BaJaHa has left 17 comments

BaJaHa comments on FBU Bogota

OK. This is just a typical load of bulshit that cannot be rectified without your personal appearance ‘over the counter'. In order that a ‘crossing the hand with silver' can be instigated. Ask for the regional director, this may produce the ‘somewhat dubious' results you need Personally, I think that you do not have a chance. It is like India and many other countries, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, Is corrupt. It is a way of life. Live with it. If you cannot pay. Tough. Live with it. that is Colombia. Sorry.

BaJaHa comments on FBU Bogota

What were the original postings? ARMacleod

BaJaHa comments on FBU Bogota

Sorry more info required. Can you cut and paste the originals? ARMacleod

BaJaHa comments on FBU Bogota

Hi. I remember you from a long time ago. you donn't give any information. (ARMacleod) I don't get the thread, what have I missed Please update me. gracias.

BaJaHa comments on

Si Senor I did not directly blame the US. But the US leads, others follow. Is that not correct? What I was intimidating was; the US has the ability to, by its actions, or inactions, influence he rest of the world. Yes or No? Armacleod

BaJaHa comments on I WANT TO PERSONALLY EXTEND A WARM "MUCHAS GRACIAS" POR LAS F.A.R.C.....

OK. We know whose side you are on then. Have a short life and for the time being, be happy.

BaJaHa comments on I WANT TO PERSONALLY EXTEND A WARM "MUCHAS GRACIAS" POR LAS F.A.R.C.....

FARC is a terrorist organisation, get real, if they do anything that looks like a change in their strategy, it is to make the numb nuts in a bewildered society lean towards them. Left wing or right wing. Think about it, they are all after their own nefarious political aims. You have now an elected political party. Elected by the majority. Do not knock it! You will end up like the Venezuelan people who are too afraid to do anything else. Or the Cuban prat who has held the people of that nation under his withering thumb whilst every other country who has denounced this kind of despotic totalitarianism has prospered. Why do these people exist in the first place? As long as there is enough people poor and miserable enough, and these people are always the poorest and most miserable people in the land, then there is a wedge that will let the opportunist and agitator in. Please think carefully, what is your motive for your thoughts, is it good for you and a tragedy for everyone around you? I do not speak of this matter as an idle spectator. I was there. Been there done it, got the ‘T' shirt so to speak. ~ This is too serious to make smart assed remarks ~ ~ I shall refrain from doing so ~

BaJaHa comments on

Sorry GIB, I did not mean to upset your nationalistic protectionalism. I would do the same. The basic fact is. Being the largest economy etc.etc. when the USA sneezes, everyone else catches a cold. It's a basic international understanding. However in this case, the USA screwed up. Yes or no? Anyway time will tell. BTW. As at 2245 BST 1USD = COP 1998.10 1GBP = 4041.69 1GBP = USD 2.02300 World bank at the same time has just laid the blame on the US Credit crunch in the offing Federal reserve has made disparaging remarks on the US banking system The story goes on and on and on and on. Basically, greed is at he moment prevailing, let's wait and see, you and I do not count in this kind of international speculation. ~ A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money ~ ARMacleod

BaJaHa comments on Worst Airport, Airline, Customs...

Sharm el Sheck (spelling) in Egypt New Jersey USA Dabolim India These were somewhat of a trial for me personally (there were many more of course) Egypt: The guy kept rubbing my shirt pocket and then returning to the same spot over and over again, (There was a few Egyptian pounds there) when I ignored him he eventually said to me, "Is there something in there for me". "Imshie ascarie" from me He ‘imshied" (f***** O**) USA: I was totally lost and was looking for the place that I had to pick up my hire car. I spied a policeman and asked him (with my wife in tow) " Could you direct me to the car hire area/department or whatever" He just looked at me and said nothing. I asked him again and my answer was "Do I look like a god damned tourist information guide"? I said "No, you look like very bad example of a human being" I was Instructed to "Move on" Possibly he thought I was a Scottish Muslim and my face would explode over his nice uniform'. (Everyone after that in the USA, were the most helpful and polite that I had met anywhere in the world except for Dando in India, (only one inhabitant there and he was always asleep)) Vasco Da Gama, India. Customs man asked my friend who had brought his dog in. "How much is the dog worth?" he asked. "He is a ‘mut' about five pounds from the local rescue centre in England" "How much is he worth to you?" was the reply My friend paid him over one hundred pounds sterling (USD 200) The same clown got over 2 hundred pounds (Cash) from me for my six cases, I got a receipt for 40 Pounds? (its a long story) These few things happened over the last 18 months. I could fill a document the size of the ‘Dead Sea Scrolls with my experience of foreign customs and airport scams over the years. ~ It's better to cry than laugh, with a laugh, your tormentor may punish you, if you cry, he may come closer and you can then kick him in the nuts ~ ....ARMacleod.....

BaJaHa comments on

Sorry guys, I think that some folk have their heads buried in the sand, I would have thought that everyone would have seen the news bulletins regarding the US market problem broadcast on Tuesday (the lead in), Wednesday, Thursday and subsequently today. "A five year old child could have worked that out, will someone please send a five year old child in here to explain"? (Groucho Marx) Stock markets all over the world are in free fall, because of the US system of carrying out their banking/mortgage lenders practices, namely handing out loans to, principally house purchasers at any cost, (they know that they can make a fortune if the loan cannot be repaid) and then finding out that the borrowers cannot repay their loans. The French bank got into the situation where they could not cover the outgoings and losses. CRASH. All markets have fallen, two things can happen now; 1. massive shifting of cash and gold reserves by those who will speculate 2. The market will stabilise, and there will be buy offs. 3. A great recession. Personally I think the market will stabilise. If it doesn't it means that the world money magnums have triumphed yet again because we have not learned anything from the last series of recessions, which, if you care to check, happen only every thirty years. Fortunately it will not affect me personally, then again, I have never speculated on the prosperity or the losses of any other soul. ~ Personally, things could be worse, for example, I could be one of my creditors ~

BaJaHa comments on Hola beautiful people.

When I die, I want to be in Goa, India or Bogota, Colombia. I want to be 120 and my wife to be so upset she has to drop out of school WOMAN'S POEM Before I lay me down to sleep, I pray for a man, who's not a creep, One who's handsome, smart and strong. And also who loves to listen long, Who always thinks before he speaks, One who'll call, not wait for weeks. I pray he's gainfully employed, When I spend his cash, he won't be annoyed. Pulls out my chair and opens my door, Massages my back and begs to do more. Oh! Send me a man who'll make love to my mind, Knows what to answer to "how big is my behind?" I pray that this man will love me to no end, And always be my very best friend. MAN'S POEM I pray for a deaf-mute nymphomaniac with huge boobs who owns a liquor store and a golf course. This doesn't rhyme and I don't care. NB: Poets have been strangely silent on the subject of cheese. I shall put pen to paper and try to explain the fantasy world that is India in due course. Love to all. ARMacleod

BaJaHa comments on Hola beautiful people.

OK a quick funny for now. My lady and I met as I said in Paris, the problem was that she could not speak a word of English and I equally ignorant of spoken Spanish. When I got in touch with her again, months later, I had studied just enough to make gentle introductions, our relationship blossomed, we spoke on the phone for hours every day in what could only be called and somewhat haltingly, a mixture of Spanglish/gibberish that otherwise would be classed as utter nonsense. Anyway it was probably the longest combination of chatting up and foreplay in the history of any relationship. I had taken to calling her all the mushy lovey dovey names that one does and she responded likewise, we finally ended up calling each other the shortened version of ‘scrumptious' i.e. ‘Scrummy' The great day came when I finally arrived at the airport in Bogota and through the large smoked glass I could see her and that great mass of hair that had caught my eye in the first place, so many months before that moment. Finally the official opened the door and I walked out into the Bogota sunshine, at this point it is worth noting that our respective commands of the language had not improved greatly, especially the pronunciation. However, she saw me and started forward, I dropped my suitcase and moved towards her with my arms opened wide. "SCRUMMY!" I shouted. And from her at the top of her voice "J A M E S... S C R E W M E E E E!" An American lad with whom I had been speaking previously said something like "Man, that is one hell of a welcome" ~Apart from a few phrases in ancient Hebrew, I take it for granted that God has never spoken anything else but the most perfect and elegant Oxford English~ .....Anon..... ARMacleod

BaJaHa comments on

Ladies and gentlemen, when I was last in Bogota, the rate was over 4000:£1. I left and since then it has slid, I don't think it was because I left though. International speculation, oil reserves, technology, political troubles and terrorism etc. they all have a part in the financial roundabout. The people who have the money need to make more, they do this and normally become much richer, all this, unintentionally perhaps, means that those least able to ‘ride the storm' lose out. The rich get richer, the middle classes grumble and tighten their belt a few notches, The poor get hungrier than they already were before the turmoil. In India the USA is cutting Billions of $ in aid because of the strengthening rupee, they are also cutting down on aid to Colombia (spelt with an ‘o'). But never mind folks, the British can holiday in the USA and live the good life for a time. The Indian well to do Have never had it so good, and hundreds of Indian poor are committing suicide every month (mainly farmers) whilst the effects of the so called ‘fair trade' system has destroyed so many of the poor Colombian coffee farmers and their families. And all this time, the rich get richer whilst speculating on the misery of others. I know that this comment will raise some indignant replies, but, it will not alter the facts. ~ If you need to know what your god thinks of money acquisition, just take a look at the nature of people he gives it to ~

BaJaHa comments on First India post yey

Just remembered this bit. Arriving in Goa some time ago, I had not yet bought my apartment and subsequently moved in to my wife's relations house for about four months, they have three daughters and two (boy and girl) grandchildren living there. After some time when I had got to know them all better, I told the girl of 10 years that I was going to teach her how to pronounce the English language better, get the emphasis correct and to use the letter w instead of v i.e. Vot are you vanting, ve are vaiting etc. (sounding like Germans in an old movie) I kept at her for a long time and, to me anyway she was sounding just like a posh little lady. When she went back to school I went with her mother to collect the two children, as soon as she got into the car I asked her what the teacher had thought of her pronunciation. "She said that the words were very good now uncle, but she asked why I had a Scottish accent now?" ~ Asked at Immigration, "How long were you in India?" "Five foot ten" I said~

BaJaHa comments on First India post yey

My first trip to India, That was in 1989. I felt a bit groggy on the aircraft on the way over from England, that then developed into a full blown bout of sickness like I have never had in my life, I felt like an old amputated left leg. After two weeks of misery I went to see a chiropractor he rambled on for about 45 minutes after giving me six small white pills, he said that I would be better by the time I left his office. Amazingly he was correct, I had always spoken somewhat less than admiringly about such practices. The chiropractors fee, RS 100 (£ 00:80 - USD1:40. The same private consultation in UK would be more like £100. He also advised me to stop taking the Malaria tablets, he said that it was they that was causing me the problem. He was correct. At that time, Malaria was not a problem there (in Goa) it is now, many hundreds of people have been infected over the past year. I then started to enjoy India. But the things that I could manage to live without are: Poverty amongst the majority of Indians and the system that keeps them like that. Rubbish discarded everywhere Uncontrolled corruption Beggars everywhere People staring at me, and all foreigners, what they see is a mobile ATM The touts and their scams Snakes and mosquitoes These things one gets used to and deals with in your own way. However I love India and its people, I have made many good friends there, genuine friends that is. India is a safe place to live, the chance of being robbed, murdered etc is not worth worrying about, on the other hand, the standard of driving here has to be seen to be believed, and the only safe means of travelling would be in an army tank. Although I am now retired. I can live like a lord here and can afford to give to others less fortunate than myself. My trekking days are over now but we are planning to tour by car, all the major cities and sites in India. I live in a complex on top of the Western Ghats in Goa, the view is amazing, I can see millions of coconut palms and beyond that the blue Arabian sea, in the evening we sit on the verandah and watch the sun go down to the whisper of a gentle breeze, glass in hand, with good friends, good whisky costing less than £2: per litre, and the cost of food negligible, warm sea, an almost empty stretch of sand this is my Nirvana. ~ When I die, I want to be in Goa, I want to be 110 and my wife to be so upset she has to drop out of school~

BaJaHa comments on Newbie at large!

Hi, Peter. Devanagari script is the easier part, pronouncing the letters/words is a trial. I downloaded some BBC programmes (Free) for the study and purchased various books on the subject. If anyone is interested there is a program on BBC Radio 4 next Friday at 1100 entitled Gandhi's Dream. Basically the advert statement made the following points: Gandhi was a villager, he disliked towns, his idea of the future India was that there would be a village type system in which each village would run it's own affairs, social and political. The idea of mutual benefit and tolerance amongst all people. It was of course a utopian dream, and was doomed from the start. The program then states: 83% of Indians live in villages, the current boom in the country has benefited a large number of people and has made an even larger number of souls even poorer. I can see this everywhere around me. Anyone who had any skill at all left the village and moved to the towns, some made it others beg. The villages have become virtually bankrupt as a result. Corruption in India is a way of life, everyone and I mean everyone, who has any kind of social standing got there by corruption and remains there by the same means. It is not looked upon as corruption by those who freely practice it, it is an acceptable manner of behaviour. When I first got ripped off it was at the Customs control. I sent six cases by air freight and went to collect them. My relation there had words with the official and his exact words were "He will have to learn the way things happen here"I learned to the tune of £130:00 (Exactly RS10790) An American president (Johnston I think)stated: "corruption in all walks of life is what keeps corrupt people corrupt. rich people richer and poor people even poorer". "Indians are indeed corrupt, but they are nice about it and they smile" ~ Me~

BaJaHa comments on Gomezman5

Hi G5, remember me? Macleod? Just found the site again, and joined the India blog. Been trying to find some friendly names there, where has everyone gone? yourself, Kat, Elmo and one or two others, sad. Anyway, soy jubilado and live in India now, My recent divorce didn't work out so got remarried. It's feet up time now, I often think of Colombia, I realy wish that had worked out for me, perhaps when I reincarnate? Bye for now, best wishes Barry Harvey.