Jazz Fest 2008

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Trip Start Jan 12, 2008 Previous
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  Panama City, Panama
Monday, January 28, 2008

Jazz Fest

Live Jazz in Plaza Independencia, Casco Viejo. Thousands of people dancing, clapping, drinking, and talking with their amigas and amigos. The party went on all day and into the night. After hours it spread to surrounding nightclubs. I went there with my apartment mates Frederico and Nelly. Frederico showed me how to use the autobus, but we still had to walk 2 kilometers into Casco Viejo. The main street was pedestrian only, and it was filled with people going to Jazz fest. Nelly introduced me to a bunch of her girlfriends, many of whom were from Europe and spoke a little English. Later at the after hours club I really felt I needed to learn more Spanish to talk with them.

I left about 1 am that night, and had to walk out through the area they warn you about because the taxis werenīt coming into that area

Stage

. Unfortunately my usual good sense of direction failed me as I left the bar, and I spent 5 minutes wandering around before I found the plaza where jazz fest was held. The plaza looked totally different now with the stage removed, the food booths gone, no people in sight, just garbage blowing across the deserted square. I knew where I was now, and quickly found the pedestrian street I had came in on. The street was mostly deserted and dark, with small pools of light here and there. I edged closer to three ladies walking home and pretended I was with them. A few men passed by and I tried to keep some distance between me and them. After another 10 minutes of walking I came to a side street with traffic, where all of us hailed cabs and I had an uneventful ride home.

A date with two Amazons

The internet finally paid off for me - I met a woman from Panama and invited her out to dinner. She is almost 6 foot tall, with long dark hair, and is friendly and attractive. She wanted to bring her friend along for support, so I had dinner with two ladies. We all dressed up and went to an elegant restaurant on the causeway. My friend was kind enough to wear sandals so she was only 4 inches taller than me, while her friend stood a majestic 6ī2Ļ tall in high heels. We had a great time while dining on fried calamari, corvina (white fish) in creolle sauce, and camarones (shrimp) in garlic sauce

Lighted Building

. They are both involved in real estate (as are many of the Panamanians who are trying to earn extra income). Their favorite properties being beach front land. I had a wonderful time and feel that I have made two new friends. 

More Salsa

I joined Nelly for a Salsa class at Paris Pizza on the causeway. She finally found a good male instructor, and his wife came along too. It was great to have the two of them co-teaching. Ramiro didnīt like all the shoulder wiggles Nelly had been teaching me, he thought the man should be strong and more rigid. Thatīs fine - I can put them in or take them out, and I needed to work on my shoulder flexibility. I danced a lot with a lady I met at jazz fest. After the class Nelly and Ramiro danced together. Nelly started turning and spinning, and her smile grew larger and larger. It was like watching a trapped bird fly free. She finally could dance as she was meant to dance, fully and with life. 

I will see them in a month, perhaps I can pick up some more moves then. I know Nelly will absorb it all, and she finally has a male partner who can teach her more moves.

 

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Afterhours Club

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