Be Sure to Go on a Weekday

This time of year, if you want to enjoy one of La Paz's most popular (accessible, beautiful, biggest) beaches, you absolutely must go on a weekday. Tecolote Beach is at the tip of the Bay of La Paz as the land starts to curve back around to the East Cape. It is at the end of the "Carretera a Pichilingue" or Highway to Pichilingue that runs east and then north out of the city. 

From the road in.  land in the distance is actually the
off-shore island of Espiritu Santo

 The nice thing about Tecolote is that there are a ton of Palapas for shade, so if someone does crash your solo morning, they have pleeenty of shady areas to choose from and hopefully arrange themselves faaar away from you.

There is beautiful blue water in which to lounge, play or snorkel (although the sandy bottom means not too much fish/coral action).  Peddlers come by with carts occasionally, but they are very few and if you're lucky the donut lady will walk by with her tray of yummy donuts balanced on her head!
Here are some more pics of my morning with M yesterday:

Sombrero is a must.

sandy dog, just the way he likes it





School/Batman

I haven't been too great at posting these last few weeks and I apologize for it.  I have been finishing my thesis as the very last assignment for my Master's degree and I'm very proud to say the thesis was accepted and I am d-o-n-e with school for EVER! Now what will I do with my days? Hmmm, I can think of about a million things.  I have a visit to the States coming up in just about a week and want to make the most of the rest of the summer here in Baja.  Although, one thing for certain, I will NOT miss this scorching heat!
We are big Batman fans and spent last night reviewing Christopher Nolan's first Batman movie from 2005.  We've seen his second from 2008 lots of times, so we're skipping that.  But tonight we're headed to the Cinemex Platino that opened last year in La Paz to see the new Batman!! We were thrilled when Cinemex opened because well, we love the movies but also it's giving Cinepolis some competition.  For a decade Cinepolis was the only movie theater in town and didn't offer much in the way of discounts, festivals, etc.  But Cinemex's competition has changed that, with 2X1 nights, midnight showings and more.  Platino is like Cinepolis' VIP and I love going to be pampered.  I'll report back tomorrow!

Transito Office

E and I got pulled over for the first time since owning our truck - about 1 year! We had a headlight out, and we knew it.  No "mordida" or bribe asked for by the officer - who was very courteous and polite.  He even answered 2 traffic questions E and I had been arguing over the last few weeks (and I was right, ahem!).
I went to pay the "multa" or fine at the Transito office and had to go alone, since E was working. It wasn't bad at all! I found it on the map, guided myself there. Had to park a few blocks away, that place is busy! Got there 10 minutes before the office opened (thinking it was like the DMV in the States). Walked in, asked where to go at the information desk, walked to the counter, 2nd in line! $125 pesos ($10) later, bam! out the door. and everyone was so nice. I asked the man behind the counter the office hours, since he served me at 8:55am and I thought for sure it opened at 9:00am. When he told me, "Yes senorita, 9:00-3:00pm", I said, "oh but it's just 5 til 9am now" and he smiled and said, "yes but that's ok, senorita. Have a good day." I walked out smiling - love when government actually extends a favor to the public. :)

Cheerful flowers for bureaucracy that works!

Culture Shock

Just when you think you're past culture shock in another country - something happens that reminds you that you truly have A LOT more to learn:
We went camping this past weekend with 2 local families that have acquaintance-like relationships with my boyfriend and his parents.  (Although in Mexico, is anyone just an acquaintance?) We go camping pretty regularly and have our packing and planning down to a science.  We like to go bare minimum in gear, medium on the alcoholic beverages and heavy on the snacks (good excuse to cheat on our diets)!  When we met up with the 2 families on our way out of town, I was shocked to find they had vans FULL of stuff and FULL of people.  I guess we had no idea how many people would be coming on this trip, but as we made our way out to the East Cape, we were a party of 22!

The vans opened up once we got to the sand and out poured the families like clowns from a circus car.  All I could do was laugh.  and E said, "Welcome to the real La Paz!"  That night the families set up a gazebo (though the sun was already down), 3 buffet tables, kitchen-ware, a gasoline-powered overhead lamp (like a workbench-style) which ran on a motor (forget listening to the waves), kitchen chairs and even a television!! They were stocked! and very gracious with their food, as they had told us before we left they were paying for all the food, no discussion. 

I feel like I'm pretty adaptable; certainly moreso after having lived in Mexico for 4 years. I pride myself on not being the "snotty american". But even this took some patience. It wasn't at all what I was used to "camping on the beach". Instead of quiet drinks by the fire, there was ranchero music, the lamp's motor buzzing away, children shrieking playing soccer (with a full size goal by the way) and loud shouting/discussion. In the morning, even though no one had been asleep before 2am, everyone was up with the sun! I admit I felt a little out of place, uncomfortable even. I tried to relax and see that everyone was having fun, relaxing together. And in that I saw the goodness of the 2 families being so close that they could do these things together. No one was bickering or fighting, everyone was genuinely having a good time together. After I realized that I felt the virtue of the Mexican family and how special it can be. And how special I feel to be welcomed into it.

Sunset in Las Cruces

Looking towards the beach, from my twilight desert walk

What is up with "Ahorita"?

I have to write today about a spanish word that reeeally bugs me: "ahorita".  For those of you that don't speak spanish, it comes from "ahora" meaning now, with an "-ita" ending, which changes any word to mean a smaller version of that word.  Example: Casa = House, but Casita = little house. ok? ok.

But when one uses "ahorita" I've found that it doesn't anyways mean, "in a little bit" or "in a short time" like one would think.  Well, at least not when E uses it.  Consider these common exchanges:

Me: When do you want to paint the new wall?
E: Ahorita.
Me: Oh wow, ok so should we go get paint? Will we have time before my yoga class?
E <looks confused>: No, we're going to do it ahorita.
Me <returning confused look>: So....should I....um....when exactly?
E: Ahorita is ahorita, Lisa. Like maybe in a few months.

next day

E: Jose (our Mason) called. He'll be over ahorita.
Me: Ok, cool. Let me know and I'll put some clothes on. (Don't judge, it's like 100* now)
LITERALLY 2 MINUTES GO BY, KNOCKING ON GATE, DOG BARKING, WHISTLING, E OPENING DOOR as I run to the bedroom to dress myself

Now after Jose leaves
Me: What the hell?? You gave me no notice! You said he'd be coming by ahorita!!
E: Yes, Lisa, well that was ahorita. You never know...
Me <way confused>: How can "you never know"?!?

Grrr.  The flexibility of this word! It morphs from situation to situation.  Just one more delightful quirk of living in Mexico :)

Busy Beachin'

Wow! You step away for a few days and BOOM a week has gone by! Been very busy laying on the beach! This past weekend we camped for 2 nights at a beach with no name.  But because it's on the old dirt road from Los Planes to Los Barriles (one that was, you know, originally a horse-riding road) and you must spend about 2 hours go over rocks the size of your tires, curves that spiral upward and cliff-hugging "where-would-the-oncoming-car-go?" type terrain, most people call it "Desviado" Beach - or Detour Beach.

Here are some shots of the drive in:

Climbing the mountain-side. This is Los Planes valley in the background. 
La Paz is back over the mountains in the distance.

1992 Landcruiser. mountain = not an issue.

road continues...

Then it appeared from the cliff road, like a sparkling jewel!!!



  

Getting there was such a battle, that all we wanted to do was get.in.water.NOW!! Spent 2 days snorkelling, wading, exploring the rocks, sharing company with the pelicans, playing fetch and battling the night winds with the tarp. Made fried chicken quesadillas with the cast iron skillet over a small campfire and slept out under the stars.

My snorkelling partner - I swear he followed me!

Sorry it's blurry. Taken with the GoPro and it gives a "fish-eye" viewpoint,
plus I didn't get the water drops off the lens, oops!

Saw NO other humans the whole time. Some cars passed up high above us on the cliff-road but no one came down, we were alone! Awesome trip! I've seen a part of Baja that not many people have seen. It is amazing to me that in this insane world of technology, communication, societal pressures and agendas that it is possible to completely disconnect and just....be.



Garden Update

Well well well, things are moving along much faster on the garden project than I anticipated (you know how everything moves at snail-speed down here?).  We got some cacti and put them in the ground 2 nights ago.  Lots of spines so the dog won't dig near them.  Pain makes an excellent deterrant, haha!  As predicted we got a short, stubby cactus (guess it might be time to learn cactus names, huh?):

And another spiny one about a foot and a half tall:

These are our two existing cacti - they continue to grow!

Mezcal (E just told me the name) was a tiny baby when E brought her home from the desert



Aloe Cactus (I knew that one) with M next to him for comparison. 

As you can see we have LOTS of work left to do.  But with the high sun and heat, outdoor work (and pretty much ALL work) is impossible between 11am and 8pm. We'll see what else we think of! How are your gardens?

Punto Pelicano

 Went camping over the weekend with the boy and the dog and had a blast! We decided to drive to a beach we've been to several times (El Coyote) and then follow the dirt road we had always seen veering off to the right.  We drove through the cacti and brush, leaving the paved highway behind. I swear some of these "roads" were cattle-made first and then maintained by so many beach-goers plowing their cars through the desert.

Arrived to a gravel beach, in a nice arch-formation.  Settled on an area that had huge boulders in front of the waves, so many little pools were formed.  Nice to walk away out on, or jump off of, as our neighbors did for most of the afternoon.



taken in the morning light, but you can see the boulders a bit

In the morning, I woke up when the sky was just beginning to lighten and got up out of the tent to take some pics. 

Sunrise-lit sky, our tent in left center lookin' tiny!

Spent the afternoon lounging - something M does very well as you can see:

he didn't want to leave the shade - sand was too hot without flip flops!

Love finding sea stars like this one -
they're so camouflaged that spotting one is like winning a prize!

"Oh, QUESO!"

Contrary to what the title suggests, this post is not about cheese.  Although I am a HUGE fan of cheese and and in the future I may write a post on La Paz's best cheeses, haha.  No, I wanted to share a funny "spanglish" moment that E and I recently shared.  I was trying to clean the back porch and was trying to move a very heavy wooden door that we had recently replaced with a new steel one. It was leaning against the house.

Me <straining to move door, can't quite get a grip on it>: "JEEZ!"
E, not sure how he heard me from the front of the house, where he was watering the "lawn", arrives and without saying anything, moves the door for me.
Me <confused, in spansh>: "Como supiste que necesite ayuda?"
E <smirking, in spanish>: "Dijiste, 'QUESO'. Siempre cuando dices eso es por que necesitas ayuda con algo, Lisa."

every day is a surprise with him :)

Garden?

This pic above is basically what I'm working with in our yard. Baked, dry, scorched all come to mind.  Since E and the guys replaced the perimeter wall around the house (and ripped up the plants in the process) he has given me the green-light to be the "jardinera" and design a new garden/yard scheme. As if I have experience and knowledge in doing this, ha!

We have 1 aloe cactus that we bought at the supermarket, put in the ground and hoped it would grow.  4 years later it is full and has 9 (!) babies growing along side of it. This is not our aloe, but an idea of what it looks like:

So I definitely want to keep that and let it prosper.  We also have a leafy tree (seen below) and a nice full palm tree right next to the porch.  These i love because they cast green and blow in the breeze, etc.  The pic below is roughly what the yard looks like now:

Yeah.......so clearly I have a long way to go! Because of the sun and the fact that we're not home part of year for weeks at a time (kayak season), we need plants that LOVE the sunlight and don't need water. Shouldn't be too hard, right? This is Baja, afterall...I have a feeling I will end up with a yard full of these pretty babies:

I just have to get organized and put some money aside for the trip to the nursery. Or I could call a gardener with experience.  E would kill me! We'll see...

Big News!

Yesterday was Election Day and things went smoothly over here in Baja California.  Everyone we ran into was talking about the election and the numbers.  We listened on the radio last night to the broadcasts with the tallies and for now, it appears we have a winner.  Even E who normally does not get involved/excited in government was "sshing" me to hear the radio.  Politics does funny things to people.

For me, being an outsider to the whole spectacle has been interesting.  I've done some research on my own and even attended a short presentation on Mexican government so I could better understand the process, who's who, etc. But as my visa does not permit "participation in political activities of any kind" I am staying well on the edge.  Still is very exciting to watch though!

On another note, it RAINED in Baja this morning! First time in a year and a half!! Our dog, M, has never seen rain, so we celebrated his first time although he just looked confused.  Now from our kitchen I can hear the cars driving through puddles and the streets that have been transformed into small streams, I'm sure. Nowhere for it to go except down to the ocean.  I wonder what interesting things floated down from the city the beachcombers will find later today...Happy Monday!

Back to doing what We Do Best

Back in Baja after a great week home in the U.S.  and that means back to doing what we do best: beaching, snorkelling, cooking and beach-combing.  Here's a shot from yesterday:

More interesting posts to come this week, I promise! Election Day is tomorrow and I will be sure to talk about that! For now, Happy Saturday!

Balm for my So[u]l

Home in the U.S. for a week's visit and to attend a college friend's wedding! Flew home last Thursday and got a few more days on my visit.  Getting a few shifts of work tonight and tomorrow.  I had a wonderful weekend visiting family and friends, although it was hectic at times.  I'm extremely grateful to those in my life who rearrange their schedules to see me, even if it's just for an hour, while I'm home. Sometimes coming home feels like a breath of sweet, fresh air and other times it feels pressure-filled, tense and serves to remind me why I love living in Baja. Most times the two places complement the other very nicely.  I'm never really tired of either place.

Some things I'm loving getting to experience in the U.S. this week:
1. Stop signs = STOP
2. Toilet paper can be flushed down the toilet!
3. Tons of radio stations singing songs in English
4. My friends' laughter all around me
5. It being cool enough to make a fire in the backyard and roast marshmallows
6. Smelling Gramma's cooking wafting up from the kitchen

And a few things I'm missing terribly already from Baja already:
1. Waking up with E
2. Quality Beaches!!!
3. Food trucks selling mouth-watering food any time of the night
4. Bars serving after 2am/Liquor sales after 9pm
5. Lack of "no duh" rules & laws that seem very redundant in the U.S.

Back to Baja on Thursday!!

What We Do with a Few Free Hours

When we have a few hours to kill (or be lazy with), E and I like to take the short ride to La Concha beach just past the very end of the Malecon.  The beach is small with a few palapas and buildings to the back, but has great snorkeling and calm lapping waves.  The condos you see in the photos below are where my family has rented several times, really nice and a perfect home base for exploring La Paz.  

Beach Day

This past weekend we drove out past Tecolote Beach to a beach with no name.  The asphalt ends (as it often does here in Baja) and we drove on a dirt road for about 20 minutes.  The land out on the peninsula is slowly being sold off and developed bit by bit, but there has to remain access roads to each beach per Mexican law (amazing!).  The beach we arrived to was worth the effort. excellent snorkelling, white sand and the best part about beaches in Baja if you ask me - we were ALONE. I've gotten spoiled with having my "own" beach and now dread seeing other visitors drive up!

What a lucky dog!



Boys being boys

Feliz Dia de Los Fathers!

A very Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there.  We are celebrating today with E's dad who is here visiting for awhile.  Took him to the Chinese Buffet and relaxing in the AC watching movies :)

More later this week about our weekend adventures!

Our (2 Week) Kayak Trip

I'm sure I could write an entirely separate blog about the role kayaking has played into our lives here in La Paz.  But that's for another day.  I wanted to share some pics of our self-sustained, 14 day kayak trip that E and I did last May 2011.  We paddled from Loreto to the outskirts of La Paz Bay (about 130 miles).  Physically, it was the hardest thing I've ever done and believe me, there were mornings and nights I cried in pain or frustration that I couldn't go on. But we had no serious injuries, no dehydration (our #1 worry) and no run-ins with dangerous marine life. Beautiful views, secluded beaches to camp on every night (my favorite part of the day!) and the best part: sometimes we wouldn't see another human being for days at a time. Incredible!

Views of Danzante Island, off the coast of Loreto - after shoving off from Loreto Malecon. Day #1

Bruise on my left leg, don't remember from what but we got to watch it change colors all trip long!

Docked for lunch! Our favorite lunch spot, hands down.
We watched mobula rays jumping out of the water during our canned tuna lunch.

Canyon de la Zorra

E and I got to talking about some spots we'd like to visit in Southern Baja this summer. We want to try the new Water Park that opened up on the highway between Los Barriles and San Jose and try to swing a road trip up to Ensenada to see our friend who's having a baby in September! Another place we agreed we want to return to is Canyon de la Zorra, or Canyon of the Fox, which sounds pretty mysterious to me.  It is a canyon system off the highway, accessed through Santiago.  You arrive on a ledge and have to walk down into the waterfall area via a rough path.  Kind of a hike, especially if you're carrying gear to camp or spend the day, but definitely worth it! We visited for the day in 2008 and were not alone...as you can see. The water is fresh and cool and right off the mountains that act as a spine to the Baja peninsula. Daring young kids and teenagers make the leap off the top of the waterfall to the pool below and there's even some good snorkeling to be seen.  There are plenty of smaller pools and streams stemming off the main pool for each family or group to have their own oasis.  Aahhh, cant wait to go back!

Canyon de la Zorra

Dog Tails

Spent the morning at Baja Dogs, a dog refuge outside La Paz on the highway north.  I have been following them online and sending money when I can for about 2 years now, but just started volunteering as a dog-walker last fall.  It's so great to go and visit and play with the dogs and puppies! They have a bodega with smaller stalls for the smaller dogs and outside there are bigger corral-type enclosures for the bigger dogs.  Some dogs have "roommates" and are 2 or 3 to a pen.  There is a "hospital" for dogs that arrive sick or injured and a quarantine area away from both buildings that each dogs spends some time at when they arrive, just in case he or she is contagious with a doggy disease. 

The Mexican, American and Canadian staff and volunteers work so hard each day to make a good life for each dog and find a "forever" home with a good family.  Some days, on my drives home from the refuge I feel like I see more dogs on the streets than I just spent the morning helping. These mornings it can feel all the work we do is a mere drop in the bucket.  But I try to remain positive that what we do matters and we are improving the quality of life for the refugio dogs!

Please visit Baja Dogs La Paz' great website and consider donating via their online portal. Every little bit helps and the organization does SO much with so little!  http://www.bajadogslapaz.org/index.html

El Triunfo

On our way home from San Jose over the weekend we pulled off the Transpeninsular highway in a small town we've always wanted to spend an afternoon exploring.  El Triunfo is in Central Baja Sur about halfway between La Paz and Los Barriles.  It only has about a dozen buildings and 325 (ish) people now, but in its heyday it was an important mining center of Baja Sur.  Wikipedia says that at one time it was the biggest city in Baja with 10,000 miners when gold and silver were discovered in the hills and mountains surrounding it.  That was in the 1860's.  Gustav Eiffel even designed the two big smokestacks that now sit idle and falling apart.  By the 1910's most of the population had moved out to either La Paz or the Cabos. 

We started our afternoon with a absolutely delicious meal at a roadside stand.  I had 2 beef tamales with fresh white cheese and refried beans. E had a beef burrito and quesadilla that also did not disappoint.  We then crossed the street (the only street) to the smokestacks and the shells of the old brick buildings to explore.  When we got too hot and dry to keep hiking (day time temps = 95*F) we got back in the car and drove a little ways to the town's cemetary.  Hiking along the graves again we saw many that were from around the 1920-1940's but some more recent ones from 2004.  Most seemed really old with just a pile of rocks, no markers or crosses.  Seems they have been forgotten.  Our footprints were the only ones in the sand on the path leading up to the cemetary, so I'm guessing not too many people make the drive out to visit their loved ones.  I would love to go back there during Dia de los Muertos and see if the activity picks up then!  All in all, a great, though hothothot afternoon!

Goofing around with the old smokestack

view from the very much-welcomed shade!

Graves on the hillside

Getaway to San Jose

This past Saturday we drove the familia back to the airport in San Jose and decided to make it an overnight trip. We stayed at the Hotel Posada Real on the tourist corridor, but closer to San Jose. San Lucas is gearing up for the G-20 Summit and is already a crazytown! We had a wonderful time frolicking in the beachside pool and hot-tub with the bar service always ready to supply the next cold cocktail! Our room was small, 1 king bed, but very comfortable and even had a sea-facing balcony with patio chairs to enjoy once the sun went down. The on-site restaurant and bar had a good mix of pub food and traditional mexican dishes and of course those free beers and drinks! This is the second time we've been to spend the night and we both really enjoy going there. Excellent service, way affordable price and you can't beat the location!

Beachfront property, great for lounging

View of the pool. Our room was in the building in the background

Bikini on & Pina Colada in hand!