Life at Sea

We had hopes of sailing from La Paz across the Sea of Cortez, out into the Pacific and along the western coast of Mexico to Zihuatanejo. It's about 650 miles and would have put us out for a week or so. Our first days were uneventful, a few whales, a few manta rays, dolphins coming to visit and play in our bow wake. The sunsets were spectacular, Scorpio rose in the east each morning, Orion set in the west, and we shared watch-on-watch of 3 hours each.





In the night, about 40 miles out of Isla Isabela, north of Isla Marias, we acquired some hitchhikers. Three gannets perched on our bow rail through the night, flying off only when land came in sight.

We didn't begrudge them the ride, but it is a pain to scrub the deck when they leave! Guests leaving behind dirty sheets!



Will there be a green flash???!!!!

Bahia San Gabriel

We left La Paz and sailed across the bay to Isla Espiritu Santo, anchoring in the long, narrow white-sand beach of San Gabriel. The tide is marked, our dinghy in the foreground was bobbing in nearly three feet of water when we got back from our hike several hours after anchoring.



The hike across the arroyo to Bonanza Beach on the east side of the island is well worth the effort. The sand is exquisite! Your feet sink deep into the white sand formed as the sea has worn down coral and shells.



Erosion of wind and water left this tree balanced on tippy-toe.



The herons and gulls easily leave their marks in the soft sand.

Whale Shark

The whale sharks are elusive and hard to see. We borrowed Patsy Verhoeven's skiff and went out into La Paz bay in search of them. Miles along the north east edge of the Mogote, we came upon two of them cruising the surface. There was a little bit of chop, the waves making it hard to see the sharks, except for their dark shapes and, occasionally, their dorsal fin or tail appearing above water.



The natural thing to do, in the circumstances, was to jump in the water to get a closer look. Shanna, Chris, Rani, and Ardy took turns swimming with the sharks...Marv crewed the boat. Staff on a tourist panga that had come out to watch the sharks lent us a face mask, so we were able to see well.



Amazing!!

Matancitas Wash

Geocaching (www.geocaching.com) takes you to places you would never find on your own. This time a cache placed by Team Casa Buena, folks who run a most comfortable bed-and-breakfast-hotel here in La Paz, took us to the Matancitas Wash. It's just off the road that runs from La Paz to Los Muertos; a little sign points off to the left, and from there it is a few kilometers on a narrow, winding, (in spots) wash-board packed-sand road.



Pull off the road and wander through the desert, scramble down scree-slick arroyos, and you find yourself in a breathtaking wash a couple hundred yards wide, filled with smooth white sand. It is flat and firm enough to serve as a road for cars and trucks traveling from ranchos and remote houses to the main highway.



In the middle of the wash we came across an old well. The car wheels used to wind the rope up worked, with a rusty hand crank off to one side. But the well was filled with sand...and now Patsy!

Exploring the Mangroves on the Mogote

We had planned to leave La Paz today, but the weather is crazy! A series of intense winter storms have been raking the Southern California coast, dumping rain, causing flash floods, and bringing high winds (up to 60 mph) and huge waves (up to 40 feet tall) to the coast. We haven't had that severity, but the effect is felt here in Baja California, with winds from the southwest and big swells. We decided to stay put for a couple more days. The extra time gave us an opportunity to kayak out to the Mogote, a sand peninsula in the La Paz bay, and explore the fingers of the sea that extend into the mangrove swamp. Marv and I took our kayaks, Chris and Rani (Ladybug II) shared their double kayak...an abundance of photographs were taken!



A new bird to add to our sightings: dozens of yellow-crowned night herons perched in the mangroves. Our bird book shows their range extending along the Gulf of Mexico, from the eastern part of mainland Mexico to Florida, and north along the US eastern seaboard. They aren't supposed to be in the Baja? They don't know that. And they were one of the highlights of our paddle.

Ardy's Art Work

There is a lot of free time on the boat, and Ardy has tried her hand at painting...this is a card she sent to grandson Miles about the sea lion that comes fishing in the marina...

Lucha Libre

Lucha libre is billed as wrestling, but it is actually a choreographed gymnastic event that requires skill, strength, and energy, as well as clever acting. Very sophisticated teams have been compared to the Cirque du Soleil. The La Paz competitors were good...and entertaining.


The action takes place both in the ring and outside, sometimes involving the audience in the tussle. For the first event, we watched the tag-team of Sacrilegio take on two wrestlers billed as the Anticristo (Sacrilege vs. the Antichrist). I can't remember which one won. It is all geared to last three rounds, no matter what, and there didn't seem to be any one team dominating. They took turns tossing each other, and themselves, around the ring.

Lucha Libre

Lucha libre ("free fight," or better "free for all") is a Mexican phenomenon that draws enthusiastic crowds: couples, families with young children...and groups of 10-14 year old boys who push the limits of acceptable behavior...somewhere between rebellion and fourth grade bad jokes.




Carla and Doug also love lucha libre!!!






The competitors have a devoted fan base; you can buy a lucha libre mask of your favorite wrestler; and there is quite a brisk business outside the stadium where the event occurs.

La Paz Street Scenes

La Paz is a beautiful old Mexican town, still withstanding most of the development so characteristic of tourist areas like Cabo and Cancun. It does cater to tourists, however, and many Mexicans come here for their holiday. There is also a substantial English-speaking ex-patriate community from Canada and the US, as well as hundreds of cruisers who use La Paz as their home-base, or as a place to purchase provisions and refit the boat before moving on to other ports. There is everything here from Sears to Home Depot to WalMart. Mostly we try to shop locally, and have found the markets have most everything we need.

Originally the Town Hall of La Paz, this elegant building on Calle 16 de Septiembre later served as a center for military offices and now houses the city's Tourist Information Center.



The Cathedral faces the main town square, or Zocalo and has a wide, brick/stone front entrance; quieter, tree-lined side entrances such as this one. Its interior is much simpler and more graceful than many elaborate Mexican churches. Calm and restful.



If you followed the admonition to "not eat on the street" you would miss a major attraction of La Paz! The best dining in town can be found at street-side taquerias, for a reasonable price. Marv enjoyed a delicious fish taco at this stand; Ardy, who doesn't like fish, had their jamaica aqua fresca, a juice drink made from the hibiscus flower. We've found several other amazing places to enjoy good down-home cooking!