Ricardo Arjona

Ricardo Arjona’s songs often attack the religious, economic and social order of Latin America.

Ricardo Arjona, currently one of the most popular and controversial Latin pop singers of this decade, has included Panama in his "Adentro" ("Inside") tour of Latin America. His concert, at Figali Convention Center, in Amador, will be on Thursday, November 30.

Born Edgar Ricardo Arjona Morales, in Guatemala in 1964, Arjona played in his country’s national basketball team and worked as a teacher with low-income students before embarking on a musical career that presently spans two decades. He became increasingly popular in Latin America due to the strong lyrics of his songs, which openly criticize the social, economic and religious models of Latin America.

Arjona reach No. 1 in several charts throughout the region for the first time with "Jesus es un verbo, no sustantivo" (Jesus is a verb, not a noun) in which he declares his disgust at conservative, organized religion. Later works also attack Cuban communism, U.S. capitalism, and the wealth disparities between Latin and North America, among other topics. Towards the turn of the century, Arjona’s music became more mundane, with a number of sexually-oriented themes released in albums like Animal Nocturno (1993), Historias (1994) and Santo Pecado (2002).

Ricardo Arjona has earned numerous awards during his career and this year, which has been one of his most successful. He recently received the ASCAP Latin Heritage Award, as well as his first Latin Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Album.

Tickets for the concert cost $25.00, $45.00, $75.00, $100.00 and $150, and can be purchased at all Blockbuster video rental stores.

Towns of Boquete and La Chorrera get ready to celebrate!

A pretty flag spinner.

Many Panamanians believe theirs is a strange country with two independence days. This, according to historians, is a bit inaccurate. To our knowledge, Panama is the only country in the world that celebrates an independence day and a secession day, which, coincidentally, are observed the same month. On Tuesday, November 28, the country commemorates the 185th anniversary of its independence from Spain. Back in 1821, when a group of gentlemen met in Panama City to break ties with the Spanish crown, the country decided to become a Colombian province instead of raising a flag of its own. Eighty-two years later, on November 3, 1903, Panama seceded from Colombia and the Republic of Panama was finally born.

Although November 3rd is regarded as Panama’s National Day, Panamanians did not forget to honor the day in which they ceased to be Spanish subjects. As with other holidays observed this month (there is a long list of them) parades are the traditional way in which Isthmians observe November 28. Interestingly, despite the fact historical events took place in Panama City and for some unknown reason, the residents of the resort community of Boquete, in the province of Chiriquí, and Chorrera, a town located 30 km. west of the metropolis, celebrate the holiday with greater fervor than in the capital (Big parades in downtown Panama City take place on Nov. 3 and 4, whereas only suburban communities organize parades on the 28th).

We invite visitors to take advantage of the upcoming, holiday to discover the wonders of Boquete, a small and charming mountain town which is rapidly becoming the Mecca of expatriates in Panama. Considered for decades a weekend and summer retreat for Panamanians, mainly due to its cool climate, Boquete has seen an increase in the number of tourist facilities and accommodations in recent years.

Dozens of schools take part of the parades.

The town hosts two grand annual fairs: the Coffee and Flower Fair (early January) and the Fair of the Orchids (April).

Boquete is a seven-hour drive from Panama City. For those not willing to rent a vehicle, an excellent bus system links the city with the provincial capital of David, departing from the Albrook Terminal. Bus connections to Boquete can be made at the David terminal. Visitors can also fly to David and rent a car there (daily flights depart from the Marcos A. Gelabert Airport, in Albrook. The drive to Boquete takes approximately 30 minutes).

Those wishing to see the La Chorrera parade need to leave town early, as parades normally start between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. To get there, visitors can rent a car and drive between 30 and 40 minutes via the Pan-American Highway, getting on the Arraiján-La Chorrera expressway (toll is 50 cents per sedan). We recommend stocking up on bottled water and sun screen (or umbrellas).

La Chorrera is Panama City’s fastest-growing satellite town. Although it boasts all sorts of modern commodities, it is still not quite a tourist-oriented community, although many expats have purchased second homes in and around the city in recent years. Nevertheless, a visit to the town is a good chance to meet Panamanians in their ‘natural habitat’ and to enjoy La Chorrera’s two delicious snacks: chicheme (a cold drink prepared with milk, corn and cinnamon), and bollos (boiled cornmeal sticks with a filling of meat, pork or chicken).