I get in my cab tonight after dinner, and the cab driver says "I'm the best cab driver you have ever had." I tell him, "That's going to be tough to achieve. Everywhere I go I meet wonderful cab drivers - it's one of my favorite things about traveling."

So he says, "Well, I bet you never had a cab driver serenade you before." He's right. This has not happened. "What will you sing for me?" I ask. "One of my favorite songs," he says. "A love song in my native language."

"Are you a tenor or a baritone?" I ask. "Both," he says. "When I was a young boy in Mexico City, I could do every voice in the choir." "OK," I say, "Sing me your song. It's been a terrific day and this sounds like a wonderful way to end it."

And he begins to sing. A soft, melodic, then soaring Spanish love ballad. I put my head back, closed my eyes, listened, then wept. When he opened my door I kissed him on his cheek and gave him his due. "Yes," I said, "You are the best cab driver I have ever had."

Everywhere you go, people can surprise you. They are rarely just what they seem.