(19) La Paz
We have some time today so I figured I’d drop in an update. We’ve been slowly moving down the Baja peninsula. From Guerrero Negro we went back to the gulf side and spent two nights in Loreto.
The ride down to Loreto was pretty uneventful. It clocked in at about 330km. Both Neil and I have switched the instruments on the bikes to metric. However, the GPS still is set to display things in imperial units. So we’re getting pretty good at swapping back and forth in our heads now. I have noticed that my gas gauge and Neil’s don’t read the same. The bikes just have a gauge of “bars” that go down as you use gas. Mine is not consistent at all. Sometimes I only get 40km to a bar. Other times it may be 60km. Neil’s seems to be pretty consistent at 70km to a bar. However, regardless of how different the gauges say we are in fuel usage we always wind up filling up with virtually the exact same amount of gas. So we are using it at the same rate. It’s just that the gauges don’t show the same. We haven’t come close to running out of fuel yet so it’s impossible to know which bike is reading accurately. Just another thing to keep an eye on.
It was hot and humid in Loreto at between 95 and 98 degrees and almost 70% humidity. It was too early to check into the hotel the day we rode into town. So we stopped in for some ceviche tostadas and a Tecate (or two) before heading to the hotel. That night we just walked around the corner from the hotel and found a little outdoor restaurant for dinner. It looked like it’s run by a family from their home. Just a few tables and umbrellas set up outside on a dirt lot and food being cooked inside. Neil and Serge each had a huge burrito and I had a couple carne asada tacos. It was really good. We got there early (at 8:00pm) and were the only ones there, but by the time we were done the locals had arrived and most of the tables were in use. We were definitely the only gringos eating there.
We didn’t really do anything in Loreto other than wander around down. And drink beer to cool us down!
Yesterday it was off from Loreto to La Paz. That road takes you back over the mountains in the center of the peninsula to the west and almost to the Pacific before crossing again and coming back to the gulf side at La Paz. The first part of the ride was really fun. It’s a fairly winding road through the mountains and you gain enough elevation the temps went down into the 70s. By the time you come down from the hills and hit the coast the temps and humidity really climb.
After the hot afternoon yesterday (9/17) it was nice to jump in the pool at the hotel for a bit. There wasn’t much to do after the day’s ride yesterday. We had a couple beers at the hotel and then walked down to the waterfront for dinner. Saturday night turned in to a pay day in the pool for several families by the time we got back to the hotel. Somewhere between 10 and 15 kids playing, yelling and splashing in the pool with moms and dads looking on until it closed at 9:00pm.
Today was the day to get things in order for our ferry ride to the mainland tomorrow. First stop was at the La Paz port to purchase our T.I.P. (Temporary Import Permit). If you have a foreign plated vehicle and it is going to be outside of Baja or past 25 miles of the border then you are required to have an import permit for it. We can’t get on the ferry without that tomorrow. For us it was a $475 USD charge they put on each of our credit cards for the permit. We get that refunded as we leave the country.
Our original plan was to go to the other side of the peninsula to Todos Santos tonight. But since we didn’t finish up at the port until almost noon, we chose to stay another night in La Paz. We found a really nice hotel and they hat room for us to check in before noon which as been really nice. Task #2 was to get laundry done. Both of us are out of clean clothes. Finding a laundromat that’s open on Sunday is not easy. Luckily the hotel found one and offered to have someone take our clothes over to it and they will bring them back tomorrow morning before we have to leave for the ferry. Score!!
The third item on the checklist was to buy our ferry tickets. I thought this was going to be easy since you can get them online. Neil’s purchase went through with no problem. I kept getting declined on both credit cards I’m carrying. They both have been used on the trip with no issue and had the travel information loaded. I called B of A on my Alaska Airlines card and they said they do not show any attempts coming in and therefore no declines. Of course on a Sunday there is no one at the ferry office either. In the end Neil bought my ticket on his card and we’re good to go tomorrow. I’ll just pay him back by catching the hotels for the next few days.
Buying the ferry tickets brought us to the last of our tasks for the day. The ferry says it’s our responsibility to provide tie down straps for the bikes while on the ferry. Serge headed in to town and found straps at an Auto Zone and picked some up for us as well. In the end it’s a good thing we chose to stay put in La Paz. lots of tooing and frowing, but I think it’s all taken care of now and we are ready to leave the Baja tomorrow.
The ferry leaves La Paz at 2:30pm and is a 6 to 8 hour ride, depending on conditions, to Topolobampo (my new favorite town name). We won’t get in there until after dark so that’s where we stay tomorrow night. From there we start our exploration of the Copper Canyon region. I’m guessing 3 or 4 days in the area. I’ll post again once we are done with that section.
