Vagabond Jim

I'm settling down from the croc situation.  It ain't coming back.  But the lack of "western" professionalism is still pissing me off.  Since I'm not in the West, I am just loosening my grip on it as quickly as I can.  Best I can say is I like the way rugby union and ice hockey players respect each other at the end of the season.  Croc hunters did not get the Commonwealth's attitude about sporting behavior. It's a hot day.  They come in varieties here.  Today is pleasant ambient air with a cooling breeze.  In the shade.  Otherwise it feels like someone has a magnifying glass focusing the sun on one. At least the ambient and breeze make writing this on the pool deck comfortable.  Especially with 36 ounces of iced mango tea.  That won't last long. Let's unspool the film... Char Kway Teow from Bobby 99's. Skipped the prawns, doubled the sausage, cooked with Sambal. Spicy!  Mrs. Bobby brought peppers over which did not get used. Bee...

Walking back from lunch. Utterly senseless.  It was not ever going to be able to harm anybody coming down to look for it at sunset.  It's at least 5 feet from the deck to the water at high tide.  Crocs can't jump let alone dunk. What makes me soooooo mad is the glee they took from it.  Pictures with it.  Smiling.  Laughing.  Fuck' them. 2M long at most. They smashed its skull with a pipe.  But from what remained, I believe it was a Saltwater Croc not a Siam (narrow snout.) And young.  They regularly grow 4 meters long and several hundred pounds. Fucking senseless. Laughed at my anger too.  Fuck' them. ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH.

Wind Chill happens in the tropics too.  Today is cloudy and breezy.  The sweat wicks away (daylight has lower humidity here.)  It's delightful to be a bit chilled when the heat index/Humiture is 35C.  (95F)  Trully. Yesterday was a zonker.  Just didn't have it.  Breakfast.  And It was just too hot to even sit by the pool.  No breeze.  Yuck.  You tube and 10 hours of sleep.  There will be more of those to come.  That's my recovery/transition mode historically. Didn't even go look for the croc. I'm always on the lookout for 3 things as I wander or choose a place to sit: flags, foliage, and shade.  Today the 1st two are moving and the third is abundant.  It feels good. The Noodlebowski and I were texting and he asked if this could be the monsoon season.  I thought not.  I was wrong.  Apparently it started when I left SFO (5/10) officially.  This is the SW* Monsoon.  Mongolia heats up, suckin...

  Stumpy shows us his 'wholeself.' The 4thnight I believe 1) I immediately think she's a vampire with that pose 2) Natural hail colors always look better.  Stumpy at sunset. A really good Mee Goreng. Roti Telur, at a new joint.  Very good. Well,... if I need it, it's there.  A great Dhosi 5th night Stumpy has a good view when he's got his head above water. The croc stuff is just something that makes me happy.  Last night I got there and a there was a big crowd.  They've been growing nightly.  I mentioned to somebody that I'd seen a croc four nights running.  She said she'd come because she saw it on Facebook.  People are coming to see 'em/it.   Nothing.  Sun gone, light fading, and then 10 feet away there it was. 6-7 feet long, fully visible floating.  I should have taken a picture.  I turned to point it out to the others.  By the time I turned back, it was just showing nostrils and eyes.  I tried for a whil...

  I have no idea if it's the same one.  Does it matter?  Nope.  Cool all the same. A bit prickly.  I went back to the place with the Crying Tiger and ordered "brisket."  AWFUL.  I have never seen 4" X 4" X 1/8" brisket.  Cooked to the point of shoe leather and doused with black pepper.  Dude could not get the charcoal fired.  It wreaked of butane from his torching it directly.  They did a bait and switch.  When I went to pay, I opened the menu to see the local presentation.  It was covered in tape - the way of saying "not available."  Same in a second menu.  (Ordering was done on the phone menu*.)  I could not eat it.  RM 44TH, ugg.  Wait, that's only $11. They young lady swore they gave me brisket.  That place was good before.  So, they get a time out for 1 month (could have been perma-banned.  There are plenty of places to eat here.  Plenty.  See, prickly. I paid RM 50 fo...

Not feeling poorly, health wise.  Nor in spirit.  But something was blue within me today.  Not sad, not bad, just a bit off. Tin Shack Aunties was not my intended breakfast.  But as I walked, I ended up there.  Never a bad thing. So. Damn. Good. Just Kolo Mee - no wonton left with my 1000 arrival Walked home and saw some signs I thought I'd capture: No Toto, we're not in Los Angeles anymore. The sign I referenced last night. Same location as last night -- high tide.   Cannot see crocs on the bottom easily then/ Couldn't find a croc; found a crotchety old dude dude though. The pool deck has a small garden. I was soaked when I got back so I sat at the pool deck and read until I was a bit drier.  Went upstairs and ...fell asleep on the couch. Low tide is well after sunset tonight so I knew I'd have to get lucky as I would not have as much tidal flat to look at.  But I went because it's 300m always and... a lovely spot. No doubts tonight.  W...

 A photo dump.  Text follows. REALLY low tide. Stumpy Bob, standing proud. The better AWAS! pic I just found.  No doubt in my mind: Croc. Dinner.  Tiger Cries (Thai) Wasn't calm when a bird's eye pepper stuck to the back of my throat.  It was tears. 2 guys unloaded at least 50 bags of rice by hand - 2 full pallets. This tiger was sweating before the tears. Roti canai for breakfast. Lunch, not shown, was at the Syrian Schwarma pop-up.  4th time there.  The food is really good.  Mamoud and his team will head to Bintulu next.  He's a good guy.  The other day I was craving chicken fingers.  I walked into KFC.  I could not do it.  Mamoud was driving by and honked at me.  Stopped for a second and looked quizzically at me.  I explained I just couldn't accept KFC.  He gave me a ride to his place and I had 2 kebabs.  He's beeped at mea couple of times since on busier streets. I have had others I do not recognize...

See that long lump not the right edge, where the water laps at the mud? (mid height, far edge of photo.  NOT the left side foreground.) That's the biggest blowup I can get. Look closely. Start at the left end...Look in the shadows as best you can. Awas! means Caution! or Warning! in Bahasa  I don't seem to have a pic of the sign 20 feet behind me,  The one saying  BAHAYA (Danger!) AWAS  Crocodiles Yeah, that's Bornean Crocodile in that photo. I do not know if dead or alive.  I thought "maybe" so I zoomed in .  And forgot to check in the moment.  WHen I checked it was too dark to get a better pic.  I walked back to see if it had moved and it was too dark to see. But in all the pictures of that spot, that lump does not move.  Could be dead, could be chillin'. 1) I will keep an eye out at the next low tide. 2) I will NOT be swimming in the river.  WOOOWWWWWW!  

Mala is the Chinese word that describes Sichuan food.  It means "spicy" + "tingling/numbing."  The tingle comes from Sichuan peppercorns.  Neither peeper nor a chili, it's a seed,I think citrus family thing.  But, it looks like a peppercorn so... (The real stuff is very hard to get in the USA - once banned.  When I was cooking I bought stuff from https://themalamarket.com/ and I can vouch for their quality and service.  Their vinegar selection is wonderful too.) I never really took the full plunge.  Until tonight.  Not in the form of the traditional Chongking hotpot.  But in a soup.  Mala Tang You pick your own ingredients: noodles, pork belly, bok choy, tofu, daikon, noodles, Napa cabbage, potatoes, broccoli (I'll skip the radish, taters, and Napa next time.)  The stuff hits hard.  I was not asked what spice level - they knew better.  I confirmed later it was MILD.  I wisely got a liter of citrus drink. Sweat b...