Texas to Cabo San Lucas

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January 30 – College Station to Cabo San Lucas – Only slept a couple of hours last night and then woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep. Finally got up around 3AM and did a little homework on the internet till I suddenly realized at 5AM that my plane was leaving at 06:40 instead of 07:40. So I loaded up quickly and went to the airport. One thing about B/CS is it doesn’t take long to get anywhere. I got checked in and got my boarding pass and went through security in plenty of time.

I really do believe that they use the flights out of College Station, Texas to train pilots or to break in new ones. We just about ran out of runway before the plane finally went into a very steep climb off the ground. Same way landing…the plane was tipping up and down before finally stumbling onto the runway. And just about used up the entire runway landing as well. Then the plane was making all kinds of sounds like some kind of wounded animal as it made its way to the terminal. Maybe the guy burned up the brakes or broke them or something.

There was a 2 hour layover at D/FW airport. When I got to the boarding gate there were FMM cards on the counter. I took one and filled it out while waiting on my flight. There are two parts the visitor must fill out. One on the top and the other 2^nd from the bottom. The other parts are to be left open for the immigration officials to fill out. One part if for the inbound flight to Mexico and the other for the exit flight from Mexico.

Then I boarded my plane to Cabos. The flight was smooth but I wish I had gotten a seat on the right side because every time they said to look out the window at something (such as Copper Canyon or over the beaches at Cabo) they said look out the right side.

The flight attendants came by and gave me a customs form to fill out which I filled out so I would have it ready when I got in line at the entry point to Mexico.

When we arrived in Mexico we walked down the stairs and between two lines of attendants (I guess so we wouldn’t wander off) and into the terminal. They had a guy who checked our FMM cards and told about half the people they needed to go to some shelves along the wall and fill out the “exit” part of their FMM cards. I had mine filled out correctly and so continued on to the line for immigration. There were about 4 desks with clerks. When one of them motioned for me I went to the desk and the lady there asked the purpose of my visit and I told her tourist and she stamped my card and wrote tourist on it and returned it to me and told me sternly “Don’t lose it”. I understand that if a policeman or someone request to see it you must have the card with you so I will keep it with my passport. I also understand from reading travel forums that it is a lot of trouble to replace so I will keep a good grasp upon it.

After clearing immigration I went to the carrousel and got my bag and proceeded through customs. A drug dog sniffed the bags around the carousel and while we waited in line for the bags to be x rayed. I set mine near him so he could get a good sniff and then my bag was x-rayed and I went to a customs stand where they had me push a button and the green light lit up. That meant I was good to go so I proceeded on. If the light had lit up red then they would have searched my bags. It is said to be totally random whether you get a red or green light. I walked on by 3 very mean looking men who looked at everyone over a counter so I guess if someone looks suspicious they check them out.

After clearing customs I used the toilet, (you never know where the next one will be and how long to get to it) and proceeded out of the airport. As soon as I exited the door from customs I was pounced on by guys selling timeshares. I ignored them while saying no thanks and continued into a snack bar area where I got a bottle of water for about $2.00.

I then exited the airport and looked for the bus into Cabo. There is supposed to be a Subercabos bus which takes you to Cabo but I never found it.

They say you are not supposed to look lost and confused when you are by yourself in a strange country, but it is hard not to look lost and confused when you are actually very lost and confused. In any case a guy wearing some sort of uniform and one of those picture ID’s around his neck approached me and asked me if I wanted a ride but I told him I was looking for the bus. He told me they were around the corner but when I went there I found out those buses were for groups and I wasn’t part of the group. So I said “Bus , bus ?” to the guy there and he motioned down the hill in a far away gesture.

So I worked my way down the hill and saw a place where about 15 Mexicans were waiting and figured that must be the bus stop. I asked …. “ bus ? Puerto Paraiso Mall ? Cabo San Lucas? “ and they motioned to one of them who spoke English and he told me I was in the right spot and to buy a ticket from the guy there. The guy there with a little machine sold me a bus ticket for 21 Pesos (M$21) so I gave him a 20 peso note and a dollar. He gave me some change and a ticket.

When I got on the bus I told the driver “Paraiso Mall” and expected him to stop at it for me but he didn’t so when we passed It I went to the front of the bus and motioned I wanted off and he pulled over and let me off. You are supposed to tell the driver some Spanish word when you want off but I forgot it.

After I got off the bus I made my way to the Cabo Inn on 20 de Noviembre (It is a budget hotel for Cabo and it ran me about $50 a night) and disencumbered myself of my suitcase, and settled in. Then after a bit I made my way to a bank ATM and got some Pesos, did a little shopping and explored some of the shops, the Puerto Paraiso Mall and the Marina a bit. Then eased back to my room to rest. It had been a very interesting and tiring day.

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Photos

FMM Card
This is the FMM card that you must fill out. There is a fee but it is usually included in your airfare price. Be sure to fill out BOTH sections between the red lines. One for arrival info and one for departure info.

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Exploring Cabo
How is your room at the Cabo Inn? Glad you found the right bus. Looking forward to reading more.

[Sojourner1208]

Room was a bargain
The room was a bargain considering the location and quiet shaded patio's to enjoy. It was a 5 minute walk to the marina, and had a shaded courtyard in the middle where people would sit and visit. Also some dishes and microwave, sink with filtered water etc in the common area. I believe except for the microwave it is about as authentic Old Mexico as one can get. It also had a rooftop pool and library with couches. I booked it thru Expedia for $45.19 a night, $360.57 for 7 days. Some of the rooms have a refridgerator and TV but mine didn't. There is a full size refridgerator/freezer in the common area.