Today is the 10th of July and we are sitting in Pichilingue waiting for the ferry to take us to Mazatlan
tonight (they only run over night) with a nice cold lime lemonade in a pretty fancy restaurant.
After spending 3 days in La Paz, we were ready for some nature and tranquility. La Paz though was quite friendly. Our campground 10km out of town was the most expensive we have encountered so far ($12 for the two of us), but it was nice and big and compfy with a swimming pool and clean bathrooms/showers, internet in the tent and a cafe. La Paz is a friendly town - there didn't seem to be much happening during the day, but when we were out late one night, we found all and everybody and their mother out and about enjoying the cooler nights with ice cream and some were even splashing in the water at the beach front. Really a sweet place.
We left to find the coast further up on the peninsula and found something close to paradise at the end of the paved road - though it didn't seem like it at first. The ride was only something like 24km out of La Paz and we past a few amazing white sand beaches with turquoise water, little coves....but it was Saturday and everybody seemed to be out to find a quiet little place.
The end of the road met us with some rough looking people, a huge restaurant building and a few other building and A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE!!!! All locals though!
The first night was rough as well. We set up tent right next to the restaurant as advised by a couple watching the sun set. The night watch was friendly and said we can use the bathroom as well (everything costs money here -using the toilette is 70 cents!). We spend somewhat of a restless night, listening to the dogs rummaging through the overflowing garbage cans near by (if you didn't hear it you could most certainly smell it) and if it wasn't the dog, it was the one homeless person looking for aluminum cans who had taken residence under one of the palapas further down the beach.
We packed up early enough before the restaurant opened and moseyed down to one side looking for some comfort.....
It was Sunday and the place filled up
at 8am - it looked like the board walk in Santa Cruz (or any other boardwalk for that matter). All locals enjoying this place - I even witnessed grandma in a reclining chair -they carried that thing in their 4wd truck, so she can be part of it too!
There wasn't room to put down another chair at the entire beach (seemingly) and everybody had a grand old time. It wasn't the day to look for comfort, it was a day to see what the locals do on a remote beach at the end of the paved road. I prepared myself for another restless night under a palapa (amazed we even got one and for those who don't know what a palapa is: An umbrella made of palm fronds which the government provides.....all the beaches here are public, by the way, meaning everybody and anybody can enjoy the waterfront at any time...yes camping too!)
The parties stopped at a seemingly reasonable time and it got quite and beautiful with a bit of a breeze and the sound of the waves friendly and soothing.
Monday was a different story: The beach seemed forgotten....empty (only the overflowing garbage cans remind of the past crowds).
We headed out of the tent right into the turquoise waters - seemingly untouched like when it snowed all night and first discovered it in the morning......SO REFRESHING, we swam out to the blue (and deeper) part of the water further out. I felt some stinging on my knee, but was just too happy and refreshed to be bothered. The stinging got more persistent and by the time I reached the blue, it was clear that something was just WRONG. At this time I felt stings all over my body. James had a similar experience and we gave it all we got to get back to the shore to investigate what is going on. Stinging burns on arms and legs, backs and bellies, red and bumpy skin around those areas like a bad rash. Somehow we both were calm and agreed: We didn't see anything in the water at all that could have caused it.
We had made friends with a family member of the people who own the restaurant way down on the other side of the beach. Peppe was consulted and he laughed out loud, telling us that those are tiny jelly fish you can't see and they are doing all the damage, but it doesn't last and all was forgotten in about 15 minute. He had invited us to his (now) empty restaurant, letting us use the showers (yes, for free) and cooking us some amazing meals (he has been and wants to be a chef in a restaurant, specializing in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine) and we did pay for those, but we got our drinking water for free too....
The next day and night was spent in true paradise -it helps to have a friendly person watching over you and the whole beach for yourself for most parts of the night and day but especially in the morning.
Pretty clean and rested we are here at the ferry terminal for the next adventure.
