Summer 2012
La Paz Mexico - Summer 2012
Here we are once again spending the summer in the sunny seaside town of La Paz. Whether it is visiting with friends and sharing a margarita or two on the docks, taking Bailey for a run on the Magote, or heading out to go swimming in some of the clearest waters we've seen to date, La Paz has always proven itself to be a great destination. La Paz is a city of just a little over 160,000 people. La Paz is mostly a government town, so it is not a place where you find tons of time-shares as you do in some of the larger Mexican resort towns. That isn't to say tourism doesn't abound here and there are some incredible restaurants....trust me.......I've been sampling.
While vessels of all shapes and size have been visiting or making La Paz home for millenia, cruisers from the west coast of Canada and US began converging on the La Paz area in the mid 1980's. In fact, the first marina on the Baja setup shop in 1984 to service those cruisers, and that marina, Marina de La Paz is now the home for many year-round live-aboards and cruisers who make the trek to Mexico each and every year. Marina de La Paz is also the home of Club Cruceros, a loose membership based association of cruisers for social gatherings and for fundraisers for the children or La Paz and other worthy causes. The actual club house of Club Cruceros was removed in May of 2012 to make room for a newer, larger club house that is set to open in early July.
There are a number of other marinas in the La Paz region, but 2 others stand out. These are Marina Palmira and Marina Costa Baja. Costa Baja in particular, while a bit pricey for the average cruiser, is likely one of the nicest facilities on the west coast with many shops, restaurants and other amenities close at hand. Having some services close is a good thing as Costa Baja is about a 10 minute drive from La Paz. Irish Diplomacy has spent some time at Costa Baja, but to be nearer to town and to save on cab fares, we've been hanging our hat at Marina de La Paz.
The La Paz harbour itself is quite large and during the winter months is quite full with many anchored boats. However you don't have to go far to find other good, and much quieter anchorages. 3 come to mind immediately for Kimberley and I: Ballandra (that's pronounced Bahyandra in espanol), Coletta Lobos, and Playa Pichilingue. We've dropped anchor in all three and each has it's own beauty and benefits.
Playa Pichilingue is the busiest of the 3 anchorages as it sits only about 4 miles from La Paz and is a beach and launch ramp frequented by locals. That's OK though as the bay is large, the holding is good, and the beach is long and sandy. There are also 2 restaurants on the beach which serve up some tender vittles. The water in Playa Pichilingue was so clear, that in 20 feet, we could easily see the anchor and how well it was holding. That made it easy to check the hold each day.
Coleta Lobos is the most protected of the three anchorages. While it is open to the south, the bay itself is quite protected and it is easy to tuck in, drop the hook and relax with a cold Margarita knowing the boats not going anywhere. There is a mid-sized sand beach with a very long shallow water beach shelf that extends about 75 yards into the water. Perfect for wading and letting little dogs like Bailey have a swim. It is also a very quite location with high mountains on each wrapping around 3 sides of the bay, so noise or light from La Paz, and even Pichilingue is non-existent. If there is any downside to Coleta Lobos, and there is, it's the Bobos. Bobos are little tiny flies, kind of like noseums that bite. Can they be a nuisance.....yes, they can, but you get to know when they are out and keep the bug screens closed during those parts of the day.
Finally there is Ballandra. This is a huge crescent shaped bay with sandy beaches that feel like silk between your toes. While the bay itself doesn't offer much protecting due to it's size, there are spots boats can tuck into to get out of various wind and swell. A large part of the bay is only 5 or 6 feet deep during low-tide, but the snorkeling is great and it's not unusual to see a myriad of rays. We had the pleasure of taking my parents, along with their friends Carolyn and Barry to Ballandra one day, and Kimberley and I liked it so much, we went back a few more weekends to drop the hook and spend some time relaxing ourselves.
Also in the La Paz area, there are numerous islands and anchorages that are frequented by many cruisers and also local companies that offer fishing and diving excursions. Isla Espiritu Santos and Isla Partida in particular stand out as locations which are very close and have numerous anchorages and hideaways, however we didn't have much opportunity to spend time at the islands as they have strict rules about dogs not being allowed to visit.
That's La Paz. Where to next? We never know for sure.....could be south, could be north, but if the always written in sand plans hold up, we will be heading south this winter and crossing into and through Panama.
Hasta Manana
Here we are once again spending the summer in the sunny seaside town of La Paz. Whether it is visiting with friends and sharing a margarita or two on the docks, taking Bailey for a run on the Magote, or heading out to go swimming in some of the clearest waters we've seen to date, La Paz has always proven itself to be a great destination. La Paz is a city of just a little over 160,000 people. La Paz is mostly a government town, so it is not a place where you find tons of time-shares as you do in some of the larger Mexican resort towns. That isn't to say tourism doesn't abound here and there are some incredible restaurants....trust me.......I've been sampling.
While vessels of all shapes and size have been visiting or making La Paz home for millenia, cruisers from the west coast of Canada and US began converging on the La Paz area in the mid 1980's. In fact, the first marina on the Baja setup shop in 1984 to service those cruisers, and that marina, Marina de La Paz is now the home for many year-round live-aboards and cruisers who make the trek to Mexico each and every year. Marina de La Paz is also the home of Club Cruceros, a loose membership based association of cruisers for social gatherings and for fundraisers for the children or La Paz and other worthy causes. The actual club house of Club Cruceros was removed in May of 2012 to make room for a newer, larger club house that is set to open in early July.
There are a number of other marinas in the La Paz region, but 2 others stand out. These are Marina Palmira and Marina Costa Baja. Costa Baja in particular, while a bit pricey for the average cruiser, is likely one of the nicest facilities on the west coast with many shops, restaurants and other amenities close at hand. Having some services close is a good thing as Costa Baja is about a 10 minute drive from La Paz. Irish Diplomacy has spent some time at Costa Baja, but to be nearer to town and to save on cab fares, we've been hanging our hat at Marina de La Paz.
The La Paz harbour itself is quite large and during the winter months is quite full with many anchored boats. However you don't have to go far to find other good, and much quieter anchorages. 3 come to mind immediately for Kimberley and I: Ballandra (that's pronounced Bahyandra in espanol), Coletta Lobos, and Playa Pichilingue. We've dropped anchor in all three and each has it's own beauty and benefits.
Playa Pichilingue is the busiest of the 3 anchorages as it sits only about 4 miles from La Paz and is a beach and launch ramp frequented by locals. That's OK though as the bay is large, the holding is good, and the beach is long and sandy. There are also 2 restaurants on the beach which serve up some tender vittles. The water in Playa Pichilingue was so clear, that in 20 feet, we could easily see the anchor and how well it was holding. That made it easy to check the hold each day.
Coleta Lobos is the most protected of the three anchorages. While it is open to the south, the bay itself is quite protected and it is easy to tuck in, drop the hook and relax with a cold Margarita knowing the boats not going anywhere. There is a mid-sized sand beach with a very long shallow water beach shelf that extends about 75 yards into the water. Perfect for wading and letting little dogs like Bailey have a swim. It is also a very quite location with high mountains on each wrapping around 3 sides of the bay, so noise or light from La Paz, and even Pichilingue is non-existent. If there is any downside to Coleta Lobos, and there is, it's the Bobos. Bobos are little tiny flies, kind of like noseums that bite. Can they be a nuisance.....yes, they can, but you get to know when they are out and keep the bug screens closed during those parts of the day.
Finally there is Ballandra. This is a huge crescent shaped bay with sandy beaches that feel like silk between your toes. While the bay itself doesn't offer much protecting due to it's size, there are spots boats can tuck into to get out of various wind and swell. A large part of the bay is only 5 or 6 feet deep during low-tide, but the snorkeling is great and it's not unusual to see a myriad of rays. We had the pleasure of taking my parents, along with their friends Carolyn and Barry to Ballandra one day, and Kimberley and I liked it so much, we went back a few more weekends to drop the hook and spend some time relaxing ourselves.
Also in the La Paz area, there are numerous islands and anchorages that are frequented by many cruisers and also local companies that offer fishing and diving excursions. Isla Espiritu Santos and Isla Partida in particular stand out as locations which are very close and have numerous anchorages and hideaways, however we didn't have much opportunity to spend time at the islands as they have strict rules about dogs not being allowed to visit.
That's La Paz. Where to next? We never know for sure.....could be south, could be north, but if the always written in sand plans hold up, we will be heading south this winter and crossing into and through Panama.
Hasta Manana