Mexico

The routine for day 2 was the same as day 1. I havent slept a wink since I got here there is a full moon and my bed is hard as a rock and the curtains are thin as its like daylight inside once the moon is up. Still a good day diving the weather is great light winds and warm during the day, no wind at night and cool but not cold. We ate dinner at a little bar / canteena overlooking the bay the sunset from here was spectacular and the food pretty good as well. I had a fair bit to drink I need to sleep somehow.

From the bar looking back to the hotel.

Day one saw us up before dawn for breakfast not that I got any sleap I must have got the hardest bed in the world. I have slept on softer concrete.
Breakfast was good and hearty and the quality never changed for the rest of the week always excelent. We then headed off to load our gear onto the boat for the day's diving. We had about an hours travel to and from the dive sites each day. The routine was to be under way around 7am and in the water by 9am then 2 hours surface interval and lunch before an afternoon dive and back alongside arround 3:30-4pm.
The first days dive sites were the Sea lion colony at Los Isalotes
then the Salvatore Wreck. The sea lion colony was good with plenty of bait fish on the edge dropping down to about 70ft and plenty of Dog snapper and Grouper swimming mid water. The occasional barracuda would cruise in and smash the bait every 15 or so minutes. Then the seals would do the same thing as if trying to show off.

Curios Sea Lion

Grouper at Sea Lion colony

The wreck is pretty much broken up due to being rolled along the bottom in the last Hurricane but is still a great dive. There are plenty of fish around it and bigger pelagics make the occasionan visit including huge tarpon.

Morey Eel on the wreck

The remainder of the afternoon was spent lazing at the pool before dinner at a little restraunt on the beach overlooking the bay.

The hotel Club Cantamar was nice and organised all we had to do on arrival was sign in and grab our room keys. We all headed off to our rooms having had dinner late agreed to meet at the bar in 1/2 an hour.
The first thing I noticed about La Pas was the roofs on most buildings were quite flat and most of the tiles were cracked.
This and the lack of vegitation told me it dont rain much here.

We all met up at the pool and had a few more beers and a swim discussing the days ahead before heading off to bed ready for an early start.

I checked in early and headed to the arrival area to meet friends from Missouri that were going on the trip as well.
They all arrived safely and we headed off to get them checked in then went to the departure bar to catch up on the past 2 years while waiting for our flight.
The trip into Mexico was nothing special just a stop at Lorreto to clear immigration and drop off passengers before a short 1 hour hop to La Paz. Arrival in La Paz was no problem at all and once we had all cleared customs and stopped laughing about the local 5/0 and the size of their weapons we headed out of the airport. We were met by the hotel bus driver and driven to the hotel at Pichalingue Bay 1 hour away. There was not much of interest on the drive apart from 2 cows and a cactus. The cows must take turns sucking rocks as there was nothing else for them to eat. Those that have been to Baja will understand, it is rugged, hot and barren.

The flight to Taiwan was quite pleasant and I purposfully stayed awake so I could sleep the next leg. We arrived around midnight for a quick 2 hour stopover and I was surprised to see the airport shops open up for us as we arrived. I thought it was a nice touch as we were the only plane on the ground. I had a walk around the airport and some shops, bought a can of coke and some chocolate before boarding the plane again for the leg to Los Angeles.
I managed to fall asleep shortly after take off and woke up for breakfast just before landing in LA. I Collected my luggage and cleared customs with no problems. The hotel bus was waiting right outside the arrival terminal so I had no problems there.
I checked into the hotel had a quick shower and Emailed home before heading out to explore a bit. I walked around for a couple of hours then got some dinner and a couple of beers from the service station across the street and headed to my room for a night in.
I managed a good nights sleep and woke around 6am for breakfast then had a lazy day watching TV and resting in my room and getting ready for the following days flight to La Paz. Things were going to get busy from here on in with not much rest for the next week so I soaked it up as best as I could.
I checked out early in the morning and jumped on the bus to the airport ready to take on tha caos at LAX departure terminal.