Guate Otravez!

Guatemala City, zona 2

I’m sitting out on the rooftop patio at Las Canchitas B&B.  Drinking wine, snacking, watching darkness descend (happens early down here so close to the equator…). A beautiful day, a beautiful evening—it is almost always beautiful here.

I’ll be here for a month. The principal reason for this trip was to see my son, Aaron, dance in Bayadere with  Ballet Nacional Guatemala. That happened last Sunday evening and it was an amazing experience, very emotional, very intense for me.  He spent the entire summer training with them and I think he made remarkable technical progress. Anyway, I’m his proud father and to watch him at the Teatro Nacional was something I’ll never forget.

It is now completely dark, by the way. At 6:40 pm local time.  Also, I heartily recommend Las Canchitas (they’re on airbnb). The owners, Ernie and Rachel Chan, have become close friends.  Aaron stayed here since mid-May.  Its home.

About Angeline. Remember Angeline: the restaurant in Antigua, Guatemala I was invested in?  I’m out. Completely. Just walked away. A BAD investment. And, yes!—a learning experience.

I’m a guitarist. Always have been, since age 9. I can not be a slave to a restaurant, mine or anyone else’s. Please, someone remind me of this, next time I go off on some hare-brained scheme.

Antigua is nice. Beautiful. Over 260 restaurants in a small town. Tourism is down because it is rumored that Guatemala is dangerous (it can be…). Lots of ex-pats living there, but, mostly on a budget—the high-priced places (like Angeline) are just too damn expensive.

Elections coming up in 2 weeks—they say every one of the candidates, including the sitting President and his entire rogue’s gallery, is corrupt. People are fed up. From where I’m sitting, I see a billboard for Zury Rios—it says “No mas extorsiones.” Her father was president. And a total crook. Harsh. Brutal. Zury is very good looking, however.

More in a few days—I’m told people don’t have the patience to read long blog entries. Sooooo sorry.