We
go out on our bikes to explore the city centre, down by the seafront. The
modern city sits on a wide bay with several marinas and a nearby port.
There are some good beaches nearby. Along the malecon is a bike
path going the length of the bay. Touts hang around looking to recruit
tourists to the daily boat trips out to where the whale sharks are. You
can swim with these huge fish. Gayle joins Juan and Marie on an
excursion. I decline, as I get nervous jumping into deep water and I'm a
lousy swimmer. Gayle loves it, of course.
The town is relatively quiet, not too touristy, although there are a fair number of gringo and Mexican tourists about on the malecon. Elsewhere, the grid formation streets have light traffic and few pedestrians. At junctions there are taco stands or convenience stores advertising how cold their beer is. Trees provide some shade along the streets, bougainvillea are in flower. La Paz feels modern, functional, ordinary and low-key. Tranquilo.
Each day we discuss the latest news from Europe. Gayle goes to the swimming pool with Tuly and her daughter for their morning swim. Colin is psyching himself up to leave for the mainland - he's been here a week and needs to move on. Adrien and Anna have arranged to spend some time on the boat they hope to buy with its owners. They are setting off on Sunday. We are dilly-dallying a bit and putting off our departure for no other reason than we just want to stop in this quiet city and relax a little. We're quite good at this.
And what do you do when a global pandemic is declared and you're thousands of miles from home? Put the kettle on. Juan is from Madrid and is reading the news from Spain with what I can only imagine is some horror. We have all been in contact with our families. Everyone is okay. Video memes from Spain and France lighten the mood. Laugh in the face of adversity. The Italians might be the best ones - they've had years of practice I suppose.
Another cup anyone?
The town is relatively quiet, not too touristy, although there are a fair number of gringo and Mexican tourists about on the malecon. Elsewhere, the grid formation streets have light traffic and few pedestrians. At junctions there are taco stands or convenience stores advertising how cold their beer is. Trees provide some shade along the streets, bougainvillea are in flower. La Paz feels modern, functional, ordinary and low-key. Tranquilo.
 |
| there are a few classic old houses in the centre |
Each day we discuss the latest news from Europe. Gayle goes to the swimming pool with Tuly and her daughter for their morning swim. Colin is psyching himself up to leave for the mainland - he's been here a week and needs to move on. Adrien and Anna have arranged to spend some time on the boat they hope to buy with its owners. They are setting off on Sunday. We are dilly-dallying a bit and putting off our departure for no other reason than we just want to stop in this quiet city and relax a little. We're quite good at this.
 |
| the town beach |
And what do you do when a global pandemic is declared and you're thousands of miles from home? Put the kettle on. Juan is from Madrid and is reading the news from Spain with what I can only imagine is some horror. We have all been in contact with our families. Everyone is okay. Video memes from Spain and France lighten the mood. Laugh in the face of adversity. The Italians might be the best ones - they've had years of practice I suppose. Another cup anyone?
