Our Man in Antigua

yet again, dinosaur brain…thanks to Nicky Z and Monica, I’m embarked on yet another techno-trip…an ‘app’ creation for the ‘Our Man in Antigua-stan’ project. I was surprised by two things in the last two weeks..no, make that 3 or 4….seeing a tourist couple on the streets of Our Town with a new copy of a real guide book…#2 seeing a tourist on the steps of the church in Chi-Chi, amidst the Mayas swinging incense at the doors and snapping shots with her Ipad..cognitive dissonance, we used to call that…now, it’s  just WTF?

let’s get the bad news outa the way…the founder of one of my two favorite NGOs left the country today….with not good medical news…of all the people who is/has been doing good stuff and of all the jerk-offs who remain here. It ain’t fair.

so…north 5th avenida? judging from the leftover cig butts outside Gaia/Studio 35, it musta been a good night. The old location of Reilly’s still…still under re-modeling..what is it gonna be? Cashbar? WTF? It would appear that the Center of Gravity, food/bev wise is/has shifted south…5th calle, 6th calle..south of the park…who knows anymore? the changing profile/paradigm of this years tourist flow has altered a lot of stuff…73% Christos, 10% backpackers, 10% spanish students (with the invariable blonde amazingly finding an after hours tutor…you know, for the in-depth stuff) less see…73+10+10 is …93? throw in a few unaffiliated and there’s the market(or lack of it, $$-wise) odd thought#8…’watched the Coca-Cola trucks unloading this morning and wondered….who does more biz, the beer industry or Coke?

yeah, dragged kicking and screaming into the 20th Century…even one of my contemporaries in town bought an Iphone this week..cue the Who…’Talkin’ about my Generation’…Monica told me to throw away my 6 year old motorola razr…but I haven’t even figured out all the functions…damn it, woman..yeah, my thing is to set it on ‘vibrate’ put it in a front pocket and hope someone calls..

I think(sic)that I may have figured out ‘sidewalk etiquette’ in this town…here’s how I see it: if you’re carrying anything, take the inside and make ’em step off the curb. Step off the curb for the basket ladies(Mayas with a basket of ….. on their heads) couples with a baby in the stroller and any two babes that might smile at the act of a gentleman(and give you a longer moment to…uh…’appreciate their assets). Am i wrong here? 

the latest version of “Our Man etc’ goes via the flash drive to Frener printers on Monday and on the streets the following week…some new ‘in”s, some new outs..look, it’s a changing scene here, ok and I’m just a one-trick pony….ooh, that sounds weird..