Baja California Sur Part 2: La Paz and Isla Espiritu Santo

Leaving Cabo San Lucas, we turned against the prevailing current. As we entered the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) and bumped our way northwards, I glanced at the chart plotter and noticed a familiar name: Cabo Pulmo. Months earlier, when our family had spent the day at the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park, we had seen a documentary about the regeneration of Cabo Pulmo Reef. Inspired by the incredible story of revival--the reef went from being decimated by overfishing to becoming a thriving marine reserve--we promised Aaron and Yael that we would stop and see it for ourselves once we reached the Sea of Cortez. And here we were!

Ready for snorkeling at Los Frailes (near Cabo Pulmo Reef)

We quickly changed course and anchored near Los Frailes, a small community just south of the reef. Cabo Pulmo itself is a protected reserve and can only be entered with a guide, but the nearby waters of Los Frailes are also well-known for their diverse marine wildlife and we were eager to experience them for ourselves. We did pause for a moment as we remembered that the documentary had highlighted Cabo Pulmo as a shark hotspot (which is excellent in terms of biodiversity, yet potentially worrisome for small snorkeling children), but were assured by other snorkelers that we'd be fine as long as we stayed in the shallows close to rocky outcroppings and didn't head into the water at dawn or dusk.

Our first family snorkel together was magical. Despite some slight murkiness, we were able to see many species of tropical fish darting, flashing, revealing, and concealing themselves below us. Yael and I held hands, squeezing each other's palms tight each time we spotted a new wonder. Our favourite by far were the striking royal blue, tangerine, and white King Angelfish. Nico and Aaron floated nearby, also completely engrossed in the underwater epic unfolding before our eyes. When we finally dragged ourselves away and returned to Mohini, we were wonderfully charged and knew it wouldn't be long before we'd be ready to repeat this type of experience again.

**If you're interested in learning more about Cabo Pulmo Reef, we recommend the documentary Cabo Pulmo's Revival: From Overfishing to Thriving Sanctuary.

La Paz: Home for a While

Late in the afternoon of December 24, we arrived in La Paz Bay and anchored across from the public dock near a narrow spit of sand and mangrove trees. Seeing more than 50 other boats in the anchorage around us was an encouraging sign (surely, we'd make some friends here) and we wasted little time in taking the dinghy to shore to stretch our legs and explore.

It was Christmas Eve and La Paz's popular malecon (seaside walkway) was calm and peaceful, its clean, broad, even pavement invitingly illuminated by white lights spiraled around palm tree trunks as far as the eye could see. While the kids played on a beautiful public playground (a rarity in many parts of Mexico) I walked past well-kept shops, restaurants, and parks in the dusky light. My initial impression of La Paz was highly favourable and I remember thinking, this is a place I could stay awhile.

After six months of constantly being on the move and at sea, we were ready for a hiatus, a natural pause in the rhythm of our adventure, and La Paz felt like the right place to take it. We opened ourselves to what this place might have to offer and, in the end, spent a delightful 10 weeks "settled" there.

Sunrises and sunsets are stunning anywhere, but we witnessed some of the most magnificent ones we've ever seen in La Paz. This was early morning around 6 a.m.

Exploring La Paz

La Paz is the capital of the state of Baja California Sur (BCS) and, with more than a quarter million people, by far its largest city. Despite its size, the community is wonderfully walkable and we quickly fell in love with its local authenticity, laid back vibe, historic downtown district, and mouthwatering cuisine. By exploring the area within a 5-kilometre radius of our anchorage on foot, we discovered not only the picturesque statues and restaurants along the waterfront malecon, but also bustling outdoor markets tucked further into town, the colonial architecture surrounding Nuestra Señora de La Paz Cathedral, and museums and cultural attractions like the Museo de Arte de Baja California Sur, the Centro Cultural La Paz, the Museo de la Ballena (Whale Museum), and the Serpentario (a really cool reptile rescue centre).

Upon exploring the anchorage further, we were disappointed to find that all of the "kid boats" appeared to have headed further south to La Cruz and Barra de Navidad for the season, but quickly set about establishing connections in other ways. We were warmly welcomed into La Paz's tiny but vibrant Jewish community, where our kids immediately made friends, and we enjoyed many Shabbat dinners, social events, playdates, and holiday celebrations there. As a result, our social schedule was full throughout our stay in La Paz and our family was able to remain culturally and spiritually connected, which were both wonderful blessings.

Here we are celebrating Hannukah and Purim, the two Jewish holidays that bookended our La Paz hiatus:

We also took the opportunity to enroll Aaron and Yael in some extracurricular activities and were soon trekking 2.5 km each way to karate and ballet classes three times per week. Both teachers were phenomenal and made our kids feel truly part of the class, despite their temporary status. Watching Aaron skip excitedly through town in his white uniform and Yael prance along in her pink one was priceless and put a smile on our faces (and the faces of those around us) every single time. Aaron was able to earn his yellow belt in just 10 weeks of hard work and Yael discovered her love of movement, which undoubtedly she'll be able to pursue again at the right moment in the future. Both kids also took swimming lessons with a teacher who came out to Mohini to build their survival skills and confidence in ocean waves and currents.

Welcoming Visitors

Once we let our families know that we were stopping for a while, we were fortunate to receive several visits from out-of-town guests. My dad popped down from Winnipeg in early January to spend a few days with the kids and me while Nico traveled to Europe for a work event. During that time, I had the opportunity to take him swimming with whale sharks for his birthday--something quintessentially La Paz and truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for both of us. The water was murky when I entered and, despite the whale shark being 15 meters long (yes, really), I couldn't locate it until I was practically on top of it, at which point our guide captured this hilarious (in hindsight) video of me hightailing it outta there:

Nico's parents arrived as a surprise for Aaron on his seventh birthday and enjoyed La Paz and Isla Espiritu Santo with us for the ten days following. Next came my brother and his two boys, who we also took sailing to Isla Espiritu Santo for a few overnights and, lastly, my dad came again--this time also with my mom. It was incredible to see everyone in such a short span of time and we loved playing host and showing people around La Paz and the surrounding areas. Here were a few highlights:

Isla Espiritu Santo

The closest island to La Paz is Isla Espiritu Santo, an uninhabited national park known for its protected bays, plethora of marine wildlife, and stunning rock formations. We were fortunate enough to spend several nights anchored off of its shoreline during our time in La Paz--long enough to fall in love with its tranquility and aquamarine waters teeming with massive schools of fish, sea lions, stingrays, and sea turtles.

Isla Espiritu Santo offers plentiful opportunities for snorkeling, hiking, paddleboarding, beachcombing, and wildlife watching--all of which we happily availed ourselves of. Click through the album below to view some of our favourite moments:

Buddy Boating: A New Chapter For Mohini

Between work, homeschooling, community and social events, lessons, and visitors, our time in La Paz truly flew by, leaving us feeling filled up, rested, and ready for new adventure. Friends who we had met the previous year in Paradise Village Marina in Puerto Vallarta were headed our way with their catamaran, Sea Again (two adults and three children on board), and we couldn't wait to reunite with them. The plan was to spend four to six weeks sailing northwards and exploring together in the Sea of Cortez, finally fulfilling one of our long-held dreams--to buddy boat with another wonderful and like-minded family.

As our kids scoured the horizon for their first glimpse of Sea Again, we knew that one wonderful chapter was closing and another opening. To follow Mohini's (and Sea Again's) adventures northwards, read our post "Baja California Sur Part 3: Isla San Francisco to Los Gatos".