La Paz is a Really Cool Place. Was That A Gunshot?

As we prepared for this adventure, the stories about the drug violence and murder rates in La Paz left me with concern about even riding through this city of 227,000 near Cabo San Lucas, the famous tourist town on the tip of the Baja Penninsula,  As we spoke with some researchers at Kuyima on the Laguna San Ignacio watching whales, my pre-conceptions softened and changed.  The city is actually  a cosmopolitan center of Mexican culture, the arts, higher education and medicine.  We arrived today better prepared to enjoy the real La Paz.

We were the first and only customers at a Uruguayan restaurant for breakfast in Loreto this morning.  I had mouth watering forest savory crepe with freshly brewed dark, rich coffee and Dave had an omelet with an empanada.  With the help of our GPSs, we made our way out of el centro(downtown), filled our tanks with Pemex rojo (premium) gas and rode out on Mex 1.

Today we got a full dose of the warm weather we came here to enjoy.  No clouds, blazing sun, and progressively more southern latitudes led to sunscreen, open vents in our riding clothes, and more frequent stops to drink water since I no longer have my wonderful KLIM water backpack.  We recorded 89 degrees before the cool breezes that came as we descended from high desert to La Paz on the Sea of Cortez.

  

The first photo is one of our water stops.  Most of today's ride looked like that.  Dave is very hot in his black riding clothes and clearly not a happy camper.  The second photo was of a long, finally successful search for shade.  We stopped here in part because of all the colorful "flowers" blooming around the tree.

Some have described a trip to Baja as returning to the "Wild West".  With the wonderful people, wonderful service, food and lodging that might be a bit of a stretch.  However we have seen wide, very wild expanses of cacti with tall brown mountain ranges in the background.  We have seen vultures circling and many carcasses of decaying animals with the striking stench.  We have been on many rough, dusty roads some of with no names and no mapped destination.  I might not be surprised to see Clint Eastwood ride up to us on horseback with a wide brimmed cowboy hat and a classic squint and frown at one of our water stops.

Descent into La Paz meant I would have another lesson in driving Mexican style.  I have learned the reddish brown Alto signs so very common should be yellow since you are not intended to stop, just let the other guy at the intersection first go through.  A red light requires a full stop until it turns green.

With our reservation pre-arranged, we followed the GPS path that was again wrong, but pretty close and very appreciated bringing us with a little dead reckoning and asking directions to the Hotel Mediterrean.  As you can see from the picture it is a quaint, well kempt place nicely decorated with an excellent adjoining restaurant, the Zoe.  And again, perhaps one of the most memorable events of this trip, they let us park our beloved motorcycles behind the locked gate in the courtyard only 30 feet from our room.

In the last photo you can see the tiny speck of silver from my helmet on the bed.  Dave and I have been very lucky finding great, safe palaces to stay.  My motorcycle has done everything I have asked and has only asked for more gas.  It brings me joy that I am becoming a better rider.

Tomorrow, we explore La Paz.  If I hear a loud bang I will just duck.  I will imagine a modern day Clint Eastwood may be there to save the day!