A new public park has opened in downtown La Paz. Parque Piedras y Pajaros or the Stones and Birds Park was inaugurated on April 13th, 2012. The park was constructed for the benefit and enjoyment of the community of La Paz.

Officiating at the opening along with La Paz Mayor Esthela Ponce Beltran were Cristina Walton from the Walton Family Foundation and Lucia Frausto from the International Community Foundation. Parque Piedras y Pajaros is a private park provided for public use by Tenaja Holdings. The Mayor expressed her gratitude to Ms. Walton and Tenaja Holdings for their initiative and said that downtown La Paz needs support to grow and become a place people can be proud of.

Parque Piedras y Pajaros was named from a poem of the same theme. The poem is proudly displayed in both English and Spanish on the east sidewall for all to enjoy.
The new park is centrally located on Constitution Street between Madero and Belisario Dominguez and in the mayor’s words, “ Is a place for the citizens of this city to relax in tranquility.” The park is free to the public and will be open everyday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

With an investment of nearly 750 million pesos, La Paz Mayor Esthela Ponce Beltran and investor John C. Pentz at the ribbon cutting ceremony last week inaugurated the new The Shoppes at La Paz. The new mall is located near the north exit of the city, across from Wal-Mart and beside Home Depot on boulevard Agustin Olachea (Las Garzas).
Pentz explained that the mall is located on 72 thousand square meters and will include one more anchor store to compliment Liverpool, 126 retail spaces that will include 13 fast food stalls in the food court and 6 sit down restaurants. A second Cinepolis movie theater with eight screens is planned, as are recreational areas.
The Shoppes at La Paz will become La Paz’s first and only destination mall, adding a mix of local businesses with high-end franchises from Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey, many of which don’t have a presence yet in Baja California Sur.
La Paz Mayor Esthela Ponce Beltran said she was honored to be able to cut the ribbon for The Shoppes at La Paz, which gives a new face to La Paz for the community at large and to those who visit. It is a new opportunity for La Paz to grow and create new job opportunities.
Also on hand representing the State government was Joel Avila Aguilar, Secretary of Economic Development. He said that it is a great day for the state of Baja California Sur as it is proof that the state offers excellent conditions for investment and new business opportunities.
With the opening of The Shoppes at La Paz, Avila Aguilar said, “I am optimistic for the future of the state. All interests want to continue to promote Baja California Sur as a place where there are favorable conditions for investors and an environment for peaceful labor.”
The Shoppes at La Paz is projected to bring 1000 new jobs to the capital. Construction of the mall was started in the summer of 2011 and was officially opened to the public on the 27th of April, 2012.

Last week I had the enjoyable pleasure of meeting a few writers and bloggers from the United States that were on a 3-day media tour of La Paz. These writers represented publications such as International Living, Los Angeles Times, Jetsetter Magazine, San Antonio Express and Houston Chronicle and were invited down to visit the city by Emprhotur and Paolucci Communications, the PR firm hired by Emprhotor to help market and promote La Paz internationally.
The media group had just arrived to La Paz and Kat, my partner and crime, and I were to meet them at Trocadero Bistrot et Du Vin located at 965 Morelos, between Revolucion and Madero for a late dinner. The writers were interested in knowing what it was like for us living in La Paz and general information on retiring and/or moving here.
We all arrived at Trocadero at roughly the same time and were greeted by Agustin Olachea and Ana Garcia from Emprhotur. Introductions were made and in a short time, Kat and I felt that the writers were spirited and fun and the two of us enjoyed our evening answering questions and giving our opinions on a variety of topics. Conversation was light but definitely meaningful; I could tell from the start that the writers were relaxed but eager, looking forward to their planned adventure in La Paz.
I must mention our hosts, Trocadero – the food was fresh and beautifully prepared and served. I enjoyed the best duck tacos and mango and scallop ceviche! The wine selections for the evening were spot on and our server, Rodrigo, was friendly and knowledgeable and then some. Chef Maria Fimbre also came out for a visit and was thrilled that we were enjoying our evening so much. Trocadero serves tapas and has a full wine bar, so it was the perfect place to visit for an evening of delicious food and wine with delightful chatter!
When all was said and done, Kat and I said our goodbyes to the group, promised to keep in touch, and then enjoyed another glass of wine, compliments of Rodrigo.
I later learned from Ana that the media tour included the opportunity to take part in one of the most popular adventures in the Sea of Cortez when visiting La Paz; a trip to the friendly sea lions of the Los Islotes colony. Locals and visitors of all ages can enjoy swimming with the pups or watch them lounge on the jagged rocks. Even the boat trip out to the inlands is exciting in itself!
The media group also spent time at a few of the developments, including Playas de La Paz, Jeffrey Curtiss’ luxurious resort; Azul Cortez, the 2,000-acre planned coastal community on the Sea of Cortez, just a 15 minute drive from La Paz; and CostaBaja, the 550 acre 5-Star resort which includes a 250-slip marina, hotel, beach club, private residences and a Gary Player Golf course.
I am sure after their 3 days in our beautiful city, it wouldn’t be hard to describe to their readers why so many expats have chosen La Paz home. The weather is just about perfect, give or take a month or two in the summer. We have some of the best restaurants around and great shopping with new stores popping up all the time. And what can I say about the people of La Paz; warm, friendly and always inviting. Top all that off with low cost of living and there really isn’t much else you could ask of La Paz.
Now that I think of it, I wish I had their assignment.

La Paz Mayor Esthela Ponce Beltran laid down the first stone last week for the new boutique hotel that is under construction in the La Posada area at the end of Nueva Reforma Street and the beach of La Posada.
The new hotel will be located on the property that for many years was Hotel La Posada de Engelbert, owned by world-renowned singer Engelbert Humperdinck. This on the beach hotel was a favourite gathering place for locals and tourists and at one time was a secret hideaway for Hollywood celebrities.
Mayor Ponce Beltran said at the inauguration that, “it will be a site for use by all Paceños. The hotel will be an additional piece of infrastructure for our tourism industry. I congratulate the investors.”
She said through private investment, La Paz would continue to have new tourism infrastructure, which will allow the city to grow. She feels it is the job of her government to be open to private investment to allow growth but the government needs to make sure that construction and growth takes place with caution and in order.
The hotel, to be named La Posada, will be home to 24 Master Suites and will include a restaurant, bar, spa, gymnasium and swimming pool.
The investment group for the project, Grupo Costa Cortes, is headed by Julio Bonis Alvarez. Representing an investment of close to 90 million pesos, the project will be built by the local development company DECOPE.

Construction Should be Complete by the End of May
The construction of the International Convention Center of Los Cabos is on schedule and it is estimated that everything should be complete by the 30th of May, just in time for the G20 Summit, which will take place in June of 2012.
The G20 (Group of 20) brings together the leaders and finance ministers of 20 of the strongest economies in the world. An estimated 16,000 people are expected to visit the area during the 2-4 day summit. At press time, an official date has still not been set.
The new 653,400 square foot Convention Center will house the G20 meetings and events. Designed to accommodate over 6,000 people, the Convention Center represents $100,000,000 investment by the federal government and a $1,500,000 investment from the State of Baja California Sur. The municipality of Los Cabos endowed a 15-acre tract of land, which is located alongside a private golf community and boasts magnificent views for the building of the Convention Center.
Governor Marcos Covarrubias Villaseñor and the Jefe de la Oficina de la Presidencia, Gerardo Ruiz Mateos, were accompanied by the Mayor of Los Cabos, Antonio Agúndez Montaño and the Director of ICA, the company in charge of construction, Bernardo Quintana, to take part in a supervisory visit of the latest advances in the construction of the International Convention Center of Los Cabos.
During their visit, Governor Covarrubias Villaseñor expressed to Ruiz Mateos his thanks to the federal government for having the confidence in BCS. He also thanked all who are involved in the project, including ICA, the Secretaries of Foreign Relations and Tourism, and all the departments involved at the municipal and state level for all of their work and commit to deadlines to complete the site that will host the most important event ever in the history of Mexico.
“This has been an enormous effort by everyone, we have total confidence that we will achieve our objectives and that this will be in benefit to our country and Baja California Sur”, Covarrubias Villaseñor said.
The Convention Center will be designated a “green” facility, and has been designed with energy efficiency in mind and will be equipped with solar panels.
With 13,000 total rooms in the destination, Los Cabos will dedicate 11,000 rooms to the G20 Summit to accommodate the more than 7,000 attendees, while the Mexican government will invest more than $47,000,000 into the development and promotion of the Summit.