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The adventure continues.

Gerrit Schwartz

I have never met Gerrit Schwartz, but he is indeed a pain in the ass.  He is "renting" my house. Unfortunately he has never remitted any payment.  He has occupied my house for six months now and is using my boat.  I am tired of his shit and have told him to vacate my premises immediately.

Every time I ask for money I get strange responses.

I know from other people around here who consider themselves your friends that you must be an incredible smarr person, but somerimes it seems to me that you want to be misereable and that you have a deep distrust against everybody. Well thats not a jim only problem. US americans display this kind of paranoia of beeing cheated upon in a very disturbing way. In general the assumption is that everybody is just trying to get their money in fraudulant ways.I dont get that but i didnt grew up in the states, so what do i know.At the moment i even try to get 65.000$ via crowdfunding for 10% interest for buying the tronconegro from jack kennedy. Pretty much the main reason for that is, that i probably would earn about 150.000 dollars in two years and then would offer you that money for the house.My plan is to stay here around 5 years in panama and if possible eben just here in this house on solarte. I like it a lot beeing away from people :-).I hope you understand that i dont want to take advantage of you and that i really care for this place out of simple respect and greatfullness to what you letting me do here. But i need some more liberties to live here and enjoying the life out here as best as possible.

Really? More liberties?  The guy hardly ever returns an email and when he does it is a pipe dream.  The guy can't glue PVC joints, can't install a light switch or a door knob and now he thinks the world is going to lend him $65,000 to buy a boat?  

What kind of drugs are you doing Gerrit?

I am not anti american at all. My homecountry was liberated by largly american soldiers. I honor that very much and i visited several ww2 memorials speficly for expressing my gratitude. This paranoia stuff is somerhing i obverve everytime when getting in contact with us americans. The most visual expression of that is the general distrust in the federal government resulting in the tea party movement. From an outsiders perspective thats just plain paranoid behaviour and i follow the us news very closely.You could call someone a racist, when he or she states that african americans are far morehomophobic than caucasian americans. Well a few independent social studies actuelly say exactly that this is the case. Why that is i dont know, but its a fact in society. I dont get it if someone from an opressed minority than picks on another minority.I would argue that germany isnt the home of the best humor worldwide. We build good cars and machines but compared to british or american culture we are a humorless bunch.Thats a not very flattering thing but still the truth allthough i would like it to be different.

All I did was ask him to pay the rent.

This blog has moved.

I went out to buy flip flops and came home with a computer.

I blew out a flip flop and needed a replacement pair.  The front desk at the hotel told me that the resort store had them, but although they had other beach apparel they offered no sandals.  The cashier informed me that I could find some at the market and directed me there.

I walked along the beach road for ten minutes or so and found a typical market.  This one catered to locals, there was not a tourist to be seen.  That may be a consequence having no desire to purchase their wares or the fact that all the vendors only spoke Indonesian.

I searched in likely stalls myself but saw none on display.  After having made the rounds twice I started to inquire.  I have been in many situations in my life employing non verbal communication so I gave it a shot.

My act was to point to someones sandals, push forward money and pantomime taking their sandals.  Then I would point at their sandal and smile and give a thumbs up and at my hiking boots and frown and give a thumbs down.  Then I would point to stalls and uplift my hands in a gesture of which?

Many got it, many did not, many were just amused.  I got every conceivable answer but the one I sought.  A big no, which might mean the don’t know or that nobody has them and I got pointed to stalls that didn’t.  Finally I tried the act with various vendors and one guy smiled and pulled out a rice bag filled with sandals and offered me a pair.  They were not of a desirable style and they were half the size of my feet.  I pantomimed bigger.  He got it and reached in the bag took out a pair, put it down and repeated that several times until he pulled a pair that would only be a a couple of sizes too small.

Finally he shook his head no, He had divined the balance of the contents of the bag.

All right, I walked back to the hotel and one of the taxi drivers that rotates through servicing customers indicated that he knew of a surf shop that might have big sizes.  We went all the way to Densapar, a pretty good drive. The traffic is merely very busy as opposed to the chaos of yesterday with the motor biking fiasco.    

The largest they had was 42, but I bought them anyway.  They appeared high quality and were priced like something upper end.  Well I probably won’t be able to do any better.

As we had come this far I asked him where the nearest Apple store was. He took me to one then another and finally I found a Mac Air 13” Retina Screen and plunked down $1,500 for something that sells for $1,000 in the states.  I guess that would be import duty for an American product made in Asia.  I don’t know, but I am loving it.  

With a 12 hour run time on battery, I should be able to blog on trains, buses and airplanes and the picture editing software sure beats what I was using on Linux.

So back to the hotel sitting in front of the pool, I plunked myself in front of a machine with an interface I had never used, googled up a couple of tutorials and was off to the races.  I took some disk drives that I had laying around and set up one as an encrypted Time Machine drive, which is there term for a special kind of backup.  I took another drive and set it up to store things. This box has 128 GB of flash drive and no hard drive.  

I have 140 GB of pictures of my travels I have already posted.

Then I started a couple of backups of my software development in expectation that I would never need any of the code I had developed ever again, but that if I failed to do this that I would get an email within a month from somebody who wants an Aerospace Distribution Solution.

Having fun learning, take care.  A lot more posts will be coming, both of my current activity in Bali and running backwards through the reportable parts of the Phillipines.

Sapa

I am sitting on a train after my last adventure in Vietnam. Tomorrow I fly out to Kuala Lumpur. It's been an adventure, for sure and I apologize for my failure to update. If I have to work on it, then I won't write this entry, so I shall just go with stream of consciousness.

My 17” computer can barely fit on my lap, an extension cord is draped across the back of the seat ahead of me. The extension cord has come in handy since I bought it in Krabi, Thailand. Not only does it give me extended reach as outlets that are located inconveniently in the most improbable of places it functions as a ground adapter as I have not found a grounded outlet yet.

My overstuffed backpack sits next to the window, I have an aisle seat and the window seat is occupied, the occupant graciously offered me to put the pack there.

I am a day late getting back to Hanoi. There is a girl there waiting for me. I have never met her but know her througb a mutual acquaintance. I have been talking with her nearly every day for the the last two months, SMS messages, google+ messages, emails and phone calls. Most of it was just a way to kill time for one of us or the other. Sometimes I called her and asked her to translate things for me. I offered to buy her dinner before I leave the country. She showed up in Hanoi yesterday and was distraught that I wasn't there. Why? She was spending Valentines day alone. Hmm.

Damage report. My new phone, I bought bu a month ago has incurred some damage to the case due to the inadequate protection, it fell off a table in my hotel room. I am on my way back from Nimh Bin. On the way out I discovered my kindle screen was cracked. The thing was so light that it was in a pocket in my vest in my backpack. When these things are placed on buses, they are not handled gently, to say the least.

My compact camera LCD is cracked. That happened on the train ride out here, it was in a case on my belt, the screen was out towards the spare batteries, I was in a sleeper bed on a train, rolled on my side and that was it. That works out to about a dollar a picture taken. It has an extended accident warranty for five years which is only honored in the US. I could probably find a traveler to take it back but as I am always on the move, I have no address to have it returned, so somebody stateside is going to get a very nice camera.

My last two days I did some light walking, no more than eight miles a day, boated down rivers, under and through karst formations, and generally saw the beautiful country side outside Nimh Binh. It was very cold there. No buildings are heated, I slept, fully dressed under two comforters. I was in Nimh Bin for but a few days, having made my way from Sapa.

How is this working the trip backwards working for you? The trip from Sapa to Nimh Binh was by way of Hanoi, where I was also supposed to the girl I am going to meet tonight, but I told her I didn't much like Hanoi and I just blew through, arriving at four in the morning and disregarding all the motorbike and taxi drivers who told me that there was no train to Nimh Binh so they should take me to a hotel. I had a few cups of coffee, went back to the station and inquired. Yes, there was the station for Nimh Binh the next train left at 6:30. Sorry girl, I am outta here.

Sapa was gorgeous. The day I arrived I got to my room on the fourth floor of Sapa Paradise View and looked at the mountains in the distance and over the top of clouds that shrouded the valley. I just explored the town and the surrounding area on foot constantly encountering Mungh women the conversations went like this with little variance

“Hello, where you from?”

“Panama”

“Canada?” or some other country

“Where you live?” (What hotel am I staying at?)

I would just shrug, what the hell difference does it make and why should I tell them anyway?
“You want to come to my village?” (Would you like to pay to trek with me to my village?)

“Do you want to buy ...” (Something one of their relatives sewed at home.

The town is hotels, restaurants and outfitter stores with really high quality knockoffs. 

Well guess I gotta go.

I shaved, got a haircut, some new clothes, a manicure, a pedicure a bath, shower and massage and now I guess I have to leave this town as I can't get a moment's peace. I can't sit on the balcony, I can't even be in my room without somebody knocking every ten minutes to see if I need something.  Same guy I was yesterday, just looking a bit more presentable for a big date in a few days.

Texting in Manila

Hi ths is 2 confirm our sched today haha.

. do you know mkati? I gave ur number to my frnd also (Leigh)

Ohh there u are... Haha... let's meet at pacifc star bldng, mkati.. There is a starbucks there.

I am stuck in some city. I don't know where I am, can we make it 8?

8pm? Hmm. I will ask her, I want her to meet you.

No, she says that is too late. Hw bout 6pm?

Six sounds good.

OkOk ill wait4 my frnd's txt

So I met this girl and she was going to take me to see a park in her hometown.  I had to do something to fill the morning, so I thought I would take a walk in a park.  She took me directly to an eco resort.  I paid admission and walked in and she walked back to the admission desk and came back with a key, opened a room door and said, "This is our room, do you like it?" 

Room? I thought we were going for a walk in the park.

What u do with other girl?

Gave her cab fare home.

You wth OTHER GRL?

Just going for a walk in the park, I thought.  She is bigger than I am.

Hmmmm. k 

I am on my way from who knows where.

haha.. That's bad..OkOk see u in 2 hours then

Be safe, i

'

I am in Montalban, it shouldn't be too bad.

i dunno, its in rizal haha... But dunno hw far is that... Anyway just be safe.. u took a cab?

Waiting on a cab. She told me she was going to show me a beautiful park and some waterfalls, the she took me to a resort and asked my how many nights?  What? OK, we can do it at my apartment, I thought you might want to rent a room. (expurgated)

OkOk, That's wat we wil do then haha. We were abott to take u to mall Of asia and manila Ocean park but snce you are late, plan change.. Lets go clubbng..haha

Ok. I coitus use a little mayhem.

Oopps, phone COULD

what?

Autocorrect, never mind.

Voice Call

is evrythng Ok? I just told d cab to take u to makti, pacific star building.

Wht yllng bout?

He told me it was 1500 and it was very far. I told him to turn on his meter.  He wouldn't stop. I opened my door but he wouldn't stop until the door was going to hit a car. I got out while it was still moving in front of a cop and he took off. The adventure continues.

haha.. Bad drivers, yah dnt fall 4 tricks...

Just get a taxi to Quezon, right? Near your house?

it wud be better f u get a taxi going to makati, so dnt need 2 transfer frm 1 taxi to anOther

OK, whats a fair fare from Quezon? It only cost me 209 to get here.

Oh from quezon city to makati around 250-300

OK then it can't be more than 600

Yeah.. R u on a cab nOw

Haha. I think that's the only cab in town.

Omg haha. Goodluck lol..

Do you know where I can score some opium? What a day!

Wats an Opium?

He says just plat number ends in 6 so he can't take me there. But he will take me to someplace that can.

i see .. then frm where he drop u, u wil take anoter cab going to mkati?

No idea. marijuana.

What?

Smarikana.  Auto correct again. I am going to Smarikana.

A lot more shit. Still texting can't talk over all the street noise.

we dnt use drugs. We are nurse n lawer.

Lapit nako te

What?

haha, sory, for someone else