Antigua

Woke up to the sound of noises and figured earplugs would be my next investment. Then it suddenly hit my head, the bear and tequila from NO SÈ last night. I knew I needed breakfast but I also knew that leaving my single hotel room with private bathroom, hot shower, dirty blankets, and yellowish walls, would take a while. I checked the time in the settings of my digital camera before I left, the time was 9.30. Once out on the streets I was pulled between two strong forces, my escalating hunger and my pickyness of a cafeteria. Victory to my picky taste left my stomach suffering 7 blocks until I saw “Y tu piña tambien”. I took my time drinking coffee and apparently my thoughts were elsewhere when I said adios to the woman in the bar and left without paying. A couple of blocks down the street I stepped into a little comedor, ordered a liquiado. Sitting there reading an article about mescaline and mural movements I realized my committed crime. I tried to sip my drink for a while longer and concentrate in the reading but I had to ask for the check and leave almost immediately. I guess they were aware of my escape at “Y tu piña tambien”, and I handed over he 37, mas propina, Quetzales I owed them. Across the street I entered a tiny bookstore. I did not find anything I looked for book wise but I ended up talking for about an hour to Mr Bookstorekeeper about murdered bishops and Finnish students on tennis scholarship in the US. On my way to another bookstore to find a book I decided it was time for some handicraft. The lady with the golden teeth offered me the mustard colored cloth for 190, I bargained it to 120. Then I headed to the postal Office. Or actually I did not quite do that. First I walked through the park and picked some flowers and a few minutes later I was in an huge supermarket to buy envelopes. It was the kind of supermarket that seems to cover up most possible needs. The store was literary crowded with stuff and I tried to figure what on earth could be the thing that was not for sale there. Actually the answer to my question appeared quite quickly, when, after mobilizing 3 staff members (a bad habit that I have inherited through my mother and grandmother) we found out the store did not have any hair needles. It did not even help when one girl who was eating ice cream and working called with a Walkie Talkie to the manager and said “no hay”. I left the supermarket with a bag full of other stuff and ran in to a pharmaceutics store. I knew there was something I had to buy there but I could not remember what it was. I stood there a while thinking until I realized I had forgotten and was not to remember. Finally I reached the post office to send a letter to my loved one and one to my father. It was me, 5 German girls, 2 American ladies and one Japanese chick who stood there together licking stamps and wondering about how many months it would take to our post to reach its destination. I walked back to my hotel, had a little chat with the hygiene technician (also referred to as a cleaning lady), lay down on my bed and realized it was earplugs I was supposed to buy at the pharmaceutics store.