Goodbye La Cruz Marina hello Paradise village Marina

PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/nBjgvTPPr2ifpY9B7

We said goodbye to our friends, neighbours and yoga group.

It was time to move to Paradise Village Marina. We really enjoyed our time in La Cruz.

The town is more like a village in which we know so many of the folks.

We crossed the water-way passing Buccerias and entered the channel over the shallows and to our left was our marina and home for the summer hurricane season.

Our assigned dock was C1 which we were a wondering about as it was on the inside not the outside like the last summer.

But into the dock we carefully maneuvered, the dock hands were there ready for us and 3 minutes later we were all tied up dockside.

Paradise Village Marina

Our dock proved to be great. It is right near the steps leading up to the resort, the office and new bathrooms. Convenient and easy to access, the lovely grounds and walk ways.

Paradise Marina is very different from La Cruz as it is adjoined to the resort and village. It too is very large, the docks are wider which makes it easier for John to work on them. And work we had quite a bit to do:

Aeeshah work time

The main had to come down and go in for restitching. The windless had to come off and a new one ordered. The entire boat needed a very good deep clean inside and out.

Chico needed a sitter

But first we needed to find a sitter for Chico. We were headed home in less than a month and our boy needed a minder. However most of the folks we knew were either leaving or had left.

Luckily, we thought of one of our neighbours from the previous year, Sugey and John. John is quite elderly, with heart and eye issues, he’s originally from the UK. Sugey is from Colombia they were on a large catamaran back on B dock. We visited John, Sugey, Sam the Husky and also met Sugey son Diego who is from Panama.

Upon mentioning our predicament Sugey suggested Diego be the sitter. He’s 14, home schooling and basically bored since living with them. So Diego became Chico’s sitter.

Lobster Paradise dinner

2 days later we were invited out to dinner with John, Sugey and Diego. It was Sugey birthday. Of course we were surprised and delighted to be going out to dinner.

The destination was Lobster Paradise at Punta Mita about an hour’s drive away. A fellow called Antonio was also invited and so we all piled into Sugey car. It was a bit nuts, with Sugey driving, John up front by her, John, me and Antonio in the back seat and Diego folded up in the boot/hatchback.

Arriving we found the Lobster Paradise to be a wonderful restaurant right off the beach, a simply lovely location. We were seated at the very front right above the beach.

The food was amazing, The best fish tacos ever for me. Sugey had a whole fish grilled it looked amazing too.

After the main course there was the birthday cake that came with the waiters singing along with small firework sparkles!

We all had a wonderful time. Amazingly, we all were born in different countries: Kenya, Bermuda, UK, Mozambique, Columbia and Panama, a real international mix!

And then the evening was topped off by a wonderful sunset!!

Around Paradise Marina

Usually we take a walk everyday along the pier, down the walkways passed the orchid garden,

along the beach or to the shopping mall. It never gets boring there is always something to see.

When we first arrived it was still dry season, but within days we had our first rain of the season. After many months of absolutely no rain, the 1st rainfalls are very welcome. Within days all the brown is again green.

There have been some different birds around the marina, ones we had never seen before.

There were a flock of these very colorful ones around the resort

And we had several visiting Aeeshah. Here a mother is trying to ignore her hungry youngster.

Of course Chico enjoys watching them and meowing at them.

Gift shopping

Heading home meant going gift shopping at the market in Puerto Vallarta.

We went to the large Mercado Municipal Rio Cuale market and wandered around picking up certain odds and ends.

Next we crossed the swinging bridge to the Cuale Market area, again enjoying the sights and picking up what was needed for the kids and grandkids.

From there we headed to the Malecon and started to cross the bridge. Lo and behold under the bridge was a large crocodile sunning itself on one of the shallow bars.

A few weeks later a man was taken from close to here by a croc, we wonder if it was this one?