here's the laundry list:
~ la paz - ensenada de los muertos, la ventana
~ vallarta - wedding
~ la paz to tijuana drive
~ christmas in tucson
~ tucson - hike, historical walk, wedding
~ move out
~ tucson to DC drive (texas, new orleans, atlanta as major highlights)
~ move in
i think i will have to do this in steps, in order to make it readable (and writeable). i will make photo albums on facebook as well, since it's too much to include and write about in a blog...
part i: leaving la paz and puerto vallarta
the last week in la paz was a whirlwind of wrapping things up ... and a bit bittersweet: as always, i am a mixture of excited to be moving into something new and sad to leave a wonderful place (baja). there was also in this case a hint of remorse that we left so many things undone. five months is simply not enough time to see and do everything one would like to. not that we did not see and do and experience quite a lot, but the list of things to do is still quite long. it is, i suppose, a reason to come back, but i always struggle with that notion - why would i go back somewhere when there are so many new places to go? however, given my continued collaboration with the SIO gulf of california team, i expect and hope that i will be back some day in the future.
we did make it over to the beach towns to the southeast-ish of la paz, just in front of isla cerralvo, called el sargento and la ventana. cute little beach communities with the typical mix of american ex-pats and locals (probably mostly fishermen). this coastline will never cease to amaze me, how often can you go to a white-ish sand beach and have no one else there?
[pelicans in ensenada de los muertos]
[pangas, ensenada de los muertos]
[isla cerralvo from la ventana/el sargento]
oh and i will miss the sierra, that we barely explored.
[rolling road]
between el triunfo and la paz is a sign for a cactus sanctuary a few miles down the road, so we pulled off and followed it, wondering what exactly, a cactus sanctuary is, or are we going on some wild goose chase into the middle of nowhere. but sure enough, there is was, a fenced off area with a walking path through an area thick with cactus. i cannot, of course, remember the name of the most prevalent one ... but it was a fun little wander. and right next to a cemetery, which i always enjoy exploring.
and our goodbye from la paz ...
the above is from our last evening in la paz, the next morning we left for vallarta (and returned a few days later in the early morning and departed la paz that afternoon (yes, we are insane)). we went to puerto vallarta for the wedding of a friend of ivan's from high school and spent a weekend there.
vallarta is a wonderful surprise- i was expecting cabo (over-the-top touristy, american "mexico")- but i was pleasantly surprised. for the most part, actually, vallarta is pretty real mexican. it is gorgeous, tucked into the jungle and hills. the malecon area was just redone and is closed to motor vehicles, so it is a lovely place to walk along the beach, people watch, and enjoy a beautiful day.
[malecon art]
[sand sculptures]
the centro is a wonderful mix of touristy and local places, like many of my favorite places are. we wandered through neighborhoods, tasted the local drink ("agua de tuba"), climbed into the hills. this remains my favorite way to travel - you wander just a block from the curios shops and see the reality of a place.
[iglesia de nuestra señora de guadalupe]
and of course we went to a wedding (the whole excuse for the trip). absolutely beautiful wedding on the beach complete with good friends (pretty small, about 50 people in total), good drinks, good music, and fun dancing. felicidades a juan pablo e irma :)
[three guys friends from high school with their wives/girlfriend (ivan and i are the only ones not married)]
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