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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13196
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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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]
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weebray
Super Nomad
Posts: 1094
Registered: 7-19-2010
Location: La Paz
Member Is Offline
Mood: lleno
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Udo
I have no idea where the house is...I was driving around one day, and saw the house with every whirligig known to mankind in the front yard.
I just read this post. The whirligig guy (former bartender at Los Arcos hotel) is on Legaspy at the corner of Altamirano. |
Every beautiful beach in the world needs a few condo towers - NOT.
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13196
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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Good one weebray!
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13196
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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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???
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13196
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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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]
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Whale-ista
Super Nomad
Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
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Sounds lovely. But 104°? Yowza...
It finally cooled off in San Diego today. The fog returned to help dampen the wildfires.
I'm re-thinking my June Baja travel plans, given this heat. Or maybe I just need to buy a bigger Ice chest
[Edited on 5-18-2014 by Whale-ista]
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13196
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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I am melting ... Melting bigtime. Too hot to move, visions of Rio but there the beach was 1 block from our house and swimmable 365 days out of the
year.
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13196
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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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]
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6346
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
Member Is Offline
Mood: TEQUILA!
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Wait until you get the electric bill, Blanca!
All because of the A/C.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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weebray
Super Nomad
Posts: 1094
Registered: 7-19-2010
Location: La Paz
Member Is Offline
Mood: lleno
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A little side note here about electricity costs. CFE gives a substantial discount in your electric bill in the summer months. The bills are on a
sliding scale, the more you use the more you pay for a kwh. No support for commercial establishments. It's a great idea, it encourages conservation
and allows for poor people to afford to keep cool too. The meter is read every two months. Every two months I hear the meter reader assuring my very
poor next door neighbor that she is under the minimum usage line. The lowest rate is achievable with one refrigerator and thrifty hot water usage.
The rate in the summer allows for a small a/c unit and or fans.
Every beautiful beach in the world needs a few condo towers - NOT.
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13196
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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WINDING DOWN
May 19, 2014
Monday ... The vacation analyzed.
It goes without saying that we love La Paz. We have 2 more days and then back to wonderful La Bocana. However, I think this is a good time to review
the good and the bad.
THE GOOD:
Our apartment was perfect for us. Not lush, not huge. Small and simple. One small block to the malecon gave us ample opportunities to walk, both
mornings and evenings.
Trees everywhere! Oh my gosh! Trees that are huge, green, tons of falling leaves, offering shade. Loved all the trees.
It must be strawberry season. On two specific corners, they sell 4 green plastic crates of strawberries for 50 pesos. In 3 weeks, I am sure I visited
6 times. Those guys are going to really miss us.
The beaches, with their crystal clear waters to swim in, their astounding array of colors to look at during the day, and their soft white sands are as
beautiful as any I've seen in my lifetime of travels around the world.
Mostly, for me, the mix of foreign and national, rich and needy, economical to ritzy hotels and restaurants means there is a piece of the pie for
everyone.
THE BAD:
Hot hot hot during the day. Suck your breath away, searing heavyweight heat. Humidity.
Our neighbor playing her music too loud at 11:00 pm. Husband wanted to rampage. Not fun.
Seeing the poor families with no electricity and no running water in Vista Hermosa and knowing that some were going hungry. Very Disturbing.
The fricking streets have NO STREET SIGNS. I cannot begin to transmit the frustration of having to count streets to get to a specific location.
Drive three blocks, turn left. Drive 1 block, turn right. Drive 12 blocks and look for the green house with the yellow windows. Ughhhhhhhhhh
THANKS
I would like to thank all the wonderful souls who took time out of their days to share moments with us:
Wendy and Bobby, who offered us an unforgettable lunch
Juli, who nutshelled years of La Paz inside scoops
Nancy, and the orphanage students
Barbara, for the Vista Hermosa experience
Maxx, for fun talks, great pizza, local info and insights
Gene and his wife, for believing in Cristian
Andrew and Merry, we dream about Hawaii now!
Jilly and Jonathan, for being stupendously awesome humans
Shawn and Penny, for caring for abandoned puppies n dogs
Cliff n Carol, for being good friends and sharing their home
Jill n David, for a very cooooool evening under the stars and much more
Vanessa Gail Char, the East Cape rules
The La Paz book club group, thanks for letting me join for one day
Simon the real estate agent, find us our spot here, please!
I may post odds and ends, but the vacation is basically over.
It has been one heck of a ride and thanks to all who vicariously traveled with us!
[Edited on 5-20-2014 by BajaBlanca]
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13196
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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Udo, our electricity is prepaid here in La Paz! We want to use it all up! And really, I think we put on 300 pesos when we arrived. Not too shabby.
Thanks weebray for the explanation. BTW. We went to servi comida for lunch and called you but no one picked up. Les ate the same fish dish and it
was muy rico. I had breaded chicken and it was muy rico.
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durrelllrobert
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7393
Registered: 11-22-2007
Location: Punta Banda BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: thriving in Baja
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You wrote "CFE gives a substantial discount in your electric bill in the summer months" and that doesn't apply to Ensenada / Punta Banda. Of course we
don't really need a/c here but my entire bill is at $3.179mn per kWh currently. No discount of any kind.
Bob Durrell
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gnukid
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4411
Registered: 7-2-2006
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You may not want AC but if you have it, it gives a break from heat for mid day and lets you close windows to reduce neighbor noise. Also once the
house is cool, it can stay cool afternoon, night morning.
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BajaBlanca
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Posts: 13196
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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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!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64848
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Great report... fun times... The Baja Feeling indeed!
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Alan
Super Nomad
Posts: 1626
Registered: 4-6-2005
Location: Yucaipa, CA/La Paz
Member Is Offline
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I am so glad we had a chance to meet while you were in town. Looking forward to checking out La Bocana on our way home.
In Memory of E-57
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Heather
Nomad
Posts: 370
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: National City, CA
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LOL My husband is from La Paz, and he tells directions exactly like you said! ( a tres cuadras es una casa con una palma grande, va a la derecha
hasta encuentra una tiendita de mascotas....etc.)
No wonder he has trouble with the San Diego street signs.
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13196
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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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.
((((:
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BajaBlanca
Select Nomad
Posts: 13196
Registered: 10-28-2008
Location: La Bocana, BCS
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This is apropos here:
Tip for a free map that will make you feel like you can actually find a place.
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=73784
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