t really make sense, I mean, no one would argue that drinking enhances hand-eye coordination. I’m thinking it’s a mental thing–throwing more relaxed and not getting stressed about winning overmuch. Anyway, I just need to learn to keep my focus on the target and let the darts fly. And practice more.
No rain again today, so I did my morning walk up on the mountain.
It was a tiring climb……but I stepped it on up to the top.The Great Falls of Barretto.My kind of trail…I never did find the proverbial fork in the road. This is as close as I got…
Another long walk in the afternoon, still scouting a potential trail for the next time I Hare. Still lots to be done to put it all together.
In the meantime, I reckon these baby back ribs ought to hit the spot. They’ll also provide a good base for some Sunday evening beer drinking.
Life is good.
UPDATE: Well, it seems I used “shows improvement” as the title to a post in February 2017. Back then, I was starting to feel better because the drugs prescribed for my chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were working. They still pretty much are, thank you very much!
And today was just another one. Not bad, mind you. In fact, we had some sunshine and blue skies for a change. It made my walking routine a little more pleasant.
It is getting to be my Saturday morning tradition to hand out some candy to the kiddies in the squatter village right outside my subdivision. I know they look forward to it, and it is a cheap price to pay for all those smiles. Hell, I guess I look forward to it too.
I changed it up some for my afternoon walk. I’m wanting to Hare a trail out Calapacuan way, so I did a little scouting. I’m still not ready to go up into the mountains in unfamiliar territory on my own, but I explored the streets in between the two mountains I have in mind. That was its own kind of scary. Once I left the highway the neighborhood looked a little dicey. Well, dicey is unfair. It looked very poor and I stood out like the white man I am in a sea of desperate young men. And yes, I am projecting. I got lots of stares, but probably only because people like me don’t normally venture out their way. I was uncomfortable, but never felt threatened.
Part of the problem was probably related to a blog I read this morning about crime against foreigners in the Philippines. Actually, it claimed that most violence and thefts come from people you know, not random strangers. So by that account, I had nothing to worry about. Still, I wasn’t wanting to pull out my phone to take many pictures. Which is a shame, because some of the shacks were built on stilts to be above the standing rain runoff, and looked quite interesting, in a tragic kind of way.
Anyway, such is what passes for adventure in my life these days.
I walked about 3K up the highway, then turned off onto the back roads and alleys.One of the more depressing sights on my hike was this hungry dog sniffing for what he might find to eat in the garbage.Like an alley, only smaller. As I mentioned, I was not comfortable pulling out the phone in some of the dicier areas I walked through. This spot was comparatively nice, and there was no one around, so it seemed safe enough.A street food vendor on, well, the street. I haven’t been quite that adventurous to try one yet…
Anyway, I’ve got some ideas now on how to connect the two mountains. I’ve just got to get up on those fuckers and find some trails. One of the veteran Hashers suggested I wait until after the rainy season because he suspects the tall grasses will make it difficult going. He’s likely right based on what I’ve observed on My Bitch.
Last night I managed a 3rd place finish in darts. Given that I can’t be bothered to practice, that’s a pretty good showing I reckon. I’m going to try again tonight. Losing games I know I should win just might motivate me to actually work on my game. Or not.
I baked up some blueberry muffins to take with me tonight. The girls profess to love my brownies, so we’ll see how these go over.
After re-reading this post, I’m reminded of the words of a wise man known the world over as “The Big Hominid”: “What a boring life you must lead, utterly lacking in nuance and subtlety!”
Once upon a time there was a tavern Where we used to raise a glass or two Remember how we laughed away the hours And think of all the great things we would do
Those were the days my friend We thought they’d never end We’d sing and dance forever and a day We’d live the life we choose We’d fight and never lose For we were young and sure to have our way
Then the busy years went rushing by us We lost our starry notions on the way If by chance I’d see you in the tavern We’d smile at one another and we’d say
Those were the days my friend We thought they’d never end We’d sing and dance forever and a day We’d live the life we choose We’d fight and never lose Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
Just tonight I stood before the tavern Nothing seemed the way it used to be In the glass I saw a strange reflection Was that lonely [old man] really me
Those were the days my friend We thought they’d never end We’d sing and dance forever and a day We’d live the life we choose We’d fight and never lose Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
Through the door there came familiar laughter I saw your face and heard you call my name Oh my friend we’re older but no wiser For in our hearts the dreams are still the same
Those were the days my friend We thought they’d never end We’d sing and dance forever and a day We’d live the life we choose We’d fight and never lose Those were the days, oh yes those were the days
Just another day. Some rain of course, but only about another month or so to go for rainy season. I guess it’s fair to say I’ve become a creature–a creature of habit that is. In bed by ten, and up at six. Coffee and internet. Feed and walk the dogs. Eat. Take a morning hike. Have a one hour nap. And then sit down here and write on the blog. Whether I have anything to say or not.
Who says there’s no excitement in my life? That’s me grilling up some steaks.Lucky got pretty damned excited too!
I don’t do steaks as often as I used to, but this batch turned out pretty damn good. I sprinkled on some meat tenderizer then let them marinate in an herb and garlic concoction for a couple of days. Still not as tender as American beef, but what are you gonna do?
Yeah, that’s medium, which is okay, although I prefer just slightly more medium-rare. When I’m manning the grill, there’s no telling what you’re gonna get. I’ve been known to serve them blackened.Last night found me imbibing beers at Cheap Charlies. Nothing unusual about that. The new 4-star hotel, Central Park Reef, is open for business and seems to be doing well. The rooftop infinity pool and bar is not operational, so I’m going to hold off for that before I visit. The tallest building in Barretto at 6 floors.
I also dropped into the Man Cave bar before calling it a night. I recognized a dancer there named MJ, whom I’d met once before through a friend at Alley Cats. Called her down for some lady drinks and conversation. She’s got a smokin’ hot body and an okay face. I was surprised to learn she is 40 years old. And she also has five kids. Oh well.
I had a taco for breakfast this morning. It’s big, but skimpy on the meat. I didn’t eat the shell either, not worth the added carbs…On Baloy beach for the morning walk, I saw this tour company sign with Hanguel lettering, and the Taeguki fluttering proudly in the breeze. Made me almost homesick.
It’s been several weeks since I ventured out with the Wednesday Sausage Walkers group. My primary reason is that they do intense and lengthy walks. I prefer to do my hikes in 1.5 hour morning and afternoon installments. But this week a Belgian friend from the Hash was back in town, and she wanted to join up with the Sausage Walkers, so I agreed.
Of course, it was raining Wednesday morning. I told Betty I would show up at the Angel’s bakery start point, and then see how things looked at 10:00 a.m. She’s staying on the old Navy base and had a 20-minute Jeepney ride, but was still willing to chance a trip in vain. And the rain did, in fact, stop prior to our scheduled departure. There were only five of us present for the hike. Gunter, our Austrian leader, suggested taking a Jeepney to Olongapo City and doing the “stairway to heaven” hike. I nixed that idea, saying I didn’t want to be stuck in the wilderness should the rain return. The others thankfully agreed, and Troy led the way on a mostly flat, wet, and muddy, 10-kilometer walk.
That’s Gunter, crossing a makeshift bridge. Me? I waded across. Hey, my shoes were muddy! Although I do tend to be a little bridge-phobic.Gunter and Betty on a sturdier river crossing bridge.I’m not sure whether to caption this “ducks on a pond” or “a pond on the road.” Both would be apt.Moss may not grow on a rolling stone, but it seems to do fine on a block wall…
We were just under 2.5 hours on trail. The rain held off until the last 30 minutes, and then we walked in a freaking deluge to our customary stopping point, Cheap Charlies.
We were all drenched, but the beer was cold and wetter, so we were happy campers.This is my total for the day. It includes walking the dogs and walking myself to/from the bar last night. Best total I’ve had in a while…
Neil Parker was about 20 feet up a waterfall when suddenly he wasn’t climbing anymore. The same rocks he had scaled many times before were no longer supporting his weight. He was falling, tumbling head over heels as he bounced off the rock face.
Seconds later, the 54-year-old splashed into the creek at the bottom of the falls.
“Straight away I thought, ‘Well, now I’m in a lot of trouble,’ ” he said Wednesday.
His left leg, just above the ankle, had “clean snapped in half” and his left wrist was also broken. To make matters worse, he was alone. Parker hadn’t told anyone about his plan to take a short hike Sunday in the Mount Nebo area northwest of Brisbane, Australia, and a quick check of his cellphone confirmed that calling for help wasn’t an option. There was no service in the deep rocky gully where he was now lying.
You can read the rest at the link, but the guy wound up crawling through the wilderness for two miles before he was finally rescued. Yikes!
Anyway, I’m going to keep on keeping on, but I will proceed with caution. What else can you do?
Two noteworthy passings of music legends from my past this week: Eddie Money and Ric Ocasic. If you weren’t around for the ’70s and ’80s, you missed some rockin’ good music.
A pretty decent Hash yesterday despite the rainy weather. Actually, the rain stopped a bit before we started, and it didn’t reappear until most of us were safely “on-home.” I say “most” because as the slowest of the group I spent the last ten minutes or so walking in the rain. Such is life.
Our trail took us up the mountain, down into the valley below, then onward to Baloy Beach. 7K all in.A view from the mountain……and a view of a mountain.Once we were down in the valley, the trail led us through this rice paddy…My feet were already muddy by the time I encountered this stream. I didn’t even bother trying to jump over, I just waded across.The ducks at least seem to enjoy everything being wet.A quiet suburban street……and a river crossing.The Matain river in all her glory. Such as it is.Especially for commenter Thirsty: Filipinas on ice!
So much for the trail, now about that error. I think I broke the little toe on my left foot this morning. I have a loose tile in the dining room. I stepped on it, causing the tile to sink slightly lower than the adjacent tile. I lunged to grab Lucky who was under the table. Toe met elevated tile, and toe lost. Hurt like hell too. Now it mostly only hurts when I walk. And of course, I walk a lot.
I make a lot of unforced errors when I write. Some of that is just old fashioned sloppiness. And the rest is simply ignorance. Back in high school, English was one of my better subjects. But even in those long-ago days, I would earn an “A” for content and a “D” for mechanics.
Don’t believe me?
Obviously, grammar, spelling, and punctuation have never been my strong suits. Thank God for spellcheck! And as I write this I’m downloading an app called “Grammarly” which purports to flag the kind of mistakes I frequently make here at LTG. We shall see.
What prompts this newfound interest in getting it right after almost 15 years of blogging? Shame mostly. My buddy and grammar Nazi regular reader Kevin Kim will occasionally point out my most egregious errors, either via comment here or in an email. I actually do appreciate his willingness to help me improve the quality of my writing. He’s threatened to use me as a bad example in a post on his blog concerning proper comma usage. In a recent email exchange, I foolishly asked if he had noticed my efforts to improve my comma placement. His reply was along the lines of “not so much.” He then proceeded to point out no fewer than six usage errors in the first three paragraphs of my most recent blog post. Ouch!
Honestly, I was very impressed with his sincere efforts to educate me in an area where I’ve been pretty much clueless. And it also prompted him to finally begin writing about commas on his blog. You need to go give it read, whether you care about proper punctuation or not. It’s really quite in-depth and fascinating. Who thought a mere comma could be so interesting? And his post is just part 1 of a six-part effort. I’m not being facetious when I say that when it comes to all things grammar, Kevin Kim is a freakin’ genius.
I’m going to make a sincere effort to apply this new-found knowledge, starting with the concept of “FANBOY”. If like me, you hadn’t heard that term, it relates to using a combination of a comma plus a coordinating conjunction: for, and, nor, but, or, yet–-FANBOY, get it?
Now, what I need to avoid is being self-conscious when I write. I’m kind of in a storyteller mode when I blog. I don’t want to feel like I’m back in high school writing an essay. But given the low-quality of my content here, I do hope to improve on the composition grade!
Have at it!
UPDATE: I did run this post through my new Grammarly app. How did we do?
A couple of rain free days will spoil you. Woke up to rain this morning and it hasn’t stopped. I hate being stuck in the house almost as much as I hate walking in the rain. So here I sit, alone with my memories of yesterday’s hike.
It was an interesting path I found myself on. I was following the Hash marks from last week’s trail to see what I had missed. Fortunately, the Hare had used shredded paper rather than powder so it was still mostly visible. I had a hunch where the trail was leading but I turned out to be wrong about that. I missed a couple of turns and I had to retreat and search out the true trail. I was kinda of proud of myself for being successful at that, but finally I lost the trail for good on top of the mountain overlooking Barretto.
I’d been up here a couple of times before.And the views are quite pleasant.
But now I wasn’t seeing any Hash marks and it appeared there were only two options: straight down or walking the ridge line. I took a few tentative steps on the steep down path and then thought better of it. Once I committed to the ridge I noticed there was no more paper, so I had chosen “wrong”. But I was pretty sure I had been walking the trail from last week in reverse, so if it was the steep path, they had come up it, not down. And down looked “slipping and sliding out of control dangerous” to me. No regrets with my choice!
The view from my chosen path. Better safe than sorry!
I wasn’t exactly sure where I was, but I eventually could see my subdivision below me in the distance. I found a path that led down to that familiar ground and I deemed the afternoon a success.
After a poor showing at darts last night, I returned home to be greeted by my loving boys, Buddy and Lucky.
They got a good whiff of my socks……and later I found them like this. Powerful stuff!
No real progress on the weight loss to report, but I’m working hard at staying on plan.
A grilled pork chop from Mango’s. Low carb doesn’t have to mean low taste…
And that’s all I got on this rainy afternoon. Well, there is this:
Here’s a quick after action report on my one week visit to Vietnam. I’m not going to recap everything I’ve already blogged about; this will just be a brief summation of highs and lows.
Overall, I really enjoyed the city. It’s certainly not up to Seoul’s standard infrastructure-wise. For example, there’s no subway (although one is under construction). Saigon is comparatively cleaner than what I’ve experienced in the Philippines, but that’s not saying much. It appeared to be foreigner friendly, at least in District 1 where I was staying. There was a vibrancy and “hum” about the city that was kind of exciting, especially for someone like me coming from a small town.
So, without further ado, here’s a “Top 5” good and bad list.
The good:
1, People were friendly. It probably helped that I had friends there steering me to the right places, but I never really encountered any outright anti-American sentiments or anything like that.
2. The women were beautiful. Although I did not partake in a physical way (other than a massage that ended happily), I enjoyed meeting and chatting with several lovely ladies I met in the bars. Well, chatting may be an overstatement given the lack of a common tongue, so maybe it was just body language.
3. A very friendly and close knit expat community. This was not unlike what I’ve experienced in Barretto, and it’s a big deal for me. I would have a hard time living anywhere where I was the only person around who looked like me. The folks I met were very warm and welcoming and it felt like I fit right in with them.
4. The food. I shared pretty much everything I ate in earlier blog posts. Obviously, I didn’t go all-in Vietnamese, but that’s really my point. There was a variety of foods available to suit my mood and with few exceptions they were all quite good.
5. The service. Maybe this ties into the first point, but damn, people serving you there certainly aim to please. At my hotel, the Lotus Central, I was honestly shocked at how accommodating the staff was to all my needs and requests. Hell, one night there was a personalized handwritten note on the bed wishing me “sweet dreams”. I’ve stayed in hundreds of hotels in my lifetime and as far as costumer service goes, this one was the best ever.
The bad:
1. The traffic. Okay, it’s a big city, and most big cities have traffic. And the traffic certainly wasn’t as bad as it is in Manila. If my tour guide is to be believed, there are 15 million people in Saigon and 7 million motor scooters. Many intersections are not even regulated with traffic signals. It was really something to see the vehicular dance they call driving there. Very surprising how few accidents there seem to be.
2. Not walking friendly. There are actually sidewalks on most streets. And “sidewalk” is Vietnamese for motor scooter parking. Apparently. It was a little shocking how the streets were lined with these scooters blocking both the sidewalk and the street front businesses. I’m not sure if that is something you get used to or not. And crossing those busy streets as a pedestrian? Scary stuff! You’ve got to find the rhythm of the traffic–an inopportune hesitation could be fatal.
3. Not as cheap as the Philippines. But then, where is? And really, Saigon is a big city which always tend to cost more than the ‘burbs. Manila is probably similarly priced.
4. The language barrier. This is huge for me. My Vietnamese is non-existent and with a few exceptions most of the locals I met spoke little to no English (my hotel staff was a happy exception). Thank goodness for Google translate! English speaking ability was one of the primary reasons I chose the Philippines for retirement purposes. Although I could see myself living in Saigon or Phnom Penh, I expect I would be lonelier there.
5. Yankee guilt. Time marches on and all that, and certainly no one (other than my tour guide) ever referenced some of the atrocities that are inherent during armed conflict, but it was hard for me to shake the memories of that regrettable war. I was very much anti-war in the 1970’s. With time I’ve come to see that our intentions in preserving the South’s independence may have been good, but the execution was both flawed and deadly on both sides.
There you have it. A fascinating city that I will perhaps one day visit again. Although if I return to Vietnam I would definitely like to get out of town and see new sights, including the beaches near Da Nang.
Would I live there? I could. But I like where I’m at now better. It’s a good fit for me. Things could change of course so it’s good to have a Plan B. Saigon remains a possibility should I ever decide to move on.
UPDATE: And so without further ado, I bid you adieu.
Actually, no I wouldn’t. Okay, I will. But it will take me 53 days. I just did the math. Now, Kevin Kim on the other hand, is fixing to walk from Incheon, on the west coast of Korea, all the way down to Busan, which is at the southeastern tip of the peninsula. That’s around 650 kilometers! Kevin has created a new blog to document his adventure. Feel free to join me in following along.
As a hobby walker I’m always happy to just achieve my 20,000 steps/15 KM daily goal.
Yesterday was a better than normal day. I guess it was just the joy of being back on the familiar turf of Barrio Barretto.
It was mostly a rain free day, which helped. I also spent the afternoon with My Bitch.
It had been quite awhile since I hooked up on this particular path. And from the looks of things no one else had been up there either. The trail in many places was completely overgrown with tall grasses. It made for some treacherous hiking because I could not see the actual trail under my feet. And there are places where a wrong step to either side can send you careening down a steep hill. At one point I completely lost the path which was especially disconcerting. I eventually saw some barbed wire fencing and I recalled the trail ran along side that fence. So, I found my way but vowed “never again” until burn season is here and the grass is torched.
If I were to do a Kevin Kim-like distance hike, I might enjoy something like these four Hashers did back in 2014: Barretto to Angeles City. Here’s a short six minute video of that adventure. Three of the guys were in their sixties, so perhaps there is hope for me yet!
“It took 3 years to find this route, it’s not on any produced maps and only 4 people have the trail. The route is all off road and follows many animal paths and little known trails straight over the top of the Zambales Mountains. This was completed on 25th Feb 2014 and only 4 of us had the courage and ability to undertake it. “This is the route they took…
Speaking of Hashers, I got a kick out of this Michelob beer commercial, which captures some of intricacies associated with Hashing. Without the perversions and un-PC songs of course! Damn it, I can’t embed for some reason, so you’ll have to click on the link below:
So, I kicked off my diet plan yesterday. Had a nice big three egg omelet with ham and mushrooms for breakfast. No lunch, although I did have a handful of nuts. Then I had this for dinner at Sit-n-Bull:
Okay, the cole slaw is not really low in carbohydrates, but damn, it was just too good to resist. I compensated by pulling some of the skin of the chicken wings.
Four more 60 calorie beers at Cheap Charlies, then walked back home. Made a sugar free banana pudding for dessert. It’s a start!
So, my goal is to get down to 190 pounds and then maintain my weight within the 190-195 range. My big surprise yesterday was weighing in at 199 pounds. That’s less than I weighed when I left for Vietnam! Granted, I did weigh-in right after my sweaty mountain hike, so I wasn’t carrying much water weight. Still, being under 200 and appearing fat confirms my suspicion: It’s my damn beer belly that’s the problem. We’ll see what I can do about that (and for the record, I’d rather be fat than give up my beloved beer!). Regardless, I have 10 pounds to go. Let’s see how long that takes.
When I’m lonely, well, I know I’m gonna be I’m gonna be the man who’s lonely without you And when I’m dreaming, well, I know I’m gonna dream I’m gonna dream about the time when I’m with you When I go out (When I go out), well, I know I’m gonna be I’m gonna be the man who goes along with you And when I come home (When I come home), yes, I know I’m gonna be I’m gonna be the man who comes back home with you I’m gonna be the man who’s coming home with you
But I would walk five hundred miles And I would walk five hundred more Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles To fall down at your door
Be it ever so humble, I’m back home to reality. I’ll take it as a good sign that I’m happy to be here.
My last night in Vietnam was spent at an Aussie bar named Blue Gecko, playing darts with my old friends Alex and John, along with my new dart league teammates who made me feel welcome. I was pleased to play well enough to win all the games in which I participated, and that contributed to an upset of one of the top ranked teams in the league. A team consisting of Filipinos, which I thought was a little ironic.
Speaking of John, he was involved in a motor scooter accident after our dinner gathering on Saturday night. I felt especially bad because during dinner I had asked him about how dangerous it looks to ride in this city and whether he had ever experienced a crash. He hadn’t. Until I jinxed him I guess. Check out attorneys for an auto accidents, here!
He was lucky coming out of it with just a cut above the eye, a shiner, a gash on his knee, and some whiplash. He wasn’t up to playing darts so I was happy to fill in on his behalf.
Got home from the bar late (for me) and had a 5:30 a.m. alarm, ahead of my 6:30 ride to the airport for my flight’s 9:30 departure. All were accomplished on time, no thanks to the Vietnamese immigration departure queue. Longest damn line I ever did see, but I made it through with 30 minutes to spare. But while driving after drinking, we need to remember that a majority of the accidents happen due to the negligence of the driver or due to drunk driving. You can click here if you are wondering What Does a DUI Cost in Orlando and Central Florida? We need to understand that such accidents that are caused due by negligence or carelessness can destroy many people’s lives and cannot be compensated with money.
The fact that I was flying on the anniversary of 9/11 didn’t escape my thoughts. I couldn’t help but notice the Muslim gentleman sitting on the aisle across from me (as evidenced by his beard and taqiyah), but I figured the odds were good that he was a peaceful follower of the faith. Still, when the flight attendant serving lunch reached our row and announced they were out of chicken and only had a pork dish remaining, I surreptitiously watched for his reaction. It was just a shrug and he went without. Mine was up to the standards you’d expect from a third world airline. We landed safely, avoiding damaging any buildings along the way.
My regular driver, Donny, was ill but he sent someone to pick me up as scheduled. We got stuck in Manila’s notorious traffic (crawling along bumper-to-bumper for over two hours). I guess the distance we traveled in that time to be maybe ten kilometers. I know I can walk faster than we were moving. Anyway, once we reached the expressway things went better, but it was still over 5 hours of driving all told. I hate Manila and try to avoid flying out of there, but there were no direct flights to Saigon from my preferred airport in Angeles City. Oh well, it’s done.
My dogs were ecstatic to see me, and it’s always good to feel that kind of pure love. The first thing my domestic helper said to me was “you’ve gained some weight”. Nice to see you too! She’s right though, I threw my semi-good eating habits out the window, reasoning that I was on vacation so why not? I also got in fewer steps than normal, and it shows. I’ve not gotten on the scale yet, but I’ve set a new reduction goal–down to 190 pounds.
In that regard, I’m re-instituting a strict(er) low carb diet regimen (didn’t even buy ice cream at the grocery store today!) and will get back into my 20,000+ steps per day habit. I’m planning on doing that intermittent fasting thing too–a hearty low-carb breakfast and not much else until a light evening meal. I will of course continue drinking beers, but at least I’m back on those low calorie San Miguel Zero’s.
And there you have it, one day back and already my blog is boring again. Normal ain’t so bad!
I fly out in the morning, so here’s a photo essay of my final hours in Saigon.
Monday night on Walking Street, the bar area in the “backpacker” district. Walking street is a bit of a misnomer, given that there was still plenty of motorbike traffic to avoid…This sign gave me a chuckle, although it was not enough to lure me in…I reckon I’ll miss Saigon some, but probably not the Miss Saigon…Truth be told, I didn’t really like the Walking street experience at all. It seemed like every bar was trying to out blast their neighbor’s bullshit music. Just give me that ole time rock-n-roll! Pretty busy for a Monday evening and it was obvious that the bars were going for a younger crowd. I don’t fit that demographic anymore nor do I want to…Hmm, what should I eat?Ah, this will do! Yeah, I had a burger and fries in Vietnam. Man does not live by Pho alone!So much to learn, so little time…An oyster bar snack, then bedtime…Up early this morning and after the hotel buffet, I headed out for my walk. Wound up down by the Saigon river.This is a tough city to walk in. Most streets have sidewalks but they serve mostly as motorcycle parking areas. It was a nice break to have an unobstructed path to walk and no need to dodge traffic…Enjoying the Saigon River views…Some type of government building. The red star Vietnamese flag and the omnipresent hammer and cycle are testaments to the communist heritage of the united Vietnam…And yet, free enterprise abounds as evidenced by the Ho Chi Minh stock exchange…And religion is openly practiced as well, at least the nuns I saw weren’t shy about parading about in their habits…Remnants of the war to expel the imperialist invaders and reunite the people of Vietnam, as seen at the Ho Chi Minh museum.The worst part of Saigon? Well, 7 million motorbikes make walking around a hazardous undertaking…The best part of Saigon? Well, I’ve got to say that the beauty of the Vietnamese women certainly rivals that of the Korean females I’ve so dearly loved…And after much exploration and trial and error, I can declare the In Sai Gong rooftop bar as my favorite watering hole. Although I never did have a water there…Here’s a job I could never do. Gave me the willies just watching them swing around up there like Spiderman…After all that walking, I was ready for some lunch. Chose this Vietnamese place around the corner from my hotel. Most expensive place I’ve eaten at this trip, but why not splurge and live a little? I am on vacation after all.Started with some honey garlic pork ribs that were quite delicious…Then I had half a roasted chicken that was possibly cooked (there were scorch marks on the bottom) and obviously served in this bamboo tube. Never seen that before. However it was prepared, it came out tasting most excellent.And when you order half a chicken, you get half a chicken. Including this foot. None for me, thanks!
Still a few nighttime hours to fill. Plan is to see Alex and the boys play darts then say my goodbyes. Probably head over to In Sai Gong for a final cold beer as well. Then it’s off to the airport at 0630 for my 0930 flight to Manila.
I’m glad I finally made it to Saigon. And even more glad it wasn’t as a soldier.
UPDATE: Well, turns out I was also “wrapping it up” back in November, 2015. I also had no idea that Jee Yeun would be wrapping up the marriage just a month later. Still hurts.
Winding it down on my penultimate day in Vietnam. I’m still enjoying walking about and exploring my little part of the city during the day, and of course, the bars at night.
Speaking of walking, I intended to Hash yesterday with the local Saigon kennel. Walked over to the meeting place and arrived early. Then it started pouring down rain. Well, I had been on the fence about participating to begin with. I wasn’t comfortable being bused out of town and getting lost or something, then missing the ride back. Yeah, I’m a wimp. The rain gave me a good excuse to bail and I took it.
Here’s some random pictures from my journey I haven’t posted yet:
Met up with a couple of friends last night at a bar with a happy hour special that couldn’t be beat. All the Tiger draft you could drink between 3-7 p.m. for 145,000 dong ($7). I didn’t start until 4:30 and still got my money’s worth…The bar also featured live music from a Filipino band. Wish they had a sexy Pinay singing though…Yesterday I went to a restaurant for lunch run by a guy from South Africa. I had some beef stew and it was actually awesome…As I mentioned in yesterday’s “foodie” post, I sometimes just snack at the bar instead of having a proper meal. These mussels were a tasty treat…And I ordered a side of kimchi to go with them and it was also quite tasty.Quaffed a few brews in here the other night. Barkeep didn’t speak any English, but we had some fun with Google translate.One of my walks took me to Walking Street, which is where all the backpackers seem to congregate. Lots of hostels and small hotels. And plenty of bars like this one. I do enjoy sitting outside and watching the world pass by when I’m having a cold alcoholic beverage. My favorite bar so far though is the Sai Gone rooftop bar. And this cutie is the sweetest bargirl I’ve met this trip…
I’m going to say right up front that I’m no “foodie”. In fact, I’m not all that adventurous when it comes to exploring local cuisine in general and street food in particular. So, why am I doing a post about the food I’ve eaten thus far during my Vietnam adventure?
Kevin Kim that is. One of my faithful readers and commenters truly is a foodie and has expressed interest in how I like the food here.
Let’s eat!
This morning’s breakfast. My hotel has a free buffet and it’s not bad. They have an egg station where you can eat more traditionally, but where’s the fun in that? That’s a nice clam and corn soup in the bowl. Curried chicken and spiced fish, bacon, watermelon and a tasty roll. I didn’t like the fish, the only “traditional” Vietnamese dish on my plate. It was too hot for my taste.They also have a juice station, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to drink this! Yeah, yeah, I’ve licked my share over the years, but you’ve got to draw the line somewhere…
Last night, my pal Alex invited me out to his favorite restaurant for some leg of lamb.
I guess one of the last vestiges of the French colonial days is the abundance of tasty baked breads.The meal also featured a tasty Greek salad.About the only time I eat lamb is in a kebab, so I’m no expert. But this had a unique flavor which I assume was a Vietnamese twist to spicing. It was really good.No one had a bone to pick about the meal……right Alex?
The best meal I’ve had so far though was the lunch served during the Mekong river tour I took on Friday. It was also probably the most traditional Vietnamese fare I’ve had on this trip.
I have absolutely never seen fish served in this fashion. When I first set down at the table I thought it was just a decoration. It was quite tasty.Some of the other dishes served, including meat on a stick, spring rolls, and those yellow fish-eye looking things.
Now one Vietnamese diet staple is the bahn mi sandwich. I think I saw them featured on an old Anthony Bourdain episode and I’ve wanted to try one since I arrived. Oddly enough, when I asked hotel staff for a good bahn mi restaurant, I was told the best ones were from the street vendors. Go figure. Anyway, after my morning walk yesterday, I brought one home:
Decisions, decisions. I went with the pork… Oh, if you are curious, the dollar buys 23,000 dong at current exchange rates. So these sandwiches are relatively inexpensive. It felt good cashing in those Ben Franklin’s and walking out of the bank with some big dong! *ahem*My bahn mi chef hard at work…
It was quite tasty, although I would have liked more meat. At Subway I always ordered double meat, an option I was unable to request given the language barrier…
Dining out has kind of been hit or miss. Usually drink until hungry, then either eat at the bar or pop into a nearby restaurant. Sometimes I’m not even sure what’s on offer. Stopped into this place the other night with some mates, and it was almost like being back in Korea, but without kimchi.
Yep, grilled meats! And this seafood stew was quite good as well…
And about the only other Vietnamese delicacy I’ve had thus far is a soup called Pho.
Looks like this and is also quite tasty. Although the one I had was chicken and there were more noodles than meat. Especially good after some hard beer drinking.
Did an all day tour yesterday, featuring the Cu Chi tunnels and the Mekong river delta area, both of which are about an hour and a half from Saigon. I do enjoy travel and seeing new places and things, but I don’t like being a tourist. Or to be more precise, I don’t enjoy guided tours much. Yesterday was a prime example of why.
Got picked up at the hotel as scheduled at 7:30, then drove a ways across town in heavy traffic to pick up more tourists. When everyone was on board a bit after 8:00 we headed south. Our tour guide was a 20-something Vietnamese man who said his name was “Laughing”. His English was almost understandable. He seemed very proud of his country and there is nothing wrong with that of course. But my first red flag of the day was when we pulled into a small factory where traditional Vietnam paintings made from eggshells and seashells were manufactured. Laughing told the government built the factory to enable area residents who had suffered birth defects after American use of poison gas during the war. I assumed he meant Agent Orange. Throughout the day, Laughing never missed an opportunity to regurgitate the anti-American propaganda he’d been fed his whole life.
Anyway, the factory was NOT part of the tour package and it was only mildly interesting to see the process used by the workers in creating their art. And surprise, surprise the guide led us into a large showroom full of completed objects available for our purchase. For the first of many times I muttered “this is bullshit”.
In due course we made on way onward to the Cu Chi tunnels that had been instrumental in the North’s attacks on the South throughout the war. It was a pretty impressive engineering fete, no question about it. Laughing’s commentary about the means and methods used to kill the American invaders got old pretty fast though. I found myself biting my tongue to avoid asking what about the South Vietnamese Army troops, who far outnumbered the Yanks, were as fun to kill as well. Anyway, you get the idea. And I acknowledge that the victor gets to write the history of the war in the manner of his choosing. Hell, I was a vocal opponent of the war back then, but something about Laughing’s gleeful stories about how the wise Viet Cong lured the foolish Americans into their gruesome traps was off-putting. I was glad to finally depart for the Mekong portion of the tour.
We stopped for lunch along the way and I’ll have to give credit where it is due, it was a damn fine meal. I’m going to do a “foodie” post tomorrow, so I’ll save that story and photos until then.
The Mekong was disappointing as well, or to be fair, not what I expected. I was envisioning a river cruise, instead we boarded a derelict river boat and went to the other side. Upon arrival, we were served a honey tea and some banana chips. Both were quite good. Then Laughing came around with a beehive and talked about how the honey was used in several “miracle” products to improve health and skin. And wouldn’t you know it? Those products just happened to be available for purchase. I thought now that is real B.S. (bee shit). I did buy some overpriced banana chips which were quite tasty.
Next we walked a bit up the river to a place where we were treated to some traditional Vietnamese music. I’m sorry, the Vietnamese spoken language is even more grating on the ears than Chinese. At least to me. And when sung it sounds like high pitched screeching. The instruments were twangy but not unpleasant however. Tip boxes were conveniently brought around to our tables and of course I contributed. After all, the did stop singing and that was a behavior worth rewarding!
We then walked some more, boarded golf carts for a bit, then walked through some yards (felt like Hashing almost), and then boarded some canoe like things for a ride down a canal and back to the riverside. We were encouraged to tip the boat rowers, and hell, they deserved it managing to move our fat asses downstream.
Once back on the river shore we were given a demonstration of how coconut candy was made. Didn’t much care about that, although the sample was tasty enough. And of course, they had some for sale. No thanks!
Back on the boat at last and we were provided some coconut juice (still in the shell) to enjoy. Then we boarded the van for the two hour ride back to Saigon, where we arrived at 6:00 p.m. It was a long day of touring and it took several hours of beer drinking last night to wash the taste out of my mouth. Here’s the photos:
A tunnel. I went into one but didn’t stay long. It required crawling around on my hands and knees to get through. No thanks!One of the booby traps used to kill or maim American soldiers. No mention of the South Vietnam troops though.Laughing took great pleasure in describing the way these traps caused painful injuries made worse by trying to escape. More traditional killing machines were also on display…By the end of the tour I was ready to kick some Viet Cong ass, not withstanding my opposition to the war…An hour and a half later we stopped at this rest area for lunch. Nicest rest area I’ve ever seen and the food was quite good.We finally arrived at the Mekong river…And boarded this piece of shit for a river ride.That’s Laughing describing how clean and wonderful the Mekong waters are, despite the brown color.If you say so…The bees that shit to make the honey that makes the miracle cures that just happened to be on sale…Then it was time for a pain in the ears. Not saying they weren’t talented, just not to my liking.Down this creek we were destined to travel…Thankfully, we had two locals to do the paddling…That would be me back aboard our river yacht enjoying some coconut juice.And then a two hour ride back to Saigon. I’m told there are 7 million motorbikes in the city and I believe it…I’m not sure what it is about a Vietnamese gal on a bike that trips my triggers. Oh wait, maybe she’s right!Finished the night with beers and music from a Filipino band. Much easier on my old man ears, that’s for sure.
Alright, dinner plans tonight and hopefully something worthwhile to add to my foodie post tomorrow. Stay tuned!
So far, so good. Still feeling my way around Saigon/HCMC, but I rather like it. In fact, Vietnam is now ahead of Cambodia as a “Plan B” option should life in the Philippines not work out. Saigon (I prefer that name and will use it henceforth) is comparatively clean (isn’t everywhere compared to the PI?), modern, and bustling. I have never in my life seen so many damn motor scooters! I’m pressed for time this afternoon, so let’s let the photos do the talking.
DAY 1: Nice airport, only hold up was the visa process took about 30 minutes, but sailed through immigration/customs. Hotel transportation was there waiting and whisked us to the Lotus Central hotel.
It is a clean and functional 8 story hotel and I’m very comfortable here so far. Around 50 bucks a night.Room is smallish, bed is comfortable, wifi works well.Seeing this put a smile on my face. I do miss my bidet days…Up on the roof is this lovely swimming pool which I’ve not used and probably won’t. In fact, I haven’t seen anyone else using it either…The rooftop also affords beautiful views of the city like this one. This is similar to the view from my room, only 2 floors down. Another shot of the Saigon skyline…My first meal in Vietnam was this chicken dish for lunch. Big bag of fries came with it. It was in this back alley cafe near my hotel where I enjoyed street side dining… And my first Vietnamese beer.
I did a quick walk around the neighborhood, then had to get ready for a meetup with some old friends from my Seoul days who live here now. I had an address and a Grab driver dropped me off at said address. But there was no bar to be seen there. So I walked over to the bar district and started asking other bar patrons where Shooters bar might be. Most didn’t know or gave me wrong directions. Finally, an American in a bar was able to give me specific detailed guidance on reaching my destination. Which took me right back to where the Grab car had left me. What the hell? About that time my friend Alex arrived.
He apologized for the confusion and pointed up to the 3rd floor. I still didn’t see it as the bar has absolutely no signage. We walked into what looked like an office lobby and took an elevator upstairs.
It’s a tiny place, even smaller than Alley Cats, my local darts venue in the PI. Very narrow, but has 4 dart boards with computerized scoring. Actually very nicely done.
I got drafted to play with Alex’s team in a league match against the top rated team in Saigon. We got our asses kicked, but I did manage to win a best of 5 singles match 3-1. So, I can add Vietnam to the countries in which I’ve played competitive darts (USA, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines).
And it was of course really great catching up with my old mates John (on the left) and Alex.After darts I walked back to the hotel. A little drunk but not hungry enough to eat here (yet).Settled for nice bowl of chicken pho at a place near the hotel. Sorry the pic is so shitty. Maybe I was drunker than I remember.
Day 2: Took a good long walk in the city to see what I could see. Saw the Ho Chi Minh museum with some captured American tanks and planes out front and thought about having a looksee, but changed my mind thinking I’d find the actual war museum I’d heard about. I didn’t though.
There was this cool tree though…
I guess snapping that photo tagged me as a tourist because the vendors descended upon me. One guy actually started “repairing” my shoes with glue. I’m like WTF, no thanks! But he kept right on. Then he untied my shoe and that was enough, I just walked away.
A Saigon street. Those cycle and hammer banners are everywhere…A monument to some past hero I suppose. Crossing streets here is insane for a pedestrian. I read somewhere that you are suppose to just keep your stride and pace as you cross and the motorbikes and cares will avoid you. I tried that and I guess it worked, or at least I wasn’t hit. Later I crossed with some locals and I noticed that they did in fact slow down to let cars and bikes go past. Geez, it’s a mystery how anyone lives to tell the tale of crossing some of these busy highways. Heh, I guess I just did though, didn’t I?Made it to the banks of the Saigon river. I’m still considering taking one of these “water buses” while I’m here, but haven’t yet. Tomorrow I’m doing an all day tour to the Mekong river delta…Needed some liquid refreshment and spied this rooftop bar name Sai Gone. Cold beer and hot waitresses! I was the only customer for awhile…Enjoyed “Cheap Charlies” like views, although the street action featured many young Vietnamese women instead of the old men of Barretto….
Met an American couple from California enjoying their honeymoon and shared some beers with them. I’m now Facebook friends with the wife! It started raining hard about the time I was planning to leave, so what could I do? Stay for more beer of course! Hey, I’m on vacation!
It was back to Sai Gon that night where I expected to meet some Hashers. I didn’t see any. Later as one guy was leaving he saw my Hash attire and said I could join them for a run on Sunday. Meet up at the Caravelle hotel. Let’s see if I can find it.
Very drunk end to the day, but once again I successfully found my way back home to the hotel. Day 3 report will have to wait as I have plans for more explorations in the bar district tonight and need to prepare.
Arrived safely and without incident. Got checked into my hotel room, which is quite nice for the price. Now I’m going to hit the mean streets of Saigon and do some exploring.
First impressions: It’s a comparatively clean city. I haven’t seen anything like the poverty that is rampant back home in the Philippines. Traffic is crazy but somehow it works, like a mad dance or something. Oh, and the women are quite gorgeous. They appear sweet and innocent, at least from a distance. Of course, I’ll need to investigate further.
I heard about the great food choices here in Vietnam. And they were right! Right outside baggage claim I find this:
Kevin Kim asked for lots of food pictures…here’s the first!
Just kidding, I’m holding out for some real food. Okay, time to get out there and have a look see.
Busy as a bee getting it all together for my next adventure. Completed my paperwork for the visa on arrival processing, did my Philippines Air check-in and printed out my boarding pass, and of course packed my suitcase.
I have a 6:55 a.m. flight to catch in Manila and my driver suggests we leave Barretto at 0100. Between now and then I’ve got a Hash to participate in and then hopefully a few hours sleep before hitting the road.
Forty-six years ago the last place I wanted to be on Earth is where I now happily choose to visit and explore. I guess the difference is that I have the choice. Back in 1973 you might say I won the lottery–a lottery to determine who would be called to serve (drafted) in Uncle Sam’s military endeavors. And also in 1973 the draft was ended (one month before I turned 18). At the time you might say it felt like I had dodged a bullet. I actually came to regret not volunteering for military service, but that’s another story for another day.
And now at long last Vietnam is indeed my immediate destiny. I’m looking forward to seeing what I missed, without all the gunfire, rockets, and bombing of course. As close as I’ll get to that violence is a planned excursion to the war museum.
And of course I’ll be sharing all the excitement from the trip right here on LTG. Stay tuned!
We met as soul mates On Parris Island We left as inmates From an asylum And we were sharp As sharp as knives And we were so gung ho To lay down our lives
We came in spastic Like tameless horses We left in plastic As numbered corpses And we learned fast To travel light Our arms were heavy But our bellies were tight
We had no home front We had no soft soap They sent us Playboy They gave us Bob Hope We dug in deep And shot on sight And prayed to Jesus Christ With all of our might
We had no cameras To shoot the landscape We passed the hash pipe And played our Doors tapes And it was dark So dark at night And we held on to each other Like brother to brother We promised our mothers we’d write
And we would all go down together We said we’d all go down together Yes we would all go down together
Remember Charlie Remember Baker They left their childhood On every acre And who was wrong? And who was right? It didn’t matter in the thick of the fight
We held the day In the palm Of our hand They ruled the night And the night Seemed to last as long as six weeks On Parris Island
We held the coastline They held the highlands And they were sharp As sharp as knives They heard the hum of our motors They counted the rotors And waited for us to arrive
And we would all go down together We said we’d all go down together Yes we would all go down together
