How many here in San Carlos remember being served a jumbo margarita by a burly man who could sing like a paloma named Luis Miranda Amador. The old Paradise bar and restaurant that used to be located right in front of Charly’s Rock is no longer with us. It was torn down a few weeks ago. It has been mentioned that an Oxxo is going to be built there. If that is true then it is kind of a shame actually since that area could most likely support another type of restaurant and do we really need yet another OXXO in San Carlos. If that truly is going to be an OXXO that would make for a total of 5 and then add the two Extras for a grand total of 7 convenience stores in San Carlos.
So after seeing the place being torn down and feeling a tad nostalgic ov
er that, I asked Ines if she would contact Luis’s family and see if she could get a few pictures of the barrel chested man who could sing like a dove and make a Jumbo margarita on the rocks that could hit you harder than a canon blast from Pancho Villa during the revolution.
Luis passed away on the 19th of March 2009 after a battle with cancer. Luis was born in Mulege just across the Sea of Cortes from Guaymas. Some how as a young man he fell in love with the sport of weightlifting and in 1976 he won the middle weight championship for the state of Sonora. During 1977 and 1978 Luis participated in a circuit in which he won 5 national weight lifting tournaments in the power mode category. In 1980 Luis won the Sonoran State Championship for body building in his division and between 1981 – 1988 he dominated the Sonoran weightlifting scene. In 1993 he won the bronze medal in Mexico’s national weightlifting tournament and “campeon absoluto” in body building in 1993. Those who wished to get in seriously good shape would go to the Luis Miranda Gym in Guaymas and get trained by the man himself!
May Don Luis Miranda Amador rest in peace along with all the great memories from the Paradise Restaurant & Bar!
I remember Luis very well, and boy I don’t have a clue as to how those windows stayed in place when he started to sing, he could really belt it out. When he’d squeeze the limes for a Margy he would stand about 6 feet away and with those arms fill a glass in no time…… Funny and very sweet guy……
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