La Paz...A Dream Come True

Contentment thy name is Tecolote Beach.  Sunshine is bursting out of every pore of the earth here in this dream-like heaven that lies gently and white sanded on tranquil blue waters. Except for my obvious self, the owner of this small tiki bar and his affectionate and adorable Pete-y look alike of a dog are the only other ones here.  I grab a $3 22oz beer and go to sit under one of several thatch umbrellas and enjoy the absolute human silence and plug into the sounds of nature.  It is hypnotic and unreal here. This place is everything that hurting, stressed, worried, and under slept people  should go to cure their ills because it is everything that is opposite.  The sea is a calming background symphony that's variation of pale green, to light turquoise, to deep blue sets all fires inside to cool.  A small cliff juts out at the end of the beach creating a cove-like privacy.  Seagulls hover above shallow fish and I motion my new canine friend to come over so I can pet him.  He has a dog grin on his face and rests at my feet licking them and sprawling out in the shade while I scratch his belly.  Warming up in the rising sun, I decide it is a good idea to go for a swim.  Several people have warned me of sting rays in the area so I carefully walk into the surprisingly cold water and submerse myself in the refreshing baptism.  Life is good.  This is good and all that is right with the world.  I cannot imagine why anyone would try to venture to anywhere else knowing this existed.  I am sad I am just discovering this but all the more motivated to make my way back.

Today I began my day on Alvaro Obregon, which is the main street on the waterfront in La Paz. It is another bright and sun soaked experience, the waters of the ocean aqua and moving slight waves not too far from the store fronts. The morning breezes were still cool in their breath before the impending doom of the rising heat.  Shop owners twisted keys into locked doors and aluminum gates swung open for visitors.  The local street merchants hung colorfully woven woolen blankets for tourists to buy for their imaginary donkeys back home.  Fake silver bangles clanged in the last of the morning breezes while tiny taco stands sold delicious corn tortillas with seasoned beef and fresh salsas for a dollar.  An old man with a large fanny pack walked by me with two racks of bracelets and necklaces for sale and I politely declined his lifted display.  I gathered my things after my morning coffee to drive up the coast in La Paz for some rest and relaxation alone.  I made the right decision and so fortunate to not only see this beautiful landscape but to meet its very friendly inhabitants.

The Sierra De La Laguna Mountain range is the only mountain range to speak of, though desert cliffs and dramatic clay-like ledges rise out of the beautiful waters in stark red and sand colored contrast to the clear cobalt hue of the ocean.  I cannot help but compare it to the geography of the coast of Egypt and maybe that is why I feel so much at home here, reminded of my childhood on the Red Sea.  The ocean life is spectacular with seasonal visits from a variety of whale species, whale sharks, seals, and a vast spectrum of fish and dolphins.  Due to the local school for marine biology, so many of the people I have had the pleasure to talk to have a passion for these creatures and for their conservation.  It is sadly being threatened by human impact, commercial fishing, and pollution due to the dewatering of freshwater sources like the Colorado River.  However, it is still bursting with life in a way I haven't seen since my childhood with rays sticking wings in the air and jumping out of the water, sea lions galore spawning new baby pups each season, bull sharks returning to the protected waters of Espiritu Santo, and schools of colorful Jacks and fat Parrot Fish munching away on corral.  I have never felt so moved towards a cause of conservation as I have in working here. I imagine it would be very difficult for anyone to feel otherwise once experiencing this beauty.

Finally in my travels I am truly feeling content and satiated. The term "save the best for last" could not be truer .  Of all the places in Latin America…and possibly the world…this is the one I like best.  I find myself entertaining thoughts of a future life here.  I picture myself joining the locals walking to work each day and resting in the cooling evening sunsets.   La Paz…The Peace…could not be more appropriately named.  It is a beautiful coastal town with raging hot days and beautifully breezy cool nights.  It is dry and quiet, simple but special in a spiritual and secret way I struggle to name, almost as if I am not meant to. It just is. To be here is to feel that something magical and comforting walks beside you.  It is the simple and pure life.  Once again…man…I have SO MUCH to be grateful for. 

A much needed nap.

Our guests left early a few days ago.  Tired crew drug tired feet in covering the boat back up in its protective tarps, saran wrapping of trays and glassware, and an emptying of garbage and remnants to conclude work.  I prepared my last lunch for the week. Sighing heavy exagerated sighs we gathered in the crew mess to toast a beer to the end of our long line of trips in Central America.  We vented, we laughed, we enjoyed a few more beers, said a few more cheers, then climbed back into our beds for the long awaited after-trip nap.   The boat was finally silent again except for the sounds of heavy breathing and snoring.  I slept 4 hours, got up and ate some snacks, caught up on Game of Thrones, went back to bed for 3 more hours and would have gladly slept through the rest of the night if Jacob hadn't made me get up to eat dinner.  We shuffled along the marina restaurant line to a small table, sat down, and quietly sipped our beers. The sun sets around 8 pm in La Paz taking the days' heat with it.  I sat in the cooling evening breeze with my friend and we had our unwinding and usual after-trip conversation.  Crew need to vent to each other about guests.  And then crew need a crew mate to vent to about crew.  Jacob is always my safety for that.  With a little more weight off our shoulders, weary smiles, and a bag of take-away food, we made our way back to the boat, ate our dinners, then headed off to separate beds for more sleep.

This last trip was the end of a long line of trips and the first time we have been able to truly rest in a while.  After recovering from our first Cocos Island trip, we prepared and planned our second venture back to bury treasure.  A fun and physically challenging trip, the treasure was finally buried after a couple weeks and we said goodbye to our guests for a second time.  We got the boat ready again, provisioned for our week, and buckled down for sea.  Saying goodbye to our almost year long stay in Costa Rica, we then made a 6 day trip to Puerto Vallarta in rough weather.  It was a sleepless, physically exhausting trip rocking our bodies back and forth in our attempted sleep.  My poor crew mate who has the unfortunate issue of seasickness, lay pale faced and moaning for the majority of the time.  We changed course closer to the coast a couple days in and the waves, which were around 4 meters at this time, hit us on our starboard side.  I remember waking up that morning for my watch and falling immediately over on my face.  Sometimes you learn the change of direction the hard way!  Shaking it off, I walked uphill out of my cabin and climbed on hands and knees up the stairs to my seat in front of the radar to join my crew mate for the morning watch.   Afterward, I spent a good portion of the day in the galley preparing desserts, appetizers, and sauces for the upcoming trip, while avoiding clanging and banging cupboards that came to life with each large swell rolling beneath us.  The camera equipment and books on shelves were thrown into the salon as the wave height increased and I hurried to finish crew dinner amidst sloshing boiling water pots.  As tired as a person can be in these conditions with their body in constant movement and overcompensation, I must oddly admit I live for these moments at sea.  I never feel more alive than when I am at a loss for control in this way.  However, the amount of exhaustion it added to an already exhausted crew was too much for what lie ahead.  We needed more time.  

Upon arrival we provisioned for 1 day, ran around town finding fish markets, produce provisions, a mariachi band and decorations for our new guests' arrival, prayed for a miracle to get our internet up again after a lightning storm at sea, and then welcomed new guests onboard for another trip.  As excited as we were to be in Mexico finally, we welcomed guests on a half tank of gas…maybe less.  As my crew mate Sandra so eloquently put it, "Oh my God Sarah.  No one is young enough for this shit.  I am beginning this next trip feeling worse than the end of the last trip!"  And I couldn't have agreed more.  I knew we would be exhausted for this last trip but truly had no idea how much. To think a couple months ago we stared down the barrel of the buried treasure expeditions, the preparations to move the boats' 1 year in Costa Rica and Panama north, to begin new steps out of the jungle and closer to U.S. soil.  And now this journey is over.  

 Like a climber at the base of steep plans, we looked up the mountain fearing the exhaustion and insanity of the schedule that was ahead of us.  And as much as it was to get through, I am proud to say we are stronger than we thought we would be and we are closer than ever before because of it.  My heart went out to the boys because we had to change our trip itinerary last minute due to Hurricane Amanda.  So planning down the drain, they scrambled to reroute our trip and Soccoro Island became the Sea of Cortez. Each day the strongest person was a role carried by someone new and the weakest leaned heavily.  However, despite it all, they pulled through and we are here on this day now. We are finally in La Paz and have the next couple months to recharge our batteries, to enjoy the convenience of supermarkets, to take some much needed time off, and to breathe a little easier. 

There is so much I can say about my experiences, so much that runs through my mind when I am in the middle of cooking, and of course a lot of questions asked by friends about what the people are like that I serve.  Really at the end of the day, it can be summed up by saying I am blessed to meet some amazing and talented people.  We work hard to be given the opportunity to celebrate the life we are lucky to live. Our guests are always interesting people with unique passions that drive them in life.  I learn so much each trip. Even as tired as we were, we had some real connections despite it. There is never a dull day and we are lucky to continue these relationships and friendships beyond our job.  I am proud of myself and my crew mates.  I am grateful for my job and I look forward to the next round of adventures ahead.  For now though…this chick is dead on her feet.  Adventure can wait.  I'm going back to sleep!