[Originally posted January 15, 2008]
I've changed my mind about La Paz; once again, it is my favorite city in Baja. Yes, redevelopment has changed several blocks of the Malecon and hotels
economica are now $20-$30 instead of $10-$20, but the cute old La Paz is still there.
I returned to La Paz for a night before taking the ferry to the mainland. This time was better; I think the shock of the change wore off and I was able to appreciate the town for what it is now rather than what I expected it to be. I stayed at a neat backpacker's haunt called Hotel Yeneka. I ate street food. I drank cebeda, which is like horchata but made from barley instead of rice. I had cebeda ten years ago in La Paz and I've been searching unsuccessfully for it since. It reminds me of the carob milk I used to drink as a kid (another product that has, sadly, eluded me).
Outside my door, the courtyard of Hotel Yeneka:
The great thing about La Paz is that while downtown is fun and adorable, civilization (and an international airport) is just down the road. What I needed from civilization was a Mach 3 razor to beat back the unsightly fuzz protruding from my face. If this beard gets any longer someone might mistake me for an intellectual. Lo and behold, I hit the motherlode:
Soriana puts Wal*Mart to shame. It's like a combination of Safeway, Costco, Target, a video arcade, and "the mall", including a vast food court. They had my razor.
Oddly enough I didn't go out partying. Partly this is because I'm still recovering my health and party this is because I'm starting to get tired early and wake up early. Go figure.