Lusciously Strong, Perfect Bodies at Coco Cabaret
The Vallarta Botanical Garden is just 20 years old, barely around long enough to raise one good-sized tree, yet it has won every major award possible in our entire continent. Going up against revered Gardens like Butchart’s outside of Victoria on Vancouver Island, which has flourished for over a hundred years. And some pristine Gardens in the US that receive so much government funding they cannot spend it all.
What’s the secret? A considerable vision and passion on the part of the founders, Bob Price and his mom, Betty (RIP), and magical ground. You would have a hard time believing the “before” pictures of this vast lushness.
Patrice, Sandra Bradley, and I piled onto the bus Saturday morning for the ride south. We need rain!
For the first time in the past two decades, the sunflowers were blooming just for us. They were spectacular! Soaring over our heads but remain only for another week or so, according to Curator Bob. When they begin to lose their glory, they will be cut down and left for the birds and deer to consume what they want and need. Bob said they were planted from seed in November.
We had lunch on the terrace – pizza, tortilla soup, avocado salad, and superb coconut cheesecake with vanilla ice cream made on-site from homegrown ingredients – and planned our afternoon walk and photo shoot. Bob joined us for a few minutes and told us where we could find the Jade Vine Sandra had first seen when she was in Vietnam. Another first bloom for me.
There is a new bus stop almost directly across from the Garden entrance with seating and roofed with palm fronds. It is bigger, more comfortable and easier to get to than the old one. Thanks, Farmer Bob, as always, for your warm hospitality and hugs.
After a rejuvenating nap, Patrice and I joined the full house at Coco Cabaret for Boys on Fire in their fourth season. This was their best show to date, featuring a passel of Superheroes ripped straight (whoops!) out of comic books and movies. Some I knew – Spiderman, Superman, and Robin – but I did not know others, like Wolverine and the story behind him and his nemesis. The Boys on Fire, five lusciously strong, perfect bodies capable of enormous strength moves and agility on rope and silks, kept us captivated for over an hour.
Led and choreographed by Coco co-owner Sebastian Coronel from Argentina, the Boys have captured our attention through travel, tango, sexual fantasies, and more over the last four years. This fun look at DC and other comic book characters will be hard to beat.
Boys on Fire is hosted beautifully by the best naturally funny emcee in Vallarta, Nacho Granados (another Argentine), who keeps the performance hopping in two languages. Catch his show every Friday at La Catrina Cantina at 8 pm called On Demand. His voice is exceptional, again in two languages, and his patter in English is hilarious and adorable.
Join me tomorrow to review Sargento Dan’s penultimate performance of MEN-TI-RAS.