Now in La Paz!
We had a very bittersweet adios with everyone at the Casita and the view. Being in Todos Santos was an amazing experience, and the time spent volunteering, hiking, swimming, bird watching, star gazing, and numerous other activities will always remain in our heart although we can all agree that the hardest part was leaving the dogs and the cats that have become our best friends throughout our stay.
We left at 9 am (after yet another amazing breakfast; this one was called the Student’s breakfast, named after a common staple for Mexican students in Mexico City) for another exciting adventure. After a long drive, we finally arrived at the Sea of Cortez, where we were mesmerized by all the different layers of blue in the water. It was an amazing sight to behold, and let alone kayak! We were eager to stretch out our bodies after the long drive, but were less thrilled to test our arm strengths for the paddling. Sylvia gave a short demonstration/lesson on how to paddle correctly and how to set the boat out to the water. Initially, we had some struggles because the water was too shallow for both paddles and boat, but as soon as we reached the darker shade of blue in the water, we were paddling hard towards the opposite shore.
We all safely arrived at a remote shore, a special paradise-like place that we had to ourselves. The lunch was burritos, crackers, cantaloupe, carrots, and other yummy snacks to fill up our tired stomachs. The only downside to our little trip was the aggressive herd of hornets. It was quite a hassle to avoid them. In the water, there was another danger. We were told to shuffle our feet in the sand for possible stingrays. Luckily, no one encountered one during our swim time.
After lunch, we kayaked back to the shore that we came from. Our arms were about to fall off from the excessive paddling, but we still managed to go for a “short” hike to a nearby hill where once again, we were greeted with a fantastic view of the entire Sea of Cortez.
After kayaking, we drove over to the hotel in La Paz we’re currently at right now – el Hotel Marina – and had a couple hours of much-needed free time after we checked in. During this period, some of us walked to nearby food stands and tried some fresh coconuts and other local fruits while others rested in their rooms. We then loaded ourselves into the van and drove to the shopping section of La Paz, where we had around an hour to explore and buy items from the various stores there.
We ate dinner at a local restaurant. Everyone ordered his or her own meal, and was very satisfied with it. Though there was air of sleepiness at the table as some of us struggled to keep our eyes open, we powered through and were able to continue eating. After we finished our meals, Sydney and Angela were then both very surprised (note the very) by the slice of flan-cake, strawberry-tasting drink, and headshake one of the waiters gave them (the waiter had grasped Sydney’s and Angela’s chins one by one and shaken their heads from side to side after they drank the strawberry-tasting drink) in celebration of their birthday, which is tomorrow. We left the restaurant with very full stomachs, but some of us were able to cram in dessert, which was in the form of churros, while the others who couldn’t wished for the ability to rent extra stomachs. These churros were different than the ones we have back at home – instead of only a stick of dough rolled in sugar and cinnamon, these churros came with the option of having a creamy filling and or different toppings such as chocolate syrup.
After dessert, we returned to the hotel and trudged up to our rooms and beds, tired but satisfied after another great day.
We had a very bittersweet adios with everyone at the Casita and the view. Being in Todos Santos was an amazing experience, and the time spent volunteering, hiking, swimming, bird watching, star gazing, and numerous other activities will always remain in our heart although we can all agree that the hardest part was leaving the dogs and the cats that have become our best friends throughout our stay.
We left at 9 am (after yet another amazing breakfast; this one was called the Student’s breakfast, named after a common staple for Mexican students in Mexico City) for another exciting adventure. After a long drive, we finally arrived at the Sea of Cortez, where we were mesmerized by all the different layers of blue in the water. It was an amazing sight to behold, and let alone kayak! We were eager to stretch out our bodies after the long drive, but were less thrilled to test our arm strengths for the paddling. Sylvia gave a short demonstration/lesson on how to paddle correctly and how to set the boat out to the water. Initially, we had some struggles because the water was too shallow for both paddles and boat, but as soon as we reached the darker shade of blue in the water, we were paddling hard towards the opposite shore.
We all safely arrived at a remote shore, a special paradise-like place that we had to ourselves. The lunch was burritos, crackers, cantaloupe, carrots, and other yummy snacks to fill up our tired stomachs. The only downside to our little trip was the aggressive herd of hornets. It was quite a hassle to avoid them. In the water, there was another danger. We were told to shuffle our feet in the sand for possible stingrays. Luckily, no one encountered one during our swim time.
After lunch, we kayaked back to the shore that we came from. Our arms were about to fall off from the excessive paddling, but we still managed to go for a “short” hike to a nearby hill where once again, we were greeted with a fantastic view of the entire Sea of Cortez.
After kayaking, we drove over to the hotel in La Paz we’re currently at right now – el Hotel Marina – and had a couple hours of much-needed free time after we checked in. During this period, some of us walked to nearby food stands and tried some fresh coconuts and other local fruits while others rested in their rooms. We then loaded ourselves into the van and drove to the shopping section of La Paz, where we had around an hour to explore and buy items from the various stores there.
We ate dinner at a local restaurant. Everyone ordered his or her own meal, and was very satisfied with it. Though there was air of sleepiness at the table as some of us struggled to keep our eyes open, we powered through and were able to continue eating. After we finished our meals, Sydney and Angela were then both very surprised (note the very) by the slice of flan-cake, strawberry-tasting drink, and headshake one of the waiters gave them (the waiter had grasped Sydney’s and Angela’s chins one by one and shaken their heads from side to side after they drank the strawberry-tasting drink) in celebration of their birthday, which is tomorrow. We left the restaurant with very full stomachs, but some of us were able to cram in dessert, which was in the form of churros, while the others who couldn’t wished for the ability to rent extra stomachs. These churros were different than the ones we have back at home – instead of only a stick of dough rolled in sugar and cinnamon, these churros came with the option of having a creamy filling and or different toppings such as chocolate syrup.
After dessert, we returned to the hotel and trudged up to our rooms and beds, tired but satisfied after another great day.