Wheels of Fortune: Resting in Peace

Tuesday Feb 26th - Sunday March 3rd

A now familiar disorientation overtook me, as the quiet straight roads of the country I had been riding through for four days, gave way to busy roads, disgruntled traffic, and tangles of tarmac, in La Paz (Peace). Tired and hungry, I fumbled through the city, looking for a friendly taco stand. The beautiful malecon (beachside avenue) hardly registered while I searched. I had to settle for nachos at a cafe, and it took this sustenance, washed down with a coke, for my beautiful surrounds to sink in.

Along the malecon in La Paz

Holy shit a bike lane!

Not bad La Paz, not bad

As I sat, appreciating the view, I began to realize just how tired I was. I sat like this for quite a while, before finally riding off in the dark suburbia of La Paz, to find my newest friend, Joel. Joel was a friend of a friend in Ensenada, and had agreed to let me crash at his place for the few days I expected to be in La Paz. The plan was to rest for a few days, make some plans, and try to find a way across the Sea of Cortes to mainland Mexico. So after meeting Joel, and his dogs, and after settling in, rest I did.

Joel and his enthusiastic canine chums

However, instead of feeling refreshed, an unfamiliar sensation overtook me as, after a few days, I still felt exhausted. It took a full 5 days before I was feeling myself again. I never did manage to diagnose myself. The generalised muscle pain, burning sensation in my skin, fatigue, and malaise could have just been exposure, or a virus, or perhaps a bite from some animalito... or me just being soft. Who knows. Maybe I just got burned by that desert. At least it eventually all went away. I really needed that rest!

What did not leave was a stark and unfamiliar uncertainty about what the hell I was going to do next. It had always been so clear up until this point - Baja California is a one highway deal, and I simply had to get to La Paz, then get over to the mainland, and keep going until I hit Guatemala. I'm not sure whether it was the sudden multiplicity of ways I could go through the mainland, the inertia of my fatigue, or just that I hadn't had much time to think about it, but I was simply without inspiration - without the inspiration that had been with me for months beforehand. It was really quite unsettling.

While waiting for said inspiration to find me, Joel was kind enough to show me around La Paz the some of the beautiful beaches not far away. On Sunday we drove out to a beach called Tecolote, for a peculiar rock on one of the mountains, and cooked roast chicken on the beach with a couple of beers. Tasty food, good company, and a great location. Just another little slice of paradise. If I was to be anywhere with no idea where to go next, La Paz seemed a pretty alright spot.