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Published: November 22nd 2014
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Ah...the long anticipated ferry ride across the Sea of Cortez...
It was great fun, except the waiting in lines! We left about an hour late from Mazatlan, but in plenty of time to watch the sun set from out on the sea...
We had to arrive a few hours before departure, and then waited on benches in the shade for about an hour. Next we waited by the baggage truck, and unfortunately didn't check our suitcases, opting to carry them on. Then we waited by the ferry ramp for a safe time to walk on between the semis that were still loading. Then we waited go up to the cabin level. And THEN it got really hard: five flights of narrow, steep stairs carrying a suitcase and wearing a backpack. Then we waited for our room key...
Our cabin was nice: clean, air-conditioned, with a bathroom and comfortable bunks. We spent the next few hours on the deck, watching Mazatlan disappear over the horizon, and the sun set over the Sea of Cortez. The majority of the passengers were the truck drivers, but there was a Canadian family family with two small boys, a Mexican family with a
Coffee on "our" deck, with the last of the homemade protein bars I brought with us...
Actually this is the landing at the end of our passageway....and we had it mostly to ourselves... 7 month old and various other older couples. Those without cabins could sit in the lounge in reclining seats and watch movies or sleep.
Dinner was cafeteria style, but the line moved quickly and the food wasn't bad. A few truck drivers chose to drink their dinner and play a very boisterous card game until a few passed out. Shortly after we sat down we were joined by a younger Mexican man who had assumed we were Europeans because we were eating with the truck drivers and looking relaxed about it! We discussed politics for awhile, and found out that his name was Gustavo and that he had lived in the States for many years, had just returned from Denmark, and now works for the condo complex in Cabo where our neighbors have a time share...
After dinner we went up on the deck for a few minutes before bed, and then slept soundly, rocked gently by the waves. We got up early the next morning to watch the sunrise, and had coffee and the rest of the protein bars I'd baked before we left home. Breakfast was at 8:00 and quite good. When it got too hot
Waiting area for the ferry
We were told to get there 2 hours before departure..... to stay on the deck, we napped in the cabin until we had some shade and then sat outside as the ferry neared the Baja coast. We passed islands and fishing boats, and then came closer to the rocky desert coastline. We docked just south Of La Paz around noon, but didn't get off the ship until around 1:30, since again we had to wait for a safe time to cross the ramp with the trucks still unloading. A bus took us to the customs building where our bags were x-rayed and opened, and our passports checked. We finally got to La Paz around 2:30....checked into our hotel, and made dinner arrangements with friends who have a condo here and share LaConner connections....
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Very cool
Bigger than expected and en suite. Great.