Our first week in La Paz - a busy one

Dock 5 at sunset in Marina Palmira

It's Friday night (February 24th).  We are sitting quietly onboard, catching up with correspondence, loading pictures and doing some updating; not out on the town as might be expected.  The wind has settled down and for now there are few distractions; very peaceful.

We rode our bikes to our second Spanish class and had an intense but instructive two hours with our instructor Marco.  We have moved through the "ar, er, and ir" verbs and on to the start of those tricky 'irregular" ones.  The school, "Se Habla...La Paz" is in a quiet residential neighborhood about a mile and a half from the marina, The setting  is restful and welcoming.

Students waiting for classes to start - inside and outside

After class, we rode to a bike repair shop, which was closed for siesta. Onward to put air in the tires at a Pemex station and further onward to a 'papeleria', a stationery store for 3 ring binders, paper and a hole punch.  Conveniently this was next to a Thrifty's ice cream parlour.  Of course we had to sit to rest and watch the passing scene in the square across 5 de Mayo while enjoying our ice cold treats.

Our bikes on the dock - guess who has to pedal faster?

Kelly's "new to him" bike was wobbling more than he liked.  We made our way down to the malecon to ride more easily to the bike rental shop we'd purchased the bike from two days ago.  This time the manager/owner was there and he ensured the front wheel was checked and trued up much better than before.  Carol also found a used bike helmet  as we weren't comfortable riding without them and hope to find one soon for Kelly.  The bikes cover distance more readily, but there is still lots of peddling!  We are also on the lookout for a rear rack for Kelly's bike or a basket which will give him a chance to do cerveza runs more efficiently!

Kelly test driving his bike - street full of taxis

New transportation - almost a good fit

The weekend is here.  Should we visit the new organic market near the Post Office, or attend the block party later in the afternoon to celebrate the Pan de Les bakery's new location?   Perhaps we will actually tackle a boat project under sunny skies, so it shouldn't be too much of a chore.  We're including a variety of pictures taken in this past week: birds, cats, hats, all things which make up a colourful and vibrant environment in this city.

Coconut leaf horse

Heron at water's edge

Snowy egret 

Heron dozing on neighbour's boat

Semi-feral cats at the marina restaurant