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On the road in Baja

Mexico day thirteen


View Mexico 2024 on ToonSarah's travel map.

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The road north from La Paz

Time to leave La Paz and hit the road! So after another good breakfast at the Posada de las Flores we took a taxi (which the hotel had kindly booked for us) to the Europcar office at the airport. Our car was pre-booked through Rainbow Tours and all pre-paid, but we discovered that as we didn’t have a credit card (we only ever use debit these days) we had to pay for extra insurance. Lesson learned – we will get a credit card before our next car hire abroad!

The car was a red Kia with quite a few scratches which we made sure to photograph before leaving (just as well, as the photos promised and later sent by the company were so dark that no marks were visible!) Then we set off, Chris driving. The road wasn’t too busy and the first part through open country heading north was relatively easy going, apart from the occasional massive pothole.

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The road north from La Paz

We'd been going for some time when we realised that our decision to pay the car hire company for just half a tank of petrol had perhaps not been a wise one. Petrol stations were pretty much non-existent away from the towns, and the nearest one of those, Ciudad Insurgentes, was some distance away. For a time we started to think we might not make it there but thankfully we never had to find out, as we passed through a small community, Las Pocitas, which despite being more village than town had a Pemex petrol station - phew!

We stopped briefly on the outskirts of Ciudad Insurgentes, hoping to buy a cold drink, but the roadside stalls there didn’t seem to have any, although it gave us a chance to stretch our legs and take a few photos.

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Near Ciudad Insurgentes

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Our hire car in Ciudad Insurgentes

So we pressed on, turning off the main road to drive through the mountains to Loreto. This road was more scenic, with amazing views in places, but also very winding so more of a challenge for Chris to drive.

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On the road to Loreto

As we neared the coast we had alluring glimpses of a deep blue sea and offshore islands, but by the time we stopped in a mirador the sky had clouded over a bit and the light was rather flat for photos.

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First glimpses of the sea

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View from the coast near Loreto

Arriving in Loreto we drove around the one way system to reach the Plaza and found parking next to the City Hall. We walked across to the hotel, another Posada de las Flores, to check we were OK leaving the car there. The very laidback guy in reception assured us we were and offered to show us to our room before we went back for the cases. The first room he showed us was up two spiral staircases and had single beds, but he offered us an alternative on the floor below with a double bed, so we accepted that. When we came back with our bags he brought us a refreshing welcome drink of lemonade which we enjoyed at a table outside the room before going out to explore a bit.

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Our room in the Posada de las Flores

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Our bathroom, and the central courtyard

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Door to our room on the left

We had a stroll in the streets around the Plaza. We chose, and booked, a restaurant for this evening; checked out the mission church (the Mission of Our Lady of Loreto); bought a silver necklace (well, I bought!) in the Desert Silver shop that I’d seen recommended; walked down to the sea; and of course took quite a few photos.

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In the Mission of Our Lady of Loreto

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Street art and street planter

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Spotted on our way to the sea

On our return to the hotel we settled in a bit more. In the evening we ate in the nearby restaurant that had caught our eye earlier, Mezzaluna. It is part Italian, part Uruguayan. We ordered drinks (beer for Chris, wine for me – it was time I tried a Mexican wine!) and two variations on their specialities, Milanesa, breaded meats (we both had chicken as the pork I wanted wasn’t available) with various toppings. Mine had basil, fresh tomato and mozzarella, Chris's a tomato sauce and melted cheese. The wine, a Sauvignon Blanc, was good as was the food, but very filling! But the service was slow and not especially friendly, and our table inside seemed to be a bit of an afterthought in an area otherwise used to ferry food and drinks to the outside terrace.

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In Mezzaluna

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My breaded chicken

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The mission church at night

After our meal we had a stroll around the block to see the church illuminated at night and check up on the car. Then, with a hopefully exciting day ahead of us tomorrow, it was time for an early night.

Posted by ToonSarah 18:00 Archived in Mexico Tagged landscapes food road_trip coast views hotel church mexico street_art

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Comments

Your hotel looks very pleasant.

by irenevt

It had pros and cons Irene - the location was great and it had lots of character but the breakfast was disappointing compared with the other places we stayed on this trip and the staff very casual and off-hand.

by ToonSarah

A road trip us is! Looks like fun and good thinking with taking pictures of the rental car. I would never come up to do things like that! Smart thinking!

by Ils1976

It's always a good idea to take photos but especially in a country like Mexico where the roads aren't great and most cars have quite a few scratches!

by ToonSarah

Lovely hotel. We live so near and really never visit Mexico. Last time I can remember spending any time there was 1982 with the kids. Charles got a beautiful chess set and board there for next to nothing. He was only 14 so it was a dream come true. He could never have bought something like that at home.

by Beausoleil

Thanks for visiting Sally :) We met quite a few from the US in Mexico, some of them touring by car. We had a drink one evening in Loreto with a young couple from California touring in an Airstream!

by ToonSarah

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