The town itself was very charming, very quaint.  The buildings in the tourist section were painted in bright colors with white borders and there were plenty of opportunities for shopping.  Art galleries, souvenirs, pottery- we couldn’t help but pick up a few items here as well.

This section of the trip went from miles and miles of corn fields and mango orchards to beautiful desert landscape.

After about 5 hours, we reached Topolobampo and waited a good hour in line to confirm our reservation. We pulled our car around to be in line while we waited- a tip from a regular ferry rider. This turned out to be a great help since we were on the ferry fast, didn’t have to wait in line for our stateroom key. We were on the ferry just after 10 PM, checked out our room- small, with 4 bunk beds that were quite hard. Rooms are not shared- I’ve been asked this a few times already- and we had a private bathroom with a shower in our room as well as a tiny vanity. The rooms don’t have a window, but they are very clean- like a small hotel room.

The ferry’s lobby was almost elegant, decorated with gold tones and mirrors. There was a buffet cafeteria and lounge/bar on the ferry’s 5th floor Plenty of space to walk around outside and admire the sunrise- which we did. Our total ferry time took around 8 hours- including loading and unloading of cars, and 6+ hours of sea-time. We arrived in La Paz and had to separate- 1 person is allowed back to the car to drive it off the ferry and passengers are escorted down a different route where you’re asked about your luggage and possibly searched. Most of this crew do not speak English but it’s easy to follow the crowd. Once you’re through this little check point, about 30 minutes later, you have to walk out to the street to be picked up by your car. There are also buses that leave from here.

We stopped at a few places along the way to take pictures.  There was Rincon de Gayabito  that had some unbelievable homes- obviously a favored place for retired Americans since we saw them everywhere.  Particularly along the beaches, every house was just beautiful with elaborate architectural designs.  My favorite were the ones that looked like magnificent  Spanish castles, complete with observation decks that resembled those Mexican wedding cake toppers with 4 staircases and multi-tiered gazebos.  All that was missing was the little bride and groom at the top.

We stopped shortly after this at some marsh lands.  We saw some beautiful birds where the marsh met the ocean and expected to see crocodiles, but alas, nada.   This area was soooo beautiful.  It looked like a mirage; just this quiet body of water surrounded by tropical plants and palm trees and a view of the ocean.  On the other side of the hill, before dropping into this area was a small cove filled with Mexicans on vacation, enjoying beers and snacks at the restaurants and listening to Banda music.