We’ve been here for a couple of days and we are still adjusting to the culture. It is much different that Cabo San Lucas. It’s not touristy. The locals speak Spanish and very little English and use pesos not USD. We’ve had to come up to speed quickly on the money conversion. The Marina in La Paz had a welcome party for all of us that cruised here in the Baja Ha Ha. These are some of the dancers. Their costumes were beautiful!
We were anchored out in the bay for one night and we were told about the “La Paz Waltz”. This is where the boat dances around its anchor because the wind is blowing in one direction and a strong current is moving in the opposite direction. Because of this many of the boat were dragging anchor, including ours. This can be dangerous! We didn’t realize it was happening because we were at a party. We came back to the boat in the dark in the dinghy and found our boat very close to bumping into the dock at Marina Cortez in heavy winds. We quickly moved it and tied it up to a dock that was not available to use. Security arrived within minutes and let us spend the night for what ended up being equivalent to $85. Marina slips here are hard to get because there are so many people in this area this year. We lucked out and got a slip right in the heart of La Paz for 30 days.
The local knowledge that has been shared with all of us has been useful such as don’t rent a Hertz or Avis rental car because you will be pulled over by the Baja police and fined $200 USD for speeding (even if you weren’t). Instead, get a Baja rental car. They leave them alone. Don’t rely on “Alto” (Stop signs) when driving or riding your bike. Stop signs don’t mean anything here. Don’t be in a rush when eating at a restaurant. They will allow you to sit there for hours and relax. You must ask for the check or they will never bring it. Even after asking its always about 30 minutes before it arrives.
The mornings start out with listening to the Cruisers Net on VHF 22A. They start by asking if anyone has a medical emergency or needs a referral to a doctor or dentist. Next, is anyone having boat issues or need boat parts? My favorite is “does anyone have any items to trade for coconuts”. The Mexican government does not allow selling items over the radio for money so the cruisers refer to their money as “coconuts”. I am in the process of working a trade for 2 paddle boards for coconuts from a couple that is leaving in a few days for Mazatlan!
When the Cruisers Net is finished, its coffee time at Club Crucerous (Cruiser’s Club). It is a club we are in that raises money for children in the area that cannot afford school uniforms. All children here wear navy blue and white uniforms to school. They sell coffee every morning for 10 pesos (50 cents) a cup. There will be a Thanksgiving dinner, a rummage sale and a bake sale within the next 2 weeks. They also sell club memberships, t-shirts and Mexican flags which all cruisers in Mexican waters must fly.
We have met so many nice people. A couple had a rental car today so they invited us to tag along to the grocery store and bank. Most all establishments take only pesos so we’re constantly going to the bank. Unfortunately, the bank ate Kevin’s debit card yesterday and he was not able to get it back 🙁
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