A road trip with new experiences is always fun.
So we set out to explore the city of La Paz and area and spent three days enjoying new adventures.
La Paz is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. The city is located in a beautiful bay, and the popular centre of it all is a malecon (or boardwalk) that runs along the bay. It is well kept and features marine statues and access to the beach. Across the street are many bars and restaurants.
We drive through La Paz on our journey each year, but have not spent much time there.
After finding our hotel, we spent our first day exploring the area of the bay north of the city, home to four beautiful beaches and a major port, Pichilingue. We have visited two of the beaches before, so this trip we opted for what has been ranked the number one beach in Mexico, Balandra. It did not disappoint.
Balandra features beautiful soft sand, clear water, and is shallow enough to walk out and almost across the bay. It’s a unique experience, different than the snorkel beaches or surf beaches that we also visit. As always, the day was a beautiful sunny one, and we enjoyed walking around the bay and basking in the warm water. Balandra also features the famous “mushroom rock,” a unique rock structure that graces many brochures.
On our second day, we went on an experience of a lifetime – snorkeling with whale sharks. These are the largest fish in the world, and they gather in the shallow waters of the bay at La Paz to feed on plankton and krill. While they are sharks, they are similar to whales in their size and their eating habits – they feed on the tiny fish by opening their mouths to vacuum in the food.
Our panga (boat) captain found us sharks, and our guides took us in the water to swim with them. It was a beautiful experience to be so close to nature in that way. We spent the most time next to a whale that was approximately 10 metres long. I love being in the water, and this was a gratifying experience.
We enjoyed our final evening on the rooftop patio of our hotel watching the sunset over the Sea of Cortez. What would be a trip without some amazing food as well? We enjoyed fresh fish, shrimp and ceviche, as well as machaca beef quesadillas.
We walked the malecon on our final morning, then it was time to head back to Cabo San Lucas. On our way home, we stopped at the surf beach of Cerritos to enjoy lunch overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Life really is better at the beach, and we got to enjoy some new ones this week!
theardizan 
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