Friday November 11, 2011
LAX, Delta Sky Lounge
Cloudy
I'm writing this while having a glass of wine and waiting to catch the flight to Tokyo Haneda. Yes, another trip to Tokyo. But this is a short trip with a side business trip to Hanoi.
A couple of weeks ago, I spent a week in Cabo with my BFFs from New York - Nicky, Bob and Rick. It turned out to be a special trip for several reasons. One, its been over 10 years since we all 4 got together. Two, they got to meet Sandra, one of my BFFs. And... Three, Bob and Rick got married! They've been together for 37 years and thanks to New Yorkers, they are officially married. I am SO HAPPY for them. They've been thru a lot but both are one of the most positive people I know who love and enjoy life so I am so happy for them.
We had a leisurely time in Cabo sprinkled with some outings and very good food. We stayed at the Presidential suite at the Sheraton which was fabulous (thank you Sandra!), where we had a kitchen, view of the ocean and our own bathroom!
Here are some highlights from the trip.
The first night, we ate at the hotel overlooking the Sea of Cortez, and the second night we went to a dinner party at Sandra's where I forgot to take photos!
Third night though, after a day at the pool and lounging by the ocean, we drove to the "city" - downtown Cabo to go to Mi Casa. It was recommended to me by several friends as it is the only place in Cabo to get Chile Nogada - a dish I discovered in Oaxaca. You can read more about it here when I went to Oaxaca. It was fun because we were entertained by our first Mariachi band.
Chile Nogada: Good but the one in Oaxaca was much better
Then fortunately for us, we got to see the release of the baby turtles! The Sheraton has a turtle sanctuary where they protect the turtle eggs until they hatch and release them to sea. It is amazing to see their instinct on how they try so so hard to get to the ocean. They say they get attracted to the light emitted by the sparkling sea so always go for it in the AM. So, when taking photos of the hatchlings we are not allowed to use flash as to confuse the baby turtles. Also in the PM, they rest as it is best not to venture so the crabs, etc won't get them. They say only a small percentage of the turtles survive. It was one of the most amazing experiences I've witnessed. I can no longer "buy" tortoise shell items. These creature are so beautiful and special. I'm so fortunate to have been able to witness this.
Day old turtles
Making their way to the ocean
And of course, the hotel is located on a beautiful stretch of beach. But the Sea of Cortez is pretty rough so could not swim.
But that did not stop skimboarders
Our big adventure was to go on a snorkeling trip by the infamous arches and lover's beach. We took a boat to Lover's Beach to go snorkeling. Of course, this was my idea, but as some of you might know I am very near-sighted. I have not been wearing contact lenses in years so although I hear there were quite of bit of fish at some parts, I just saw blurry things swim by me. LoL!
The Famous Arch of Cabo San Lucas
Bob and Rick!
Pelicans Posing
Seals Resting
Lover's Beach
The other side of Lover's Beach is Divorce Beach which faces the Pacific Ocean. It is extremely dangerous to swim here because of the confluence and riptides.
We also explored the hot foodie places of Cabo. As I mentioned earlier we went to Mi Casa. We also went to Edith's which was highly recommended by several people and we all loved it. We also went to Salvatore's - arguably Cabo's most famous Italian restaurant. They are famous for their HUGE lasagne but I'd say they should be famous for their cute waiters!
Bob with our very cute waiter
Nicky and I went to San Jose to the One and Only Palmilla for dinner at Agua. Yes, the One and Only Palmilla which is different from the "Palmilla". The grounds were GORGEOUS! But as the cheapest room is like 1000$/nite, it better be gorgeous! It's definitely one of the most chi-chi places I've been too! The only bad part is that I got bitten by a strange bug on my foot that affected me for about a week. I'm convinced it was a scorpion but my friends think otherwise. Anyhow, all is fine now.
The One and Only Palmilla
And road trip! We took the "highway" to Todos Santos. I say "highway" as over 50% was a dirt road. But lots of contruction going on, I'm sure it will be a state of the art highway the next time I visit.
Todos Santos is a very artsy town, famous for the Hotel California. There are alot of stories about it and no one is sure 100% if the Eagles song "Hotel California" is based on this gorgeous laid back hotel. I did learn that it opened in 1950 by a Chinese immigrant named Mr. Wong. Mr. Wong, however, wanted to become Mexican so changed his name to Don Antonio Tabasco. In the 1950s, it was known as the only place where you can get cold beer. What happened in the 1960-70s they say is "hazy". Today, it is owned by a Canadian couple who restored it to a funky yet relaxing hotel.
Hotel California
Todos Santos has a very laid back feeling to it. Very cool town with dirt streets and artists galleries galore. It is also where alot of the organic produce is grown in Baja. We spent a whole day there including having probably one of the best meals of the trip - lunch at Hotel Guaycura
A typical Street at Todos Santos
So laid back
We stopped at this art gallery. It is owned by Jill Logan, one of the artists who started the art colony at Todos Santos. She was a lovely person with very dreamy and beautiful paintings. If only I could afford it......
And before you knew it, it was time to go home. We had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the resort we were staying and also enjoyed the little adventures. I'm looking forward to going back but this time staying at Sandra's gorgeous house in San Jose.
New Moon over Cabo
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