La Paz, BCS, Mexico
Just so you have some idea why we are still here in La Paz, here is an excerpt from the current UPS Worldwide Expedited shipment tracking regarding our autopilot pump coming from Vancouver. There is not a whole lot we can do either, other than watching from afar - very frustrating...
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Location / Date / Local Time
Tijuana, Mexico
06/08/2011 03:10 PM Shipment pending release from clearance agency.
06/08/2011 09:49 AM Package data processed by brokerage. Waiting for clearance. / Released by Clearing Agency. Now in-transit for delivery.
06/08/2011 08:40 AM Package data processed by brokerage. Waiting for clearance.
06/08/2011 07:37 AM Package data processed by brokerage. Waiting for clearance.
Tijuana, Mexico
06/07/2011 05:45 PM Package data processed by brokerage. Waiting for clearance.
06/07/2011 12:39 PM Package data processed by brokerage. Waiting for clearance.
06/07/2011 08:54 AM A valid tax identification number or deferment number is required for clearance.
06/07/2011 08:36 AM Package data processed by brokerage. Waiting for clearance.
Tijuana, Mexico
06/06/2011 92:51 PM A valid tax identification number or deferment number is required for clearance. / UPS will contact the sender and/or receiver regarding the status or disposition of this package.
06/06/2011 02:12 PM Additional Clearing Agency information or documentation is required for clearance.
06/06/2011 09:28 AM Import Scan
06/06/2011 08:35 AM Arrival Scan
.
.
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Meanwhile, we bide our time here in La Paz as best we can. Our boat has started to look like the real boat-trash that we have become - just one of the many vessels trapped in the vortex that is La Paz. To be honest, it is not such a bad place to have to spend time. The marina, which is very full, has managed to juggle things to allow us to stay until at least next week. There are alternatives here of course, like anchoring out across the channel, or in the "virtual" marina next door (Marina Santa Cruz, where construction was once started but where today only the pilings are to be seen). We only hope that we see our wayward pump sometime soon. BTW, my new Amazon Kindle reader did arrive a few days ago, only a couple of days later than predicted on the Amazon web site - it spent only a little over a day in Tijuana.
We are starting to get acclimatized to the heat somewhat and have been venturing further afield during the morning hours. La Paz is really a very nice place - we can start to see the appeal that has made so many Americans and Canadians buy property here. The difference is most apparent in the general attitude of the people - much more laid back and relaxed - no one is in a hurry to do anything, and there is much less of the "desperation" that seemed to be just under the surface in Mazatlan, most likely the result of a somewhat stronger economy and lower crime rate here.
As I mentioned in my previous post, the Malecon is not so popular in the heat of the day. The rest of the city however is quite busy and we enjoyed walking the streets downtown, window shopping and having a quiet lunch in a shady pedestrian alley. Notice the unique way of presenting a menu.
The only excitement we have had has been a dramatic couple of hours at one of the local banks, where one of the ATMs ate Susanne's bank card. We use two cards which allows us to take out twice the daily maximum at a time - this way we do not have to make as many trips to the bank. On this occasion, Sue was able to use the first card and get some cash. Then when she put in the 2nd card, the machine shut down and would not eject the card. After much discussion, mostly through pantomime (our Spanish is still not what it should be), the bank officials opened up the offending ATM and tried to give us someone else's Visa card that they found inside.
Once we convinced them that that was not the card we were looking for, they returned to the machine and assured us that there were no other cards in it. Since I had not let the machine out of my sight the entire time, we knew it was in there somewhere, and since the machine would not work any more, it was obvious something was still stuck inside. After about another hour with the workmen taking the thing apart, they found our card, jammed in with another card, both stuck in there somewhere. Once we had our card back they offered to let us try again, but we decided to cut our losses for the day and beat a hasty retreat.
Other outings have been much less traumatic. We have visited a few more of the excellent restaurants within walking distance of the marina and enjoyed them all. We are getting quite addicted to fish tacos - always a good deal and always tasty. Bandidos, just down the block, specializes in basic hamburgers and fries - that is their grill under hood of an old Chevy truck - at night the place is lit up with tiki torches. We like the general sentiment presented by their sign.
Rancho Viejo serves some of the best fish tacos we have had so far, and they seem to have a few locations, all very close to the marina. Life is good!
{GMST}24|9.3066|N|110|19.6068|W|La Paz, BCS, Mexico|La Paz, BCS, Mexico{GEND}
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| Virtual Marina |
We are starting to get acclimatized to the heat somewhat and have been venturing further afield during the morning hours. La Paz is really a very nice place - we can start to see the appeal that has made so many Americans and Canadians buy property here. The difference is most apparent in the general attitude of the people - much more laid back and relaxed - no one is in a hurry to do anything, and there is much less of the "desperation" that seemed to be just under the surface in Mazatlan, most likely the result of a somewhat stronger economy and lower crime rate here.
 |
| Relaxing by the whaling wall |
Once we convinced them that that was not the card we were looking for, they returned to the machine and assured us that there were no other cards in it. Since I had not let the machine out of my sight the entire time, we knew it was in there somewhere, and since the machine would not work any more, it was obvious something was still stuck inside. After about another hour with the workmen taking the thing apart, they found our card, jammed in with another card, both stuck in there somewhere. Once we had our card back they offered to let us try again, but we decided to cut our losses for the day and beat a hasty retreat.
Rancho Viejo serves some of the best fish tacos we have had so far, and they seem to have a few locations, all very close to the marina. Life is good!
{GMST}24|9.3066|N|110|19.6068|W|La Paz, BCS, Mexico|La Paz, BCS, Mexico{GEND}
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