The tiger in the cage was just the beginning

Tiger, tiger
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

PARADISE VILLAGE MARINA, Nayarit, Mexico - I had forgotten that the Paradise Resort has a small zoo on its property until we wandered by the cages with tigers and pumas and monkeys and all sorts of other animals, eclipsed only by the startlingly white legs of the tourists all gawking at the animals, animals who seemed blinded by the reflected light.

Ok, the whiteness included me, in spots. Most of the rest is a lovely pink. And sore. (Sorry Dr. Silva.)

Before anyone from PETA emails me (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or is it Edible Treatment of Animals?), I need to point out that the animals at the zoo are all rescued critters and not bagged in the wild for the zoo. Of course, they are now in a zoo, the difference to them might not be that much.

We visited the harbormaster's office, in part to check on slip availability for next year for the sailing vessel, Good News, owned by amigos Sanders and Pat Lamont who have been bitten by the Mexico bug and want their boat snugly in a slip here. There's a lot of water between Marina Village in Alameda (where Good News tugs at her lines) and Paradise Village (1500 miles, give or take), but gawd it's nice here.

At the harbormaster's office, Sylvia got to hold the latest rescue, a four-week old mountain lion cub. So tiny today, so big in a year!


Sylvia with mountain lion cub

The marina is filled to overflowing with boats, many of them the massive mega-yacht kind of vessels that are money buckets for son Dustin's Fox Marine Services. Last year he made a boodle fixing a mega-yacht's hot tub.

Their hot tub.

Sweet Jaysus.

The contrast today - between the yachts and a Mexican fisherman using a hand net in the harbor to catch a few fish - is quite stark.


Opulent yachts at Paradise Village


Fisherman in the harbor

But no day in Mexico is complete without:

a. An icy margarita
b. Lunch at the yacht club
c. Surfing the waves
d. Doing the laundry in a hot laundromat

If you picked D, you are correct. It was laundry day, but we squeezed in lunch at the Vallarta Yacht Club with amigos Bob & Karen O'Hara (answer B.) and a swim at the pool. Tomorrow is 'test-the-frozen-shoulder' day with the boogie board and most likely, one of more of the letter A from above, too.

My Spanish was sorely tested when we read the instructions for the washers and dryers, but the clothes and towels and sheets all came out fine, some of them even the same color as when we started.


Put in the soap and what?

What's that sound I hear in the background? OH-MY-GOD it's a blender. It must be 5 o'clock somewhere.

Madre mia! Es 5 aqui!

Hasta luego, amigos.