Club El Moro La Paz

... with them while they dragged around their leashes. We’ll go back on Monday. Really a great place.

Lounged around house all afternoon, we both finished books, Paul made another killer fruit salad. And then we finished off a bit of wine and played cards. I heated up leftovers and Paul did the margarita mixing – he has recipe down to a fine art.

While eating, a precious ...

... and of course 5 de Mayo. We took obligatory photos at the town church, Our Lady of La Paz, and found the city hall (a converted mission) to ask for a walking map, since we had no idea what to look for, and signs were really hard to find. I only discovered all those nifty street names on the map we got -- they sure weren't on any street corners! It was pretty hot, and we were due for shade and sustenance, so we went in search of some lunch. Maybe Tom ...

... 8211; we may start coming here, though there is a store closer to our house.

I made chicken vegetable soup and pasta salad, which should last a few days. And we made a trip to Wal-Mart to catch the wine fair and stock up on garlic oil.

Paul walked me to Coffee Break on the malecon and then he and Tanka took a walk along malecon/beach.

Later we stopped to look at some jewelry and met Eric - he is ...

Tony is finally departing from La Paz and I wish him and his mottley crew 'fair winds'. Tony has been busy fixing his boat and everyone else's! gathering his crew,passage planning,victualling and waiting out another blow. The crew will be Charlie,Josh and Tara (from Bright Star).What a great gang!Tony will report to me via text how it's all going. Their first stop will be a 20nm hop to,Caleta ...

... flew for La Paz. On-time flights and smooth flying were a nice start. Of course, the Bloody Marys didn't hurt either! We then had a quick 40-minute ride via shuttle van to the Club Cantamar resort. After everyone dropped their stuff in the rooms, it was time for a quick lunch of chicken and beef fajitas, which were really quite good. Of course, the Coronas didn't hurt either! After getting further settled in and spending time ...

... the gentle lapping of the waves reading my book, the growing need for food draws us to the only hint of commerce on the bay. We sit and enjoy basic food while chatting to Jack, a retired American who is sailing his yacht solo down to Ecuador, and Alex, an ex-IT professional who gave up the life and money to move to Mexico and install solar panels one day a week and drink beer for the other six. A little more sitting, thinking and reading/writing while ...

... money for the last few weeks. I think there are a few reasons for that, firstly we really felt ripped off in Guatemala and we are still getting over it, we paid double what the locals paid for everything and it is not the same way in Mexico, but we still don't trust everyone fully! Also we are near the end and we have very little reserve left in the budget, so whereas in the past if something cost a bit more than we were expecting we ...

... to stop the traffic - very entertaining! The tale of the wandering minstrel! - WE were sitting having a drink, minding our own business when a Mexican minstrel decided to serenade us. Two bars of guitar music and a "croon" later he stood waiting for some money. Derek rummaged in his wallet and produced a handful of coins which he gave to him. After pointedly counting the coins several times, the minstrel ceremoniously plonked the coins ...

... lose', 'Don't talk to anyone on the street', 'Never fall asleep on a night bus', 'Sew spare money into your clothing' and 'avoid the police at all costs'. But are these mostly scare stories? We have met people who have travelled (recently) in Colombia and they reported no problems as long as you keep your wits about you. The only alternative is to fly over Colombia, which would leave a big dent in our budget.
Anyway, we took the trolley bus from downtown San Diego to the border post ...