I realized a few days ago that I hadn’t been to a beach in a LONG time, so I made a point of making my way to Olas Altas, and walking down to Playa Norte. That kept my beach needs in check for a few days, but it’s just not the same as spending some time under a palapa with a beer and something to eat.
So yesterday I hustled out of the apartment about a quarter past nine in the morning and headed to the embarcadero playa sur. It was an extra lazy morning, so it took me about twenty minutes to get there. One of the boats was just about to leave, so timing in that respect was perfect!
One thing of note – a new house is being constructed over on Stone Island at the spot the path leads to the beach. They’ve blocked access to the back area, so if the tide is in you’re stuck. Yesterday the tide was in. I think I’m just going to trek down to the street access from now on, even though there’s still a sign that points down the path for beach access. When you exit the embarcadero on the Stone Island end, turn left. Just past the nice white house on your right you’ll find a dirt road. This takes you to the beach side of the restaurants (and the beach). OR, you can turn right from the embarcadero and go down to Cerro los Chivos. Beaches and views are different, so it all depends on your mood!
It was a pretty decently high tide yesterday – high enough that the ocean occasionally tickled my toes while I sat at my table at Lety’s. I had arrived around 9:45 am, and had the whole section of beach to myself until just after 11:00 am. It was like a light switch though – one minute I was alone, and the next there were people all around and Lety’s had several tables of families!
Here’s a few minutes of beach break in case you too are needing to relax! This was taken on my schlep around camera, so it’s not high quality – but if you need a little Stone Island beach, it should do the trick!
When I came back I stopped at the ferry terminal for a minute. At some point I plan on taking the ferry over to La Paz, then Topolobampo, and then grabbing a bus back home. One YouTube video I watched said that the cabins were too expensive since you had to share them. Wait – you have to share your cabins? When you look on the baja ferries website (https://www.bajaferries.com.mx/) you’ll see the price of the trip, and then optionally you can book a cabin. It’s like taking Amtrak in the USA. Cabins on the ferry have a listed capacity, so the YouTube poster thought that they were like communal hostel rooms and each person pays the upgrade fee. They aren’t. It’s one price, and a cabin can have one person, or a small family (up to the capacity of the cabin). It’s a fairly long trip, so if you want to be comfortable and get some sleep, most people recommend popping for a cabin. I’ll be sure to post when I do the trip, so you can learn from my mistakes!
Now I’ve had a beach day, I’ve taken care of some business, and I’m ready to go home. Standing at the entrance to the ferry terminal I need to either turn left and add a walk on Paseo del Centenario to my day, or cross the street and make my way through Playa Sur to my apartment. Decisions, decisions! Remembering that I flat lined on my weigh-in this week (didn’t lose or gain any weight from the week before) I decided perhaps I’d do the walk. And I did bring my new camera with me, so I broke it out and recorded it so you can see the sights too!
Paseo del Centenario is one of my favorite places to walk. The views are incredible and the hill isn’t nearly as steep as El Faro. There are also several places to stop and enjoy the views – and you can swing over to calle Observatorio and make your way to the tippy top of the hill and have a beer while you enjoy the vista from La Marea if you’re so inclined. I wasn’t today – but perhaps next time! Once you’re at the end of the walk, you find yourself in Olas Altas so you’re conveniently located to take a pulmonia or taxi or head over a few more blocks and grab the Sabalo Centro bus to get you to your final destination!
Here’s the video of the walk on Paseo del Centenario. YouTube is taking its sweet time in making the high definition version available, so if it’s not yet available check back in a day or so.
Now I’m off to find a little something for lunch. I think I have a torta ahogada in the fridge calling my name!
