December 29th, 2007
Isn’t it nice to have hassle free travel? So many times you need a vacation just from the stress of luggage, buses, connections and airports. I’m happy to report that this trip has, so far (knock on wood), has gone smoothly.
My travel companions for this little holiday are Paul and Jill. Paul is my former condo neighbor. He sold his unit and moved to Vancouver BC about a year and a half ago. While we were neighbors we tried to schedule vacations together but it never worked out. Finally, the stars aligned for us to travel together. We quickly settled on La Paz, Mexico , which fulfilled his need for warmth and tropics and my need for a crowd free vacation to a lesser-known destination. And I’ve always wanted to swim/snorkel/dive in the Sea of Cortez .
Jill you may remember from our memorable vacation to Belize last January. Jill has been working non-stop since we got back from Belize. In early November she sent me an email from Boston (where she was working on a film) and asked if I had any vacation plans. I told her La Paz, Mexico, on the Sea of Cortez for New Years. She replied….”I’m in.”
Keep in mind that Jill and Paul have never met. Until this morning at the airport. I was not worried though as both of them are very easy going people, who roll with the punches. This vacation, unlike Belize, is completely unplanned. We have our flights and our hotel room and other than that….we will see when we get there.
As I mentioned earlier, our travel went very smoothly. Customs and Immigration in Mexico were a breeze and we quickly got into a taxi and were on our way to our hotel, Club El Moro located on the Eastern part of the bay..
First impressions: Cactus..Not sure what I was expecting but this area looks very much like parts of Arizona and Texas. Sagebrush, low rolling hills. Except of course for the sparkling blue expanse of water that frames the area. And its much cleaner and more, shall I say, modern, than I imagined. And the best part of all…there are not many people, much less tourists.
We are pleasantly surprised when we pull into our hotel. It is as cute and charming as
the Internet photos. White stucco buildings surround a lagoon like pool (complete with a wooden bridge), flanked by tall but elegant fountains. 
Just looking at it reaches a calm and peaceful within me. The anticipation on what our room looks like will continue to build, however, since the last occupants had a late check out and the cleaning staff needs another hour to clean it. BUT, we have the perfect solution. Lunch right now the street at a local hangout called Moyeyos.
Moyeyos is perfect for our first meal in Mexico. Whale bones are suspended from the center of the tent, blowfish with sunglasses and confetti hang from the fishing nets that adorned the area above the bar and buoys float from the ceiling. The flooring is sand and our plastic chairs sink in as we settle into them. Even hassle free travel is exhausting, so its nice to sit down and relax. A singer has set up in the corner and croons old Sinatra favorites, a few decibels too loud. If not for the volume, it would have been enjoyable. Big Mexican families keep filing in, talking with their hands, big smiles on their faces.
There may be one or two other tables of tourists but by and large, this is a local place.
And just to prove it…the menu is all in Spanish. Paul knows a small amount of Spanish and between him and my guidebook we figure out this place specializes in seafood (the decorations should have been our first clue).
Beverages are the first order of business. Paul and Jill ordered the prerequisite margarita
and I go out on a limb and order something that has Blanco in the name. I’m hoping, since it was listed right under Sangria, that is will be white wine equivalent (my new favorite drink in LA). But alas, when it arrives, we discover it is a White Russian. I don’t like White Russians. So I order a margarita as well and chalk up the first language barrier error of our trip.
We do not let this ordering mistake hinder us from deciding our lunch. Paul and I order lobster hard tacos and Jill orders shrimp soft tacos. Paul and Jill are thrilled with the basket of hot sauces that are the centerpiece of our table and can’t wait to try them on whatever appears for our lunch. The margaritas arrive and are delicious. Not long afterward our lunches appear and are amazing as well. Our lobster tacos are actually fried shut and drip with grease. The lobster has been cooked with onions, jalapeños and green peppers. Jill’s shrimp are fried and loaded with lettuce and carrots. We all dig in and declare them the best we’ve ever eaten. We also debate if we hadn’t had very strong margaritas before hand, would they taste as good and decide that will be the measure of good food on this trip. How would it taste before and after a margarita?
Meanwhile the “band” has taken a break and a trio of dark-skinned, white haired, musicians arrive with guitars and cellos in hand. These men are what I imagine old Mexican cowboys would look like. Dark, almost black leathery skin, cowboy hats and a head full of white hair that matches their white mustaches. They patronize each table and soon the restaurant resonates with their music.
It is close to 4P now and we wander back to the hotel to check out our room. We have rented a two-bedroom suite with a kitchenette. 
It is on the first floor, in the corner of the property. Swinging open the wide, white heavy wooden door reveals a beautifully tiled suite. Each bedroom sports a huge plaster shell as the headboard for the bed and enjoys its own bathroom with shower. The living room which also houses the kitchenette is large, with a couch, a futon, chair and of course a TV. We are at once pleased and at ease in our new surroundings. I am especially happy as I see a 5-gallon water dispenser in the kitchen. The water bottle is empty but after I request a new bottle, we are set. The most important thing---here is NO PHONE. Not that anybody would be calling us at the hotel and all of our cell phones work here but it is the thought that we are in such a paradise that phones are not necessary that pleases me the most.
After unpacking, we decide to explore the Malecon (beach walkway) and walk into town during sunset. (Did I mention that our sweet little resort is right across the street from the beach—silly me?) The sunset is beautiful, the water is calm and still. Large cranes sail in, landing and settling next to even larger pelicans. We reach the town center and the pier just as the last remnants of lights are fading off the horizon and the Christmas lights, which still adorn the palm trees, blaze into life.
What is surprising, is that even on a Saturday night, the town isn’t busy and we see very few tourists, mostly locals. Just the way I like it! After exploring the town a bit, we decide to head back to our hotel. Along the way we stop by a street vendor who is selling pizza (come on, you guys know I can’t resist pizza---ever). My guidebook says that you should try the street vendors. Many of them have the best food you will find here in La Paz, but make sure to only stop at ones that have a line. We follow this rule and stand in line for our pizza. As promised, it is delicious.
Almost home, we stop by a mini mart to pick up a few things to snack on and to fill our fridge back in our kitchenette.
The rest of the evening we spend, crashed on the couches, watching TV. We are all exhausted. Mostly from life I think and we are needing much down time. This vacation will be filled with long afternoons in the sun, doing nothing but recharging our spiritual, emotional, creative, and physical juices.
