La Paz

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Today we were in La Paz, called the city of peace. We had booked a princess sightseeing tour which was supposed to leave at 8:50. So we had a wake up call for 7:15 and breakfast was arriving at 7:30. When the ship pulled into port we were greeted by a Mexican band and th e pier had dozens of local crafters waiting to sell us their wares.

We ate breakfast, hung our flag and got ready to head off of the ship. As usual the photographers were waiting to take souvenir photos. We found our bus right away and soon we were underway. We were given a general tour through the Baja desert landscape. The docking point and the town itself are 16 miles apart so a bus ride is necessary. Princess ran shuttle buses into town every 15 or 20 minutes. These were at no charge but a tip for the driver was expected.

Our first stop was the Anthropology and History Museum. It really was interesting and we could have spent the day there.

The Cathedral of La Paz was our next stop but we had a limited visit because our 10:00 arrival coincided with mass. It is a beautiful building and we did get some pictures. It was built at this location in1861 and it features wonderful stained glass windows and sculptures.

Next stop was at the arts and crafts center. Authentic Mexican crafts are for sale here but since we are not in the market for crafts we cross the street and we walk  along the beach and look for sea glass. There is a wonderful sidewalk and boulevard all along the waterfront which is very popular with the locals.

The last stop on our tour is to Tecolote, the largest and most popular beach in La Paz. The sand is soft, the water is a wonderful shade of blue, the sun is shining and the temperature is perfect. We sit in chairs on the beach and just soak it all in. There are many vendors on the beach selling many different things from hats to sunglasses to jewelry to purses. They carry their wares in suitcases or on racks and they stroll the beach offering to sell you their goods. They are very very polite and a polite No Thank You is all that is needed to have them move on.

Our tour bus took us back to the ship and we disembarked around one o’clock. We were left in a spot that required us to walk past the vendors. Before we came through we were given a free 2015 Calendar featuring the Baja. Ken stopped and bought a new belt from one of the crafters.

 This was the day for me to have my January French Fries. We went up topside and ordered Hot dogs and French Fries. We brought them down to our stateroom and enjoyed our lunch on the balcony. After eating Ken got some sun and I had a nap. Vacations are for relaxation!

Then we got ready for dinner, relaxed with a glass of wine and watched as the lines were let go and we were underway again.

My but it was nice to be back in the dining room for dinner. I enjoy it so much better than the buffet.

There were several choices of entertainment this evening but we decided to pass on all of it. We strolled a little, saw a lighthouse flashing off shore and returned to our room to relax for the rest of the evening.

Tomorrow we are in Loreto and we have a clambake and Mexican Fiesta booked.