Day 6 Thursday 12/15/16

We got up, threw our stuff in the car and walked to our favorite pastry shop to get some almond croissants and then to the Doce Quarenta café to have coffee. We bumped into Lorenzo who was having his morning coffee there as well. The drive to the airport was smooth, with a brief stop in Todos Santos. When we got to OC we were surprised to see rain.

Day 5 Wednesday 12/14

We decided to drive to Tecolote beach and take a tour to the Isla Spiritu Santo, which is an uninhabited nature preserve with abundant marine life and beautiful secluded beaches. The island is on the UNESCO heritage list. When we got to the beach, we saw that the sea was rough with big waves and strong wind. One of the tour operators, “Big Nose”, was trying to pressure us to commit to going, but another operator, Ramon, told us that the weather was not good for the tour so we gave up the idea. Instead we went to Balandra beach. While walking along the beach we met a couple from Victoria, Canada and had a nice conversation with them. They told us about their favorite restaurants and Al invited them to join us for dinner at Nim’s (their favorite place). We went back to Tecolote beach for lunch – this time at the Concha restaurant, where Bo had a big portion of Ceviche and Al and Lucy had a whole red snapper each. The food was delicious and it was served under a palapa right on the beach. Then we took a dip in the sea and went back to La Paz. We wanted to make it in time to go to the main city market, Mercado Bravo. Unfortunately, when we got there most stalls were already closed and there was nothing interesting there. We walked through a different part of the city and as always ended up on the Malecon. We met the Canadian couple Roberta and Lauren (Lorenzo) in the restaurant and spent a very lively and fun evening together. The food here (Nim) was wonderful. They even had homemade baklava for dessert. Roberta is an artist (painter) and Lorenzo works with indigenous groups in the British Columbia. They are fun and interesting people and we’ll definitely try to keep in touch with them. When we got home, we sat on the patio and had a free mariachi concert for about 2 hours. Some group was having a Christmas party in the restaurant that backs to our patio wall (Juana La Loca) and hired a mariachi band as entertainment.

Day 4 Tuesday 12/13

The American baker told us yesterday about a Tuesday farmers market a block from us so we went there in the morning. It turned out to be much more than produce – local crafts and prepared foods as well. We bought some souvenirs and also food for lunch and bakery goods. Al also spotted a little poster announcing a guitar concert tonight at the Alliance Francaise. After lunch at home, we decided to walk to the Alliance (about 10 blocks) to get tickets. On the way we stopped in a pottery place (Ibarra’s pottery) and got some more souvenirs. The Alliance building was closed, but a nice young man heard our banging and opened the door and sold us tickets. We decided to have dinner before the concert in a restaurant we checked out a couple of days ago – Juana la Loca – just a block away. We tried to eat there last night, but they were closed. Unfortunately, they were closed again (even though they had told us they were open until 11 pm). We walked another block to a tapas place we saw on our way to Malecon – this one was closed too. As last resort, we walked to Malecon and tried a big restaurant on the boardwalk where we had drinks the first night. Our friendly waiter (from Nevada) told us that they were just closing. All this was more than strange. He recommended a taco place in the street behind (Lola’s). We didn’t have much choice at that point since we had to drive to the concert so we went to the taco place. It was completely empty and turned out to be a combination taco and mescal/tequila bar. We ordered tacos al pastor, guacamole and drinks and prayed it would be OK. It turned out to be delicious food and great drinks. Definitely a keeper. The concert was in a large courtyard and surprisingly started on time. There were about 40+ people there. A young classical guitarist played solo for an hour – pieces by Spanish composers first, then Latin American, including Mexican, Brazilian and Argentinian. He also narrated and explained each piece (only in Spanish). The second half was old music (12-14 century) where he played the lute first, then mandolin and then the guitar accompanied by percussion. After the concert, they served refreshments and wine. We were surprised by the amount of food – lots of various sandwiches, vegetables, fruit, cheese and sausage, etc. People stayed and chatted. It was a very pleasant evening.

Day 3 Monday 12/12 Beach Day

We found a great bakery owned by an American from Costa Mesa and got some pastries. Then we set out around 10:30 for La Paz beaches, which are located about 25-35 minute drive outside the city. The drive is spectacular – along a mountainous road with beautiful sea views. We passed the ferry terminal. Ferries from there go to Mazatlan (about 13 hours) and take passengers, cars and big trucks. After that, the beaches start. The best beaches are the two furthest – Balandra and Tecolote. Balandra is a beautiful crescent beach with very shallow turquoise waters and a well known mushroom rock. It’s great for the kids because it’s very calm and shallow. About 40 acres of knee deep water. There are no services there, but they have free palapas. We were surprised that there were quite a few people there, including a whole bunch of Americans, Germans and others. We met a couple from Ventura who came in their own yacht and were raving about the area. After a few hours there, we moved to Tecolote beach a couple of miles up the road. First we had lunch in a small shack called Marlin and it was the best fish we’ve had so far (fish ceviche, and fish and shrimp tacos that tasted like they were just caught). Then Al and Lucy went swimming. This beach is much better for swimming because the water is deeper. The views are also different with the Island of Spiritu Santo in front of the beach. We also tried to get information about tours to the island and we are considering doing this day (4-5) hour boat tour. In the evening we went to Malecon (where else?) and stumbled upon a Christmas concert by la Banda de Gobierno del Estado. Unfortunately, they mostly played American carols (Rudolf – 3 times!). For dinner we went to a posh restaurant called Tres Virgenes, which had lovely ambiance, but the food was disappointing.

Day 2 Sunday 12/11

After breakfast and coffee on the patio, we decided to venture out and explore the city. First we wanted to find an ATM and then a tourist information to get more details about places to visit. We first want to the cathedral about a block from the house. It was built in the 1800s in place of an older mission from the 1600s. Cortez actually landed in La Paz and founded the city in 1535. It was then called la Cuidad de Nuestra Senora de La Paz. Then we walked along the Malecon until we reached the harbor (about 2 miles) stopping at the tourist info and the museum of whales where we got an hour tour about various types of whales and related creatures. Malecon is a lovely promenade with the sea and beach on one side. On Sunday it was full of leisurely strolling families. We had lunch in a small café overlooking the sea, but had to wait about 45 minutes to finally get our very simple meal (not great either). Then we went back to the house. Bo took a dip in the pool, Lucy relaxed on the patio and Al took a nap. Lucy and Bo decided to take a walk to the main church of La Paz, the church of Guadalupe, which is supposed to be much bigger than the cathedral. It didn’t look very far on the city map, but it turned out to be on the other side of the city and it took about 50 min of very fast walk to get there. It was indeed much bigger and much more alive than the cathedral – with lots of people attending mass, selling things, kids dressed in indigenous clothes, etc. In the evening we decided to try another restaurant recommended by Trip Advisor (Tailhunter) – also not great.

Day 1 Saturday12/10/2016

Easy flight from SNA to Cabo and nice drive to La Paz. With help from an App on Bo's phone we found the house. Really nice. Three bedrooms and 3 1/2 baths. It is one block from the beach. We found a nice bar with upsairs seating facing the beach for our much needed cocktail. We found a supermarket and bought supplies. We went to dinner at a place recommended. Not great. We walked the street along the beach. A real happening place with lots of restaurants, bars, ice-cream places and art. There are many different monuments/sculptures on the Malecon and also performances. We happened to see a flamenco dancing performance on our walk.