a favorite town in Mexico, Santa Rosalia

We have been enjoying this wonderful, non touristy working town on the Baja coast of the Sea of Cortez. Everyone greets you and is very friendly. Cars stop when you cross the street, no traffic lights in the town. A former copper mining town operated by a French company, and you see the French influence reflected in the architecture. Gustave Eiffel (yep, the one of the Paris Eiffel tower) designed the steel church Iglesia Santa Barbara. It made it's way from Brussels (disassembled) to Santa Rosalia over 100 years ago.

We bought some stamps today, and the very friendly clerk let Tessa play on her desk, and gave her a toy car to take home.We enjoyed warm French style baguettes. The ice cream at Splash is to die for.
The town is wheelchair accessible, which we have not noticed in other places in Mexico. We heard that there is an active transvestite community here, which reflects the open mind and heart of this town.

Marina Fonatur can count on our repeat business when we come back after hurricane season. Boats are leaving and spending their last weeks/month before the start of the hurricane season. Almost all our friends are putting their boats on the hard, and go back home or travel by other means for a while. While our Italian friends on s/v Kiribati heading north to haul out in the upper Sea of Cortez, we will be heading south tomorrow for a week of sea and beach time in Bahia Concepción. After that we will cross the Sea one more time to go to Guaymas, and prepare Bliss for her time out of the water, while our family will go back to the US.

The old headquarters of the mining company, now a museum.

The guy in the blue shirt was my personal tour guide for the museum.
At the end of the tour he saw that I was about to put 50 pesos into the
donation box .... he made it clear that he would be happier to have it
directly in his pocket!

Many of the buildings are colorfully painted in pastels.

Bliss at the fuel dock; the small marina (like maybe 20 boats max)
is in background

Tessa loved climbing on this chain hanging from the front of the train engine
on display in the plaza

Stop for some tacos and liquidos

The postal office clerk went to her desk to look for some postcard stamps.
Tessa made her way behind the counter, and before we knew it she was up on
the desk, using the ink stamps!  This lady ended up giving Tessa a toy race car,
which she was thrilled about!