Cabo San Lucas

I just returned from Cabo San Lucas in Baja California, Mexico. We stayed at the Villa del Arco Resort right on the beach. The flight there was not too long. We had a layover in San Francisco and were at the resort for a late lunch.

A popular profession in Cabo is timeshare salesman. When you exit the airport and attempt to find your pre-arranged ride, you must walk through the timeshare gauntlet; a small hallway lined with cubicle-like desks and 8 million salesmen. One guy almost roped us in by pointing to a badge to look very official, and tell us that he was TRANSPORTATION!!!! I was momentarily confused but gratefully led safely through by our travelling companions, Dan and Jen. They had had a previous experience with it in Puerto Vallarta. Dan works with Rinar and they had both won the same trip, so we decided to go together.


Therefore, we had endless material to joke about. Everything was timeshares. They were lurking in every corner trying to coax us into a harmless presentation. We managed to avoid all snares are were able to have a relaxing weekend.


The pools at the resort were very beautiful and we made good use of them. We also decided to go to church, which was about a 15 minute taxi ride to the other side of the peninsula. It was all in Spanish and I started to get exhausted trying to understand what they were saying. I have therefore resolved that I will learn to speak Spanish. I have the resources at my fingertips and I have run out of excuses. Church was a lovely experience and the people were wonderful. I think every person in the branch came up and welcomed us. It was awesome!


We decided to do some ocean kayaking and we paddled out to the famous landmark cape with a beach that is only accessible by boat. Everything went fairly well on the way out. We made good time and saw a seal in the ocean swimming around. I was a bit uncomfortable thinking about what other sea creatures could be right underneath me. I just tried to put it out of my mind and paddle on.



This picture shows the distance we paddled from the beach the the end of the rock to the left. It didn't really take very long. We made it round trip in one hour, with a stop at Lover's Beach.


We paddled between these rocks to get to the beach around the bend.



Of course, we had to make a stop on the beach, which would require a smooth glide onto the beach, catching a wave to the shoreline. That sounds easy enough, right?

Well, things did not go according to plan. We hit a cross-current because we did not go down far enough. Rinar got out and I didn't and another wave whacked me and the kayak over. I held my breath and was very annoyed that I was in the predicament I was in. I didn't panic, but I was not happy. When the pummeling stopped, I got up and realized I was still alive. Then I started to panic that I had lost my paddle. Luckily, a lady caught it for me. Rinar saved the kayak and his paddle. However, there were two casualties: my sunglasses, which were still attached to my head somehow were missing a lens. Bummer. Rinar had our camera in a ziplock bag in his pocket. FYI people: ziplock bags are not waterproof against the power of the ocean.

So, no pictures for the trip. You may ask how I have these wonderful pictures? I stole them off the internet.

This is what the Sea of Cortez looks like from Lover's Beach. I would have taken this exact picture if I had a working camera.



I was terrified to go back into the water. The waves were high and very eradict. I felt like Tom Hanks in Castaway. Some locals helped us get on our way, but not before I got nailed again by a rather large wave. It completely covered me, but I stayed on top of the kayak this time. Hallelujiah.

We made it back without incident and then they had us ride in water taxi back to our hotel. It looked like this and I think we would have had a picture almost identical to this one of Jen. She was blonde and stuff so I thought this was close enough.



The rest of the trip involved a lot of pool lounging and eating.

We did alot of eating on the boat there and at the restaurant just to the left. It is right on the ocean and has a beautiful view. The grounds are immaculate and it is enjoyable to sit outside all day and enjoy the ocean breezes.


Rinar and I did some shopping also. The vendors are very funny and we know we have "sucker" tattoed on our foreheads. I don't think we got the best deals we could but it was still cheaper than the hotel gift shop by a mile. They would say stuff like, "I have a great price for you, practically free!". It was amazing. Everything was practically free. I mean, 3 pairs of earrings were practically free at $40. Isn't that awesome? I did manage to get the prices down some, but I didn't stress over a few dollars.

I did see some whales from the hotel veranda. They were splashing in the water a lot. I wish I had gone on a whale cruise. I am sure it would have been a fruitful excursion.

All in all, iIt was a fun trip. I know I will never go again, as there is not much to do if you don't drink a lot of Tequila and beer. I would describe it as a smaller version of Las Vegas with an ocean! If that is your thing, you would probably love it a lot more than I did.

RIP: camera. :(