I hopped on a trolley car in downtown San Diego at 9:30 in the
morning, arriving at the Tijuana border less than an hour later. As I was going to take a direct bus to La Paz, I decided to fill my soft side ice chest with a six pack & ice.
Completing that task I hopped aboard a city bus “Buena Vista Central” saving a 70 to 80 peso taxi ride to the central terminal that is situated well east of downtown. Buses for all parts of Tijuana
& surrounding areas stop within a couple hundred yards of the border crossing.
Made my selection of buses to take after previewing them for seat
assignment…I wanted an aisle seat on the right hand side of the bus going south & a couple rows back from one of the television sets. ABC lines fit the bill & gave me one for 420 pesos…an increase of 25% over the past two years. There was a minor problem in that the
driver wouldn’t let me take my bag on…made sure I retrieved everything I might need for the trip besides grabbing anything that might be tempting to a low paid swamper. Reached San Quintin
at 5 that afternoon & was treated to a nice sunset.
Made it to Loredo by the next morning & got off the bus in La Paz at 11am. I walked from the terminal about a kilometer from downtown & checked into the La Pasado San Miguel which is located a couple blocks from the malecon in downtown. The fare was 70 pesos.
There are two other small backpacker type hotels within a block
for 10 pesos less…the Hotel California being one of them. They are good for traveler connections also & have communal cooking facilities. The Pasado San Miguel staff is friendly & the facility also has the dubious reputation for serving as the consummation point for liaisons agreed to at two local bars named “Intimo & Mision”…Makes for
interesting people watching.
Spent the next couple of days hanging out with my friends that live
in La Paz. They have a little house across from the Armada on the bay. They get awakened by taps every morning but it’s a peaceful part of town on dirt roads & one of many places where the ponga boat fishermen launch their boats. Tagged along with my friend & ran around the
harbor on his Zodiac…jumped in the warm water once in a while…it got to 92 degrees there this year but was in the high 80s on this day…bad for fishing but good for playing in.
Hung around on one of the boats that he manages for an evidently very
rich San Franciscan. It had 3 staterooms & a couple of baths…a gourmet kitchen & a bridge with enough high tech equipment to please the most ardent computer nerd. It was powered by a couple of 700 horsepower engines. He’s taking it over to Puerto Vallarta on the 13th of December where the owner will take the helm.
On the 9th I popped the 24 pesos to take a bus to Todos Santos from
the bus station on the malecon…about three blocks east of the center of town. It’s the best place to board the bus as it makes the major bus station its second stop at Jalisco & Heroes de
Independentia where a lot more passengers get on. There are two buses to San Lucas via opposite routes. The one marked “via Corta” goes through Todos Santos & on to San Lucas. The other is marked “via Larga” & it goes through Cabo de San Jose on the east side of the peninsula.
Via Corta leaves on the half hour at 6,7,8,10,11,13,15, & 2000hours.
Via Largo leaves at 8,9:30,12,14:30,16:30 & 18:30. This is the station for Pichilingue also where the ferry boat docks.
Walked around Todos Santos for a little bit but got into some friendly
conversation at the Hotel California there….nice old hotel with 16 rooms at 320 pesos per night…expensive but comfortable bar, a crummy little pool & deck area.
Found a nice little bed & breakfast place also that rated high on my list for future use with my wife that is called Gypsys by the Sea. It’s run by a 70 year old widow & is close to the beach. Fax number is 011-52-114-50128.
A couple of newly weds…the second time around…with whom I had a
beer at Hotel California offered me a ride to Cabo San Lucas where they were staying at a condominium. Had a wonderful afternoon with them stopping at a couple of beaches along the way. Said farewell to them & hopped on a bus to San Jose del Cabo. Cabo San Lucas doesn’t hold much for me…too many gringos with prices reflecting that
feature….& wandered there for a couple of hours also before popping for another 64 pesos & a seat on another bus for the 3 hour bus ride back to La Paz. It was a long but enjoyable day.
I booked 2 rooms with a view of the harbor at Hotel Pekin…190 pesos
for a double & 170 for a single. This is a 3 storey hotel that has a cordial staff that also operates an upscale & busy Chinese restaurant. The rooms are good enough to suit my wife’s needs & the location is fantastic. It’s situated about midway on the malecon about 4 or 5 blocks east of the center of town.
The beaches along the malecon in La Paz are maintained daily as well as the malecon walkway itself. There’s a lot of ponga boats that
beach in various spots along the shore & I always find it enjoyable to talk with the fishermen as they mend their drift nets & tend to other duties. The mornings along the malecon are dominated by the joggers & speed walkers…strolling lovers take control at night while cars with CDs blaring cruise up & down the street.
Twelve pesos for the bus took me to the ferry & 166 pesos got me a
salon seat…the cheapest fare on the boat. Around 300 pesos gets a middle tourista room with a communal bath & 466 gets a cabina equipped with 2 beds, a full bath & a large window to the sea. Two years ago the cabina price was 350. I also booked & paid for a cabin for my wife & son at Yurimar, the only place in La Paz other than the dock itself that is authorized to sell tickets for the ferry. It’s fax number is 5-39-39…phone is 2-86-03 & is located a couple of blocks up from the malecon on 5 de Mayo. Ana Cecilia, with whom I dealt with, was very cordial & especially patient with my Spanish.
Before boarding, I packed my soft sided ice chest with Modelo, the
ships only beer concession (Tecate beer has the Mexican train concession). Once on board I grabbed a deck chair near the rail on the open air, purchased one of their 12 peso modelos & waited for the sunset. The boat sailed 40 minutes later than its planned departure time of 3pm.
The sunset was absolutely stunning as a storm was brewing in the
distance but our skies were clear. This was not to last. About midnight the chubasco caught up with us & chased me under cover. Found a nice wooden bench out in the open but under cover &
fell asleep listening to the downpour…I was lucky the boat wasn’t crowded or I would have been upset with myself for not getting a room. But as it turned out it was a fantastic ride. I was on another overnight ferry boat ride once, on Lago Nicaragua, when the weather turned ugly only the boat was crowded & I had spent a miserable
sleepless night sitting on my bag with no room to stretch my legs…you take the good with the bad.
Got up early to use the communal baths…they have many of them that
have hot water, are clean & well ventilated as well as roomy & private enough to perform all of ones daily toiletry duties. Was finished & ready for a cup of coffee by 6:30 when the cafeteria opened up…lousy instant coffee, however, selling for 5 pesos a cup….minor bummer.
The ferry itself is large enough to hold a slew of 18 wheelers as
well as private automobiles. I don’t know the length of the ship but I would guess the beam to be about 75 feet. It handled the storm pretty well & didn’t make any dramatic rolls although it did shutter a bit every now & then as the swells increased in size & visibility
dropped to a couple of hundred yards. Hard to really gauge the fury of the sea until a purse seiner suddenly came into view with its bow taking blue water over the hull. Besides the fantail bar…my favorite place…the ship had a disco dance bar & a formal dining room.
Didn’t meet any interesting people on the boat other then a courier
for a pharmaceutical company. He was going to Mazatlan to pick up a shipment of malathion. Told me it was to combat the dengue plague. It is starting to reach epidemic proportions there. I caught dengue myself down in Panama about 3 years ago & can attest to its
nastiness. Doesn’t seem to be any cure or inoculation for it other than to not get it. It knocked me down for over a week & was very unpleasant….high fevers, shakes, & achy joints…can’t even pass the time watching TV or reading a book as the pain behind the eyes makes it even more unendurable. Am told that it is carried by only one
type of mosquito that is most active in the day time….Moral of the story is to wear repellent at all times.
In Mazatlan, I stay in the old Olas Altas district & usually at the
Hotel Bel Mar. Singles with a view are 120 pesos & without a view are 100. The view rooms in this 6 storey hotel are situated on the malecon. During carnival (Mardi Gras to you New Orleans people), the street along the malecon is blocked off to auto traffic & the party
roars non stop for a week until the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. During its heyday, the Bel Mar was a premium hotel & it still maintains it pride of character…albeit a bit worn. This was the place to stay many years ago for the rich & famous. In my
opinion it’s still the in spot…& the carnival here is better than Veracruz along with much nicer beaches to sleep off a nights worth of partying.
Ten miles north up the beach…sidewalk all the way…lies north
beach, or the zona oro. This is where all of the tourist joints are & it’s easy to get a room here for hundred dollars & up. The streets are packed with tourist shops & there are hawkers everywhere. I can’t see much difference here than Waikiki. A quarter of a century ago I
stayed here on a package deal with my wife & a customer & his spouse. There were only two major hotels here at the time…The Mazatlan & Hotel de Reyes. They are dwarfed now by the high rises around them. When I finally found the hotel where we stayed back then, the
Reyes, I found it to be remodeled & renamed The Riviera. Deciding to walk through it for old times sake, I walked into a middle age couple who were doing the same thing. It seems they were taking a walk into the past themselves having stayed here 20 years ago.
Buses to remember in Mazatlan:
Sabalo Centro connects north beach with the market place downtown & also the Olas Altos area.
Inf. Playas takes you to the main bus terminal.
Cerritos Juarez goes to the train station.
Son Sin is a local bar 4 blocks off of the olas altas malecon with live music after 5…you can also get up & croon yourself, which I did much to everyone’s amusement. Rolando is one of the bartenders &
an ex-Dodger farm team shortstop. He’s a very friendly guy & patient with my poor Spanish. Damien is a barboy who can get you anything you might need in the bar or off the street, & Catalina is one of the best flirting barmaids old town Mazatlan has to offer. There are also a couple of bars on the malecon here with 3 & a half peso beer & with
fantastic views of the great sunsets that Mazatlan enjoys. I love sunsets & from the seawall in olas altas there is no finer place to observe them.
One of the best places for a cheap meal in any Latin city is the
central market place & Mazatlan is no different. All of the eateries are on the second floor & have balconies overlooking the bustling streets below. For 7 pesos you can take in the scene below & enjoy the daily comida corrida.
Read Part Two of Copper Canyon
