Our Man in Antigua

some are faster than others, especially if you’re trying to swat ’em…and no, I haven’t been by La Calle to see how Spiros and Alabama Bob are making it work. It’s kind of an unlikely duo, almost an ‘Odd Couple’ thing but who knows? 

and yes, the annual migration of incoming/outgoing folks continues…the ‘Perfesser’ and Nazi John will be in town shortly…James Mullen  probably here for another week and I guess that Tanya H is or is about to pull the plug on Antigua for good. There’s a great newish FB page for Antigua Classified and Antigua Ex-Pats that’s getting a lot of traffic…I like ’em both, btw.

Piano Mike, sometimes aka Guitar Mike, is doing four gigs a week now…two with Bobby Darling, and two solo, either Travel Menu or Hops and Tails (the old El Muro)out on 3rd calle oriente.

And another long time Antigua bar goes City! aka Reilly’s, Luna Miel and Mono Loco, La Sala is opening a City bar…no, not titty bar…City bar!

And a definite…well, maybe definite ‘good bye’ to Carla Berryhill…from the snake/tarantula infested swamps of Rio Dulce to an Irish bar in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia! that girl does get around…here’s wishing her luck..

and yes…finally…out of town last week…4 days in/around Zacapa..and I only saw one drug lord and that was in a supermarket. The ‘Plan’ was to go look for amethyst and tourmaline deposits…the first got turned down and the second was subject to a breakdown of the Jeep, way up high in the Sierra de las Minas. Yeah, thanks to a lot of luck and a bottle of rum, we got out.  And returned the next day, bouncing our way up/down what might have been a road here and there…my kidneys took a shot, I’m sure. A big tip of the Panama to J.R and his magnificent Jeep…tricked out, raised, wide tires and so on…couldn’t have made it without him and or the ‘captain’….and I heard a LOT of Antigua/Gaute history on people and places here…I hadn’t known that he moved to Guatemala in 1950, por ejemplo…and, of course that info was subject to a ‘news blackout’ since I promised not to write or talk about most of it. Visualize ‘los tres monos’ and there you have it..and the Marvelous Marbel? last seen working weekends at Casbah’s little downstairs bar and as always, looking great.