La Paz (“peace”) is the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. We’re docked today in Pichiligue, about 10 miles/20 minutes from the downtown area, so are shuttling into town to explore on our own.

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La Paz is known for its seafront promenade – the Malecón – with beaches, parks and art by Mexican and international artists. It’s also a centre for eco-tourism, having been declared in 2004 by UNESCO as a habitat worth preserving for future generations. Ted managed to capture photos of pelicans, ibis, white-rumped whimbrel (curlews), willets, egrets, and soaring magnificent frigates.

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Of course there were seagulls. Ted would not normally photograph seagulls, but one of the piers had a Spanish poem on it that captured my imagination.

y los gaviotas

vienen de lejos

cruzando mares

buscando amor

and the seagulls

come from afar

crossing seas

looking for love

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The atmosphere here, somewhat reminiscent of Kuşadasi in Turkey, really does epitomize “peace”. There are no huge tourist sites, no crowds, no pushy vendors, no loud beach music – just miles of walkable beach lined with sculptures and piers, across the street from restaurants, cafés, and (most importantly!) places to buy cones of wonderful Mexican helado (ice cream).

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We walked into the city center, where the 19th-century Nuestra Señora de La Paz Cathedral sits beside Velasco Garden.

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One of the exterior views of the cathedral was from the La Paz sign in town – the larger city sign is on the Malecón, where I did my best Masterpiece Mystery-style swoon.

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Within the narrow steeply sloped streets are lots of colourful murals, largely due to a 2017 project called “Ciudad Mural” (City of Murals) in which Colectivo Tomate, in conjunction with local organizations such as Urbanería, undertook the task of inviting 26 artists to color more than 1,300 square meters in the city center.

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We strolled the Malecón to try to get photos of most of the waterfront statues, not realizing until we were on the shuttle back to the ship that we had missed three further north on the beach.

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My absolute favourite statue was that of The Old Man and the Sea.

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The poem that goes with that statue really struck a chord. No anchors. No moorings. And eventually reaching the port we most desire.

I have a paper boat, made from a page on which I wrote my dreams. It has no anchors, nor does it have moorings. I want to sail it on the seven seas; on the eighth, there I know I will run aground in the port I long for… has anyone seen its lighthouse?

We returned to the ship for hands-down the BEST meal we’ve had on Holland America, rivalling anything we’ve had on Viking (with the exception of the Chef’s Table). Because we only had helado for lunch, we shared an appetizer of Mexican beef empanadas and then each had TWO entrees: pork belly with pineapple salsa, squash and sweet potato AND absolutely fabulous cheese-stuffed spicy chiles rellenos made with roasted poblanos. Magnifico! We topped all of that off with lots of wine, and a Mexican dark chocolate tart. Our waiter, Edy, made us origami swans to amuse ourselves with between courses. Cute. My swan needed some prosecco. Like owner, like swan.

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The evening’s entertainment was Step One Dance Company’s presentation of “Musicology” (no photos allowed). While neither Ted nor I are big fans of modern dance, this troupe’s combination of dance, music, and technology is captivating.

Bonus bird: an osprey nesting beside our docking spot.

Bottom line: a wonderful day!!