SAID NO KID NEVER EVER!
Originally Published the Week of July 13, 2023 in Western Outdoor Publications
Running fishing and vacation operations down here in La Paz as well as a full restaurant, I’m often asked if it’s OK to bring kids down.
My response is usually yes. Of course, depending on ages; what they want to do; where they want to stay, etc.
I tell them it’s great to bring down the kids and to have your family down here. But, ultimately, you know your kids and family best.
Indeed, over the 30-something years we’ve been down here, we get lots of families and kids. It’s one of the best parts of this job.
It’s especially gratifying to watch kids grow up over the years and watch families change and grow as well.
I was discussing this with one of our regular fishermen over dinner at our Tailhunter restaurant a few weeks ago. He was thinking about bringing his grandkids down instead of the usual fishing buddies.
I remember saying that it really comes down to maturity, in a broad sense. Most kids are just so awesome and have such a good time no matter the age.
On the other hand, laughingly there are some adults whose “maturity level” really needs some adjusting and probably shouldn’t come down here at all.
I said that with a big grin.
That got me thinking about one reason I really enjoy having the kids down here.
No kid has ever asked me…
“I really MUST have Diet Coke not Diet Pepsi in my lunches.”
“I must have free-range eggs in my breakfast burritos.”
No kid has ever asked, “What’s the thread count in the sheets at the hotel?”
I’ve never had a kid complain “All of the menus are in Spanish!”
Or “How come there are so many Spanish-speaking people in Mexico?”
I’ve never heard a child complain, “You never told us we had to bring bathing suits on the snorkeling trip.”
Or, “Why are the cheaper margaritas so weak/ strong?” or “How come I got drunk on only 2 margaritas?”
I’ve never had a child badger me to find out where the best strip club can be found. Or, “Where can I score some marijuana?”
I”ve never had a drunk kid fall out’ve the boat or throw up in the shuttle van.
I’ve never had a kid get a tattoo that they now regret.
I”ve had kids misplace a toy, but never ever lose a passport, wallet , hotel keys, iPad, phones, rental car key or wedding ring that now becomes MY emergency.
I’ve never had to carry a drunk kid in his underwear from the beach to his hotel room.
I’ve never helped a bunch of laughing guys drags a drunk child by his ankles through the sand and toss him in a boat.
I’ve never had a child streak naked around the hotel pool in front of a ladies luncheon. Twice!
I’ve never had to go looking for a child who went clubbing in town. In the morning his buddies tell me, “He didn’t make it back to the hotel last night. We lost him!”
And they don’t care. They’re going fishing. “He’ll show up…eventually.”
WHAAAT? Now I have to go looking.
I have never ever had a youngster challenge people in a bar to a chili and Tabasco eating contest…and lose!
No child has ever complained to me about the “sand being to hot” or the ocean “too salty.”
Likewise, I’ve never had a youngster tell me, “I can’t eat the Doritos here in Mexico because they don’t taste like American Doritos.”
Or, stay in their hotel room and eat only homemade ham sandwiches because they are afraid of food poisoning if they eat at a local restaurant with other tourists who “must be immune to Mexican food.”
I’ve never had a child ask me “How rough is the toilet paper in the hotel?” Or complain that the “hotel mattress doesn’t feel like mattresses in American hotels.”
I doubt a youngster will ever whine “How come no one has change for $100 dollar bills, can you change a couple hundred for me?”
Or, this gem, “No one here will take a personal check! Will you lend me a thousand dollars to tide me over?”
Just the other day, “How does Mexican water taste compared to American water. I only drink bottled water from companies that aren’t using plastic. I hope you can provide that for us.”
Yes, please bring your kids!
That’s my story!
Jonathan
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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter.com.
They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
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Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
Website:
www.tailhunter-international.com
Mexico Office: Tailhunter International, 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
U.S. Mailing Address: Tailhunter International, 8030 La Mesa Blvd. #178, La Mesa CA 91942
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report: http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/
Tailhunter YouTube Video Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBLvdHL_p4-OAu3HfiVzW0g
“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”
That's My Story 
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