The End of Paradise in La Paz
For many years Paradise Found Bar and Grill was
the favoured hang out of local cruisers. With the dwindling tourists
since 9/11 cruisers will have to find a new home.
It was a cold and blustery February
evening as I walked my dog, Zoe down the Malecon. I was new in town
and after a thirty day sailing adventure from San Diego to La Paz, my
girl friend had returned to the states and I was alone in a new city.
 I
had just past the Los Arcos when I began to hear television, in ENGLISH!
CNN Headline news to be exact. Since I didn't even know who had won
the Super Bowl I decided to check it out.
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The yacht club
organized great events, like the revival of the Rock to the Dock (Roca
Lobos to the Municipal Pier) and parties on every holiday worth mentioning.
 Last
year's event, Island Madness was the culmination of several months of
work by Clark, Slade and the Yacht Club. Held in La Partita, they transported
the most important parts of Paradise to the beach on the islands. Games,
entertainment, contests and general adult amusement was well organized
and a lot of fun.
Paradise Found: The Legend Lives On
New baby and new location for Clark & Yulie. Click here
for more on this story.
The turnout
of less than 35 boats over the week festivities was a disappointment
for the club, though no fault of their own. One yacht publication had
the audacity to titled it "What if you threw a party and nobody came?"
Well, I assure you that everyone there had a good time and readership
of said publication declined by at least 35 boats.
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My dog and I trod the wooden slats over the scattered beach sand into
deep end of the bar. About 8 patrons sat, huddled over their beers trying
to keep them from getting colder, starting at the iridescence of the
TV screen. I was greeted by the warm smiles of Selene, waiting tables
and Sylvia, mixing the drinks and tending the cash.
By the time the night was over I
had met Dirk. a German refugee, building a permanent life in Baja, Slade
Ogletree, an arrival in the same season as myself, Clark Waters, owner
and his lovely wife Julie.
In the ensuing nights I've spent
at Paradise Found over the last three years, I have met an intriguing
cavalcade of The Sea's Characters. There I met the Crazy Canadians,
Travis and Emily of Mystery Tramp,
John Amos,
several of Slade's future x-wives and far to many permanent friends
to start listing here.
 Well
behaved dogs were always welcome at Paradise. Clark had sailed down
from San Diego years before with his first mate Sam, a handsome
Samoyed who's picture graced the wall by the
ping pong room. Until the last days of Paradise a bowl of dog water
could be found there by the four legged patrons. Sam passed on, but
was replaced by Loco Oso, another Samoyed, who started, when
smaller than a footprint, harassing my Lab, Zoe. Zoe knew it was time
to go socialize (and clean up all the spilled nuts under the tables)
when it was "Time to go-fer beer".
As with any bar in a remote location you always had
to engage your bullshit filter. But true or stretched, the stories on
Baja, sailing and life that I have accumulated on those bar stools have
enriched my life.
 Clark
opened Paradise Found in December of 1999. Over these past few years
I have had the pleasure of celebrating two of my birthdays and many
more of my friend's birthdays, at Paradise. As anyone who has attended
a Paradise Birthday knows, wearing the cake on your face is pretty much
part of the deal.
I have lost thousands of pool games and one set of boat
keys in Paradise. Dirk was a technician with a pool cue, Slade the gun
slinger, Heraldo talked a good game, and Keith, well, just give Keith
your money to start with.
In the fall of 2002 Clark launched the Paradise Found
Yacht Club and Slade Ogletree became the first (and only) Commodore*
with Mike and Tonya Richter rounding out the board. The Yacht Club provided
showers, computer connection, mail drop and book exchange for the members.
A mere pittance signed you up for the year and got you a brass plaque
on the Wall.
(*As a side note: In an interview Lionel Richey was asked
how they became the group known as the "Commodores". He replied that
they just opened the dictionary and "plopped down a finger". They were
just one line away from being the Commodes.)
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During those not-so-fun
times of La Paz Life Paradise was there too. On two separate occasions
in just the last year Paradise was the site of fund raisers for cruisers
falling on hard luck or injury.
I always like
Clark's culinary skills. The Cheese Burger in Paradise has been my dietary
staple for three years. Almost Famous Meatloaf Night and Prime Rib Sundays
were on every cruisers calendar. Paradise meals were always man-sized
portions.
Movies were
on Sunday and you never asked Clark where the video tape of the movie
that was still playing in the theaters in the states came from, you
just enjoyed it. Monday Night Football packed them in from September
to January and it was the only place to watch the NBA playoffs.
It wasn't just
a "gringo" bar either, despite the fact we usually dominated the room.
Big nights like the US vs. Mexico soccer game and boxing brought the
local in to mingle too.
 During
the last few months Tuesdays brought "Open Mike Night." Yours truly,
some guy named Mick and some talented guests too, howled beer vapor
at the mike and broke strings until we thinned the crowd to the hard-core
and tone deaf. (Author &
Travis of Mystery Tramp shown above)
 Things
got tough in Paradise after 9/11. Tourists got thin, Alaska Airlines
stopped flying to La Paz before that. The tighter economy in the US
and the damage inflicted by our hurricanes this past year added to Clark's
burdens. Clark's wife Julie's father, Miguel, passed away unexpectedly
last fall leaving a thriving shrimp business without a master and commander.
And with Clark and Julie expecting their first child within the month,
they were faced with some harsh decisions.
The official
last hurrah for Paradise was the Club Cruceros' St. Patrick's Day party.
But with beer still left in the inventory Paradise slid into a fade
to black on 3/19/04.
For those fans
of Clark's cooking there is no reason to despair. Clark will be opening
a series of food carts in a few weeks around La Paz with the familiar
Paradise Logo. He also plans to offer catering for special events and
private parties.
A party just
can't last forever. But with a tip of my hat to Clark, Julie,
Heraldo, Eric, Selene, Antonio & Slade, I'd like to say thanks for trying
to prove that one wrong!
Tomas
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