Our Man in Antigua

a ‘Bushism’….if only for his mangled words/phrases, he’ll be remembered…that and the trashing of the economy…A-Town!….packed, no parking spaces except on upper 4th ave..my barrio…Don Martin with the lights on…no takers…gotta be a bit discouraging when every other…and i mean ‘every’ eatery had biz today/tonight…even Nokiate…except for 709 the mexican food/gallery next to Fusion? padlocked on a Saturday night? bad juju…Sobremesa(packed tonight)moving August the fust around the corner to 4th calle, next to the yogurt joint, up from Citibank..in his spare time?…

went by Panza Verde, passing Franklin V of As Green As it Gets…my personal fave NGO…they actually do what they say they’re gonna do…no bloated staff, overhead, fancy SUV’s..hand’s on..listened to Montfort, the classical pianist from San Francisco for a while…John R and Brendan B there…who knew they were aficionados? you kinda suspect that they have hidden tastes…great music, from the black baby grand…technically brilliant and a ‘virtuouso’ in every sense of the word, crisp, clean, cha cha cha…and here come’s the ‘but’…as i wandered home-weird i went by Caffe Opera and Adan the Cuban was pounding away at the old upright(not me, the piano) and working up a sweat…for me, given a choice between the two pianists, Adan is the MAN…and yeah, the drinks at C-O ain’t cheap but that’s the ‘cover charge’..worth every quetzal.

Angie A’s just setting up as i passed thru…El Cam oddly quieter than usual on a Saturdaynight…El Muro filling up…Abassi doin’ fine, F2 los mismo, even Tartines packed…La Posada del Pintor, the Circus Bar spin-off? jammed…however, in the back of the upper level, a new coffee bar? why? who?..more money than sense, as usual, kinda like the ‘Lounge’, Pangea’s last gasp…pumpin’ loud music again, audible inside Ocelot/the Frisky Den…Neil Craig, who wisely bailed, last heard of in Copan, on his way to Roatan..time out/off…

Cashbar! jumpin’! Wendy at the door, rope and the helm…thanks for the cocktail, btw…reports that Sangre, probably per their all you can suck for 75q specials is now offering late night fights in the street.o boy…’heard that the famed hotel Santo Domingo, who laid off 75 staff a while back is now offering a half-price deal on a second night stay…bring back Paris Hilton and I’m in..don’t know why but i confess to a liking for her(it’s more than that,trust me)kinda like my semi-lust for Sarah Palin in her ‘nasty librarian’ mode..visually speaking, of course.

how can you not like a country that always has fresh limes and avocados?…of course, a lotta political chicanery, lawyers, guns, dope and scandals…wait a minute! wasn’t that a song? guatemalo..my home…ran into Jason of Lava earlier, still chuckleing about the mix-up between ordering a round of 25 shots of tequila and the barmaid pours 25 shots of gin…is she still working? nope, no names…and no excuses..the onslaught of the recent rains and lack of signage from the street have them slightly befuddled, but the burger train still keeps movin’, downstairs to O’lot..the entrance, with IxNay blocking everything, no access to Pangea other than crawling over bushes…Frisky Den’s biz seems to have slacked off…if this because of Allen’s absence or the pounding of the dumb disco music from the Lounge? close the restaurant and go full disco…buy Como Como’s disco ball, install it and it’s Saturday Night Finger…no, Fever…white suits, fancy moves…bring back the Red Bull display..got the every 3 month haircut from Carmen the delicious..just a little off the top, please..Creativo the Spa…2nd calle/4th avenida..best pedicure/foot massage in town and half the price…no, less than half…check Minoshka’s prices..foot the bill..sicko..toe the line? hey, it’s Saturday Night and …so what? dodge the dog-shit and the puke puddles in the morning…one’s brown and the other will be multi-colored, if that’s a clue…ah,, Antigua…full moon swoon tonight…crowds at La Merced(the church)will they be offering 2X1 specials on the wine? a little brie with the wafers?  as Marjoe once said, ‘holy jeez to bezuz’ as he was counting out the evening’s take..and tax free…buenas nostrils to you..