We decided to stay in an Airbnb during our first week in La Paz with a few of our friends in the area that we hadn’t seen for awhile. With more interest in a long term rental, we wanted to be able to check out the area before deciding on somewhere more permanent. We found a nice place in la zona central of La Paz, and took a few days to relax and catch up.
I quickly turned to Facebook Marketplace La Paz for leads on affordable housing in the area. There were quite a few dead ends, we ended up finding a furnished two bedroom apartment near the beach and boardwalk. (Yay!) We headed to the local Telemex to have someone come out and install internet in our new place. Pro-tip, always get to Telemex before it opens to get a good spot in the never-ending line. After waiting in line the entire morning, they turned us away because we brought passport copies instead of our actual passports. It was frustrating and we went through a few mood swings but, hey, that’s living in a new country for ya’.
To add insult to injury, we were pulled over by the police on the way home. Initially, they threatened to give us a pretty big fine for a fake traffic infraction, but then they suggested we come to a compromise. We left that interaction with $10 less than we started with. (Always hide your cash; I luckily didn’t have any big bills to show the police in my wallet.)
Long story short, we ended up getting internet and settled into our new house. Our neighbors have weekly karaoke sessions, and there’s a pool in our backyard. Life is good. We live right next to a really beautiful bike path that snakes around the Bay of La Paz. Thanks to (yet again) Facebook Marketplace, we were able to find decent mountain and road bikes.
We also discovered that we have a climbing gym right next to our house, so we’ve been trying to go as often as possible. It’s hard with the virus, but they keep everything clean and limit participants. (My hands are pretty callused.)
I joined a sea kayaking club! The club hits the water a few times a week, and everyone is so welcoming. On our first trip, we went around the Bay of La Paz and through the neighboring mangrove forest- it was breathtaking. (Thankfully, it’s way more relaxed than my whitewater kayaking experience.)
Other than that, we’ve just been working remotely. I caved in and got a pair of noise cancelling headphones. (They’re necessary when you’re working in a room with 3 other people.). My master’s courses have been good, although Zoom University is somehow even less enjoyable than it sounds.
During the next couple of weeks, I’ll be working on another dive certificate and kayaking. Aside from the hiccups, La Paz has been a phenomenal move for us so far.
That girl on a bike 