Los Cabos, Mexico – February 22, 2019

We have enjoyed our time in Los Cabos, Mexico.  Although the temperatures here are a bit on the cool side, it is always a treat to see greenery during our Canadian winters.

Los Cabos is a municipality located at the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, in the state of Baja California Sur.  It encompasses two towns, Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo.  Unlike most Mexican towns, Cabo San Lucas has no main plaza or large cathedral.  Instead, it focuses on the marina and entertainment district.

The area itself is more desert-like, with a lot of sand fields and cacti.  One of the most commonly spotted cacti is the Cardon, which is the tallest of them all.  They can grow to heights of almost 60 feet, weigh up to 12 tons (24,000 pounds) and live for hundreds of years.  The cactus known in this area is the Nopal Cactus (or prickly pear cactus) which is used heavily in the Mexican diet and for health benefits (most commonly to assist with diabetes).  It is also the cactus that is on the Mexican national flag. 

We are staying at the Riu Palace, a beautiful resort with many amenities (including a large waterslide) overlooking the Gulf of Mexico with stunning views of the stone Arch of Cabo San Lucas.  This, a distinctive rock formation at the southern tip of Cabo San Lucas, is at the most southern end of the Baja California Peninsula.  Some of the uniqueness to this area is on one side, you have Lovers Beach.  It’s called Lover’s Beach as the two waters come together and as they do, they crash (or kiss) hence the name.  On the other side, the waters are turbulent and almost unreachable due to the strong currents crashing into each other quite aggressively.  This is commonly known as Divorce Beach!  The sand in the area, although white looking, is more coarse than powdery.  Due to the bit of coarseness, it’s a bit more difficult to walk on as it does take some effort.

We took a sail boat tour to view these stunning formations.  We departed from the well-known marina in Cabo, common for sea lions and pelicans.  We sailed to a calm area where snorkelling or paddle boarding was offered.  The particular day we ventured out, there was a strong (almost arctic) wind that kept us (and all but 3 people) on the boat.  People here are extremely friendly and accommodating.  The joy for us at this particular point was in our remembrance of sailing on our honeymoon almost 12 years ago.  Having the experiential knowledge of that trip, we asked the captain if he could turn off the party music during the actual “sail” time so that all you would hear were the waves gently caressing the boat and the splashes of water similar to how the ocean rolls onto a beach.  Many thanked us for this brief opportunity to hear, listen and experience the beauty and privilege that true sailing can bring.

The town of Cabo San Lucas really does cater to those who like to experience Mexican style, which translates to a lot of bars, shops with paraphernalia and music.  Like a heartbeat (at a constant rate of 120), the area can be fun.  We stopped for a bit at a famous bar, Cabo Wabo (just to say we did).  Known for its music and entertainment, Cabo Wabo has hosted some of the world’s top musicians and was started by Sammy Hagar of Van Halen.

We booked another excursion with Cactus Tours.  A clean, well-organized business that offers tours of the sand dunes and beach by horseback, Camel, ATV or Side-by-Side.  We chose the Side-by-Side (think of a dune buggy, where two passengers sit side-by-side with a steering wheel, gas petal and brake as opposed to handle bars).  This was A LOT of fun!  The machines (made by Bombardier) can really take the absorption of the terrain, whether it be sand or stone, hills or valleys) and the seats are über comfortable, so it made the adventure quite pleasant.  The views of the ocean we witnessed while riding are a stunning, pristine blue colour and the whiteness you see as waves roll in and out seems untouched and untampered.  There is no seaweed and hardly any seashells.  Although the beach is beautiful in the area, it’s also very turbulent so one would be advised against going for a dip given the strong undertow. 

Upon arrival at Cactus Tours, we walked through a caged area where there were iguanas and lots of Budgie birds.  They have you line up, hold your hands in a cupping formation and then about two to three dozen Budgies fly to your hands where a worker puts in some seed.  They land everywhere, your shoulders, head, arms and of course, hands.  If you’re a bird lover (like me as I’ve had budgies and cockatiels), it was a treat.  For some of the ladies in that line up…let’s just say that the experience for them was unexpected!

On an aside, we were curious coming to Mexico given the political climate and wondered what the people of Mexico thought of this.  We’ve yet to hear anything overtly negative as ALL of our experiences in Mexico over the years have been positive and friendly.  We did find it overly humourous that when in town, many vendors were selling shirts that stated, “KEEP CALM, You’re on the FUN SIDE of Trump’s Wall.”  It just goes to show that no matter who we are in the world, the colour of our skin, the differences in our cultures, we must sustain some fragment of thought that there is a baseline of equality as human beings that mustn’t be forgotten.

Love to all,

D&D
xo