After our remote adventure in Agua Verde, we packed things up and began the five hour trek south to La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur. Based on some of our early reading about Baja, both Steven and I were excited to explore this city and see all that it had to offer.
Upon our arrival, we parted ways with our van life pals. They had planned on heading straight to Balandra to camp on the beach, while we needed to resupply. And let’s be honest — get in an actual shower! ?
After driving around and looking at our campground options, we decided to head to a hostel not too far from the La Paz malecon. Peace Hostel was a perfect place for us to recharge and reset. Shortly after we got there, the owner drove up with the cutest surprise in the back of her car — five little puppies that she had found on the street. Levi and Harv were stoked! They named the puppies — as they’ve done with every Mexican street dog we’ve encountered — Chocolate (Choco for short), Darlin, Brownie, Black Pie and Pumpkin. It was so fun to watch the pups wrestle, eat, sleep, repeat for the two days we were there! For our full review of Peace Hostel, head over here.
Compared to most of the rural areas we had previously explored in Baja, La Paz is a legit city. Like Ensenada, you can find large stores like Walmart and Home Depot, as well as other Americanized chains. We stocked up on groceries at the Walmart, which had everything we needed — like more chorizo and New Mix! We also discovered at the Ensenada Walmart that their bakery is LEGIT, so we added our fair share of mole empanadas and other baked goodies to the cart as well.
When we weren’t playing with the adorable pups — which was quite a bit — we decided to walk the malecon. I’m a sucker for art murals, and there are plenty to marvel at as you stroll through this area of La Paz! ? Almost everywhere you look, you can spot beautiful street art — and the intricacies within each. At the Peace Hostel, we watched a mural unfold before our eyes during our three-day stay. Harv was so fascinated by the process that he wouldn’t leave the artist’s side. In fact, when she would take breaks, Harvey would push her to resume painting. I think he was eager to see it finished! ?
After a couple of days at the hostel, we decided to meet up with our van pals at Campestre Maranatha, a campground on the outskirts of La Paz. It’s one of the nicest campgrounds in all of Baja, and we enjoyed an awesome potluck dinner with our buddies. (The boys also ran into their Swiss friends, Jenny and Layla, again!) You can get the full scoop on everything this campground has to offer here.
On our last night in La Paz, we went out for craft beer and pizza at Harker Board Co. It had been a minute since the kids had pizza, so they were pumped! We enjoyed local beers from Baja Brewing Co. and delicious sliders. The restaurant’s upstairs patio offered incredible views of the malecon at sunset.
Afterwards, we kept the party going at Cerveceria Paceña By Pinshi Paceña Brewing Co. We were able to park across the street, so we left the kids with a walkie-talkie, took one for ourselves and let them watch their iPads. Parenting FTW! This place had tons of craft beer on tap, as well as mixed drinks, but what stood out was the free popcorn. Hey, when you’ve been drinking, this stuff matters! The popcorn is made fresh, and seasoned with the most amazing spicy-sweet chili concoction called Miguelito. Delish! The Cerveceria also has a food truck on site for those late night munchies.
Later that night, we had all had our fill of drinks, so we decided to spend the night parked along a quiet street. The next morning, we walked over to Doce Cuarenta Casa de Cafe. I was in latte heaven! This is a must-stop spot if you’re in La Paz. The kids indulged in a Role de Canela (cinnamon roll), while I devoured the most delicious quiche and empanada. (What?! I was hungry!)
Not only is La Paz known for its amazing beaches, it’s also a popular spot to swim with the whale sharks in the early part of the year. After paddleboarding next to one in Bahía Concepción, we figured that there was still enough time to book a tour on our way back up North. You know, when we came back to camp on the Balandra beach. Or so we thought…
…Which leads me to one thing to note during our time in La Paz. We had just gotten cell service again, and were seeing news reports of the initial spread of COVID-19 (and TP hoarding). At the time, it sorta felt like we were living in an alternate universe in Baja compared to what was happening virtually everywhere else. While we were wondering about the next campground with a shower, it became evident that there were much larger concerns happening elsewhere. In that moment, we weren’t sure how to feel about it. Nor did we realize the impending pandemic that would soon face the entire world. I feel like it’s important to mention this here, as fairly soon, the rest of our Baja travels would be impacted.
With all that said, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in La Paz… even if we didn’t get to come back and swim with the whales or experience its beautiful beaches. Deep down, we know that we’ll be back in the future!
