After having the boat in La Paz for about 7 weeks, we are about to head north into the Sea of Cortez. The three of us have been enjoying our time in boat paradise, also known as Costa Baja. It is a lovely marina with access to resort amenities, internet and a shuttle into town. Certainly living at a resort is a nice way to avoid winter in Seattle...
 |
| Did we mention Steve Jobs's superyacht, Venus, (87th largest privately owned yacht in the world) is here, too? Just unveiled in the Netherlands on 28 October 2012. |
La Paz itself is a wonderful city. It still feels like a proper Mexican city despite the fact that there are numerous ex-pats living here. Generally, they seem to have integrated much better, working here and speaking Spanish. Also, we have heard that with La Paz having it's own economy independent of tourism, there is much less pressure on visitors from the tourist industry.
 |
| La Paz peace parade down the malecon... |
 |
| ...ending at the main cathedral |
 |
| Continuing to hone our cooking skills - BBQ steak wrapped in bacon |
Our time here was punctuated by an enjoyable visit with the Negilskis, in and around Puerto Vallarta. We spent a few nights all-inclusive style in Nuevo Vallarta, followed by an overnight stay in Puerto Vallarta proper. Puerto Vallarta proved to be a much nicer city than anticipated with a lovely malecon (seawall) for strolling and nice restaurants in the Zona Romantica (where we had a very tasty Valentines Day dinner together at Cafe Olla). From Puerto Vallarta we travelled by bus a bit off the beaten path to the laid back beach town of Barra de Navidad. Highlights there included: live music and dancing in Melaque, waterfront meals with plenty of good conversation (politics, the economy, religion, all the good no-nos), brunch at the Grand Bay Hotel, and a day trip to Manzanillo. We finished our time together with an extravagant dinner overlooking the city of Puerto Vallarta at Ah Caramba! Forgot to get the pics before the Negilskis went home :/
 |
| The Negilski Men |
Travelling back to the boat proved to be an adventure in itself: 8 hour bus ride from Puerto Vallarta to Mazatlan, followed by a 19 hour ferry ride from Mazatlan to La Paz. Mazatlan was the original Mexican resort town, and we got to experience its history by staying one night at Hotel Belmar, a waterfront hotel which had its heyday in the 60s.
La Paz Album
Mazatlan Album
Hi Matt! It was very nice to meet you yesterday - it's great to know you guys are out there living the dream too!
ReplyDelete