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Published: January 21st 2020
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Hi and welcome back. This is the first of my blogs from Mexico. We set of on 14th January, getting the train from Murcia to Madrid. A 12 hour flight to Mexico city and an overnight stay before a short hop to Baja California. Our trip is six weeks and we hope to have some encounters with whales in Baja, visit friends in Nayarit, see colonial Merida and some Mayan ruins and a week to chill on Isla Mujeres at the end.
Mexico city was only a transit point and we were in an area to the west of the Centro antiguo. We wandered around a bit but it was fairly rundown , although there were streets and streets of shops with wedding dresses. We got very little sleep as our room was above reception and there were loads of Mariachi bands and clubs blasting out till the early hours. Not to mention the 4.30am departure of a large group of Mexicans, who didn't leave quietly. We were glad to leave.
We picked up a hire car and are in Baja California till 3rd February. Our first six nights are in La Paz which is very much a working
city set in a beautiful bay. South of the town are some stunning beaches with white sand and blue sea and not an all inclusive hotel in sight! It is a place that made me feel instantly at home and that is despite the fact they are digging up the main square and surrounding roads, with lots of complicated diversions.
We are staying in Mantarraya Outpost a lovely B&B five blocks from the Malecon and seafront. We are the only guests and have a nice big room and use of a sitting room and outside terrace downstairs. Breakfast is lovely tropical fruit and yogurt followed by something cooked served with tortillas.
We spent a bit of time chilling after the travel, sorting out what next , getting money etc. I did some early morning yomps on the seafront, meeting a lovely American widow from Montana who sold her house and now splits her time and rents 6 months in Montana and 6 months in La Paz.
We went down to Playa el Tecolote to sort out a trip for Tuesday to an island where we can swim and snorkel with sea lions. Met a Canadian guy who
lives there, its very peaceful with no mobile or internet since someone cut the cables !!We had a morning at Playa Balandra just paddling in the sea and enjoying the views and eating fresh mango and coconut.
We have had a good selection of food , various types of tacos but the highlight was yesterday on a street corner about four blocks away. A queue is usually a good sign, as is local people. There were two options fish or shrimp tacos. You paid at a makeshift desk and got a handwritten ticket for the guy putting the tacos together. You then added your salad and sauces, obviously some chill and they were delicious. Chris had shrimp which is the name the Mexicans use but they are in fact large prawns. I also had a ceviche, octopus, avocado and clam tostada one night which was fab too! Oh and a funky place with South American style empanadas and home-made spinach pasta filled with aubergine.
On the seafront there is a great bar that sells locally brewed beer from the Baja Brewing Company in Los Cabos. They have a great selection of tasty beer a big improvement on the
bottled Corona and Pacifico. Last night we also eat there and had a great thin crispy pizza.
Our host Luisa invited us to join her on Sunday walking with a local eco-guide and as it was a 5.30am start Chris declined ! So I went with her and joined a group walking inland but with views of the coast. We first picked up our breakfast from a small restaurant and then had a briefing about the importance of the environment and removing litter etc. , not disturbing the wildlife or damaging the trees. Its was an easy walk of about 5km and at the half way point Alex, the organiser had built a fire and served freshly brewed coffee which was very welcome after such an early start. The local people were very friendly and there was a Canadian couple too, they were a retired oceanographer and marine biologist. The temperatures here are a comfortable 25°C but for the locals it is cold, it peaks at about 45° in the summer. I got some strange looks as I walked in shorts and they were wrapped up for the cold.
Monday was fabulous we had booked a trip to swim with whale sharks and joined two American couples and a Mexican man to head out in to the bay. It was all a bit stop start to begin with but we got sorted with wet suits and buoyancy aids. There are strict controls about how many boats at any one time and we had a bit of waiting around. It was about an hour to the place where the whale sharks were waiting. They are the biggest fish in the sea and can be as big as a single decker bus and they filter feed on plankton. Being in the water right next to them was a real privilege and we saw 3 or four different ones, one swam under the boat and its body was about the same size as the boat. Chris took quite a lot of pictures but it's not easy to capture their beauty. Fabulous.
In the evening we went for a meal for my birthday, it's not till 2nd February but when get back here in La Paz on 2nd it's a Sunday and the restaurant I wanted to go to is closed Sundays. Its called Nim and it was fine dining, a complete contrast to the taco stall. The food was delicious I had a Mexican style prawn taco for starter and Chris had a lamb kofta and tzatziki . My main course was solomillo of pork rolled in ham with cauliflower puree and crispy vegetables, Chris had chicken breast with a Mexican sauce called mole. We even had dessert, mine was two small tarts ;one a lime version of tart au citron and the other with dates, Chris had flan casero. As we know nothing about Mexican wine we had a tasty Ribera del Duero from Spain and finished with coffee and I had a rum from Guatemala.
So that is week one over, we have one last day in La Paz but more of that next week.
Till next time
Norma x
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