Even though Toys R Us recently filed for bankruptcy, they opened up a new store near my office. It's clean, bright, and huge. And its selection of Matchbox cars is impressive.
If you have a suggestion for a car carrier, I would appreciate it. When I was a kid, I had a blue plastic briefcase with blue plastic trays inside to carry my cars. I'd like to get a carrier for Junior when he is old enough to play with these cars.
First up, a set of NYPD police vehicles. This is the first set I've purchased. I prefer buying cars one-by-one. I don't like sets because I usually don't like every single car in the set. I bought this set because I really liked the Suburban. I also bought the set because the collection I am amassing is missing "work vehicles".
My sister-in-law is getting married! She and her fiancee are extreme outdoor types-- they are both wilderness survival instructors. We are going to this place:
This was an extraordinary meal. In the United States, Dominican and Caribbean immigrants typically live on the East Coast. I was shocked to find a Dominican restaurant in California. But here it is. I dragged Chris D to lunch with me. Sadly, we were the only customers there. The owner and her two kids worked there. The space is a nightclub/dance club with a kitchen. The restaurant owner rents the kitchen from the nightclub owner. The bar is owned by the nightclub owner so it was off limits to us during lunch. We settled for water. I had the fried pork. There was a lot of it. It came with yucca fries and a salad. Everything was great, including the spicy dipping sauces. Countries tried so far: Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Tunisia, Zimbabwe Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen Europe: Albania, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine North America: Belize, Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago, USA South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga
Alberto Fujimori defeated the Shining Path guerrillas, saved the Peruvian economy, and committed human rights abuses along the way. He was put away in prison for a long time.
An elderly technocrat was elected president. He defeated Fujimori's daughter, Keiko, even though Keiko's party controlled the legislature. Keiko was probably going to pardon her father had she won.
The elderly technocrat president was caught up in a scandal involving a Brazilian construction firm. He was going to be impeached last week by the legislature. But to everyone's surprise, he wasn't impeached.
The elderly technocrat president subsequently freed Fujimori. Apparently, to save his own skin, he made a deal with Kenji, Fujimori's legislator-son. In exchange for no impeachment, the president would free the elder Fujimori.
I can't make this stuff up. Truth is truly stranger than fiction.
I couldn't figure out why I couldn't buy a bus ticket out of Lima for Sunday, January 21. Until last night. I found out that Pope Francis is going to be giving (is that the right term?) a mass on Sunday, January 21, in Lima. The mass will be held at an air force base in town and they expect 1.5 to 5 million people to attend. I am at a loss as to what to do. I am considering starting the trip in Colombia and finishing the trip by traveling south to Lima.
I was watching Andrew Zimmern's Delicious Destinations episode on Mauritius. The swordfish curry dish looked good so I tried it. Here is the recipe. The most interesting part was soaking the onions in vinegar before cooking. I got off to a late start so I didn't mash the spices into a paste like I was supposed to, so the dish was a bit bland. In retrospect, this was very much like the Maldives swordfish curry I made. It's all because of the Indian influence. 70% of the population in Mauritius is Indian.
Countries tried so far: Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Tunisia, Zimbabwe Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen Europe: Albania, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine North America: Belize, Canada, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago, USA South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga
A family one town over built a Millennium Falcon, hoisted it onto the roof of their home with a 70-foot crane, and became the envy of all their neighbors. The full story is here.
BTW, I saw the new Star Wars movie yesterday. It was mediocre.
Who knew that the QX30 was based off of the Mercedes GLA? To save costs, the QX has the Mercedes' platform, engine, transmission, door handles, gauge cluster, etc.
We are staying home for Christmas this year so there will be plenty of blogging!
First up, the Kuril Islands. The Ainu were there first. Then, the Japanese settled there. At the end of World War II, the Soviets took over the island chain and kicked out the Japanese. Russia and Japan have not formally ended World War II with each other because of their dispute over these islands.
I remember as a kid in Japan, riding by the Soviet embassy in Tokyo, there would always be a heavy police presence. Right-wing Japanese nationalists driving vans with huge speakers would protest outside everyday, demanding the Kurils back.
There is a sizable Soviet population in San Francisco. Most of the restaurants that cater to the immigrants are Russian. I couldn't find any Ukrainian restaurants per se. So I went to this Russian place and ordered a Chicken Kiev, which they called "Chicken a la Kiev". I've never had it before and it was delicious. Once I cut open the breaded chicken, a small stream of melted butter flowed out. Here is my favorite mention of Ukraine on TV.
Countries tried so far: Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Liberia, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Tunisia, Zimbabwe Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen Europe: Albania, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine North America: Belize, Canada, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago, USA South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga
I'll be taking COPA Airlines from SFO to Lima via Panama City.
The shot of the Panamanian beer reminded me of the night before I took the bus to the Darien Gap in 2013. I went to the bar next to my hotel and drank every brand of Panamanian beer (3) and rum (2) they had.
This took place in Atherton, one of the toniest towns in all of the San Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley. I had thought this ostentatious show of wealth was relegated to Southern California. I was mistaken.
First, the good news. Colombia's biggest criminal gang, the Gulf Clan, has just declared a unilateral ceasefire. This is the gang that was busted recently for the biggest haul of cocaine ever seized in the universe. The leader is turning himself in and his lieutenants have all been neutralized.
Now, the bad news. My plan had been to take a Cruz del Sur bus on a Sunday from Lima, ride non-stop for 2.5 days, cross two borders, and arrive in Cali, Colombia. For some reason, the Sunday bus service has been canceled. And I cannot take the other Cruz del Sur service, which leaves on a Wednesday. I think I can take an Ormeno Sunday bus, but I cannot buy or reserve a ticket online. I have to show up in person. Let's hope it's not sold out when I get to Lima on a Saturday.
Radwood is more than a car show. It is a social phenomenon.
Yesterday's show in Southern California was Radwood's second. It was exponentially larger than the first. There were more cars, more people, more of everything. It was at an expansive German beer garden, so there were plenty of picnic tables for people to enjoy beers and brats throughout the day. There was a DJ playing 80s music and there was even a BMX bike demonstration. It's not yet commercialized, as the only corporate presence consisted of Bring A Trailer and a car restoration company that brought a couple of very 80s modified Benzes.
So let's start from the beginning. This was going to be a day trip, so I woke up at 4:30am, picked up rchen, and headed to the airport. Rchen dressed up for the show and brought old cell phones and other props. Going through airport security with him was "exciting", shall we say.
Because we didn't have a rental car, slirt was kind enough to pick us up at LAX in his beautiful and peppy cabriolet. The weather was in the mid-70s so it was perfect as we crisscrossed the concrete jungle.
Once there, we saw quite a few amazing cars. But as we nerdishly went over all the 80s and 90s cars that were missing-- Merkurs, Dustbuster minivans, etc.-- I realized that just hanging with obsessively knowledgable car freaks on a sunny Southern California day in a relaxed atmosphere full of kitsch was what made Radwood so nostalgically perfect.
A lot of people I have connected with over the years online were there, and they got to meet each other. People in the "industry", like the new Wheeler Dealer team, Matt Farah aka The Smoking Tire (with all four of his cars, including the Million Mile Lexus), and the Hooniverse duo of Jeff Glucker and Blake Z. Rong, were all in attendance. The show had everything. The owner of three MotoCompos were even letting random people ride them.
