Nov 21, 2012  La Paz to Los Angeles

Last morning.  I fly home to Los Angeles today for 28 days of radiation treatment to stop the growth of the glomus jugularus (enlarged blood vessel by my right ear).  I spend an hour or so packing and repacking the stuff that we have decided that we don’t want on the boat, along with 2 bottles of tequila that Chris requested.  Finally everything was ready and we set off in the dingy for the marina office to catch a taxi to the airport.  Several other cruisers were also heading for the airport so we had agreed to share a taxi.  At the last minute, we decided that there was no reason for Alan to waste our precious pesos going to the airport with me, so after a tearful farewell, I was off on my own.

Alaska is one of the few, if not the only, airline with direct flights from LA to La Paz.  Oddly enough, this flight on the day before Thanksgiving was cheaper than any other flight by almost $200.  The airport was, as you can imagine, tiny, especially by LA standards.  We few from the taxi were almost the only ones checking in.  I checked my bag and headed over to the security screening where they opened my bag and informed me that I could not take 2 bottles of tequila as carry on.  I have no idea what I was thinking.  There I stood, not quite sure what to do but not willing to abandon 2 new bottles of tequila.  However, the security screeners asked if I had checked any bags and when I said that I had they handed me the bottles and told me to go back to the baggage check.  Highly dubious, I headed back and there was my bag, lying where I had left it with the baggage checkers hanging out chatting.   So the bag was opened and the 2 bottles stuffed inside and I headed back to security.  This time I was waved right through.  And yes, my checked bag with it’s 2 bottles made it to LA just fine.

It was an interesting perspective to fly over the Sea of Cortez and up the Baja peninsula after having sailed down.  This part of the sea is dotted with dozens of small deserted islands that look like they would be wonderful dive spots and perfect places to anchor for several days.  The land itself is dry and empty, no towns, no highways, nothing green at all until we crossed the US border.  They always say that you cannot really see national boundaries on the ground, that they are just lines on a map but in this case, it was a sudden and dramatic change, from dry barrenness to green irrigated fields.

And so I arrived back in LA.  After a long wait at the world’s most inefficient customs/border inspection I was finally through.  I caught a shuttle bus to Lot C, found my car and headed home to a dark cold house. 

Thus endeth phase one of the Voyages of the Rhapsody.  Per our stated policy, my adventures in LA will be posted on Facebook and the blog postings with resume when I am back on the boat again in Jan.