One of the first things we saw after pulling into Paradise Village Marina in Banderas Bay, was a little African Queen-type tour boat that’ll take you deep into the mangrove swamps so you can maybe see some crocodiles. Eli was all, “That’s kind of cool, but we can totally do that in the dinghy for free.” That’s my boy! Right after we took off, the blue sky started getting edged out by puffy grey cloudcover, and by the time we reached the end of the navigable waterway, we were being pelted by big fat raindrops. We saw so many cool things–iguanas and pelicans perched in the trees, little red crabs near their burrows, enormous strange growths on this one ancient tree, and tons of birds. We found lots of places where a crocodile might snooze in the cool mud or hunt in the murky deeps, but never actually laid eyes on a croc. For a month or so, I thought it might be more of a marketing ploy than something you’d really get to see, then we found out they’d had to close the beach at the resort because a crocodile decided to cozy up to the tourists. Yum!
Seriously. They roost right next to each other and everybody’s happy.
Cool nest that Eli spotted.
One of the places where people probably actually live.
Skiff and canoe parking under the bridge.
Nala just figured out there are dolphins inside the pen in front of her.
That sign to the left is a warning that you shouldn’t swim, feed, or play with the crocodiles.
Playing around with some Photoshop filters 😉 Iguana convention in the trees.
Imagine coming home to this every day!
There are so many iguanas in the trees it just blew the poor dog’s mind. In the trees!
There are estates all over, behind the marina. Some of them looked like rentals, others seemed more lived in.
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Hi Gang–the Duct Tape on the rocks story was scary. I like this jungle stuff much better. “African Queen” is one of my all-time favorites. The photos are delicious. Say, about that nest Eli spotted in the tree? Please never tell me what lives in that thing. I struggled to see if there was a leg sticking out the bottom of it. If you got close enough you could probably hear some lost soul’s cell phone ringing. Cripes! I know it’ll be in a bad dream some night.
Terrific photos. Thanks
P.S. I wonder if it’s legal to hunt crocs in Mexico? I had crocodile tail for dinner one night in South Africa. Best thing I ever ate. You know that part of the chicken that clears the fence last? Tastes just like that, except there’s a whole bunch more of it. // Also, many Mexican friends here in the States have told me that Iguana tastes just like…well…crocodile tail I guess. Peace
I was totally imagining something living in that nest from a Dr. Suess. Sort of like mini-sneetches with super long necks. I think the crocs are protected and am pretty sure iguanas are off limits as well, however I know there are plenty of dogs that eat iguanas around here, and I don’t think locals would turn their noses up at reptilian tacos. I know I’d eat one if I had the chance!