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La Paz, Baja California 2006 |
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La Paz has changed a great deal since our first visit 13 years ago. The quaint, sleepy town of Steinbeck's time is becoming a bustling metropolis by Baja standards. The expanded and refurbished malecon is lively with families, business people, and recreational enthusiasts, evidence of the rapidly growing middle class and a large community of ex-pat Americans in this town.
We had intended to head south within a few days of our arrival in La Paz, but were immediately reminded that when you choose to travel by boat, you must learn to travel with patience. And so begins the metaphor, and another refresher in one of life's more difficult lessons. |
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Malecon, La Paz |
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After completing boat projects and unanticipated repairs, the result of "Zug" sitting 'on the hard' (out of the water) for nine months, we waited on the weather. "Northers," strong, cold winds from the north, are typical here this time of year and can make for dangerous sailing conditions. We passed the time with our old friends Dennis and Lou (s/v Milagro), and with our new friends, Pat and Cat, with good wine, good food, and good conversation. |
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Dennis and Lou |
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Everyone has a story to tell, and that is one of the things we enjoy most about cruising. We have met many interesting people, and made many new friends while traveling in Mexico. Not only fellow cruisers, but also our friends Dan and Linden, traveling by car and camper across mainland Mexico last year, and most recently, Pat and Cat who are on their final leg of a four year around-the-world bike trip. We met them on a street corner here, in La Paz, when Mike, seeing Cat with her heavily loaded bike, asked her if she had just biked the peninsula. "No," she said, "but we did just bike around the world!" (You can link to their website from our homepage). We have also made another new friend. Lucy. |
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Pat and Cat |
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One of the good things about humans, from the perspective of animals, is that some of us are easily trainable. Lucy knows this. Lucy is a Graylag, or "barnyard" goose, a marina resident since she was blown here during a hurricane two years ago. A second goose that arrived with Lucy was captured for food, but the intervention of Raul and Sharon, owners of Coast Marine, saved Lucy. In return, Lucy has granted them the opportunity to care for her (not that a wild goose needs much caring for). |
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I confess a failure to be moved deeply or intensely (or at all) by the crying of most children, but the abrasive "honk" of a lone goose is enough to get me out of bed and on the dock with veggies in hand before you can say "Old MacDonald had a farm," Lucy knows this too.
Lucy cruises the "runway" between the boats several times a day begging for food. It's not that she needs to, Raul and Sharon put food out for her everyday, but Lucy is a spoiled goose. She makes her rounds looking for the best food. Furthest from the main dock, we were initially the boat of last resort for Lucy, then, she discovered that we had cucumbers. A demanding "honk" now awakens me daily (is it just my imagination that it gets earlier every day?), and if I fail to produce the coveted cucumber, she picks at my offerings, turns away, and heads off noisily in search of better grub.
Lucy's physical needs are well met here, but I can't help but think she would be happier if she had a friend or two. We have a resident population of these same geese at the lake where I run in San Diego, hmmmm.........if I could just figure out a way to stow Lucy! |
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Lucy |
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