Loving La Paz

We’ve been anchored outside of the city of La Paz for about a week and we’re really loving it. La Paz seems to us to be the complete opposite of Cabo San Lucas.  La Paz is very non-touristy, the prices are amazing, the people are super friendly, there’s an amazing cruising community, the food is delicious....the list goes on. We feel really comfortable and content here.  An advantage of being in a non-touristy city is that we have to use Spanish almost daily to get by. We’re learning a lot and also laughing at our selves for the funny things we say accidently.

Here are a few pictures to illustrate how much we love La Paz…

Super yummy 13 pesos (=1USD) hot dogs

Beautiful waterfront that stretches on for miles (great for runs)

People are super friendly (and not just when it’s Carnaval)

The wind was howling today, so we broke out the kitesurfing gear. The conditions we found were the best ever…. a consistent 15 knot side/onshore breeze (perfect 12 m kite weather), an endless beach and warm water.  On top of all that, I had one of my most memorable sessions ever because I kitesurfed with a pod of dolpins. It was amazing to be so close to the “most excellent creatures” again.  I was just kiting along and looked to the left and saw a dolphin and then looked to the right and saw a dolphin. And this happened for a few tacks.  I pretty much couldn’t stop smiling. It was one of the most breath-taking moments of my life :)

We’ve met an awesome cruising couple (Drew & Shelly s/v Born Free) who have kite gear and some limited kiting knowledge and are eager to learn more. Here’s a picture of instructor Chris in action.

In other news… we’ve decided to spend a year in Mexico and do the puddle jump in 2013. On day 2 of our journey from San Diego to Cabo, we were sitting in the cockpit together. As I watched the water go by, I realized that I was absolutely and completely content with my life at that moment. I didn’t want the trip to end and I was already looking 12 months ahead. Without thinking, I blurted out to Chris “why are we only doing this sailing thing for a year?”. Without thinking he responded, “because you want to have a baby”. “Oh yeah…” I thought… I enjoy plans and sticking to them, so I was hesitant to follow my gut feeling of staying in Mexico for a year, but I’m so glad that we will be.  After all of the money and time we put into getting Starship ready, I’m happy that we’ll have another year to enjoy her.  Also, the more I cruise Mexico, the more I love it here.  The Sea of Cortez is a wonderfully isolated place that is brimming with sea life (and the kiting is amazing). I’m also happy to have an extra year of sailing experience before we cross the world’s largest ocean.

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Location:

La Paz

Latitude:

24.15975

Longitude:

-110.33311