Farewell to Cabo

We're still going for our morning walks, we saw 5 whales & about 30 dolphins one morning which was very cool - can't wait till we are out in a boat & up close to the whales. We will need to discover new walking routes as we leave Cabo tomorrow morning and go to Pescadero near Todos Santos, supposedly 200 yards from the Pacific. After about 3 days we head north to Tecolote Beach near La Paz, no power, no WiFi. We've gotten very used to showering every day again, will miss that!

We took a road trip to a tiny village of La Candelaria, about 30 km north of Cabo on a dirt/sand road. Our trusty guide book promised basket-making, handicrafts & "white witches". We had to stop 3 times & ask directions, but it was a pretty drive into the mountains, lots of cacti. We found the place, but no sign of any handicrafts, no shops, virtually no people. We got differing opinions from the locals about the road out of town - supposed to be only about 6 km west to the hiway, but an "iffy" road. We decided to be either brave or stupid, but we went west. The rocky, narrow goat trail ended in an arroyo that we had to drive down for about 5 km. The arroyo was a 1/4 mile wide sandy river bottom, I kept thinking that if we got stuck we would be there forever. Then we got passed by several ATV's zooming along. When we reached the hiway it was an overpass above us - we had to go on foot & scout an exit out & up! My poor new car has certainly been well broken in & has a few squeeks to show for it.

We were invited to a potluck with the Vagabundos caravan folks - some of the group had been out deep sea fishing & brought back a lot of fish. We had yellowfin tuna, dark red flesh when raw, but tasty once barbequed.

I finally got brave enough to try out my waterproof camera case -got a few good pictures while snorkeling. The case stays on all the time, it makes the camera bulkier, but no worries about it seizing up from the salt spray (the fate of my last camera).

Robin continues his "yard work". We have the nicest, cleanest site here - raked regularly, weeds removed, cacti & shrubs watered, birds fed & watered. His latest project was to clean up the trunks of 2 palm trees - removing the part of the fronds left behind when the old fronds are cut off. The neighbors think he's nuts!

This weeks "fish truck" purchases were 4 lobster tails, halibut & more shrimp - this I will definitely miss! We had lunch in a food court a few days ago, Robin had Chinese & I had quesadillas made with fresh, homemade tortillas, made while I watched. I'm almost ashamed to say that we ate at McDonalds, had to check it out. Same food, same taste, same price.

We have been waiting for 3 weeks for a shop to get in the metal frame to hold 4 ceramic  number tiles, so our house number will be upgraded once we are home.

We wandered thru Wirikuta Cactus garden in San Jose Del Cabo, din't know there were that many types of cacti! Got some good pictures of black butterflies on the bouganvillia bushes - they have been in full bloom since we got to Mexico. It must be "spring" as many other plants & cacti are starting to bloom.

Our latest purchase was a book - "the Baja Catch", an excellent fishing reference that is now out of print. We'll be all set for next year when we return with our kayak!

We hope all is well back home in Canada & that the winter is being kind.It's good that our medical insurance runs out mid March or we might be tempted to stay & avoid the end of winter! We do miss our family, so homeward bound we will be!

Pictures: cacti on our drive x2, the arroyo we drove down, fresh made tortilla press, Robin doing "yard work", underwater fish x2, some of the colorful ceramics to be had, the cactus garden x3, more "souvenirs"- made with license plates!

Still loving it!!

Everyday life in Cabo

We've settled into a lovely routine here in Cabo - morning walks before breakfast, trips to any of several beaches, shopping for souvenirs at the market & of course the odd trip to Costco & Walmart. We even checked out Sam's Club with a free day pass.
We made a day trip to a couple small villages, Miraflores & Santiago -  brought back  grapefruits & oranges, fresh from the trees, left some school supplies for the local tiny school, had goat tacos & were amazed at the huge mango trees (unfortunately not their season.)
The weather was cool & cloudy for the last week, but it's back to the norm of 23-25, feels like 28-29.
We splurged on a nice meal at the Villa Serena Resturant near by - lobster for me & calamari for Robin, one appy & one dessert, 4 beer = 60.00. I decided that it was time to get a massage, something that I need regularly back home, found a pretty good shop, Swedish massage 1 hr for $20. More on what stuff costs, for anyone who might be interested: gas - $0.84 per litre, milk $4.32 per 4 litres, beer - 12 for $7.50, box of wine, 5 litres $12.50, premium Mexican vodka 1 litre for $4.50 (sorry, can't fill the RV with beer & booze, but it's tempting!)  Our camping fees in Mexico range from free, on the beach, $ 13 per day here (staying 1 month), up to $29 per night (only stayed there 2 nights!) Our usual meals out are taco stands, 4 tacos & 2 beer for $8.
We've put on enough miles that the RV needed an oil change, so Robin did it here in the campgound (easier than moving it, plus it wouldn't fit in most shops) - the oil was $8 per litre (more than at home I'm told.)
The campground here has been nice & quiet with only about 10 of us, until a few days ago when a caravan of 19 units pulled in, then another 7 two days later. The water pressure went to crap & internet acces is also suffering. We feel sorry for the group of 19 - they paid $500 each to be led down the length of the Baja, 1000 miles in 5 days - way too much driving per day, & they still had to pay their camping fees each night. They all were afraid to go on their own, now they are coming to us for info & advice, even though were are new to it all, just a bit braver!
We had a truly Mexican experience last evening - the caretaker here in the RV park has 2 kids, Victor is 11 & America turned 2 yesterday & we were invited to the party! There were 6 gringos there, two couples who winter here yearly & us - an amazing meal, homemade tamales, something wrapped in banana leaves, refried beans, pasta, hot chocolate, cake & jello. The kids broke open a pinata full of candy, plus each of the many kids took home a goody bag with more candy. Lots of family & their friends, lots of presents, mainly clothes (not much for toys, even in Walmart). long evening, but very special to be included!
We spent today on Medano beach in Cabo, lined with bars & restaurants, jet skis zooming around, water taxi boats everywhere & a few fancy yachts just off shore. I snorkeled a couple days ago at |Chileno beach, saw a big ass morray eel, must have been 8 ft long!
We are here 1 more week, then off to Todos Santos for about 3 days, to watch the waves & the surfers on the Pacific. We still have almost 2 months, but reality will get us eventually.
In regards to my comment about seeing a Mexican doctor - I'm fine, I take a medication for my fibromyalgia, that is not available here without a proper Mexican prescription. Go figure, you can buy Viagra & "'almost" narcotics virtually everywhere, just not my med.

Pictures: a beach, goats on our trip to Santiago, Mission church in Santiago, est. 1724, sunset from Villa Serena Resturant,one of the beaches we walk to in the mornings, America's party, hitting the pinata, Medano beach in Cabo San Lucas.
Definitely Living the Dream & Loving every minute!

Stuck a toe in the ocean at " Lands End"

Well we made it - Robin's goal of sticking a toe into the water at Lands End, Cabo. More on that adventure to come.
We've done a few outings - watched glass blowing (amazing), shopped at the largest craft store I've ever seen - Artesanos, gone for morning walks either to the nearest beach or thru a swanky housing area and more snorkeling.
 We spent a day at Playa Santa Maria, sitting on our chairs in the ocean, snorkeling with the fishes while trying not to get hit by all the crazy tour boats (7 at one time). We can see whales in the distance from the rooftop patio in our campground.
I had the experience of having to see a Mexican doctor - contrary to rumor,  you  really can't buy all drugs without a prescription here in Mexico. I was in a drug store, trying to ask the Spanish speaking clerk how to find a doctor & another customer stepped in to help. He then proceeded to call his doc, got me an appt in 20 min., then led me there in his car - I was plenty nervous, but it worked out fine.
A neighbor in the park killed a scorpion near the bathroom - we now have a creepy souvenir.
I bit the bullet & got my hair cut very short - I talked about it for a while & built up the nerve - we thought if it's horrible & we hate it, we just won't take any pictures & no one will see me for a few months, butr we both actually like it. Problem is, now you really see the gray!
We took a day trip to Todos Santos, about 1 hr north - lovely drive, actually a 4 lane hiway with shoulders & some huge cacti along the way! It's on the Pacific side, so wilder waves. We plan to head there next, so did some scouting - Los Cerritos beach is a surfer area with glittering gold & black sand and the beach close to town had huge, crashing waves. On the way back we stopped for tacos - chorizo & pork chop - go figure!
The highlight of Cabo area is definitely the trip out to Lands End! We took a water taxi from the marina for $10 US each - a tour past Pelican beach - lots of birds, of course, & fish to see thru the glass bottom of the panga (small boat), out & around El Arco (the arch), past Lovers Beach & Divorce Beach & passed by a sea lion colony (one very proud up on a large rock). The rock formations were breathtaking, beautiful beaches, people kayaking, paddle boarding & all sizes of boats out touring. We got out at Lovers Beach for 2 hrs, then the boat returned for us.The tide was still fairly high, but we wanted to walk thru the Arch - this required crawling thru a hole in the rocks, squeezing thru a narrow opening, walking along the edge of a rock wall with the waves pounding - all this was the easy part! The last hurdle was a rock tunnel that the waves poured into & out of - tried to time the waves, but we got soaked going thru. Coming back out was even worse, I had my legs washed out from under me twice & had to cling to t", he rock wall. We damn near drowned, but boy was it fun!!
Today I ventured out alone for shopping, first to Cabo, then to San Jose - had a successful day, crossed several things off the list!
We continue to eat well - fresh shrimp & fresh strawberries today. The weather is good, warm & sunny. We've really settled in well to this life of leisure, getting back to "reality" will be a shocker.
Hope everyone back home is having a great winter!
Pictures won't upload, will keep trying. I figured out the pics, have to decrease their quality big time to get them to upload. First 2 are santa maria beach, Cacti on the way to Todos Santos, in Todos santos, Me looking at the Pacific, El Arco (the arch at Lands End), the scary tunnel - me going in clutching my bag, fairly low water, us under the arch, Robin going back in the tunnel, Another lovely sunrise that I slept thru, us, tanned & short hair.
Still living the dream!

Great start to 2013, Camping in Cabo

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve, a road trip through the mountains to the charming Mexican village of El Triunfo for wood fired pizza with our new friends, Renate, Randy& Wendy, Randy & Marilyn. We exchanged small gifts & later enjoyed sitting around the campfire. On Christmas day we drank ceasars, shared our chili & later went out for Mexican food with some more new friends, Serge & Suzanna. We decided to be brave & just order "the special"- Birra D Res - turned out to be delicious beef soup, followed by pina coladas.
We were lucky to spot a baby turtle washed up on shore which we sent back into the sea, then Robin found a newly hatched baby turtle that had escaped the safe enclosure & was soon to be sea gull food - this one also made it to the sea with help!
We were spoiled by having fresh, warm empanadas & tamales delivered daily to the camping area in Los Barilles. We left there Dec 26 & headed south to Cabo. There are only 2 RV parks in the Cabo area & one was full. We have settled into Villa Serena RV Park, not on the beach but only a short drive away. We have full hook-ups, WiFi, laundry, all for $392 US for a month. The next day we were off to Costco for cheap booze & the fixins for pina coladas & to Walmart for groceries.
We spent a great day at Playa Chileno, beautiful sandy beaches, rocky outcrops & coral reef for amazing snorkelling & not crowded. We saw dozens of different colorful fishes, just snorkelling in off the beach! then enjoyed our picnic lunch. Shortly after we arrived back at the campsite the 3 RVs with our 5 new friends all arrived at our new RV park. So much for peace & quiet! We were also joined by Ken & Sharon who we met at Santispac beach, it turns out they live 15 min. away from us back home! Happy Hours are back to being a bit more lively.
We found out that our house was broken into, seems only some mail was taken - now we get to worry about identity theft. Thanks to some really great neighbors, friends & family we have been reassured that our house is in good hands - we are very grateful for everyones help & concern.
We have explored San Jose Del Cabo on our own & Cabo San Lucas with The Gang. Definitely the most aggresive salesmen - trying to sell boat rides, fishing, condos, souvenirs, T-shirts, etc., etc. I wiil return for actual shopping on my own.
We learned a fun, new game - Left, Right, Centre - 9 of us played one evening, both Robin & I won a game, beginners luck!
We spent New Years Eve around our propane campfire, we were actually still awake at midnight to watch the fireworks!
Today was another road trip, with Randy & Wendy to scout out their next camping spot. We took the East Cape road (dirt road) along the coast to Los Frailes - 80 kms took 4 hours!!! - Definitely the worst road yet. We did have a yummy lunch in Cabo Pulmo (again, eating our way thru the Baja). We took the long way back & it only took 2 hrs! All of our Gang will be gone by Jan 4, so will
be back to making our own fun. We are planning many more beach days!
Pictures: sunrise at Los Barilles (taken by Robin while I slept), baby turtle, village of El Triunfo (with cobblestone streets), Playa Chileno, Flea market in Cabo (x3), our yard in Cabo RV park, Mexican kids with their New Years pinata (in our RV park), us eating (surprise!) in Cabo Pulmo.
Still Living the Dream & Loving it!