The circus is in town, so last night Patricia and I took in the 8:30 performance. A real three-ring-circus, not in a concrete basketball stadium but in a huge red, blue and yellow tent. With hundreds of bare light bulbs outside flashing and grandstands made of 1x10's. I got us two tickets in the middle section for 60 pesos each. About $4.50.

Note: I don't sit in the front row at the circus. Nothing good can happen to you there. Clowns make you part of the act, Llamas spit at you, the monkeys jump in your lap. These things all happened last night because the distance between the front row and the rings are about the same as a monkey's arm.

You know how the lion tamer works inside a big cage? Not here. The lion comes in on a leash which the lion tamer drops as soon as he gets to the center of the ring. A dusty old lion, to be sure, but he's still a lion and he's as close as you and the screen of your computer. Plus his ears are kind of laying back and he has that look in his eye.

The trapeze artists work about 30 feet off the ground and there is no net. The lady who rides the horse standing up is one of the trapeze artists. The two-hump camel is a big attraction.

Clowns chasing each other and throwing water at each other and into the stands. Pretty girls strutting around, changing costumes between each act. After about an hour there's an intermission. Out come the Shetland Ponies to carry little kids around the arena. The kids are lined up to ride while the parents stay in the stands and eat whatever that stuff is the vendors are selling.

I look around and realize that I'm the only Gringo there.

Patricia tells me the head clown is from Argentina and his Spanish is way different. She can understand about half of what he says. I don't feel so bad now. The head clown does a Michael Jackson impersonation with a dead-on moonwalk. The lion tamer wears a loin cloth that would look better on someone half his age. Most of the dancers look about twelve years old. The music is a mix of old rock and roll and Mexican standards. I've never felt so alive.

I went back this morning to take pics of the outside of the tent. Sorry I don't have pics of the inside but my little point-and-shoot doesn't handle low light so well. Close your eyes and remember a magical time and you'll be close.

You know those good old days that we are all so nostalgic about? When kids could take off on their bikes and stay gone all day and the parents weren't calling for an Amber Alert? When kids could ride those bikes without a helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, etc.? They haven't gone away. They're here. Right here. This place is paradise. A genuinely simple time complete with palm trees. A place where your life is good, not because you got a new car or a big house, but because life is just good. If you only let it.