Good bye Cabo, Hello Los Barriles

As I write this, I am on the bus on my way from Cabo San Lucas up to Los Barriles to meet up with Kim & Brian again. I have been hanging out in Cabo since Saturday – taking it all in and for the most part, doing a whole lot of nothing!

 

This blog is going to be more about observations ,experiences, etc. as opposed to talking about what has been happening, as I haven't blogged in a bunch of days and have a long list of things to cover. J I have learned that in Cabo ALTO (STOP) on a good day means a soft yield, but for the most part, it goes completely ignored. I will be the first to admit, I am not a good passenger when I am in a vehicle with someone who I don't feel is up to my driving standards and can often been seen braking with my foot in the passenger seat, so you can just imagine how I am in Cabo. I have come to accept that the Mexicans know what they are doing and that a t-bone collision isn't inevitable – so in other words, my foot is no longer going through the floor board of the car.

Speaking of cars & taxis, they have some of the cleanest taxis that I have ever seen down here. Every taxi that I have got into has been spotless! We did have one taxi in San Jose that I thought that we might have to get out and push up the hill – my uncle figured it needed a new fuel filter(?) – but it got us home in one piece and that is all that really mattered. Yesterday I took a taxi from the hotel to the bus station to find out what time the bus left and how much it would cost, as this information was not on the internet and the hotel couldn't seem to help me (go figure). Round trip, it cost me $200 pesos (highway robbery) and as soon as I got in my taxi, my driver called his brother, who happens to drive bus, and found out that indeed the bus does run to Los Barriles and should cost about $100 pesos. Naturally I ribbed my driver about this – that it was costing me almost double to go the station as the actual trip itself! So I made him come into the station with me and translate – told him that he had to earn his money! J

I have heard some choice comments and phrases since I have been here that I would like to share:

• "Okey dokey" – our taxi driver said this to someone over the radio – we all had to laugh. Not something you expect to hear from a Mexican.
  
• "They don't have shoes but they all have guns" – our shuttle driver to diving, when we were talking about some of the neighboring states
  
• "Amiga, you look like a red lobster! Whale watching? Glass bottom boat? Water taxi" – the pick up line I was given yesterday in the marina. Not I didn't go with him.
  
• "Nice" – accompanied with a blatant look at my chest (this one wasn't surprising – however he was very obvious)
  

I went to 3 different movies when I was in Cabo, and unlike at home, you don't have to mortgage your house to go. A show was about $49 pesos and a large pop and popcorn was about $79 peso. And get this – you can chose between regular popcorn or caramel corn J They also have these really cool trays that you hook into the cup holder that hold your beverages and food. That way if you are sharing your popcorn with someone, one of you isn't left holding the bag. They are also handy if you have a couple of drinks or bags of popcorn – that way you aren't doing the juggling act. In terms of the movies themselves, they were all in English with Spanish subtitles, so it worked well for me. However in the first movie (can't remember the name b/c it was in Spanish) the sound cut out a bunch of time and given that I can't speak Spanish, I lost a bit.

So a few things that I have seen that have made me wonder/go WTF/OMG include:

• A couple – probably close to my parents age (late 50s, early 60s) – she was literally holding him up b/c he was so bombed walking down the street. You could also tell that he was getting the "I am so pissed off at you look". Am thinking that he had the 10 beer for $10 specials that is so pervasive in Cabo – maybe times 2!
  
• Also another couple – I would guess he was my dad's age (60) and she was in her mid-late 40s, getting it on on the beach by the Capella Pedregal (which I will go back to). I think what started as putting on some sunscreen turned into a full on grope-fest by him within about 30 seconds.
  
• The gramps wearing his socks with his flip-flops – when will people learn that this is never acceptable!
  
• The shear number of restaurants/bars/holes in the wall that sell food and booze in Cabo. One has to wonder how any of them make any money but they must if they are still around. For the most part the décor is fairly rustic – some plastic lawn chairs and a few tables and it seems that the grittier the place is, the more popular it is.
  
• The military presence on the marina – I can understand that. What I don't understand is why during the day they don't carry firearms, or at least they aren't visible, but at night they are all sporting some sort of rifle?!
  

So that's it for now. . have made it back to Los B and back to a good internet connection. . . will blog and post more photos later.