Sunset Series: November 20 - 30

 

Sunset Series: November 13-19

Sunset Series: November 6-12

Baja Bound

We logged 1157 Miles in 18.5 hours on our drive from Las Vegas to La Paz. The drive to the border was the most agonizing. California had road construction that reduced traffic to one lane, we sat at a standstill multiple times waiting for our pilot car escort. It was a very slow start...

We made it to the border crossing outside Mexicali just before 2pm. It was a mighty good thing, too, little did we know the INM office closed at 2 o'clock. We assumed they kept the same hours as the crossing. We needed to pay for our FMM since we'd be staying longer than 7 days 575 pesos or $30 US. We were thankful we lucked out. 

We were unsure of how to access the office from the left lanes (nothing to declare) so we instead entered right and were subject to search. Inspection was brief, and they kindly pointed out the proper set of doors for us to obtain our FMM when we questioned, "Donde es FMM?" 

Fortunately, the drive to San Felipe is familiar and it proved to be quick and effortless. We stayed at Frank's uncle's house in El Dorado Ranch. We were enjoying Chiles Gueritos con Camaron at La Vaquita Norte in no time. We followed up with a couple drinks at San Felipe Brewery, which expanded a few months ago to a new location even closer to El Dorado Ranch. 

We basked in the moonlight on the roof top terrace, and then woke in enough time to watch the sunrise. Then, we headed out straight away. Our second day of driving was uncharted territory - to us, anyway. We heard the new highway made the drive easier, but we never imagined how nice it would be. Google didn't acknowledge the new route so we continuously shaved off minutes and eventually hours from our drive time. It was fantastic.

We crossed into Baja Sur way earlier than expected and we were delighted that we were able to arrive in Loreto well before sundown. So much so, we even considered making our way all the way to La Paz, but our favorite hotel HBlue was fully booked. We opted to take it as a sign to stay the night and finish the drive in the morning. I made a last minute reservation on booking.com for Hotel 1697. It was a cute boutique hotel with ideal location right near the plaza and walking distance to the malecon. 

It was a much better experience than our last accommodations in Loreto. A couple years back, we stayed at Loreto Bay Golf Resort & Spa. On the surface it was nice enough, but in reality it was a bit of disaster. We made several room changes, the gamut included everything from finding crumbs in bed to an air conditioner that apparently identified as an ice maker... At 2AM it started spitting out ice cubes like it was happy hour.

We had dinner at Mi Loreto. We had both of the house specialties: mole and chile rellenos. Neither disappointed. The city was exceptionally quiet. Alcohol was only sold at a few places in attempts to keep crowds at a minimum, The usual cruise along the malecon was only a few cars. The precautions to minimize the spread of coronavirus is no different from upper to lower baja. To gain entry into any business: you must be masked, you step into disinfecting solution, hands are sanitized with antibacterial gel and your temperature is taken. I appreciate consistency in measures taken - It was so different last month when traveling around Southern California. Procedures varied widely between LA, Orange and San Diego counties. It grew tiresome to learn & adjust to each new drill.

Again, we were up at dawn and on the road shortly after. Frank was eager to arrive in La Paz before the NFL games kicked off. The rest of the drive was seamless and we easily coordinated meeting our property manager. We settled right into our new casa well before football was underway.

Sunset Series: November 5, 2020

Sunset Series: November 4, 2020

Sunset Series: November 3, 2020

Sunset Series: November 2, 2020

 

Sunset Series: November 1, 2020

So... We did a thing.

 

Hola desde Mexico! Frank and I decided to make lemonade out of this lemon of a year. Or would it be a margarita from a lime? New things to ponder, but I digress.

We've talked about living abroad for ages. When Frank was cleared to work from home for the rest of the year we spotted an opportunity to snowbird in La Paz. It's felt most like home during our travels, after all. Plus, I've been telling Frank for what seems like years, now, that Vegas winters have gotten to be too cold for me... Well, the stars aligned, here we are, testing out life in Mexico for two months. 

We'll return home after the new year.  We rented an Airbnb a couple blocks off the malecon, we opted to drive our truck down, we left Las Vegas on Friday and arrived in La Paz before the NFL games kicked off on Sunday. Frank will take meetings as needed. I committed to no more than 20 hours per week for my consulting gig. My plan is to use the extra free time to improve my Spanish, focus on hobbies, get back into and form better habits. It is much needed; this year has been extremely hectic. It's often felt impossible to get it "all done" so I welcome this time to slow down. 

Bear with me, as I learn to all the new updates blogger has made. 

Circa Opens

Not even a pandemic can keep me from welcoming the newest kid on the block. Though, I did miss the celebrations at midnight. It was beyond my bedtime  - damn! It's hell getting old! - and, if I'm honest, I felt it was beyond my comfort level for risk of COVID.

Anyhow, we still stepped foot in the multi-level beaut on opening day. I had to see where my favorite neon cowgirl calls home. 

We parked in the garage and wandered the property for an hour ($4/hour for parking). To gain entrance, we had our temperature taken before we could proceed to security to be carded. The property is restricted to 21+ to enhance the experience. The wait was short on our arrival, but the line to enter was lengthy upon our departure.

     

There is no doubt the sportsbook is the centerpiece! The video wall is a stunner.

 

My personal favorite aspects are The Mega Bar and the return of Vegas Vickie. And I dig the casino floor vents that really do a phenomenal job of filtering the cigarette smoke in the air. This was my first time in a casino since February, I should have been extremely sensitive to the smoke from not having been around it in ages, but it wasn't bothersome and I didn't leave reeking of smoke.

The hotel is not scheduled to open until late-December so all banks of elevators are off limits. I'm told guests of the D can access Circa Swim until the hotel welcomes guests. On our visit, it was $10 per person to gain admission to the pool area. I wasn't interested in forking over the cash. I am certain it is an experience like no other. I'm hopeful to attend a Golden Knights Watch Party sometime in the future.