A Ticket to Ride

UP and at it early this morning, hoping to get myself organized and prepared for the ferry ride tomorrow.

I had searched out the address and worked a route into my Garmin. I figured that this was good practice for more challenging tasks sure to come. Well, either Mr. Garmin or operator error resulted in me riding around in circles in downtown La Paz for an hour or so. They say that men never stop and ask directions, and simply try to bully their way through to wherever they are going. I can be like that, but after a frustrating hour of searching and asking questions, I decided that the best thing to do was get an expert involved, so I parked the bike, and found a taxi driver. Within 10 minutes, Arturo had found a bank for me, and we were on the way to the ticket office for Baja Ferries. I lucked out, as there was a nice young gentlemen who spoke better English than I, and the process was relatively painless. I hope that the customs people are as accommodating tomorrow, and as far as I know I am prepared with the proper documents. We will see...


I decided to cruise out to the ferry terminal, which is about 25km east of La Paz. The ride out there was interesting, and it was clear that big money and big houses were the order of the day in the outlying areas of La Paz. Kind of a Cabo north, I guess.

This frontpiece gives an idea of the kind of escapist hotels and homes being built.  A long way from the streets for many Mexicans...

The beaches are very nice, with clear water. There does not seem to be a lot of touristas, and my guess is that the weather is just beginning to cool down, and that the hordes will arrive later in the fall.

A couple of more charter guys.  They really wanted me to go fishing with them, even though they were babysitting junior, too.  Another case of too many boats and not enough tourists.  The bane of all charter boat operators.    I was tempted to go fishing, but it was blowing up, as evidenced by the flags, and with a couple of good boats sitting in my driveway, it is pretty hard to justify....

This car was parked on the street. I am convinced that the brown stuff was cow shit, as well as the  whole side, which is covered in all sorts of the same brown stuff.

I went looking for a replacement shirt, as I can't seem to wash away the grime on my riding shirt. Sears is getting ready for Christmas, if you can believe it!

 I am not sure of the context, other than this was outside of a bar.  I am sure that it is a copy of the famous "Rosie the Riveter" poster which celebrted women who worked during the war effort.

I am becoming accustomed to the rythm of the Mexicans' day, and returned to the motel for a siesta.  I was awakened by the familiar sound of DRZ400's barking away.  It turns out that two RTH (round the worlders) have arrived after fighting the same water and flooding that I did yesterday.  It sounds like on the outskirts of the city, it does not take much rain for flooding and serious road issues to occur.

I had a bit of a chat with these two young advernturers.  They certainly have been on a ride, and it is clear that they have learned the "Pack light, live Light" Mantra that I am still dealing with.  They have a website, ToughMiles.com, and I have just begun reading it. It is very professional, and their writing is well done, as well as their photos.  I hope that people with check out their website and leave them some comments, as they are committed to a very worthwhile cause.

As I said, these guys have clearly mastered the packing issue.

While we were talking, I noticed that my chain was really loose, so it was time to break out the tools and adjust the chain, which is the first real adjustment in 6000 km, so I have no complaints for the price I paid for the heavy duty chain back in Victoria.

Blondie sitting outside the room, ready to ride to the ferry tomorrow.  The plan is to make some miles between Mazatlan and where I hang my head on Friday night.  I am not interested in any more tourista scene, and in the back of my head are the comments from the ex-pat out of  Mulege.

Hopefully the black clouds will only dump rain, and not bring any wind to speak of.  It is not exaclty like crossing the Strait of Georgia, so no worries....