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Posts Tagged ‘Da Vinci’

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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A Perfect Night

Posted in Living in Antigua, tagged , , , , , , , on January 22, 2013| Leave a Comment »

in Antigua….an almost full moon, stars, a clear sky…shirtsleeve temperature: why would anyone live anywhere else? Da Vinci? their terrace, as is the first level, is perfect…you can see all three volcanoes and even the village of Jesus de Maria on the slope of Agua…however, as with a lot of restaurants these days…empty…good thing that Luis Miguel has an alternate source of income.

if one walks around at night/and even in the day, you ‘ll notice the empty spaces here and there…and then some folks decide to roll the dice and open another business…wtf? case in point…the old Pangea space?  they brought in chairs tonight…menu, at this point, is ‘wine and beer’…business plan? oops…name? look, there’s already two very successful bars there, Ocelot and Lava…Whiskey Den is trying but not even with the new decor and larger menu outside, not bringing biz day or night ..why? feng shui? you tell me…

Sin Ventura Bar going the 5q drink route….El Gato Negro empty at 7pm…empty?

..yeah…’got to meet an old time commenter…well, someone who makes comments, ok?….no names, but we’re ok,,,,the longhaired guy with the beard, leather jacket/fringes? holding up the corner stool in Travel Menu tonight…and exactly when was Jerome’s birthday? last Sunday? the message via FaceHole was a bit delayed…or someone was in an alternate universe and parallel parked.

‘been hearing that the Desayuno Americano at Michos has the wrinkles worked out…eggs done consistently well…hey, it’s not easy getting good help, ok? scrambled, yes, any way you want ’em…they had that down…over easy? wtf? 

5th Avenida Norte? Ghost Town….no biz…4th Calle…lo mismo…well, it is Tuesday…but there’s a lot of tourists/students in town…notice how all the gringa/blond students suddenly have escorts? school never quits, I s’pose..dangling participles, and all that.

Riki’s After-Hours venture on 4th Calle? no mas…shut down by the policia a couple of weeks ago…Travel Agent Alice’s new venture on Santa Lucia Sur, La Penca? advertising Mexican food, open 24 hours and no, I haven’t been there, altho we ran into each other in the park yesterday and she crushed/broke my sunglasses…that woman can give good hugs, ok? likewise with diminutive ‘sprite in white’, Dona Gavi…she of the herbal stuff store, same block as El Cazadore Italiano…she has this ‘Love Potion’ that helps one ‘love your self’….my advice? make up a potion that works on other people…she ‘got it’ and i volunteered to ‘road test’ it..we’ll see…for a grandmother, she’s pretty cute..the things I do for science. She said something about putting ‘pills’ in it…Vitamin V?…hmm..it’s kinda like baking pot brownies…just how much do you stir in and how long should you wait after you’ve eaten the first one, before you mistakenly eat #2, just as #1 kicks in…yeah, BTDT, too many times to recount…go out and look up at the moon/stars/clouds…we are so fortunate to live here…yeah…got a smile/wave from the ex/Mayor’s daughter…whew..this town…

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The Unusual Suspects

Posted in Living in Antigua, tagged , , , , , on January 18, 2013| Leave a Comment »

gathered around the watering hole at 5-7, just like being in the bush…the hyenas laugh, the lions growl and the bartenders pour another round…yep, the informal meeting of the ‘Unindicted Co-Conspirators’, minus JR and Don Marcos….and when is DM getting outa jail?

one of the park’s own ‘distributors’ of hot or semi-used merchandise(Francisco) sold what was an Omega watch to a local…turned out to have Japanese innards…oops…if he’s smart(the seller)he’ll make this deal go away…if you see Reid C, ask him about the vertical burial of a gringo he was involved in: that leads to another story or two…classic latin america stories..

Ignacio Borell, our own Cuban musician minus a section of leg? working and looking good…Seth Montfort, ex pianist in residence at Panza Verde? back there, playing Saturday at 5pm..yeah? you’ve seen the massive publicity that PV has cranked  up? right…none…they shot themselves in the foot dismissing the very xlnt Gabi Altman last year.. ..one might think that they’re really not interested in doing biz…or hiring anyone who has a clue about pubic…no, public relations.

Antonio’s, that bread shop by the Condesa? how the hell do they make their monthly nut, i.e., the rent? selling bread? not unless they’re rolling in dough(drum roll)

the ever spectacular Flor(escent) of Dasha? moving her store somewhere…Luis Miguel of Da Vinci tried to explain but…in one ear and out the other, you know..

and welcome back, Carlos Tomas of Memphis and Dyslexia Books..the only guy I know who can explain quantum physics without being ripped…and a local bar/restaurant robbed/ripped off last night: the Sunshine Grill on  upper 6th Avenida? door broken, everything of value taken(TV”s, etc…) no word if they took pizzas to go…Edgar not pleased, of course.

so? so what? another installment on the latest road trip to Huehue/Todos Santos and so on…

http://www.examiner.com/article/zacaleu…you might have to copy/paste this…the gnomes at WordPress keep screwing with the code.

another trip shaping up for February…off to Salami…no, Salama’…off, regardless..looking for surface copper, malachite and azurite…probably will find “Leaverite’…as in ‘leaverright there’, a close relative of the Indian Love Stone…a f….king rock…

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Lawyers, Guns and John McAfee

Posted in Guatemala, Living in Antigua, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, central america, guatemala, tagged , , , , , , , , , on December 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Guatemala, where the strange is just another dose of the daily news and the weird is cannon fodder…no mudder, fodder…I published this last night and this morning in one local paper, the headline read that he’d already been deported, back to Belize…no other confirmation, anywhere…

http://www.examiner.com/article/lawyers-guns-and-john-mcafee?cid=db_articles&no_cache=1354933329

so…? so what? who the hell knows?  or cares, you ask…in a conversation this morning with a local business man, i made a heavy side-bet that…if he (McAfee)were back in Belize (or not) that his phone is ringing with offers from Hollyweird to ‘do’ the story…c’mon…think about it…lawyers, guns,drugs, money, hookers and bizarre behavior? is this not a description of half of Congress, Oprah, Phil Spector and so on? my bet was that within six months we’re looking at a made for TV movie, shot on location…oops..wrong word/connotation…’filmed on location’…and the Belizean sleazoids will sign on as ‘consultants’…oh…who to play the staring role? that whacked out person, likewise ‘eccentric and unstable’…Tom Cruise…life, as usual, defeats the efforts of comedy, art and insanity..pick your actress..Demi Moore, Pam Anderson, Seka…obscure reference #2

yep..missed it again…the ol burning of the Devil…(set for 5pm)..every f$#@! year i think, you know…you really ought to go see it/shoot photos..but as I said earlier to Nicole…i’ve seen the Devil already, in so many times/places/hallucinations, that once more really isn’t going to make a helluva difference..Nixon, for example…LBJ…Tom DeLay…peyote, DMT, mescaline..cha cha cha…Jimmy Swaggert..no, I never really liked acid..

the streets were somewhat empty, somewhat full..5th ave, first block north of the park, doing fine…Casbah/Studio 35 looking good, early..Red’s dead, that new place, La Velada on 1st Calle, with the Spor Bar sign? closed…oops..not good..4th calle,the golden gulch? Sobremesa slammed, Neils’ Michos the same, Tartines? Francois, at the door, looking lonely…Fusion/Mammas? slow…DaVinci? two..yes, 2 tables!…the road/highway screw up at the entrance to town is likewise screwing up a lot of city folks who don’t want to deal with even more of a traffic problem..perfect for Christmas, eh? 

speaking of Christmas, i’ve decided what i want…a real stocking stuffer…Santa, you bastard…come thru for me  this year, goddammit..I’ve been good…and i can produce signed statements, if you want…

is she hot or what?

James aka Santiago/Bull Durham? looking 110% better! color, gaining weight and walking(gingerly aka slowly)…great news…and the ‘pork chop/rib connection? back on, again..briefly…place your orders pronto…jamesdurham2@gmail.com for next week (I’m in for chops)

is she hot?…yeah…if I can find a really really big stocking..’got the fireplace…and if Santa(you stingy bastard) comes thru…

the impending road trip to Take a Lick Abaj? not quite set in stone…more like set in Silly Putty but we’re talking about a time/place for leaving next Wednesday…progress, Antigua style.. 

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A Paper Moon

Posted in Guatemala, Living in Antigua, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, central america, guatemala, tagged , , , on November 27, 2012| Leave a Comment »

in a styrofoam sky…playing hide and seek behind puffy white back-lit clouds….and a warm evening, just when I stocked up with firewood…fine…later for you, fireplace.

Michos? did/handled at least 6 gringos asking for the ‘American-style’ breakfast yesterday (count one of ’em as me..)perfectly fine…even without Neil cooking…but…’scrambled eggs, any way you want ’em’…the sign for over easy is a flip of the hand and the phrase for ‘sunny side up’ is  ‘huevos estreeados vema suave tierna’…the hash broads…hash browns…were excellent, the bacon slightly underdone/cold but it can only get better…rush on down for a diner-style bacon/eggs/hashbrowns and toast treat..yeah, you gotta ask for pepper and butter.

Minor Gripette #1….Bodegona is selling tomatoes that aren’t ripe…in the crate or shrink-wrapped…WFT? 

i was wondering/wandering down the mexican food section and…there was a can of ALPO…some kinda message? 

Carla B and long-missing boyfriend Richard out on the town tonight, or at least as far as O’lot…nice to see him again, btw..Allan Garcia at the helm of Travel Menu, on top of 12 or so…Claudia #1, the ever lovely at Da Vinci and she had change for a 50..!…seeing her made me pop a lens outa my specs..and her daughter, 17 yr old Miranda, now working four nights(MTWT) a week at  ‘that place’ on 1st calle, by La Merced…what a smashing looking young woman…incredible..but then her Mom ain’t no slouch either…per C#1, Hugo’s Ceviche, who took over the old Rum Bum/aka what the hell was the name? is still open, still paying rent…a $%#@! miracle in this times..

Bull aka Santiago James Durham, who was in the San Felipe Hospital for 4 weeks, awaiting surgery for the broken hip? transferred to the City last week, got cut yesterday(and a f%$#@! nightmare)will be there for 4 more weeks but he has relatives on staff(support systems)…even so…Lesson #3…don’t slip/fall and have back-up for support if you do…anyway, since I never go to the City, I’m off the hook for toilet paper, water, books and whatever..hey, you gotta do what you gotta do, to paraphrase the Duck…no, Duke…where’s the ‘crazy glue?’…gotta reglue my lens in the morning…maybe the fumes will inspire me…or expire…is this month about over? 

 

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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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A Hard Rains Gonna Fall

Posted in Guatemala, Living in Antigua, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, central america, guatemala, tagged , , , , , on July 13, 2012| Leave a Comment »

maybe, baby…maybe later….town packed with folks, spending $$$…is it Bono bucks? if Yoko had married Cher’s ex and then remarried the leader of U2, would she be Yoko Ono Bono Bono? right, who cares?

Riki’s? dark…Cashbar going the 2X1 drinks route on a Friday night? yep…’startin’ to make sense about another restaurant going in on the top level…weird scene…4th calle bistros doing biz…Sobremesa, B5, Fusion…alas Tartines…Chez Chris fine, DV empty(as usual)Epicure doing a decent early dinner crowd..dos Reilly’s quiet early/Ocelot packed(the 5-6 Lush Hour crowd)

Facehole put me thru password change hoops…some kinda hacking thing, so i’ve changed a lot of passwords elsewhere(and over due, I know)…someone gave me(change of subject)a list of shuttle prices from a hole in the wall (Chisubin)travel agency on 6th calle oriente…seriously f….king cheap! if I weren’t ‘with’ Mayan Kingdom’ on 6th ave sur, etc…yeah, I already paid ’em for the shuttle on Sunday…off to Chi-Chi Rodriguez’ place…no…Chichicastenango/never been/high time to go/why not?

and yes, Wendy F….kin’ Wever is back…this town needed her dose of energy…been kinda dull lately or is that just me? answer is B…I haven’t lit off my flare pistol in a year nor plugged any household appliances in a long time: there’s nothing quite so satisfying as putting a round or two in a refrigerator that just quit…and yes, another earthquake recently: shake it but don’t break it…Juan Mario Cervantes, our local Kojak, in El Portal…one thing about his business is that its always there…no layoffs, recessions…

INGUAT and the local board of Tourism(thank you Juan Carlos)have endorsed the ‘book’…yeah..pamphlet but it is getting bigger, ok? the printer’s error with the size(smaller)is working in my favor…foks..no, folks prefer it…good..buy two..a few more outlets here and there…no, not electrical outlets…stores/shops/can I trade it for food? outcall masseuses?

1-800-RubItRightThere?

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