The Mazatlan Aquarium

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Yesterday was wash day.  I keep putting it off but it was really time to get it done!

While I was waiting for wash to dry I went over to Sam and Rita’s to have a look at the washer they have in their motor home.  It is a small Heir that they got from Wal-Mart and Rita really likes it.  I am thinking about it too.  It would be nice to wash little bits of wash when ever I want.  We’ll see.

Sam and Rita were going to go to the Mazatlan aquarium that afternoon and asked us to go along with them.  Rita had been to see it before but Sam hadn’t and neither had we.  Sam drove and we got there around 2pm.  75 pesos to get in (just over $6) and it was well worth it.  We got there just as the bird show was happening so we went to have a look.  The young Mexican women who handled the birds and show were very easy on the eyes so Eric liked them as much as the birds, especially when they were dancing with the parrot. 

Bird Theatre.

I’m watching the bird, Eric’s watching the girl!

Good boy!

It’s a basket!

Getting ready to bowl.

Three bird teeter totter.

Upside down bird with bottle (he happily stayed there until she picked him up!)

The end of the bird show.

We continued on outside to have a look at the outside exhibits.  First off was the turtle and gator pen.  Lots of turtles and gators in together so I guess the gators are well fed.  Not with turtles I hope!

I really like turtles.

This fellow posed nicely for me.

These guys were big.

The was a big tank full of rays of all different colors but only one spotted ray.  They would come right up to the edge of the wall of the tank so close you could touch them.  In Mexico they don’t safeguard you from stupidity the way they do in the U.S. and Canada although they did have a young man watching the ray tank. He put his hand on the edge just into the water and tapped and the rays would come up to him and then swim upside down.  It was really cool to watch.   It would have been easy to stick your hand through the wire to the gators and there was  only a little barrier to keep you away.  Watch your kids! 

Rays swimming by.

Upside down ray.

Really beautiful graceful creatures.

We then headed inside to see the other exhibits.  There were many tanks of fish of all colors, sizes and shapes. 

School of fish.  Yummy looking!  Oops sorry!

This puffer kept coming up to the glass to have a closer look.  Who’s watching who?

This is a beautiful crab.

Next up was the turtle tank and I thought it was a bit small with too many in although they all looked fine.  Turtles are such interesting creatures with long lives and migrations they really don’t belong in a tank.  However, they are very beautiful to see. 

I suppose it’s possible they move them in and out of other tanks and areas.

Cat fish.

Past the fish tanks there were many exhibits with parts of skeletons of whales many other exhibits. 

This is a display of mariners knots.

We vacated the exhibit area in a hurry when a crowd of little Mexican students on a field trip rolled in.  They were a busy, loud little bunch of ninos.  Lots of running and not much looking!

We had a last look at the seal tank in the auditorium where they do the shows.  I think we  had just missed it and that’s where the crowd of kids came from.  There was one seal doing amazing acrobatics behind the glass although he got shy when Sam tried to coax him up close.

 

The visit to the aquarium was a really interesting afternoon and I’d go back again.

We continued on our way home and along the way we  stopped at Gus–Gus, a restaurant in the Golden Zone for beer and a bite to eat.  Eric and I weren’t going to eat but then Sam and Rita were having hamburgers and chips and ……..what the heck we joined in.  A really nice warm place to sit, a cold beer and a good burger with good friends.

A perfect end to a really nice day.