I didn't take my camera with me last night when Alejandro and I went out for supper, and now I regret it. After supper we walked through nearby Parque México. It was 8:30 P.M. and after dark, but the park was alive with activity. People were out jogging, walking their dogs, or just strolling. In the Foro Lindbergh, the recently restored outdoor theater that is the centerpiece of the park, there were people participating in an exercise class. Nearby several drummers were practicing on conga drums, filling the park with Afro-Caribbean rhythms. As we continued the sound of the drums faded into the background, and we could hear beautiful voices singing. "That doesn't sound like recorded music," I said. Sure enough, as we reached the opposite side of the park, a man and a woman were performing operatic duets. They were exceptionally talented, and I thought "Why are they performing on the street, instead of being on stage?" Perhaps they do perform professionally, and this is just a way to pick up some extra pesos. Passersby were throwing coins into their tip jar, and they had attracted a small, but appreciative audience who was also contributing. Alejandro and I stood there listening as they performed pieces from Verdi's "Nabuco" and Rossini's "The Barber of Seville". We were about to move on when they began a number from "La Traviata", and we stayed to listen to that. We ended up purchasing a CD that they had made.
To those people who think that Mexico is so dangerous, I would say, "How many big city parks in the U.S. have that much activity going on at night?"
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