Weekend In La Paz

The four of us loaded up in the truck and headed north to La Paz this morning. After parking the truck in front of Posada Colibri B & B we went for a walk to El Centro (the downtown area). Our first stop was Ibarra Potter. This a family-run shop where Dad makes all the pots, then he, his wife and daughter do the hand-painting and firing. They’re in the process of copywriting their designs, so they ask that no photos be taken. Each of us bought a couple of pieces. When we get back to Los Barriles we’ll unwrap a few and post some photos. Meanwhile, this is a photo of Mom’s painting station which Bob received permission to take.

We walked the rest of the way into El Centro and mixed with the active crowd of Saturday shoppers. It was interesting people-watching and always fun to see the many very specialized shops. There are almost no gringos in this part of town whose shops cater to the locals, not tourists. Department stores exist but are very few and far between. At lunch time we returned to Bob and Cathryn’s favorite place, La Fonda. Lynn and David ordered chicken dishes made with mole, a chocolate-based sauce. We think both decided it was worth trying, but perhaps not worth ordering again in the future.

We sauntered back to the B&B and sat on the terrace overlooking the Malecon and Bay of La Paz, soaking up the atmosphere. As usual, the weather was sunny and in the 70s. Around 6:00 we cracked a bottle of wine while watching the very nice sunset.

Later we wandered down the street to Tres Virgenes, a restaurant recommended by our B&B hosts and Jim and Phebe who ate there last Christmas. The atmosphere was delightful on an outdoor terrace in the warm evening, and the food was outstanding – and of generous portions. It was an expensive meal by Mexican standards, $140 including one bottle of wine, but well worth it. But Lynn and David treated us, so that’s easy for us to say!

After dinner we walked the Malecon along the water, accompanied by a goodly portion of the younger generation of La Paz. A nice way to walk off a large dinner in short sleeve weather at 9 PM.