Mooching in Cabo

Destination: Cabo San Lucas (courtesy of PGP, Inc. for their 2nd Annual Recognition Conference)

NOTE: I got my first kooky comment from some stranger about this blog, which prompted me to add this caveat to all of my blogs. I write these blogs for personal memories and to share our experiences with close friends and family. I make them public because they might be of help to a traveler who is willing to muddle through them. They are full of honest opinions....if I don't like something, I say it, not to offend, but to document our actual thoughts and experiences. If you're looking for politically correct, keep on looking...it's not here.

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March 5, 2008

My only preparation for this quasi-business trip was to Google “off the beaten path Cabo San Lucas” the day before we left. Not much showed up in the way of “undiscovered” or “quiet”, however, there were lots of warnings to be extra careful and to steer clear of the aggressive timeshare hawkers that meet you in the airport as soon as you deplane.

As we were leaving the house to catch our plane, I learned just how spoiled Lance is by his tour guide wife. He showed up at the front door fully dressed with his suitcase. When I asked him for our hotel info, I was met with a vacant stare.

The flight from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas couldn’t be easier…less than two hours after take-off, we landed, grabbed our bags, passed through immigration and customs, and ran smack into…who else? The timeshare folks…right in the airport lobby behind an official looking counter and looking identical to hotel shuttle operators. Too late, we hesitated...we were caught in their trap. We were offered a free ride to and from our hotel and the airport...the man insisted this was much better than dealing with the taxi mafia outside the front door. (Having ridden in Tijuana taxis many times, we readily agreed.) The offers kept coming...free breakfast the next morning at Cabo's newest resort, a free glass bottom boat tour and sunset whale watching cruise for all four of us, as well half off all other activities we booked through them. We quickly informed him that we were already timeshare owners with the same company he worked for and were not interested in buying another figuring that this was the easiest way out of the corner we were in. Honesty being a tad pliable in Mexico, the salesman said "Perfect! Then you won’t have to sit through the sales pitch! You can just show up, eat breakfast, and take a quick tour...no need to sit through the 4 hour presentation!” Since we were interested in a possible future exchange to visit here, this wasn't sounding like such a bad deal. Spencer thought we were suckers. Stay tuned for reality…

Thankfully, en route to the airport, Lance managed to find out that we would be staying at Riu Palace. We were dropped right at the front door by our timeshare shuttle with instructions on how to surrepticiously meet our representative the next morning outside the hotel gates (hint, hint). We hopped out of the bus into the luxurious and eclectic lobby of the palace…part Egyptian, part plantation, part Mexican, definitely interesting. We were done when each of us were attached to a white paper bracelet.

We went in search of lunch while our room was being finished. We found a covered patio overlooking the pool and ocean where a huge buffet was crammed with every kind of food imaginable. I’m seeing big prices and tiny (very picky) appetites…two things that don’t mix well for me as I absolutely deplore waste. My head snapped around when I heard Lance mention a magical word…“all-inclusive.” Of course, he didn’t know for certain, so I went in search of someone who did. Sure enough…every snack, drink (EVEN THE ALCOHOLIC ONES), and meal (in every restaurant and even inside our room) was FREE! My first thought was…woo hoo! My second was…it sucks being 41 when those days of eating everything and not gaining an ounce are behind me. The next several days were going to be a test of my almost non-existent willpower…and, darn, if I didn’t leave my running shoes at home in my closet.

Our room was very nice, although the sleeping arrangements were going to be interesting…two double beds pushed together and a tiny, non-foldout couch. The kids immediately started vying for the couch… however, a short time later, when two tiny bugs were noted crawling on the floor, the couch was no longer an option and they began their attempts to convince me that we would all fit very comfortably on the beds. I wondered how Lance was going to take this when he came out of the bathroom???

The pool and ocean were calling us, so we quickly changed into our suits and left our pretty room. Unfortunately, the ocean in front of the resort is not swimmable - at least for now - as indicated by the red flag posted at the edge of the sand. We quickly saw why…the waves were huge and literally pounded the shore, liable to suck you back out to sea. It didn’t matter so much to the kids, who had a blast running from the waves, digging in the sand, and searching for shells. As Lance and I sat there watching them cavort around the beach like the littler kids they used to be, we looked up to see whales, not 30 feet offshore, swimming in the swells of the newly forming waves…what a treat! Looking the other way, we saw Cabo’s picturesque cove filled with two massive (not-so-beautiful) cruise ships, lots of smaller boats, some pulling parasailers, and jet skis, all surrounded by large rock formations.

After a schmooze at the beachfront bar with fellow PGPers from all over the U.S., we headed to dinner. (Everyone was intrigued by the guy willing to take on Moscow, so they all know Lance’s name, but he was bombarded with names he tried hard to remember.) Dinner was another experience in gluttony…it seemed like enough food to feed a small nation. After dinner back in the room we watched a comedic performance by Lance called “I Was Robbed!” (Subtitle: “Don’t Doubt Me!”). After I calmed him down, I threw logic at him (If he was truly robbed, why would our passports, cell phones, laptops, all of my money and $33 of his money still be here??? No, honey, it does not make sense that a thief would leave all of these valuable items as decoys. And, by the way, didn’t you just spend a wad at the airport for our timeshare deposit???). He pondered this, looked sheepish, and apologized to us (and the front desk clerk), and we resumed our vacation.

We did end up cramming into the two double beds, occasionally awakened by Spencer’s animated conversations and Sophie’s spasmodic elbows. Even so, it was kind of fun…after all, we sure won’t be able to do that much longer!

March 6, 2008

We followed our instructions to the tee and ran to meet our shuttle to Casa Dorado, Cabo’s newest timeshare project right in the center of the beautiful bay. It was a sophisticated resort right in the middle of it all and looking straight across at the cove’s guardian rock formations. I was mildly concerned when the girl who checked us in didn’t say anything about the fact that we were already Interval members and would be taken on the abbreviated tour right after breakfast. I was very concerned when a suave salesman swept us down to the beach and casually started the spiel. Lance and I were immediately transported back to Belize when Mally, the barefooted gay Irish man, sold us our Captain Morgan’s timeshare. We quickly got the picture, all the while Spencer dancing around us whispering “Suckers!” and “I TOLD you so!" in our ears. Lance ended it quickly and spent the next 15 minutes fighting to get our transportation deposit returned. An hour later, we were back at Riu Palace eating an incredible breakfast and returning to our true purpose for being in Cabo…relaxing.

After raising my body temperature high enough, I actually got into the lukewarm pool for several minutes. The kids were stunned and now understood why we got FOUR towels instead of just three… smart alecks! Lance left us to join up with fellow PGPers for some scuba instruction, especially perfect since he wanted to dive the Blue Hole in Belize next week. (He later told me about his near nervous breakdown that nearly stopped him from getting in the water with all the scuba gear. He has a whole new appreciation for breathing through his nose and has reconsidered the Blue Hole!) While he was gone, the kids and I bounced back and forth from the beach to the pool to the dining area to our room to the 24 hour ice cream machine. The highlights of Spence’s day were dodging the huge waves, burying himself in the sand, and playing beach volleyball with some college kids (and holding his own quite well). Sophie was happy to suffer through some discomfort to get corn rows in her hair, shriek at the waves, search for seashells, and help bury her brother. I oversaw all the fun while reading, soaking up the view, and dodging trinket peddlers.

Dinner was in one of the hotel restaurants and was very average with painfully slow service. It’s the no-wait gluttonous buffets for the Dore Family for all future dinners! We did enjoy spending some time with Lance’s co-workers during the hour we waited for our food.

March 7, 2008

Lance and Spencer almost went on an ATV excursion…after a bumpy bus ride there, Spencer was hit with some strange illness, and they had to get back on the bus for a bumpy ride back to the hotel. Lance thought he must be at Death’s door since he had just been told he could drive his own ATV. Hopefully, it’s just junk food overload and not food poisoning or, worse, some debilitating tropical disease courtesy of bad water or some tropical bug.

While the boys were gone, Sophie and I went exploring up the beach. The landscape didn’t change much…a line of jam-packed resorts, more sunbathers (ranging in color from ghostly white to mocha brown to lobster red), peddlers galore, and occasional horses topped with weathered locals or barefooted tourists. We searched for more unique additions to Sophie’s seashell collection.

After lunch, Spencer miraculously recovered. Diagnosis: 'junkfooditis' combined with 'carsickitis'. Treatment: a 30 minute vegetative state, followed by a HEALTHY meal compiled by mom. (His teenage brain cannot yet comprehend that my rules regarding food might actually be based on reason.)

Lance and I decided we deserved some quiet time by the pool, sipping cappuccinos and reading. Unfortunately, the Riu Palace entertainment staff didn’t agree. The only reason I knew we were not on a cruise ship was because I was not hovering over the toilet succumbing to motion sickness and the scenery wasn’t changing. Over the next hour, we were subjected to the Macarena blaring over the pool speaker and an actual beer drinking contest (complete with big bellied American men) and, once again, I had to decline dance lessons by the side of the pool (meringue, samba?). Earlier today, it was overweight Americans waving their hands in the air while doing water aerobics in the pool to the beat of pulsating Mexican disco music (oo, oo!!!). Sorry, but this is just not our cup of tea...but hey, we were mooches, so no complaining!

A buffet dinner on the beach was the only official PGP function of the weekend. Motivational speaking filled up the first hour and reiterated for both of us what a great company Lance is now a part of… youthful, motivated, friendly and eager for everyone to succeed. In other words, the antithesis of the beaurocratic corporation that he just abandoned. Having the kids with us - and Lance being an old man - cut into our late evening possibilities. We will definitely be rested when we return home.

March 8, 2008

I have a new nickname for Spencer courtesy of a local server who has taken notice of Spencer. This morning as we walked into the breakfast dining room, the young lady broke into a big smile and threw Spencer a flirtacious look as she murmured “Oh, muy guapo.” This is the same girl who smiled knowingly at him during yesterday’s breakfast after offering him a cerveza the previous night! Time for a little talk with Mr. Guapo.

Today we ventured outside of our resort and took a water taxi to Cabo’s marina for a glass bottom boat ride. After walking - then running - from one side of the huge marina over to the other side, through a jungle of local wildlife (peddlers and partiers) and authentic wildlife (a baby jaguar), we managed to find our tour company (although we barely believed them because several other companies had sworn that we were already at the right place…until they saw we had already had tickets). We hopped on a tiny boat with two small glass openings in the bottom and headed out to sea. It ended up to be more of a tour, than a marine life experience, but it was pretty cool to be up close to pelicans, Lover’s Beach, seals (pew!), Divorce Beach (on the other side!), and floating amongst the rock formations that form most southernmost tip of Baja California. I probably understood about 20% of what our guide had to say, but he sure was having a good time, which was infectious. I scoped out the perfect place for a potential future visit…a colorful little colony tucked away on the Pacific Ocean side of the point, supposedly part of Pedragal. It was a peaceful haven, segregated from the spring break/cruise ship crowd. I’ll definitely be checking it out.

After the boat tour, we had a delicious Mexican lunch in the marina at Los Deseos…a refreshing mojito for me, a blended margarita for Lance, and fruity virgin drinks for the kids, melted Mexican cheeses mixed with tequila (and fire!) in a volcanic rock bowl served with fresh corn tortillas, grilled butterfly shrimp, mole chicken, chicken fajitas, and plain chicken tacos (for picky Sophie). Too stuffed for dessert, we went in search of the sandy “road” home. Unfortunately, we had to meander through an Americanized mall before we ended up smack in the heart of Cabo’s packed beachside bars. All of us instantly gained a greater appreciation for our much quieter section of beach. We had a complaint-free walk home, stopping to buy fresh mangoes on sticks - squirted with lime juice and sprinkled with chili powder - and decided that tomorrow Lance and the kids would try parasailing.

March 9, 2008

After breakfast, we headed for parasailing. The original plan was for Lance and Sophie to go tandem and Spencer to go by himself, however, once again, the size and weight of our dinky kids threw a glitch in these plans. Spencer was just too small to go by himself…just not big enough to keep the parasail in place. It was decided that the kids would tandem together first, and if Sophie wanted to go again (it was a given that Spencer would), they could go again. Lance and I would just live vicariously through them! They slowly climbed in height until they were way up there. Of course, Mr. Spencer just had to test the limits…he was hanging backwards and swinging back and forth causing heart palpitations in his mother. I’m down in the boat trying to give him the long distance “evil eye”, which did’t do a thing as he knew darn well he was far out of my reach. After awhile, the boat driver brought them closer to shore near all the swimmers and slowed down until their feet just touched the water, then sped up sending them back into the sky one more time. They were thrilled and Lance was pretty sure he would be remaining in the boat. Sure enough, they both wanted to go again and the driver repeated the trip for them.

The remainder of our time at the resort was spent reading and swimming. In the afternoon, we headed home…thankfully, such an easier trip than we are used to undertaking. Definitely a benefit to Baja!

Overall, we liked - but didn’t love - Cabo San Lucas. We’ve been spoiled by Belize’s lush vegetation, warm water, thinner crowds and more laid back lifestyle. Spence found the locals not as friendly as in Belize, which I can't blame them for based on the kinds of tourists they have to tolerate. Even so, I would like to go back…to rent a small villa in Pedregal with a few other families or with just Lance to one of a couple hidden inns that sound intriguing.

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