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Archive for the ‘Nicaragua’ Category

Hickory Daiquiri Dock

Posted in Guatemala, Living in Antigua, Nicaragua, Restaurants, Travel, central america, guatemala on August 26, 2014| Leave a Comment »

So, new places open,here and there…some close, here and there..rumor has it that a couple of experienced owner/chefs are looking for a new place to open…cheap burgers, mentioned. The town is already covered by the good, the bad and the ugly…try the ‘formula’ yet again…? on the same day that Nils died, the owner of Ubi Sushi also checked out..is business that dead?

John Adams aka Nazi John, due to return for good, in September.no word from Hogan Von Daniken, although the “perfesser’ aka Mike Donley returns for good/worse also in September..

Thursday night! the return of Piano Darling and Mike….no, Bobby Darling and Piano Mike, at the Snug or Travel Menu, early show…Senor Citizens kinda schedule, which means I’ll be there..

and the ‘ice Bucket Challenge’?.,…dumb…we’re in the midst of a serious drought (Emergency stuff) and these folks are wasting water? Nicaragua, likewise hit by water shortages, is telling their people to catch/eat iguanas…terrific, no? Shay called them ‘Chicken of the Tree’ but I’ve never seen an iguana in a tree…have you?

and yes, we’ll try again for another Zacapa run…the ‘captain’ said..maybe, this Friday..but that’s what he’s said for two successive Fridays.

music! in the Mercado…I was inspired to find a Frank SinatraCD today…yes! found the vendor, who also has weird stuff like Elvis, George Michael  and Air Supply…ask me for the location..ok, I quit for the day…another daiquiri? why not? it is ‘happy hour’ after all..

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The Bounced Czech

Posted in Granada, Guatemala, Living in Antigua, Nicaragua, Restaurants, Travel, central america, guatemala, tagged , , , , , on October 25, 2013| Leave a Comment »

A couple of nights ago, when Lava was having their anniversary party, the Czech wacko (and even crazy by Antigua standards)attempted to enter the patio…the guy at Whisky Den ran him off quickly, waving a metal chair at him…does this guy ever learn? no…as mentioned, even by local standards, he’s bizarre and that’s a serious statement of insanity.

4th Calle, lights out earlier but only in spots…micho’s dark, Sobremesa lit up..go figure…a prolonged ‘brown-out in San Felipe fried the water pump at my finca…oops…check the ice cube level, screw the shower in the morning…ok, all is swell..

No…the BAM wham hit HBT yesterday (no City trip)…BAM, Banco Agro Mercantil or such, has a new/unannounced policy on checks deposited…a 30 day hold…oops…so, if you’re a depositor, watch it..or wait til they use your money for a month + and then…Tommy hasn’t been happy about this for two days…don’t ask him about it.

Chocolate Bob! has a wooden sailboat in Rio Dulce that doesn’t have caulking between the planks…he says…naturally Mike D and i are/were septical…no, skeptical…guess this calls for a ‘road trip’…hit the Rio, Bruno’s for some good food, Gualan on the way and HBT’s compound up in the hills..maybe pop the Land Rover a few more times (see ‘A Year of Driving Dangerously’ for details…Reid! if you’re thinking of driving down..don’t…there’s a nicely restored Land Rover for sale, out by Joe’s Grill…and no bullet holes or pigs guarding it.

whew..another business for sale…has it really gotten this bad or are the owners just tired? A and B, is the answer..bring $$ if you’re looking for a bargain.. and the La Pena del Sol meltdown isn’t over…Party A suing Party B for ‘defamation of character’ I’m told…what? for bad music? probably another case of declining revenues and  looking for $$/excuses..only the attorneys win in this country, as elsewhere.

Raul, Christina and grandchild in town, early…Finca Nieto, home of my favorite cofee(he’s of Cuban extraction and knows coffee)…he’s looking great, leg is much better…Rich and Maria Neel, off on their journey of adventures…now in Granada…I think the van is starting to show it’s age, but…not my call…and yes, I had to ‘de-mold my favorite black fedora again today…using good vodka, too..will this rainy season ever quit?

and if you’re still with me, go to www.amazon.com/author/michaelsherer for the latest insights into this weird/wacky world we call Antigua.

 

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A Little of This, A Little of That

Posted in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Living in Antigua, Nicaragua, Restaurants, Travel, central america, guatemala on June 20, 2013| Leave a Comment »

whew…massive rains last night, just in time to wash the garbage downstream before the Presidents visit today….’security stuff’….more PNC/Army types with guns seen here in a long time..did i read that Otto the P just inked a 100 million dollar deal with Taiwan?…Taiwan is kinda in a pickle and a barrel not of their choice…Costa Rica/Panama switched to China and recently Danny Ortega of Nicaragua has  his nose in the China trough. Leaving the other choice to ‘Taiwan On’….

a few changes around town…Sara, on ‘waivers’ from Ocelot is working at Cafe No Se…I’m assuming that Dave ‘the slave’ is putting the finishing touches on the PitStop, and from what i recall(not much)there’s changes at Moto Mundo, something involving Taz going to Spain…..jeez, maybe i should go back to taking a notebook and a pen.

Travel Menu trying a new thing…martinis, manhattans and Sinatra/Dino Martin music, tomorrow night..what time? I’ve asked but as of ‘press time’ no official answer…yeah, i think, so to speak, that this is one i’ve gotta go see.

Rich Neel et al starting their little theatre thing on Sunday at Raul’s Finca Los Nietos  in Aguas Calientes…afternoon, as i recall (sic)yep, TIGO aka No-Go, is sucking…yes, I’ve been told that Telgua and their turbonet service rocks..I’ll clean this up in the morning when the porno traffic shuts down…hmm…back again and it all works(except for moi)…it’s nice to see Peter the Glover back in town on a more regular basis…Saturday  night with Henrik/Matteo at the Cafe aka the Cashbar..La Sala bringing in one of the big guns/DJ’s this weekend…Davila!…last saw him at Johnny’s in Monterrico..whew..a while ago, but time, to us older geezers, is fluid..El Muro? who knows? they’re up there in stinkin’ Lanquin and that’s as much as i want to know..Ocelot’s kinda of gone the ‘after hours’ route, or they were…since the only time I’m up at 2am is to make another bathroom run/stop/event, i really can’t tell you. 

My landlords leave for SF next week…which implies that croquet or a reasonable facsimile thereof will be on the menu..there’s only six balls, kind of like the California Lottery…’what has six balls and screws you twice a week?’…the Lotto!  ergo…you go, I go, the first event will be…er, sometime soon…don’t fret, there’s balls enough for everyone..

ah…last but not least…giant kudos to the local American Legion Post for saving(literally)the life of another vet…poor dude, blind/deaf/abandoned/screwed/blued, if not also tattooed…near death…saved and being escorted homeward in ten days..yeah, I belong/pay dues…this is good stuff..there’ ll be an article out soon..

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State of Bliss

Posted in Guatemala, Living in Antigua, Nicaragua, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, central america, guatemala, tagged , , , , on February 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Bodogona has Flor de Cana 7 yr old rum!…that, plus the 1.75 liter jug brought in from Nicaragua today has me in a minor state of bliss…look, I’m a simple guy, ok?

check out La Cuadra’s latest issue: page 16 for Frank of Nim P’ot’s Top Ten Reasons to visit Guatemala…I’m kinda fond of ‘most laws not enforced’…send in your suggestions for next month’s Top Ten…this is fun..speaking of fun..

http://www.examiner.com/article/the-story-of-ruth?cid=db_articles

Jason of Lava’s birthday bash tonight…a roast pig and a lamb…fabulous…the usual scoundrels plus a few new additions….the Gang of Four goes fishing in the morning…telephone calls at 4am…’Wake up!”

this may well be my favorite time of year…the purple blossoms of the jacaranda trees, the purple of bouganvillea vines, the purple bunting hanging from the windows around town…warm days, perfect nights..

guess who’s back? Pat F…..g Farrell!…been gone almost a year and shows up? yep…welcome back…he mentioned visiting Don Marco in  the pen…remember that FBI bust in the park? Don M gets out in September but he’s restricted from traveling for two years, but as I said..’hey, he’s got his brother’s passport, eh?’…and yes, the PNC in action last night! caught a 16 yr old perp(the other 6 got away)trying to crack into Gaia..upper 5th, ok? if they were and the cops think so, this is/was the gang responsible for the 11 or so break-ins around town recently…bypassing alarms, eh?  hmm..who used to work for an alarm installation company?

the ex-restaurant Panchoy on 6th ave sur, by dos Reilly’s? major renovations…its a big  place and going up against Las Cebollinas? no  worries from the better place, Da Vinci (my favorite per decor) who is going the ‘pizza-pizza route’…why? a class joint? I guess pizza is better than nothing..same could be said about Christophe but I’m not going there..and another shop opening next to dos Reilly’s..what? who knows? probably a travel agency/spanish school/pizza/mayan crafts…getcher t-shirts here, altho I see that more than one clothing store is going the ‘50% off’ route…

the very elegant Catherine D, dining alone at El Sabor Tiempo…when she mentioned rabbit stew I had to mention ‘Thumper’…I left before she threw her wine at me..and yes, the March issue of Our Man is up on Amazon.com….getcher Christmas shopping done early (I need the $$)a few more outlets in town and thanks to the recent influx of tourists it’s moving…thank god..where’s the Flor of Dasha? haven’t seen her on the streets nor seen any sign that she’s opened a new store…damn..she is  a ‘visual treat’…my Flor? on the counter, waiting for a refill…have a great Thursday, the end of February and so on..

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Two Weddings and a Funeral

Posted in El Salvador, Granada, Guatemala, Living in Antigua, Nicaragua, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, central america, guatemala, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 24, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Blooie! the mortar bombs at La Merced were great….the earlier aerial fireworks show at what might’ve been Capuchina…I try not to get to close to wedding ceremonies, as I break out in a cold sweat thinking about one.

‘the Perfesser, Mike Donley, is back in town…with a tale of two boats…ask him…it was a narrow escape and a….per he, Reid the Choate is due back, once his son graduates from the Police Academy..no, not the movie…

Alabama Bob, likewise back from El Salvador (and Evelyn)….rumors starting to build about another ‘road trip’, this time up the Pacific Coast towards Take a Lick Abaj…look out Reyo!

our loss…the delightful Miss M aka Marbel…left us for India…actually Nepal..yeah, she had her ‘issues’ but I liked her: we laughed well together. What the hell did she do with her drum set? in the living room of her apartment on 6th avenida, was a full on pro drum set…kinda makes sense, in that her ex-boyfriend of ten years was a drummer for Lenny Kravitz…god speed and vaya con dios. I suspect she’s in for a bit of culture shock.

der Henrik, back from an inspection tour of the new Reillys in Granada, Nicaragua…yeah…2 thumbs up…Granada, unlike this burg, likes to party and is officially encouraged to do so, fueled by Flor de Cana rum and Tono beer…it’s like Antigua, visually except they paved their cobblestone streets and its hot and humid…perfect for ordering another round of adult sports beverages.

4th Calle, the ‘golden gulch’ of A-Town…quiet…Micho’s doin’ a bit of biz, and El Cazadore Italiano packed with the glitzy city crowd..Caffe Bourbon doin’ well…Da Vinci a dead zone but the annual Christmas tree and decorations are xlnt, as usual…worth a look…Flor(escent)of Dasha open late, doing biz..Travel Menu doing two tables of 4, the bartenderess complaining….and where’s my book holder? 

dos Reilly’s filling up early…Ocelot/Lava quiet but it was early…Ixcot other known as the Cemetery, dead..stick a fork in ’em…Sangre? with a 25q cover charge and some kinda ‘all you can drink’ special? folks..wrong concept: pay people 25q to get in and then hit ’em with the ‘all you can swill’ idea…La Casbah lit up, music on and a full staff…welcome back!

the funeral? Figueroas on 6th avenida norte…a full crowd..business is dead concept in full play…and another ‘only in Guatemala’ adventure…

http://www.examiner.com/article/the-brakes-failed-on-the-way-to-thanksgiving

Ricardos’ Tabacos y Vinos, by the Arches? packed to capacity..!

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Who Hit The ‘Snooze’ Button?

Posted in Granada, Guatemala, Living in Antigua, Nicaragua, Restaurants, Travel, central america, guatemala, tagged , , , , on October 24, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Antigua….safe, sane and sedate. Maybe INGUAT can use this in their literature but for those bars/restaurant owners counting on foot traffic ($$) it’s a deadly trap…but there are bright spots…Wayne Hooper, Mr Smooth Jazz himself, is back…playing at Panza Verde and no, i didn’t take notes(no pen) and my memory(sic) is like a sieve…Piano Mike mentioned something about he and Moriah doing a gig(ask him)…

Hillbilly Tom, back from being unwell…goin’ to the races on Sunday…what good ‘ol boy could resist the roar of V8’s?…Plumb Bob wanted to go but he’s on a bus to Tapachula to renew his visa.

Angies’s birthday? not….the FB posting was bogus but I got to see her and the improvements at AA’s…art on the walls(and good)plus Ay! Robot is in the front portion…yay…they’ve survived…good move, Dan…probably a better location.

check out Sobremesa’s new art and Fusion’s new look…very very ‘bistro’ now..well, I like it..fine.

per Henrik of dos Reillys, the new location in Granada opens in December…and that town knows how to party(unlike the new Antigua)…some folks starting to get the concept that Zone 1 is/has sucked a lot of bar biz from A-Town…and why not? looser, closer and a lot more exciting…walk up 5th avenida norte and fall asleep, for example.  La Sala? great art/walls and rockin’ music…unlike the Sunshine Grill: I stopped for a slice of pizza to go and on the TV was vintage Prince, ’80’s, doin’ Purple Rain…the owner had the sound off: WTF?  the sound  off? ah…some folks just  don’t get the concept…I’da stayed and bought a beer just to hear Purple Rain and watch Prince do his moves..

Bull Durham,aka Santiago, out of action for a week…getting new fangs…which means no pork orders this week…fine…didnt’ wanta bbq anyway…oops, wrong…’grill’ is the proper word..  

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Is Some Gnus Better than No Gnus?

Posted in Granada, Guatemala, Living in Antigua, Nicaragua, Restaurants, Travel, central america, guatemala, tagged on September 10, 2012| Leave a Comment »

the marching bands are practicing every day, gearing up for this Saturday’s celebration of Independence Day..the blue and white bunting is everywhere…Da Mayor, looking sharp as usual, huddled in conversation outside City Hall this morning..will he be leading the parade again?

some disgruntled(long time upaid)employees complaining about a certain 5th avenida bistro…this isn’t new…and a long-time hostel closiing their doors for 2-3 months…’the season is over’ and they’re doing renovations..is it really over? not, at least, for a group of eight o-so-earnest Mormon missionaries on 5th calle this morning, coming to town to save…and save…ever wonder about the name of the angel that disclosed the location of the ‘golden tablets’?…Moroni…is that plural for morons?

zo! drumroll…or cinnamon roll…the first European sale for “Our Man’ in Antigua’ this week…whoopee…just how much is 3.23 Euros in dollars? 4 bucks or so? ‘paid for my cocktails tonight, it did..

plus reports that the Beige Bomb is running again…road trip! ‘thought tht the V8’s were unning at the cofino track this month..nope..november..

Reilly’s Granada surging ahead…got their logo done and they might have found a location…could be a good move, since unlike Antigua, Granada is a party town with no excuses, cheaper rents and the Managua crowd down on the weekends($$$)..

‘been hearing for a while that U2/Elton John are coming to G-mala for and ‘end of the world’ show…they have been ‘invited’ but beyond that, it’s the usual swirl of rumors..a four month lead time for major rock/n/roll acts is a bit short, given the huge logistics involved, but we’ll know more..maybe.

and for the sake of the retailers/bars/restaurants, let’s pray that this weekend is good..

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