Busy day today.  This morning, Tristan and Tessa got a special behind the scenes look at the tigers. Deemian, the tiger trainer here is a really nice guy. Pablo, the dockmaster, arranged everything and Ocean World even took pictures that they might use in their advertising. Seeing the tigers up close was a thrill for all of us. They make an incredible mewing sound that I had never heard before. They were very playful as they have been raised in captivity since cubs. Blanco, the white tiger, really wanted to get out and play with the kids. There wasn’t a chance of that happening.

 Blanco weighs around 360 pounds and Bravo (the orange one) weighs 340 pounds. Surprising to me, they are very long and very lean. Not skinny, just lean and graceful. Both tigers are male and have been together, with Deemian, since they were a few months old. They are over 3 years old now and absolutely beautiful.

Deemian was great with the kids.  It was always his dream to work with tigers and he is really good at it. We’ve become friends with Deemian and have met his wife and daughter.  He has told us many stories of working with tigers, and I could listen to him all day.

If I haven’t said it before, I will say it now: Ocean World is really top notch, especially when it comes to the animals/fish at the park. The animals aren’t exploited, and you can really see a bond with the animals and the trainers. The dolphins and sealions are served only the freshest fish. The tigers eat top beef from the US. One major impressive point is that Alfred Meister, owner, founder of Ocean World, lives right on the grounds, in a very modest apartment above the operations building. This guy is worth millions and that is where he chooses to live, simply because he loves the park he created so much. Around the marina you will also find a few dogs and some adorable puppies. You can see the guards playing with them sometimes and I wondered how they are treated. Mr Meister loves them, and every stray that comes here, becomes an Ocean World dog.

We were gushing about Ocean World later with Renee and Mike on Jacumba who had come over to visit us. They are not having a good time in Luperon and I feel bad for them. We all went up for a drink, and Patrick, our favorite dock guy, took the kids up to the office and set them up on the computer playing games. The kids were safe, having fun, and we enjoyed a good visit with new friends. I am sure it helped that I made Patrick brownies earlier that day.  The kids said he loved them. We truly say it every day here. This is a little slice of heaven.