February 12, 2011. Vallarta Palace, Mexico. Canal Trip.

We saw very small crocodiles, just a week old, basking on a branch sitting in the sun.  We saw many birds, the most interesting being the tri-colored night heron, who live in close proximity to the crocodiles, cleaning the teeth of the crocodile and making their nest right outside the nest of the crocodiles.  We saw adult crocodiles over twenty feet long, both female and male guarding the nest.  We saw many many iguanas,  both male and female, all perched up in the trees again sunning themselves.

For several years, I have wanted to go up the canals around our resort but for some reason, we kept delaying the trip, probably because we hate spending money.  But at the Vallarta Palace, we have free trips, so today we took the canal boat trip.  I loved it.  Our guide was a veterinarian and the boat operator was a biologist, so between the two of them we learned more than we could ever remember.  The boat moved very slowly so we got to see a lot close up and personal.   We saw hundreds of birds but the guides were much more interested in the reptiles.

On the way back, we drove down all the canals past the huge houses.  I was pleased not to own any of them!!