More observations about golf and life on the Pacific Coast of Mexico

Here are three more impressions I’m taking away from my golf trip to the Riviera Nayarit:

Dining outside in the cool breeze near the Pacific Ocean is the ultimate eating experience. Nothing like the crash of the waves as you sip on a Corona and chow down on some seafood enchiladas, as was the case at Mayapan Restaurant, one of nine eateries here at Paradise Village in Nuevo Vallarta.

It seems that most of the Americans and Canadians who vacation down here regularly don’t even attempt to speak Spanish to the locals. Many of them have been coming here for years. Some even have homes or condos here. One person told me that he doesn’t have to, given everybody speaks English. It makes you think about the folks in our country who complain about Hispanics who don’t speak English in the United States.

Golf isn’t cheap here, but the caddies can be inexpensive. A forecaddie at a reputable golf club here in Nuevo Vallarta might run $7 per person, including the tip. Don’t expect them to read greens, but they’ll clean your clubs, look for your golf balls and warn you not to get too close to a crocodile, which is really what’s most important.