And we are in La Paz! May 2014

Quote:

Originally posted by Floatflyer Tell your friends that are staying at El Morro that Casa Buena also takes dogs and is a lot cheaper. I thought your stay in La Paz was to be a restful experience!

Ah...Club El Moro on the Malecon. I joined the membership club a long time ago, plus get a discount for the old FM3. But being as it may, and having said that, the only I don't like about the place is the fact that I keep getting stranded on an island.....

So, we sent Rex off for a haircut and bath and he is so cute!






I got flowers for Mexican mother's day....gorgeous!





This evening we went to try out Azul Marino. It far surpassed all our expectations. We ordered 4 different dishes and all were superb:


The Caesar salad






The Queso Fundido






Me excellent brandy shrimp dish






Les's Thai Fish dish, spicy number 5 on a scale of 10:






Our friend Andy's pizza





Our friend Bernice's pesto





We met the owner's mother, Nelia. She is from Mexico City and came out here because her two kids decided to open Nims ..... So she is now being paid to manage Azul Marino. She considers La Paz a village...hahaha.....we told her about La Bocana and Punta Chivato but I am sure she did NOT quite get what a real small village is.


After dinner, Les and I decided to try out Tres Virgenes for a drink. Second time we missed Jesse, so this time I left a note to see if we can meet up one of these days. We did meet his brother Pedro. Here are some shots of the restaurant:


The entrance





The bar:








We only had drinks, but I got a copy of the menu FYI...two margaritas and two beers ran us $310 pesos.....Les was not a happy camper! Holy smokes! A tad high, Batman.












The back patio and kitchen area:









Our amigos leave today for NOB and other friends from Mulege come tomorrow. Les may be off to the States this week and I will care for Rex. The days have been ridiculously hot at 100 in the pm, perfect for naps or locations with A/C. In our case, we do air conditioned naps. (((: Interestingly enough, the early mornongs and nighttime is actually cool to cold. Can anyone tell me if this is true all summer?

Hope you are comfy...this has been a busy day:

Got up and went to mass at what I believe may be another Cathedral. The orphanage I am volunteering at on Mondays and Wednesdays is there as well.

This is a mockup of what it will look like eventually.









Inside and at 7 am, it was freezing. We regretted not bringing jackets.









We bought the little white cookies and they are delicious.





From there, Les and I went to 5a Avenida, a modern cafe chain. They have old photos of La Paz inside as well as a selection of cakes.








Then, we came home and did emails for a bit while waiting for the college boys to come over for a late breakfast at 10:30. We wanted to take them to Cafe Olympia but found it closed on Sundays. Went to Cafe Economica, also closed on Sundays. Ended up taking them to a carnitas stand that we drive by every day, located next to the Post Office on Revolucion. It is always busy and they chowed down four each while we strolled over to Corazon Cafe.



The taco stand








We were told Corazon Cafe used to be a prison. Light open spaces, free internet, magazines. Just lovely. Located right on the corner across from the Post Office.








Our table was in the back









The menu













Huevos Rancheros





From there, Les went home and the kids and I went for ice cream as it was HOT.








Took them to the photo exhibit I went to, told them the culture in Mexico is amazing and needs to be preserved. We also talked about preparing for the Oaxacan kids this Tuesday and Cristian will be going to the dentist in Los Barriles that day, thanks to Char and her wonderful team.





From there we went to the crazy YNK hotel














It is Mother's Day and here is a picture of me and mom a couple years ago. She is one of the most amazing women I have ever met.





Happy Mothers Day to all of you who have kids, have nurtured kids or were a dad and mom.

Good afternoon all....quiet day today as Les was with some amigos who had to visit dentists and immigration and other fun stuff. I went to the English class at the orphanage, but alas, I forgot my ipad for photos.

So, here we have the tile floor at Got Baja?





Here we have the packed to the gills with people malecon last night with a soecial native Aztec dance show






And lastly, enjoying a pizza with old and new amigos at Tony's last night! We had the House Special and it did not disappoint:

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaBlanca Good afternoon all....quiet day today as Les was with some amigos who had to visit dentists and immigration and other fun stuff. I went to the English class at the orphanage, but alas, I forgot my ipad for photos. So, here we have the tile floor at Got Baja? Here we have the packed to the gills with people malecon last night with a soecial native Aztec dance show And lastly, enjoying a pizza with old and new amigos at Tony's last night! We had the House Special and it did not disappoint:

Jesus - Jesse is still there and is still the chef, or so I was told. What I think happens is that the dinners here are eaten later when we are already in bed!



Good d ay, All....on this Tuesday the 13th, we went for coffee in the morning at 5 a Avenida. The old photos inside are great, but the reflection from all the windows makes it hard for me to capture. Here are a couple:


Notice that Playa is written PLALLA!





This one has a horse n buggy, it is dated 1903. The wild wild west, or south, or ??





Here is a photo of the malecon during a hurricane. Nast waves, coconut trees and no sidewalk





Avenida Alvaro Obregon - not sure if we have even been on it






Then we went to look at some houses for sale, all around 300K....never took pics. We love going around and seeing what is out there. We even visited with Simon, a very young real estate agent who has lived here for 8 years and runs Amistad Realty. His office is in a killer location: right on the malecon, half a block down from the Chinese Hotel.


Then we went to lunch at the Laureles ....I was craving the fish in white sauce I had last time. It did not let me down and the waiter suggested we have the shrimp and fish drowned in white sauce....


Here is the view in front



And here is the view of the food: 180 pesos gets you enough for two= potato salad, rice, veggies cooked perfectly and quite a bit of fish and shrimp with sauce.




This afternoon, the college kids could not go with me to visit Vista Hermosa Colonia (neighborhood) as they are in exams. Barbara, the coordinator, founder, soul of the scholarship program picked me up and off we went. It was a small group today and I took no pics. They are picking up bits and pieces of English. My goal is to make them curious. I am good, but no one can learn that much in 3 weeks (((:

Now we are inside in A/C as the heat is dreadful...should cool off soon. Hasta manana, amigos. Hope your day was good and that you have peace in your souls.



[Edited on 5-14-2014 by BajaBlanca]

Quote:

Originally posted by lencho Quote: Originally posted by weebray It's on Rosales between Altamirano y Gomez Farias. Roast their own goat - best birria in town. Thanks. It continues to surprise me that most birria in town is beef. Just doesn't seem... right somehow.

Bueno, another really nice day in La Paz. The morning started off at .corazon .cafe as we wanted to get the waiter to do another caricature including Rex this time. This guy does it for ALL the restaurant guests. He is so talented and whips them out in 15 minutes!




The talented waiter




Here we are:






From there, we went looking for, and found, the recycling center. Sometimes driving in La Paz is incredibly challenging. There seems to be roadwork being done on a different street every single day. I am guessing the governor wants to be reelected badly. For out of towners, one must be creative because the challenge is double: roadwork plus one way streets=gotta have patience! Nothing is a simple A to B drive. But we found the center.










This afternoon I went to the orphanage and had a chance to work one on one with students who are running behind. Nancy is one of the most dynamic teachers I have ever met. These kids are lucky.






At the end of the day, Les and I decided to try out Otra Vez. It is located in what used to be the Arambullo (sp) family home. They own the supermarket with the cow in front. The owner of the building is 97 and there are family photos inside. Our meal was delightful, we asked for a caesar salad to be divvied up for us in the kitchen. We also asked that the shrimp and mushroom pasta dish be splitpp up beforehand too. We were the only patrons and I got lots of photos. I can not describe how good the pasta was! The Italian whif of a chef, named .alessio and from .sardinia, is simply awesome. Even splitting the dish, i still have some left over for lunch tomorrow.

The wood fire oven for pizzas






Our table in the only room with private air conditioning! We were boiling and needed to cool off. In back of us, looks like they are building a wine room.





The stairs leading upstairs are hollywoodesque in their sheer elegance







And I think this house should be ours ..... does no harm to wish.






This is a ceiling in one of the dining areas. Exquisite.





The waiter Alejandro asked if I wanted to see upstairs. Of course, I was already climbing them so off we went. These used to be the bedrooms. And a beautiful library! The house was built in the 1800s and it is a beaut architecturally speaking.

Library:

















I am not into antique books per se, but I bet these are worth some money. Complete collections.







This is one of three full walls








Now here are some photos near the entrance of the house in its heyday:













Here, the man of the house ? Looks like he is giving a speech











And then the chef was clanging for us to come for the food. I forgot to take a pic of the pasta dish but pasta is pasta.

But this was waaaay more than a pasta. It was PASTA with all caps. It was so good and I ate my fill to the point where there was no room for dessert.

Anyway, i did get a pic of the salad

The pre splitting of the dishes idea came from Azul Marino when a friend and I asked to share our caesar salad, and they did it in the kitchen for us.






And I have to be honest, the caesar salad was very good, but the one at Azul Marino was superb.



All in all, another spectacular day.

Today we checked out Maria California and it was packed.






The service was like lightning, the food good, middle range prices. I will let the pics tell the story!







Live music





Les ordered a turkey baguette





I ordered a club, huge, half was on its way home til I saw a homeless guy begging. I told him it was really " rico"!






Next the mango, pineapple, yogurt smoothie and a very cold cerveza




And don't we look like we are suffering in the the heat? It was hot but breezy under the palapa style sidewalk cafe covering




Next on the agenda is a swim in the mini olympic backyard pool!









[Edited on 5-16-2014 by BajaBlanca]

The pool was perfect yesterday afternoon.






While walking the dog, I cleaned up a bit. To be honest, La Paz is surprisingly clean!


Dirty





Clean






Dirty









Clean






I also finished all my books and it was soooo hot, I could not decide where to get more. Suddenly, I heard live music. I mean a full on band. So, I quickly got .rex and there was indeed a band playing at the sidewalk restaurant half a block down. I got a very short video, but I have to remember how to log onto youtube.






From there, I walked over to Tailhunter to grab a lemonade and hamburger. I have food in the fridge but no energy to even heat it up. Our room is cool, but the kitchen is a furnace in this heat! For $10.00 I had a big burger with tons of fries and two excellent lemonades. Even Rex made out: doggie bisquits, the rest of my hamburger and water in a bowl. Jilly was there and she really makes sure everything is just the way you want it. Not only that, she and her husband Jonathan will sponsor a breakfast for the kids this Sunday. How very cool is that???

THIS WILL BE OUR LAST WEEK.....HARD TO BELIEVE THIS DREAM HAS TO END.



What a hot day!








The morning started with a quick trip to the recycling center and then an appointment with Shawn at the brand new K9 Rancho del Perros dog shelter. Such cuties!

The entrance






I left off a box of natural dogie biscuits and played with the little ones. For those of you who love animals, this shelter is hanging on by the seat of its pants. Any and all help would be appreciated. Write me for Shawns email, she and her amiga volunteer are amazing women!
















Here are some of the 7 older dogs waiting for a new master to LOVE







I met their aide, Mario, who wants to be a vet. Next project is to find him a sponsor, at only $600 a year, he can make it happen and then be the pro- bono vet for the newly formed shelter!






Went to pick Les up from the airport, ticker now ticking properly ... What to do for dinner was the question of the day. We actually have food in the fridge but with 104 degree temps, no way do I feel like even stepping in for a second.

Les craved Thai, so we checked out Comida Thai. Says hubbie that it was really good and he plans to return. The chef is indeed Thai and the smells of spices exotic.




The restaurant itself is as simple as can be, but the food is authentic. Never did take a pic of the dish.








The knapkin holder is an elephant:






And I learned that Thank You in Thai, for ladies is: KOH POON TAH.




I had a yankering for Greek, so off to Apostolis we went for part 2




The gyro combo plate









Home to walk the dog and then off for our own walk along the malecon. With ice cream for dessert after a half hour walk.

Lovely end to a lovely day. And the certainty that we could oh so easily live here 6 months out of the year.



[Edited on 5-18-2014 by BajaBlanca]

May 18, 2014...

Mass at 7:00 makes for a great uplifting start to any Sunday. Then, the rest of a neat day started:











First off, Jilly and Jonathan offered a free breakfast to the college kids in the La Bocana scholarship program...and they sat there and took in the peace and chilled. Love these moments with them. Thanks Tailhunter! You have a very special place in our hearts.








The day was hot. So hot!








From there, we went to Balandra beach. To say that I love Balandra does not begin to describe my feelings. Cool water. Hot hot hot temps. Reminded me so much of Brazil that I was THERE. The boys played volleyball in the water and swam for hours. My objective with these outings is to get them out of their day to day student life and boy, today was just what the doc ordered.

















From the beach, we came home and I made a beyond delicious rice, strogonoff and salad lunch complete with strawberries, creme de abacate (a Brazilian avocado dessert) and ice cream dessert. Really? Really!












The boys went home, Les and I took a siesta. Then we went out to the Chinese PEKING restaurant on the boardwalk. A margarita (well 2 margaritas) and three beers later, we are home. In air conditioning. Happy. Does it get better than this? I think not.







[Edited on 5-20-2014 by BajaBlanca]

WINDING DOWN

Well, the fun still continues! Last night we went out to meet Allan and his wife, Michele. We intended to go to Stella's but she was closed on Mondays. ended up going to Tailhunter for some delicious guacamole, margaritas and 15 peso beers...their special this month to celebrate 5 years of business.

Wonderful evening and here is the proof:




Have a great day all!

It ain't over til the fat lady sings and she hasn't sung yet.....

The adventures continue. Last night the neighbor decided she wanted to listen to Janis Joplin starting at 2 am....at 3 am there was no let up and at 4 am, she wasn't quite ready to end her day...more music...then when Les started throwing things around outside and yelling in English, I think she got the message. The music ended. We are quite literally a bit frazzled today. If I hear "Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz", and I burst into tears, you will understand.

This morning we met with a guy whose aunt is selling an old house we might be interested in. Her price is set in stone. We must sell one of our homes in La Bocana to make this happen.

Then we went over to Elia's house. She is the one whom I met on one of our first days here and she is friends with our neighbor in La Bocana. Her house is lovely and it is also for sale. Way beyond our budget but dreaming is free. She will be visiting our village in a couple months.

Then I went for a pedicure, my last chance to pamper myself. Guys, this bliss is probably the equivalent of catching a 100 lb. bluefin - just putting some perspective on this.

From there we met up with Michelle and Allan. Such a fun couple and my only wish is that we had met sooner! Michelle and Al want to sponsor for Mario who dreams of becoming a vet! Whoooohoooooo Life Just Got More Beautiful.






Check out the views they introduced us to!








Top view of their place





Lunch at Stella Restaurant was over the top delicious. The setting is outstanding with the water lapping, the yachts coming in and out, the waitress seeing to our every need. Here is what four of us enjoyed:



Caesar salad, close runner up to Azul Marino's, divvied in half by kitchen




Portobello in wine sauce, it wasn't my dish but I had a taste and it was really tasty.




Fruit salad supreme






Fettuccini Alfredo, divided in half and brought out on 2 plates (((:


After many beers for the three and many lemonades for me, home for a siesta was the plan.

The plan rapidly changed when our amigo Maxx said we could stop by and take a look at his house. It is a rental but a great deal and off we went in 100 degree heat! Exhausted but glad we saw it, came back home to a well deserved siesta. Whixh lasted til 7:00.

It is now time for bed. We have let the real estate agent know that if our neighbor listens to music and lets her dogs bark incessantly, well, who knows what will happen.


((((:

a La Paz must-see (imo)

Last day and it was packed with new fun.

First thing in the morning, we got to see Becky and Bernards boat. It is a real beauty!




I met them while we were all volunteering at the orphanage, an experience I am sure we will remember fondly. Thanks for showing us your boat.






Then we were driving around and I had Les go around the block again so I could capture this shot of all the mail delivery scooters:






Then we went and finalized our medical insurance for Mexico, so that we are covered in an emergency with SEGURO POPULAR. It was so easy.

From there we went to meet up with some folks Les met on the plane back from San Diego last week; Ida and Randy. He is a dentist and he knows that next time I am counting on him to bring some tools so he can take care of the kids!

and then, a meet up that I was looking so forward to! Mr. Pendleton Wallace himself! The writer who retells everything Baja whom I discovered a couple days ago thru LAPAZGRINGO site. Les and I laughed til we cried as we read his sailing misadventure in Punta Abreojos. Interesting, scary, funny all in one


PENN AND DAWN






Back to La Bocana and guests who are waiting for us! Polish eggs are needing to be made pronto!

Thanks for traveling with us ....it has been a wonderful trip. Hasta next time.

Great reporting Thanks for posting and all the wonderful pictures!