# La Paz



## davidtaxis (Oct 21, 2012)

Staying to house sit in La Paz March/April. Questions abound! Best spots to meet expats?
I'm into yoga and gyms, but realize La Paz is pretty traditional Mex. city...ideas? Freshest fish and veggies bought in the market on Avenida Revolucion?!....the concrete structure! Other ideas? I'm driving down from Cal. to have transportation. Recommendations for hotels/cautions?! ATMs in La Paz? My Spanish from much travel is average to good! Best ways for renewal? Good ways to meet locals? Thanks for any advice. David


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

davidtaxis said:


> Staying to house sit in La Paz March/April. Questions abound! Best spots to meet expats?
> I'm into yoga and gyms, but realize La Paz is pretty traditional Mex. city...ideas? Freshest fish and veggies bought in the market on Avenida Revolucion?!....the concrete structure! Other ideas? I'm driving down from Cal. to have transportation. Recommendations for hotels/cautions?! ATMs in La Paz? My Spanish from much travel is average to good! Best ways for renewal? Good ways to meet locals? Thanks for any advice. David


Sounds like a great way to spend a couple of months. I have visited La Paz a couple of times but can't help with most of your questions. There are lots of banks in La Paz and they all have ATMs. The best spot to meet the sailing crowd is in the Cruceros Club house, a shack out behind the restaurant in Marina de La Paz at the southwest end of the malecon. Mornings are probably best. I think they do a radio link up every day at 8 or 9 and some people are at the clubhouse for that.


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## makaloco (Mar 26, 2009)

I live in La Paz, and I'd agree with TG that the Cruceros Club at the Marina is a good place to start. There's also the nearby Dock Café, and for evenings, La Costa restaurant a couple of blocks away, or Tailhunter farther north on the Malecón on the other end of downtown. Also "The Shack", a casual hangout on Allende 2-3 blocks up from the Malecón. Walking on the Malecón is a great way to meet both expats and Mexicans.

For shopping there's the public market you mentioned as well as supermarkets and smaller "farmer's markets" for fresh and organic produce. There are several gyms around La Paz, and I believe you'll find yoga as well. Most ATMs will probably take a US bank card, but fees are likely to vary. Generally speaking, t's safest to use the machines located at banks. I'd suggest joining the Yahoo group called "La Paz Gringos" to get locations and specific information.


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## cuylers5746 (Mar 19, 2012)

*Recommendations for places to visit on your way down.*

I can't give you specific hotels, but here are a few jewels not to miss on the way down the penninsula. Like life - the fun is and what it's all about - is the journey.

1. Mulege our favorite. It's kind of like the Australia of Mexico. Most resident are decendants of inmates of that very famous prision they had up on the hill over looking downtown. Major attraction at sunset. Grab a brew and climb into the stands off the main town square and watch the kids play volleyball. Great fishing here, one of the still existing and functioning as a church, the Mission of Mulege. Just too many fun stories to relate on the times spent there.

2. Bahia Conception. It's just south of Mulege a few miles. One of the few bays in Baja you will see 5 different collors in the water, sort of like the Carribbean Sea. Used to be able to wade in with a metal coat hanger stretched out straight, bending a hook in it and snag some 3" wide by 1" cayos de hacas. Great white beaches here.

3. Loreto. Just a jewel. There's White Dahl Sheep in the steep mountains overlooking the town. Grab a panga negotiate a ride out to one of the Islands off shore and have it all to yourself for the day. Good fishing too. Loreto was the original Capital of Baja, nice big Mission here. Newer ****** developments built by Sandadur just south of town. Active sailing community here. Fun beautiful little town to hang out in here.

Actually, I can recommend a Hotel Chain for you. The Mexican Govt. when they paved the highway from T.J. to Cabo wanted to promote tourism so they built a chain of hotels within an easy days drive up and back called "La Pinta Hotels". They're like 3 star hotels, but usually nice and clean and have all the amenities most travelers expect. They put them at the most interesting places for tourists to stop and explore. And, as an added plus they also have gas pumps to get gas at as some of the smaller towns can be out of your type of gas for days. You might inquire in Ensenada on the way down at their La Pinta Hotel for "specials". Sometimes they offer, pay 6 nights get the 7th free. Catavina and San Ignacio are nice places to stay at in their Hotels.

Also north of Mulege is a real treat. It's called Punta Chivato. That's if you like to snorkel or fish?
It's like an 11 room hotel originally built for those that would fly down in their little planes to this resort. It's on a dirt road about 11 kms. from the main highway. Don't take it if you have a low center of gravity vehicle as you will get stick in the sand. Right outside your room are steps down the volcanic rock into the ocean and you can snorkel around the whole hotel and see over 50 kinds of little fish, octopus, star fishes etc. in only 10-30 ft. of water. One day we went fishing out of Mulege up to this Punta Chivato and saw two huge Marlin breach within a few hundred yards of our boat. It's kind of primative out there, but we enjoyed staying there. How do you get there?
South of Santa Rosalia look for San Lucas. It's a left turn off below there.

Another great find (if it's still open). Of all places to find the best steak house, one would not go look in Ciudad de Constitution between Loreto and Mulege for that. But, it's there. Cde. Constitution is an agricultural town. I fondly call it Bakersfield South. As you come in from the north get about 1/3 into town stop and ask "where it's the bird man of Cde. Constitution's steak house"? It's right on the right going into town - no sign, only see an 11 ft. high rough adobe wall on main highway and side street. Only open in the afternoon. While you're awaiting your meal you can go over and see in cages over 20 different kinds of colorful birds and parrots in cages. Don't miss the amost 4 ft. tall, American Bald Eagle. He's in a huge pen, made of chain link fences. about 15 ft. x 15 ft. He goes nuts everytime the owner comes in - he's so in love with him.

Before you head out. Go over to AAA Automobile Club (even if not a member you can buy their books and maps) and pick up their Baja Book and Map.

Remember it's all about the journey. Not that La Paz is any slouch of a town. It's actually a very pleasant Mexican City like no other. It's seems to still have that pirate flavor to it. This is one house sitting you'll never forget.


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## arturo_b (Sep 17, 2009)

For your drive down, AAA has good guidebook to refer to. I like to take the drive very slowly, breaking the journey every day well before nightfall in order to get to know the locals.

Santo Tomás and San Vicente Ferrer have community museums that show what life was like there in the early twentieth century. San Quintín has an ex-pat community and some British history. Cataviñá is really eerie.

Bahía de los Ángeles requires a detour to the Sea of Cortés, but it's a nice place and it will help get you used to the idea of seeing the sun rise over water.

Guerrero ***** has Scammon's Lagoon (Ojo del Liebre), where you might be able to pet some whales. The entire stretch between San Ignacio and Loreto are full of early history and ex-pat communities. La Paz itself has one of the oldest Chinese settlements on the west coast of the New World, founded circa 1850.

The ex-pat forum for the entire peninsula is TalkBaja.com


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## cuylers5746 (Mar 19, 2012)

*Bahia Los Angeles*

Good post on additional places to stop and see.

Bahia de Los Angeles is the only Motel/Hotel in the world we've ever stopped at that when you rented your little cabin on the water - it came with a pack of dogs! They followed us and the manager from the office to the cabin. The 5 dogs stayed laying out front of the little cabin the whole time we stayed there. Looking for hand outs. Actually they were so lazy, they got us into a super laid back mood and gave us a lot of humor. Nice dogs though even though they ran the range of 
sizes and shapes street dogs might look like. A little pit bull was the sweetest - go figure?

Yea, go slow and sip baja-don't gulp it.


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## 4paulzee (Mar 15, 2012)

I'm thinking of retirement in cabo san lucas . any info on home purchase


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## gardenermonk (Feb 27, 2013)

davidtaxis said:


> Staying to house sit in La Paz March/April. Questions abound! Best spots to meet expats?
> I'm into yoga and gyms, but realize La Paz is pretty traditional Mex. city...ideas? Freshest fish and veggies bought in the market on Avenida Revolucion?!....the concrete structure! Other ideas? I'm driving down from Cal. to have transportation. Recommendations for hotels/cautions?! ATMs in La Paz? My Spanish from much travel is average to good! Best ways for renewal? Good ways to meet locals? Thanks for any advice. David


This thread got way off track, but I would suggest checking out the site of Roz in La Paz for the vast spectrum of cultural events, classes and places to renew your Spanish.


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## ptrichmondmike (Aug 26, 2010)

davidtaxis said:


> Staying to house sit in La Paz March/April. Questions abound! Best spots to meet expats?
> I'm into yoga and gyms, but realize La Paz is pretty traditional Mex. city...ideas? Freshest fish and veggies bought in the market on Avenida Revolucion?!....the concrete structure! Other ideas? I'm driving down from Cal. to have transportation. Recommendations for hotels/cautions?! ATMs in La Paz? My Spanish from much travel is average to good! Best ways for renewal? Good ways to meet locals? Thanks for any advice. David


Hi David -- when's your departure date? I guess I'll miss seeing you when I come up to Ukiah for Felipe's play very shortly. Make sure to take lots of pics of La Paz for FB!


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