Off we went to the Teatro Ascanio Arosemena via taxi - another surprise, the driver actually knew where the place was. Back in the Canal Zone days this theater was the auditorium for Balboa High School.

The concert (nearly two hours in length) started almost on time (surprise) and covered a wide range of music. From "Take Me Home" (John Denver) to "America the Beautiful". Slovak and Bulgarian folk-songs to American gospel. Even, Brahms and the Beach Boys - something for everyone. A fun two hours.

At the concert we (surprise) ran into neighbors from Casco Viejo (Goldie and Mary - Bill and Melaine) and received an invite to join them for eats afterwards. Goldie and Mary have a super rooftop terrace and we talked, enjoyed some great wine and food, while watching the stars and city lights. Great end to a nice evening (thanks guys).

Taxi Story: We had one of our more interesting taxi rides on our return to Casco. Took us a little while to find a taxi (after 10:00, not a lot of taxis around) so when Jane finally spotted one - we weren't about to be picky. Friendly driver, no problem with cost ($3) but his "ride" had definitely seen it's better days. One taillight worked, no headlights, one back door wouldn't open at all, the other only from inside. Off we went - rápido, actually, muy rápido - into the darkness, Halfway home the windshield wipers magically came on, too bad it wasn't raining. Made it back in record time and I'm pretty sure we didn't hit anything - hard to tell with your eyes closed.

Take care.

Tags: Culture • Music • Story