After sailing 430 nautical miles at a speed of 11.8 knots from Puerto Vallarta, we arrived to the port of Pichilingue, Mexico, located in the state of Baja California Sur. The actual destination for today was La Paz, about 10 miles away from here. The good news was that a complimentary shuttle was offered to La Paz for about a 30 minute ride. Or you could take another free shuttle to nearby Tecolote Beach. All the buses operated from 8am to 4pm.
On our way to breakfast, we always stop at the middle elevators where the screen shows the weather. Today it read 57 degrees. Was that a mistake, or should it be 75 degrees? Guess not, as it was that cold. It would heat up nicely later in the day.
We left the ship about 9:30am for the 30 minute ride, which may have been shorter because there were many speed bumps along the way. If we had been considering staying in Pichilingue, there would have been no place to go. Nothing to do. The closest thing was a towering Cemex factory, which was quite noisy all day. There were over a dozen souvenir tents set up outside the terminal building, and three Pacifico beer tents. Later in the day, there was a mariachi band.
There were three shore excursions offered here. Highlights of the town with a lunch was 5 hours, while a trip to see a wild animal rehabilitation and aviary for 2 ½ hours. Last but not least, there was a highlight excursion with a stop at a pottery factory for 4 hours. Prices went from $75 to $100.
This is our very first time to visit La Paz, which is the capital city of the state of Baja California Sur. Hernan Cortes arrived in 1535, and named the area Bahia de la Santa Cruz. A year later, Sebastian Vizcaino renamed it La Paz. Judging by what we saw at the pier area, we sure did not expect to find the exploding seaside resort that exists here. The ride to town took us through dry sandy hills full of mature cacti…….a real desert. These cacti looked like saguaro cacti, but technically are cardon cacti. Had they been saguaro, they would be worth $100 a foot to buy for your garden at home.
After a few miles, we began to see the coastline of the La Paz bay. It was lined with small marinas, then resorts, timeshares, and some larger hotels. We spotted a few new golf courses, and so many restaurants, cafes, and bars, we could not count them. We could see a very long stretch of a seaside walkway or malecon, much like what we saw in Puerto Vallarta. The tide was out, but there were few beaches that looked usable. In fact, no one was in the water swimming or even sun-bathing. We did see a kayaking group getting ready to launch.
On the bus, we did have a narrator who pointed out the best places to eat in town and sites to see. We were dropped off at the Tourist Information Center across from a garden and gazebo called Kiosko del Malecon. The square surrounding this gazebo was being staged for something, we suspected was happening tonight. Asking a nearby vendor, she said it was the Festival of the Whale Shark, and the celebration would start at 5pm. That's when we are scheduled to leave. Figures.
We walked the entire length of the malecon dotted with bronze statues along the shoreline. Sure looked like Puerto Vallarta. The difference is that these monuments have been stripped of their bronze titles. Good thing we had gotten maps of the area, which described everything we were seeing. We might add that being today was Saturday, many locals with their youngsters in tow were out and about.
Across the street from the malecon were dozens of very authentic Mexican restaurants, except for one huge Burger King. One semi-outdoor café was filled with guests on an HAL tour……probably the one that included a lunch. We saw no Senor Frog's here, and no "spring breakers" were here. They usually go to the beaches and bars of Cabo San Lucas.
Having seen the coastline, we headed uphill on 5 de Mayo Street, and to the historical part of the city. The La Paz Cathedral is the centerpiece, and was about to have a wedding begin. Some clueless cruise ship passengers had mixed with the waiting wedding party outside the church doors. They should know better, since this is a big event in two people's life. These cruise people sure did not need to be in their personal photos.
We watched for a while from the main square across from the church, then continued on. Hoping to catch a glimpse of the bride, it is tradition for them to be a bit late for the ceremony. Walking down the side street was so steep, there were stairs in the sidewalks. It was far easier to go in the street instead, watching for oncoming traffic.
Back at the bus terminal, we were about to enter the parking lot, when we were directed to go through the front door of the building. This put us at the end of a very long line of folks waiting for the shuttle back to the ship. We were lined up against a wall, where there was a little shade. And it was only 12pm. We were surprised there were so many going back. Eventually there were two buses, and we were back to the pier before 1pm after waiting for 20 minutes in the hot parking lot.
On the way back through the tents, one of us found a matching silver bracelet for the opal set we bought in Mazatlan.
Sitting on our veranda with cold sodas, had its pluses. Until the sun began creeping up on the veranda, we did have a nice breeze blowing. Our room faced the terminal and the tents where we could watch the activity below. Then one of us spotted an osprey, that flew from the factory to some poles with obvious nests on top. The bird had something in its talons, and the best we could see, it was a fish. Sure is fun watching these birds of prey.
Even better, as we cleared the harbor, we saw a whale blowing for a nano second. It skimmed the surface, then went deeper, but not diving. It could have been a humpback or a gray whale. We will not know what type it was, since it never came back.
The ship left around 6pm, and we sailed out of the harbor on our way to Cabo San Lucas. Dinner for us was in the dining room where we had the pork chops, the first time this has been on the menu. A very tasty starter was the halibut quesadilla, and chicken noodle soup for one of us. Small desserts finished the meal nicely.
We finally made a stop in one of the Shops, and bought some jewelry, using some of the "have to spend" credit. Always fun.
Bill & Mary Ann
Monday, April 25, 2022
Report #127 Pichilingue, Mexico For La Paz Saturday April 23, 2022 Sunny And Cooler 75 Degrees
