July 9, 2011
Today we decided to stay out of the sun as long as possible since we were going into town in the afternoon. That proved to be fairly difficult, as we got fairly antsy by lunchtime! To occupy ourselves, we took our time getting ready for the day, bought some internet time, and read some more in the comfort of our nice cool room. Heather is a bit concerned because she only brought one book and is enjoying it and the relaxation so much that she is almost through and there are no bookstores to be found!
At 3 pm we headed to the lobby to catch the shuttle. On the way into Cabo San Lucas, there was a “guide” of sorts who told us what we were looking at, a little bit of history, and answered questions. It was crazy to look out the window and see the very tip of Baja and visualize it on the map. They call it “Land’s End” and it is easy to see why. On Monday we will sail around it and get to see the “Arch” up close. The guide told us that it was the symbol of Cabo, and indeed, it is everywhere on everything. As the guide spoke, first in Spanish, then in English, Heather started remembering more words. Spanish is VERY slowly coming back to her, but it is more of a slow understanding of what is being said, rather than being able to speak it herself. Both of us think that we would fare better in Germany.
The town was fun, but also not quite what we expected. Our expectations were for a huge outdoor market, taco carts everywhere, and old buildings. Instead, there were several small, very repetitive markets, a very large designer (think Fendi, Coach, etc.) mall, and NO taco carts. We did find a Starbucks, which was very exciting. Probably the first truly cold drink we have had since we have been down here…cold typically means slightly cooler than the air temperature, which is hot and humid. We walked a ways down a couple of smaller streets and the shopkeepers were like cheetahs pouncing on us at every doorway. The small markets were okay, but again, the merchants were ruthless. We did not buy anything today because we wanted to look around shops with prices on the things we want and then go back and bargain with the outdoor merchants. We think we can make a couple of good deals on a few items. On Monday when we go back into Cabo for our Sailboat Cruise we will stay a bit after before coming back to the hotel and do some shopping and eat lunch at a more authentic type restaurant. Oh, and Dr. Emery was right. There are pharmacies all over the place selling prescription drugs over the counter. We went in one just to see what all they actual sold and were almost shocked…anything from Tylenol to Ultram, Amoxicillin, Penicillin, and even…Viagra. There are no bounds.
Tomorrow we might try to take the city bus into San Jose del Cabo, as the guide said that it was more historic and had older buildings and churches. Maybe we might even get to attend a late Mass since it will be Sunday? We will have to see about that though…we are nervous since everything will be in Spanish and the Mexicans are known for be very strict Catholics. Sam might also try to go into the ocean again tomorrow. His ear is feeling better, but today the waves were definitely too big. Hoping for better water conditions tomorrow.
Tonight the hotel restaurant served “tex-mex” for dinner. That term makes us think of Chevys in California and we wonder why they wouldn’t just serve real Mexican food? We were guessing that it would probably be pretty similar, though…for some reason Mexicans making fake Mexican food just doesn’t sound possible or logical! Rather, Mexicans making anything other than Mexican isn’t possible or logical, as was proved by the Mexican tasting Italian food last night. Indeed, “tex-mex” was Mexican food with a side of baked potato, BBQ chicken, macaroni and cheese, and of course…American country music. Whatever the case, it was delicious.
After dinner, at 9 pm in the lounge, there was supposed to be live music, so we went to check it out. There was a Mexican band that actually was not too bad…although it was quite hilarious listening to them try to sing American songs. They didn’t fail too terribly, but we were shocked to hear Elvis’ “Jailhouse Rock” in Spanish!
July 10, 2011
Today we went into San Jose del Cabo. This was the first time we rode the public bus sytem and it was quite interesting…something to get used to. We picked it up right outside our hotel along the highway that connects Cabo San Lucas to San Jose and got there without too much of a problem, except the bus driver convinced us to get off the bus in a part of town that was obviously not for tourists. So, with sandals on our feet, we started to walk towards what we thought was the Center of town. About a mile and a half later, walking through what we felt was the Mexico we had been expecting (dirty, etc.), we finally found where we had intended to go. It was Sunday so everything was closed, but it was a small historical part of town that was fun to see. The venders were just as vicious, if not more so, than in Cabo. We stumbled on an old church, a mission, but were unable to go in because Heather was not wearing a skirt or dress. We ambled around town and took in the sights. There was also a small arts district, but again, everything was closed, so it was a short trip. On the way back, trying to get a bus out of the Center seemed next to impossible, so we put on our “walking shoes” and walked the mile and a half back up a hill to try and get back to the main highway. There was a Walmart at the top of the hill, which the locals call the “Mega Store.”
Finally, we were able to catch a bus back to the hotel. We were not familiar with where we should get off so it was kind of a guessing game, but we picked our stop wisely. We were both beat by the sun, and our feet were killing us (in fact, Heather’s shoes had melted and her feet were stained black…no fun!). We went to the pool for a bit to cool off and just hung out for the rest of the evening.
July 11, 2011
Today we got up bright and early at 6:30 am…shocking to all of our readers we know! It was actually quite nice and made us feel like we were actually accomplishing something by being up, rather than lazy and lethargic as we have been the majority of the trip. The sun was just coming up as we ate breakfast and we got to watch it come up over the ocean and mountains. It was a beautiful sight…much more impressive than the sunsets.
After breakfast we exchanged some of our money at the front desk and then went to catch the public bus into Cabo San Lucas. We were fairly confident after our experience yesterday in San Jose del Cabo, but quickly realized that we had no idea about which stop we needed to get off the bus. We must have had the look of “lost tourist” to a gentleman who was getting off at “our stop” and he gently told us “aqui.” Or rather, he told Sam, who did not know what he was saying. I remembered that that means “here” and we got off the bus. We were very grateful, but also had a good laugh over people talking to Sam, not to Heather. It is a fairly common occurrence, although we just realized it this morning. The people are very nice, but they do have their traditions and customs in mind at all times.
We proceeded to Starbucks (since we found it on Saturday, we were very excited to get back, especially since we got up SO early) and then to the docks to try and figure out where we were going to catch our boat. Even at 8:30 in the morning the ruthless salesmen were out in full force on the docks, offering us water taxi services, boat rides (which were way cheaper than what we paid for ours…this bummed us out at first, but our experience was well worth what we paid in the end), and begging us to buy breakfast from their restaurants. We found our dock well ahead of when we needed to be there, so we continued around the marina, finding that we missed out on a lot of cool looking locations on Saturday. We plan on going back to explore and do more shopping tomorrow, with tennis shoes instead of flip flops!
As I said, we were a bit disappointed at the price we paid for our boat ride, but, come to find out, we were on a 42 foot sailboat with a 2 man crew and one other couple from Texas. That alone made up for it…we were not on a boat with 50 other people and could actually strike up conversation with the people we were with and not feel like cattle.
The first thing we did after pulling out of the marina was to stop at a rock, called Pelican Rock, to go snorkeling. Heather was not very excited about this as she is not the best swimmer, does not like not knowing what is under her, and certainly does not want fish anywhere near her. However, she agreed to snorkeling so that she did not have to go scuba diving. Heather was very pleased to find that the salt water helped make her more buoyant, but just to be safe, she took a water noodle with her out in the water. Sam went in first, then Heather cautiously followed. Both of us found it hard to breathe with the snorkel gear, which surprised us since we had both played with the same sort of gear in pools when we were kids without a problem. Heather had the worst time of it, and struggled to not panic. Needless to say, she only saw a couple of fish and was then content to just try to keep her body as flat as possible on top of the water so no fish would accidentally touch her feet or legs. Sam had a hard time, too, but not nearly as much. He saw a few more fish than Heather, but the water was very murky from the crazy big waves and extra high tide that we had yesterday. Sam also started feeling sick, so we went back to the boat a little bit sooner than we had to.
When we got back, one of the crewmen had delicious sandwiches and chips with salsa for us while we waited for the other couple to finish snorkeling. As it would turn out, we should have brought the sea sickness patches Mom offered us…Sam ended up sea sick, and once we were actually sailing, Heather didn’t feel so hot either. That was kind of a downer. Sailing was really great though…no engine, just the wind! It was a bit nerve-wracking when the boat was lying practically on its side, though. We sailed past the famous “Arch,” “Lover’s Beach,” “Divorce Beach,” and back and forth between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez. Overall, it was truly a great experience.
After our ride, we cooled off in the mall a bit before getting back on the public bus and heading back to our hotel. The afternoon was spent mainly in the hotel room, as Heather is burnt and also had some heat sickness. We even ordered room service instead of going to dinner.
July 12, 2011
Today we made our last trip into Cabo san Lucas to do some shopping and finish seeing the marina. By now, we were quite familiar with the public bus system and had no problem figuring out what to do and when. When we got to the marina, we were again hustled by the venders. There was a cruise ship in port (they are so big!!!) and that made things a little bit more busy.
Around lunch time we found a small local restaurant to eat at, and enjoyed the local fare very much. Heather has been on the search for tortillas to buy and bring home, and failing in her quest after several tries, she was content ordering quesadillas in order to at least EAT the tortillas. Just outside the restaurant were painted men, like the ones in San Francisco, only these were gold not silver, and were dressed like pirates instead of robots. We found this to be quite amusing.
After lunch we meandered back down the marina to go to the market to try and bargain with the venders. We were told it was possible to talk them way down in their prices and we thought it might be fun. The venders that were hustling us earlier remembered us and had more fun with us than anything on the way back. Instead of water taxi rides, they offered us trips to the moon and seeing that we were American, ketchup from McDonalds.
Once at the market, we located the items we wanted to buy and tried to haggle with the venders. We already knew the prices at the gift shops in the mall, so we were pretty confident that we could talk them down at least by 50%. Little did we know. They are not to be haggled with and once they tell you their price, they will not even give a counter offer. Even after Sam had explained to one of them that the mall prices were a third of their price for their smaller item (the mall had a bigger version for less), they would not hear it. This was very disappointing, especially since we have both been to Hawaii where haggling is fun and very effective, but we still got what we wanted at the mall. “Cabo” is the Spanish word for expensive. We wish we would have known that before booking our honeymoon here! There are some deals to be had, but we have not become familiar enough with the area to successfully seek them out. Apparently tourism is fairly new here, and growing very fast. Five years ago, over half of the hotels that are currently here, were not. We are thinking that the vender expertise that we saw in Hawaii (ex: $2 shaved ice on every corner), has not yet reached here. That being said, it was very fun to be in the town again today
This will be our last blog for the trip. Tomorrow we plan on just staying at the resort and spending one last day relaxing in the sun and water. We plan to soak it all in before we get back to our frigid 85 degree temperatures at home.
We have had a blast here in Cabo and have spent some very wonderful quality time together. We are looking forward to coming home, though, and seeing our families! Thursday will be our travel day and then we will spend Friday catching up on sleep and getting Heather’s name officially changed. Saturday its off to Seattle to visit with Heather’s middle school band director and her husband, who could not be at the wedding! Never a dull moment for the Newlywed Schlaich’s!
We hope you all have enjoyed following along on our adventure to Mexico and we can’t wait to see you all when we get home!
Keep tuning in as the summer continues! We plan on making this blog a fairly regular means of communication! J
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