La Paz

We spent a total of 3 months in La Paz. It is a great spot to provision and has many marinas to choose from. We opted to anchor out instead and save the money we would have spent at the marinas for dining out and entertainment.

Our favorite restaurant was "La Fonda", a small family owned Mexican food place within walking distance. For 35 pesos (roughly $3.00US), we could order a wonderful, traditional meal with good proportions. The owner was usually present and always at our service. We also found a taco vendor that served yummy shrimp, beef or fish tacos for 5 pesos each (roughly .40US). Otherwise, we found that La Paz was not that cheap. They have to import many items, so that may be why the prices were sometimes more than you could find in the states.

We had the bottom repainted on Windfall. We used Marina Palmar, who hauled us out on the hard, pressure washed, sanded (lightly), ground out and epoxied over 30 blisters, and painted the bottom for $1,100US. Keep in mind that we brought our own paint. When they lowered us back into the water the paint smeared. They pulled us back out and repaired the damage at no extra cost. They allowed us to live on board while on the hard. They had bathrooms and showers, electricity and water. Overall, I thought they were professional and we are happy with the work.

The kids met many wonderful friends in La Paz. We stayed longer than expected partly because it was a hub for social activity. I played dominoes frequently, attended SASS meetings (Sisters Acquiring Sea Skills), and the kids and I played beach volleyball. It's a place I feel I could definitely live long term.