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Tag Archives: La Paz

Luau La Paz Style

25 Saturday Apr 2015

Posted by Cindy in Uncategorized

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La Paz

The local cruisers club put on its 10th annual Bay Fest while we were in La Paz. The festivities included a sailboat race, backwards dingy race, seminars, and raffles. The big event was a luau. Seemed odd that it wasn’t a Mexican Fiesta but the club is all gringo’s. They did have a roast pig (not sure where it was roasted?!), tasty rice and salad. We met up with friends from the sailing vessel Dragon’s Toy for happy hour and got to meet some fellow cruisers at our table. It is a good thing we liked our table mates since out of 17 tables we were the next to last to be called to the buffet table. The pig did not die in vain as I’m fairly certain we got the last pickings.

2015-04-20 09.12.05

Somehow they were able to find luau dancers from Mexico that put on a nice show.

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2015-04-20 09.13.14

One of the main events for the party was the ugly Hawaiian shirt contest. They must have decided there were too many ugly shirts because they never got around to awarding that prize. Gary solicited input from his Facebook friends on which shirt to wear. Funny, the majority selected a vintage Key West shirt he gets the most compliments on and in fact got several that night. I think the shirt just doesn’t take a good photo.

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2015-04-20 09.11.24

Fun time was had by all

Fair winds
Cindy

“Venus Was Her Name”

02 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by Cindy in Uncategorized

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Costa Baja Resort, La Paz, Steve Jobs

We were a few miles out from Costa Baja Resort and Marina in Bahia La Paz when I called to get our slip assignment. Bummer, the lady on the other end of the radio said we had to stop at the fuel dock and come to the office first. We have found the marina’s in Mexico usually send boats right to a slip. Cuts down on the potential for something to go awry! The entrance to the marina is rather confusing so we were both concentrating on that and spotting the 500 foot fuel dock. We rounded the corner and there it was, the 256 foot yacht Venus built for the late Steve Jobs. There was no mistaking it. And where does one put a 256 foot yacht in a small marina? Yup, on the fuel dock. So with a bit of good maneuvering on Gary’s part and the help of two dock hands there we were parked right in front of this magnificent vessel. Sereno II has never felt so small! As we walked down its length on our way to the marina office, the security guard saw our camera and informed us that no pictures were allowed. We politely nodded knowing we had already snapped about 20 pictures before we left the boat LOL. Pictures do not do this boat justice. It really is beautiful in person though the stern is a bit on the square side, which from what we can tell is a ‘garage’ for all the toys.

Steve Jobs boat at Costa Baja Resort and Marina.  Magnificent!

The yacht, Venus, owned by Steve Jobs at Costa Baja Resort and Marina. Magnificent!

The garage door is open and inside was a tender.

The garage door is open and inside was a tender.

If the boat to the left looks small, you can imagine how small Sereno II looked.

If the boat to the left looks small, you can imagine how small Sereno II looked.

And a beautiful picture at dusk

And a beautiful picture at dusk

Street signs and street numbers really go a long way to help get around any city. That and the internet with reliable maps and directions. We were craving pizza this week and according to Trip Advisor the number one restaurant in La Paz is a pizza place. I know, should be a Mexican restaurant right?! According to the map on Trip Advisor it was in the farthest corner of the city so we hopped in a cab with those directions. Around and around we went but the restaurant was not to be found. The cabby called the phone number on Trip Advisor and with limited English and limited Spanish we set off in a new direction. As we were leaving the city we realized something was amiss. We somehow agreed to go an hour away. No pizza is worth that cab fare! Ok maybe Carmen’s in Netcong or Celestino’s in Rocklin 🙂 Ugh, the information on the internet for Mexico is way behind where it is in the States so finding places has been interesting. It is no wonder the mail system is really bad here. We did find another pizzeria and enjoyed some good pizza. And better yet, we received a free caesar salad and free bowl of pasta. Leftovers!

Wood fired stove at the La Paz pizzeria

Wood fired stove at the La Paz pizzeria

Not great but good pizza

Not great but good pizza

Unknown to Gary, I decided to do a Man Overboard Drill yesterday on our crossing to our new marina. I threw one of our floatation devices overboard in a narrow channel so he had the challenge of turning around not once but twice so I could retrieve it. I’m happy to report he passed with flying colors. That is my story anyway. The way Gary tells it, I was swatting at a bee that was bugging us with said floatation device and it went flying out of my hand and into the water. Now why would I do something that stupid?

The inner harbor at Costa Baja Marina.  We were in the outer harbor with the big gals because of our draft.

The inner harbor at Costa Baja Marina. We were in the outer harbor with the big gals because of our draft.

The pool at Costa Baja Marina

The pool at Costa Baja Marina

Fair winds
Cindy

Life in La Paz

27 Friday Mar 2015

Posted by Cindy in Uncategorized

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Jacques Cousteau, La Paz, Sea of Cortez

We will be in La Paz until mid May. That should allow us time to get the feel and vibe of the place before we need to move on. There is no better way to do that than to put on our walking shoes. In fact we walked so much I blew out my flip flop (stepping on a pop top, Ha) and Gary had to fix it. The Malecon (their version of a broadwalk) along the waterfront stretches the entire length of the central historic district and is lined with many statues representing the fishing and sea life in the Sea of Cortez.

Beach along the Malecon

Beach along the Malecon

The Malecon

The Malecon

A nice shady spot along the Malecon

A nice shady spot along the Malecon

La Paz 5

A boy fishing with nets

A boy fishing with nets

From 1616 until 1940 Bahia de La Paz was famous for its natural pearls until the oyster beds were destroyed by a blight.

In honor of the oyster industry

In honor of the oyster industry

Jacques Cousteau once called the Sea of Cortez ‘the world’s aquarium’. In 2009 the Mexican government renamed “Isla Cerralvo” to “Isla Jacques Cousteau”. When we left our overnight anchorage of Muertos to arrive in La Paz we had to leave early in the morning to pass between what we thought was Isla Cerralvo and the mainland before the winds kicked up and created strong opposing currents. Many in Mexico have not accepted the name change because they were not consulted so most guide books refer to the island under its historical name.

Jacques Cousteau 1910-1997

Jacques Cousteau 1910-1997

The Malecon really is the most picturesque part of the city. In other towns we have found pockets of neighborhoods where the architecture catches your eye. Here not so much and I’m thinking the homes and buildings are built very boxy and low because of hurricanes. We have not seen any damage here from hurricane Odile’s visit in September last year like we did in Cabo San Lucas.

A small B & B.  It is hilly here so walks are a good workout.

A small B & B. It is hilly here so walks are a good workout.

La Paz 7

The church off the main plaza

The church off the main plaza

La Paz has big box stores like WalMart that are out of the central district. Within walking distance to our marina we have the local markets where we can get fruits, vegetables, fish, beef and even lunch. Nothing is done ‘in the back’, all the chopping off of cow and fish heads is pretty much done right in front of you. No pictures of this gruesome task.

As we were sailing in last week, I commented to Gary that if you take away the water we could easily be in Arizona. We left the tropics of mainland Mexico and came back to the desert of the Baja and this region is no exception. Though, the water is absolutely stunning. Crystal clear with beautiful turquoise and blues. Cannot wait to get out into the Sea of Cortez. We have been busy exploring on foot and getting our arrangements made for our trip to Arizona for Austin’s graduation. But we move the boat to another marina next week that is outside of town and closer to the entrance to the bay. We can then start planning some trips up to the northern parts of the Sea of Cortez. I read that some areas around La Paz have venomous sea snakes. So more research is needed because this girl is not getting anywhere near sea snakes.

La Paz 3

The Sea of Cortez is calling us

The Sea of Cortez is calling us

La Paz 14

La Paz 12

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