Ain't no easy way (New socks)

Monday March 4th - Friday March 8th

I had needed the rest, but the time indoors was doing little for my inspiration. I looked at my socks. They looked back at me, unaccustomed to being called on for inspiration. They were my only cycling socks, and were more holes than socks by that stage, so just the idea of getting some new socks was actually exciting. I also needed new headphones, as my old ones were held together with wire and only worked in one ear, and I work about as well without music as I do without coffee. I headed out.

Socks of inspiration

A visit to Walmart later (not so proud of my choice of store) and I had me some 10 peso socks (which I was more proud of), and some new headphones. Hey there stereo sound. On a roll, the next day I thought I would try to sort out transport. I was hoping to find a ride on a sailboat across the Sea of Cortes, otherwise, I would have to take the ferry.

Like a great many things I had been doing recently, I had no idea how to hitch a ride on a boat. I arrived at Marina de La Paz on Monday wondering how to go about doing this, and found Mary Schroyer, from the marina administration. I explained my situation, and Mary suggested going to coffee hour in the mornings, at the marina's Club de Cruceros. There I could post my request on the noticeboard, and talk to the sailors and boaties in their social hour. It also turned out that Mary was involved in a charity foundation in town, and knew of a few others. She invited me to go out and see what they do, on Wednesday, in a couple of days time. 'Fantastic!' I thought, and said, and agreed to do all of the above.

The next day, I wandered down to the club, put up my sign on the noticeboard saying I wanted a ride, and started talking to people. One of the guys I met, Al Marchand, was also involved in a charity, Camas Para Los Niños (beds for kids), who find, buy, and deliver mattresses for children who otherwise sleep on dirt floors. He invited me to come out on their next delivery. Coolio, another place to visit! No ride yet though.

On Wednesday I went out to visit the organisation that Mary was part of, FANLAP - the Fundacion Ayuda Niños La Paz. Amongst other things, FANLAP provides meals for needy children, scholarships for education costs, and runs a children's library - all in one of the poorer communities of La Paz. I helped prepare the breakfast that morning, and met some of the women who help - mainly mums of the children who eat there. It was pretty cool to see all the smiling faces, particularly set against the difficult circumstances drawn in the surrounding colonia (community or suburb).

Breakfast

Mums at work

Mary

The library

The colonia

Later that morning, back at the club de cruceros, I met Fred, who invited me out for a sail on his boat, Genesis, with a friend of his, Joe Cool. After a couple of hours, it was all bow lines, jib sheets, and apparent wind, and I was having a great time. They must have liked the cut of my jib, because Fred asked if I wanted to crew on the boat in the upcoming race on the bay, in a week's time. I liked the idea, but didn't think I'd be around that long, even though I hadn't found a ride yet. I couldn't stay with Joel any longer, but he had found me somewhere else to stay, with a friend of his, Julia, who worked in FANLAP.

Fred's boat, Genesis

Fred and Joe

Does my arse look big in these pants?

I sat down, my head spinning just a little. A few short days ago I had no inspiration and nothing to do. Now I had invites to visit two charities, an offer to crew a sailboat in a race, and another place to stay. Plus if I stuck around, some friends were going to be nearby in Los Cabos not long after the race. And I still had no easy way out of La Paz. I felt pulled to stay, and I recognised the feeling. I had been warned about it. It was the La Paz Eddy.