Cabo Christmas Slideshow

I put this slideshow together last year after that famous Cabo San Lucas trip. I thought I'd bring it out of the closet for a second play. By the way, the mute setting is automatically on, so you have to click on it to get sound.

The Last of Cabo

Our last full day turned out to be much more relaxing. We woke up early to take a walk. The people next to us wanted to find a way to get to Solmar Beach, so we walked through the marina area and on up the hill. The only way we could find down to the beach was through a gated all-inclusive resort, so we walked up to the gate. I greeted the guard with 'buenas dias' and the gates opened. The beach down below was definitely worth crashing the gate.

Cabo San Lucas Marina

Solmar Beach

We walked all the way to the rocks at Land's End that separate Solmar Beach from Lover's Beach.

On the way back down the beach, a security guard from one of the all-inclusive's started following us. We were ready to leave, so decided to head back up the way we came. The only problem was -- we couldn't figure out which complex we cut through to get there!

Full-speed ahead! All of the complexes had to exit to the street. Inside the resort, the security guard continued to follow us. We made one wrong dead-end turn after another. The other couple was worried that we'd been busted! (Goosey travelers!) Finally, I just turned and asked the guard which way out. He laughed and pointed the way. Crisis averted. But as we cut through the lobby, the female timeshare shark latched on. When did we check in, what was our name, and what was our room number? We ignored her and continued on, but she was in hot pursuit. I finally gave her my name (Mrs. Smith) and told her we were hungry and just wanted to go down to the marina for breakfast. We'd talk to her when we got back! By this time, we were out the front door and she was still chasing us. We walked on and left through the front gate. The American female shark reminded me of the aggressive timeshare concierge who manned the lobby the only time we stayed in Cancun. (And I fell for the official act then.)

Later that day, we headed for Medano Beach. Most of the group had plans for a kayak trip to Lover's Beach. I decided to hang back because of my motion sickness. The kayak trip once again turned into a competition. No one bothered to stop and look at Lover's Beach. They just made a U-turn in the water and raced back. I think these people definitely need a lesson in stopping to smell the roses! Craig was in a one-man kayak, so he was naturally faster than the others with two people. But this time, he wisely hung back and let the owners glide in first.

After a quick lunch, everyone piled into the Marieta for a water taxi ride back to the marina.

After a quick cold shower (brrrrrrrrrrrr) at the hotel, it was time to head back to the marina for a sunset sail on the Pez Gato II. This was another challenge for me since I have problems with motion sickness and they were headed into the Pacific to do some whale-watching. I bought some of those cheap acupressure wristbands at Walgreen's, and miraculously, they worked perfectly. A few others on the boat were nauseous for most of the cruise, but I was good. As we headed out of the marina, we got into some boat traffic -- the Banana Boat and a cruise ship.

The sailboat headed out to Lover's Beach where we paused for pictures, then on around the arches that mark the entrance to the Cabo harbor. We wound through the large monoliths to see some of the local fauna.

Once we rounded the curve to the other side of the rocks, we headed out into the open Pacific and cruised for a half hour or so. As sunset neared, we noticed a lot of boats headed in our direction. A pirate ship, dinghy, small pangas, etc....

And then the main attraction made an appearance!

We hovered in the vicinity of this and another breaching humpback for about a half hour, then headed back towards Cabo for our evening dinner.

The sailboat booze cruise was a very nice ending for the trip. I'd seen orcas up close from shore in the Northwest, but had never seen humpbacks. And truthfully, I never thought I'd be able to take a boat ride like that without getting sick. Once again, there was no choice, so I had to go. And I discovered I could do it. So one more 'can't' marked off my list. I think the number one thing I learned in Cabo San Lucas is that sometimes you just have to 'buck up'. I'd never choose in advance to sleep on the world's hardest bed, take ice cold showers, hang from a cable over a 400 foot canyon, or risk getting sick on a boat in front of a bunch of people, but there was no choice. And it all worked out! What doesn't kill you probably DOES make you stronger!

Suvivor Cabo, Part I

For some of you who read my blog when it was on Isla Travelers, you might remember our trip to Cabo San Lucas last December. In that trip report, I basically had to edit my comments because it was a company award trip. It's the internet and you never know who might come across it! Well, Craig doesn't work there anymore, so I can now tell the story. The reason I've titled this Survivor is because the entire trip felt like a test. A test to see who could take the cold showers and not complain, catch the biggest fish, drink the most alcohol (I flunked that one!), not freak out when suspended over a 450 foot canyon hanging by a strap, etc... That last one probably got your attention, but you'll have to wait for Part II for that story!

This wasn't our first rodeo. Over the years, we'd been on many company sponsored award trips. Usually to fairly nice hotels (Southhampton Princess in Bermuda, nice resorts in San Diego and Scottsdale, etc...). So we thought we knew the drill. The owners of this company were known for their frugality, so we knew the hotel wouldn't be luxurious. But since it was early December and basically the lowest of low season when few people travel, we figured they'd spring for a good deal on a decent hotel with a view of the beach and some amenities.

Welcome to the 'colorful' Siesta Suites in old downtown Cabo San Lucas.

Let's just say it's listed on Trip Advisor as being a hotel popular with fishermen. It was a funky small hotel with exterior room entrances, no elevator, two minutes of hot water a day (so no hot water), the hardest double bed I've ever slept on in Mexico (picture prison mattress on concrete slab), and questionable A/C. The reason I say questionable is that we actually didn't find the unit until the day we left. It was hidden underneath a nook table in the kitchen area. We slept with windows open choking in those Mexican exhaust fumes and the varied noise in the downtown area -- a cacaphony of roosters and rock bands. I'd wake up in the morning and cough like a 90-year old smoker. Not to mention our bodies actually HURT from sleeping on that hard bed! But we were fortunate that our room didn't have any extra smells. Some of the 'award' winners were choking on sewer fumes. With my expertise on low-rent digs in Mexico, I was able to cover the shower drains and block most of it for them. Our room had the Pentecostal Church complex directly below, so we had our own issues. Mainly tambourines and hellfire! He he he.

We were fine with the room situation because we've stayed in some pretty funky places on Isla, but we did have a GOOD laugh several times a day at how some of our fellow 'award winners' were reacting to their luxurious new digs. The last night we were there, we kept waking up in the middle of the night thinking we were hearing the sound of the surf. We couldn't figure it out because we were literally miles from any beach where waves would break. When we woke up the next morning, we noticed they'd demolished a two-story building across the street overnight. So we were sleeping to the comforting sound of waves of crashing rubble (and sucking the dust into our lungs)!

I had a lot of fun exploring the downtown area with the camera! Cabo has more of an urban feel in the downtown area as opposed to a village atmosphere, but it still has a quaint look in areas.

The food situation gave me an all new appreciation for the great food we eat on Isla Mujeres! On Isla, most dinners usually have some nice crisp cooked vegetables on the plate, but the group meals here were a vegetable-free zone. I'm sure there are great restaurants in Cabo, but basically, the dinners took place somewhere else! So breakfast became the treat of the day since we were on our own and could control where we ate that meal. Pancho's around the corner from the hotel served a great fruit plate, French toast, eggs, etc... And it was a very colorful place to dine!

Well, enough for the first installment. We'll get to the 'testing' part in Part II. By the way, the reason I chose Hotel California for the music is because the iconic hotel is located in Todos Santos, north of Cabo San Lucas. That was the one daytrip I wanted to be sure to take while in Cabo, but it was not to be!

To Be Continued!