February 21, 2007

According to the city government, the Carnival festivities in La Paz started in the 1840s.

Located on the east coast of the Baja, about 150 kilometres north of Los Cabos, La Paz is the Baja Sur state capital.

And it, along with Mexico’s other port cities – most notably Mazatlan – are known for continuing to enthusiastically embrace the Carnival tradition.

So after five days of beach activities in Pescadero on the Pacific Coast, we headed back up the Peninsula to catch the last night of the celebration.

It didn´t disappoint.

About 20 blocks of the main waterfront street, Obregon, were blocked off and lined with street stalls, stages, booze tents, etc. The night started with a parade - over the top beauty queens and dancers for the most part. The crowd was thick, full of families. The street vendor food was tasty: fresh pan dulce, churros, tacos, and a local favorite of corn niblets, sour cream and hot sauce.

We´re not sure if it is a Baja thing, or a Mexico thing, but the cowboy theme ruled the day. The standard uniform for the men was white cowboys boots, a white or cream hued cowboy hat, black Wrangler jeans and a collared shirt of varying colours.

We passed on the plethora of late night alcohol options and were back at our campsite - Acquamarina RV - by 11.

Conveniently situated about a 20 minute walk from the centre of town, Acquamarina RV is a decent, if slightly overpriced, campsite right on the water. It is run by a kindly older expat fellow and his Mexican wife.

The scuttlebutt when we were there, however, is that the campsite would be closing next year, further reducing the already reduced camping options close in to the city.

Key Facts & Figures:

-Acquamarina RV campsite: $18.50/night