Wednesday, September 19th
Whose idea was it to catch a 6 a.m. flight? Oh, right, that would be me. It was the flight with the shortest travel time and with a good price so I had booked it. I had learned last time that I had arrived 2 hours early for an "international" flight that had a stop in the US that I could treat it as a domestic flight and arrive an hour early which is what I did. So that gave me at least another hour of sleep! I really don't remember much about the flight, because I was in and out of sleep for most of it, until the end when we were just about to land at SFO and one of the passengers rang their call button. She wasn't feeling well and the flight attendants and another passenger (who was a nurse) gave her oxygen. She seemed to be doing better and turned out not to be serious. After landing the paramedics came on board and helped her off. We deplaned after the paramedics were safely off. The flight from SFO to Cabo was completely uneventful. Stepping off the plane in Cabo, I immediately felt the humidity. Wait - Cabo is supposed to have dry heat. Apparently, most of the year Cabo has dry heat, but during hurricane season, there is a lot more humidity in the air. I tried to weave my way through all the timeshare vendors but I was not successful. After listening to my first pitch I declined and tried to make it outside to my shuttle. I was once again accosted but after listening for two seconds and realizing he was not from the shuttle service I quickly walked outside. Arriving at the hotel, I checked in and made my way up to the room. I texted Diane I had arrived (everyone else flew in on Monday) and went out on the balcony to read my Cabo book. Instead of reading my eyes closed and I dozed off. The one thing that would have made the balcony better would have been hammock!! I woke up a little later and Diane had texted to let me know they were at the pool. I was about ready to venture out to the pool when Diane & Jamie came up to make sure I had found the room okay. We went back down to the pool and after saying greeting the other girls (Nikki & Kristi) we went over to the beach. The hotel was on the Sea of Cortez side (as opposed to the Pacific) which
meant while the waves and the current were strong, you could still go in to the water. The waves were a force to be reckoned with! They knocked me flat a few times! The salt water stung my eyes and I had sand everywhere. It was so much fun!! We left a little while later and went back up to the room to change for dinner. Kristi wasn't feeling well and she decided to make it an early night. Dinner was at the hotel overlooking the beach. I splurged (since it was my first night) and had the lobster - it was yummy! After dinner we went into town to El Squid Roe for some drinks & dancing.
Whose idea was it to catch a 6 a.m. flight? Oh, right, that would be me. It was the flight with the shortest travel time and with a good price so I had booked it. I had learned last time that I had arrived 2 hours early for an "international" flight that had a stop in the US that I could treat it as a domestic flight and arrive an hour early which is what I did. So that gave me at least another hour of sleep! I really don't remember much about the flight, because I was in and out of sleep for most of it, until the end when we were just about to land at SFO and one of the passengers rang their call button. She wasn't feeling well and the flight attendants and another passenger (who was a nurse) gave her oxygen. She seemed to be doing better and turned out not to be serious. After landing the paramedics came on board and helped her off. We deplaned after the paramedics were safely off. The flight from SFO to Cabo was completely uneventful. Stepping off the plane in Cabo, I immediately felt the humidity. Wait - Cabo is supposed to have dry heat. Apparently, most of the year Cabo has dry heat, but during hurricane season, there is a lot more humidity in the air. I tried to weave my way through all the timeshare vendors but I was not successful. After listening to my first pitch I declined and tried to make it outside to my shuttle. I was once again accosted but after listening for two seconds and realizing he was not from the shuttle service I quickly walked outside. Arriving at the hotel, I checked in and made my way up to the room. I texted Diane I had arrived (everyone else flew in on Monday) and went out on the balcony to read my Cabo book. Instead of reading my eyes closed and I dozed off. The one thing that would have made the balcony better would have been hammock!! I woke up a little later and Diane had texted to let me know they were at the pool. I was about ready to venture out to the pool when Diane & Jamie came up to make sure I had found the room okay. We went back down to the pool and after saying greeting the other girls (Nikki & Kristi) we went over to the beach. The hotel was on the Sea of Cortez side (as opposed to the Pacific) which
meant while the waves and the current were strong, you could still go in to the water. The waves were a force to be reckoned with! They knocked me flat a few times! The salt water stung my eyes and I had sand everywhere. It was so much fun!! We left a little while later and went back up to the room to change for dinner. Kristi wasn't feeling well and she decided to make it an early night. Dinner was at the hotel overlooking the beach. I splurged (since it was my first night) and had the lobster - it was yummy! After dinner we went into town to El Squid Roe for some drinks & dancing. Thursday, September 20th
I woke up first and opened the curtains to a beautiful sunny day. I made massage appointments for us and after waking up Kristi I walked down to the beach. It was really calm and peaceful. I went back up to the room and hung out until it was time for our massages. The massage was great - really relaxing!! We came back and got our things ready and headed over to one of the sister hotels (Sunset) which was on the Pacific side. You could not swim here! We found chairs by the pool and dropped our stuff off and then headed to the pool bar. There were tables and chairs in the pool! I discovered my new favorite drink - a Miami Vice - which is half pina colada and half strawberry daiquiri. We sat at the pool bar for awhile before going to our lounge chairs. I read for awhile before getting in the pool. It was a little different being in the pool (or the ocean for that matter) and not be doing laps!! I had read in my Cabo book that the best place to watch sunsets were near the hotel we were at and so I wanted to stay and watch the sun go down. Diane stayed with me and we walked down to the beach thinking that would be the best vantage point. At the beach we realized there would be a huge rock in our way so we took one of the golf carts up to th
e Sky Pool which overlooked the ocean. The view was pretty amazing but the sunset was not. It was nice, but I've seen better. I think there were too many clouds. We went back to our hotel to see what the plan was for dinner. We found a restaurant in my Cabo book but when we got there it was closed. The proprietors were on vacation until October. We wandered around and came across The Shrimp Factory. After dinner we went back to the hotel and grabbed snacks and drinks and headed down to the beach and listened to the waves and the sea lions. I was getting bit by mosquitoes (not to mention I was tired) so I went back up to the hotel after a bit and went to sleep.
I woke up first and opened the curtains to a beautiful sunny day. I made massage appointments for us and after waking up Kristi I walked down to the beach. It was really calm and peaceful. I went back up to the room and hung out until it was time for our massages. The massage was great - really relaxing!! We came back and got our things ready and headed over to one of the sister hotels (Sunset) which was on the Pacific side. You could not swim here! We found chairs by the pool and dropped our stuff off and then headed to the pool bar. There were tables and chairs in the pool! I discovered my new favorite drink - a Miami Vice - which is half pina colada and half strawberry daiquiri. We sat at the pool bar for awhile before going to our lounge chairs. I read for awhile before getting in the pool. It was a little different being in the pool (or the ocean for that matter) and not be doing laps!! I had read in my Cabo book that the best place to watch sunsets were near the hotel we were at and so I wanted to stay and watch the sun go down. Diane stayed with me and we walked down to the beach thinking that would be the best vantage point. At the beach we realized there would be a huge rock in our way so we took one of the golf carts up to th
e Sky Pool which overlooked the ocean. The view was pretty amazing but the sunset was not. It was nice, but I've seen better. I think there were too many clouds. We went back to our hotel to see what the plan was for dinner. We found a restaurant in my Cabo book but when we got there it was closed. The proprietors were on vacation until October. We wandered around and came across The Shrimp Factory. After dinner we went back to the hotel and grabbed snacks and drinks and headed down to the beach and listened to the waves and the sea lions. I was getting bit by mosquitoes (not to mention I was tired) so I went back up to the hotel after a bit and went to sleep. Friday, September 21st
I was again the first out of bed and again went down to the beach (are we sensing a pattern?) and finished my book. It was pretty hot already and I headed back up to the room. Kristi was
awake and was going to head down to the pool. It appeared as if everyone else would be sleeping for awhile. By this time I was a little ancy from spending time by the pool and decided to walk into town. I found a little church and a museum. The best part about the museum - it was air conditioned!!! I did a little shopping before heading back to the hotel. Everyone was up by this time and at the pool. I joined them at the pool where I found my new favorite drink (forget the Miami Vice!). This one was a Sunset – half strawberry daiquiri and half mango daiquiri. Yummy
!! After awhile a couple of us decided to go to the ocean. I finally figured out that the farther out I got the less intense the waves were and the less chance of being knocked over by the waves. I also figured out the pattern so I could get out of the water easier - I would go with the wave as it came up on the beach, but as it started to go back out again I stopped and braced myself instead of fighting against the wave. It seemed to work and I didn't get quite as sandy. Back at the pool, Nikki & I explored the other end and found this low wall that was a perfect bench that ran the width the pool. As we were sitting there David & Dustin (aka Derek) saw us and came over to chat with us. David & Dustin are brothers whom the girls had meet earlier in the week. Kristi had thought for sure Dustin's name was actually Derek and convinced the rest of us that was his name. When Nikki & I found out his name really was Dustin, it became a joke to call him Derek, so 
much so by the end I wasn't completely sure if his name was Derek or Dustin! We mentioned to them we were planning on going to Cabo Wabo that night and they were as well and would look for us when they got there. They also mentioned it was a good idea to get there early if we wanted a table and also they served good food. And we had our plan for the night! Realizing it was getting close to evening we got out of the pool and made our way up to the room. It was after I got out of the water I realized my back was hot. I asked Diane if I had gotten sunburned and she said I had. And I had 
tried to be so careful! Oh well - it could have been worse (on my face or shoulders), it could have been earlier in the week, and I have had worse sunburns (although not by much). Kristi had some really great ointment and put it on my back. We got to Cabo Wabo fairly early in the evening and had our pick of tables. They had live music for part of the night - the band was a cover band but they were really good. We ended up shutting down Cabo Wabo - they had to kick us out! Our next stop was El Squid Roe. By this time I was exhausted! Kristi and I left not to long after we got to El Squid Roe and went back to the hotel to get some sleep. This was the most fun night of the trip!
I was again the first out of bed and again went down to the beach (are we sensing a pattern?) and finished my book. It was pretty hot already and I headed back up to the room. Kristi was
awake and was going to head down to the pool. It appeared as if everyone else would be sleeping for awhile. By this time I was a little ancy from spending time by the pool and decided to walk into town. I found a little church and a museum. The best part about the museum - it was air conditioned!!! I did a little shopping before heading back to the hotel. Everyone was up by this time and at the pool. I joined them at the pool where I found my new favorite drink (forget the Miami Vice!). This one was a Sunset – half strawberry daiquiri and half mango daiquiri. Yummy
!! After awhile a couple of us decided to go to the ocean. I finally figured out that the farther out I got the less intense the waves were and the less chance of being knocked over by the waves. I also figured out the pattern so I could get out of the water easier - I would go with the wave as it came up on the beach, but as it started to go back out again I stopped and braced myself instead of fighting against the wave. It seemed to work and I didn't get quite as sandy. Back at the pool, Nikki & I explored the other end and found this low wall that was a perfect bench that ran the width the pool. As we were sitting there David & Dustin (aka Derek) saw us and came over to chat with us. David & Dustin are brothers whom the girls had meet earlier in the week. Kristi had thought for sure Dustin's name was actually Derek and convinced the rest of us that was his name. When Nikki & I found out his name really was Dustin, it became a joke to call him Derek, so 
much so by the end I wasn't completely sure if his name was Derek or Dustin! We mentioned to them we were planning on going to Cabo Wabo that night and they were as well and would look for us when they got there. They also mentioned it was a good idea to get there early if we wanted a table and also they served good food. And we had our plan for the night! Realizing it was getting close to evening we got out of the pool and made our way up to the room. It was after I got out of the water I realized my back was hot. I asked Diane if I had gotten sunburned and she said I had. And I had 
tried to be so careful! Oh well - it could have been worse (on my face or shoulders), it could have been earlier in the week, and I have had worse sunburns (although not by much). Kristi had some really great ointment and put it on my back. We got to Cabo Wabo fairly early in the evening and had our pick of tables. They had live music for part of the night - the band was a cover band but they were really good. We ended up shutting down Cabo Wabo - they had to kick us out! Our next stop was El Squid Roe. By this time I was exhausted! Kristi and I left not to long after we got to El Squid Roe and went back to the hotel to get some sleep. This was the most fun night of the trip!Saturday, September 22nd
This morning was a little different than the previous ones. I was again the first one out of bed but instead of going down the beach I stayed where I was. I went out on the balcony for a bit but didn't stay too long as my sunburn was bothering me. I stayed in the air conditioned room
and read until everyone else got up. One of the things I really wanted to do in Cabo was see El Arco, a natural rock arch. We decided to take a sunset cruise that went past the arch. We still had awhile until we had to be at the marina and so went down to the pool. I didn't stay too long as it was really hot which was bothering my sunburn. We stopped at the ATM which was boarded up in anticipation of the hurricane. Rumors had been circulating that Hurricane Ivo was going to hit Cabo on Sunday. The latest rumor was Ivo had been downgraded to a tropical 
storm and was hitting further north. On the boat the waves were really wavy! We sailed past El Arco, also known as the window to the Pacific as this is where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean. It was pretty incredible, especially with the waves crashing on the rocks! We ate dinner at the Hard Rock Café. After dinner we ventured over the Giggling Marlin but when we saw they were pulling people out of the audience and on to the stage, we decided it might be too stressful and went across the street to Cabo Wabo. There was a little bit of a déjà vu feeling as the band was playing the exact same set as the night before. We only stayed for a little bit before heading over to one more place, The Zoo, which was nice but did not have any air conditioning. Deciding to call it a night we went back to the hotel, put on our pjs and headed down to the beach. The waves were becoming quite ferocious (due to the storm). Tomorrow being the day we had planned to go to brunch early (because I was leaving that day) we went back up to the room to try and get some sleep.
This morning was a little different than the previous ones. I was again the first one out of bed but instead of going down the beach I stayed where I was. I went out on the balcony for a bit but didn't stay too long as my sunburn was bothering me. I stayed in the air conditioned room
and read until everyone else got up. One of the things I really wanted to do in Cabo was see El Arco, a natural rock arch. We decided to take a sunset cruise that went past the arch. We still had awhile until we had to be at the marina and so went down to the pool. I didn't stay too long as it was really hot which was bothering my sunburn. We stopped at the ATM which was boarded up in anticipation of the hurricane. Rumors had been circulating that Hurricane Ivo was going to hit Cabo on Sunday. The latest rumor was Ivo had been downgraded to a tropical 
storm and was hitting further north. On the boat the waves were really wavy! We sailed past El Arco, also known as the window to the Pacific as this is where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean. It was pretty incredible, especially with the waves crashing on the rocks! We ate dinner at the Hard Rock Café. After dinner we ventured over the Giggling Marlin but when we saw they were pulling people out of the audience and on to the stage, we decided it might be too stressful and went across the street to Cabo Wabo. There was a little bit of a déjà vu feeling as the band was playing the exact same set as the night before. We only stayed for a little bit before heading over to one more place, The Zoo, which was nice but did not have any air conditioning. Deciding to call it a night we went back to the hotel, put on our pjs and headed down to the beach. The waves were becoming quite ferocious (due to the storm). Tomorrow being the day we had planned to go to brunch early (because I was leaving that day) we went back up to the room to try and get some sleep. Sunday, September 23rd
Earlier in the week the girls had seen an advertisement for a brunch at the sister hotel (Sunset). Because of the timing of my shuttle to the airport, we had to wake up early and take a taxi over instead of using the s
huttle service. The brunch was really good - it had all sorts of yummy food! I finished up and left to catch a golf cart back up to the main hotel to catch the shuttle. There were several people waiting for the golf cart in front of me and after a minute of hesitation and no sign of a golf cart I decided to walk up to the main lobby. I ran up the first flight of stairs and then found the next set of stairs. I realized at this point I was committed to this course as it would take too much time to go back down and wait for a golf cart. And here I was thinking this was going to be a vacation with no stairs!! I ran up the next set, stopping about half-way to catch my breath. Finally I was at the top. As I was getting my ticket from the concierge desk, the shuttle pulled up. How's that for timing? At the hotel I took one last look around before heading downstairs to wait for the shuttle. Airport security in Mexico is something else! My checked luggage was hand searched before I checked in, my carry-on luggage was hand-searched before going through the X-ray machine. But finally I made it through security. Both flights were uneventful and before I knew it I was back in Seattle.
Earlier in the week the girls had seen an advertisement for a brunch at the sister hotel (Sunset). Because of the timing of my shuttle to the airport, we had to wake up early and take a taxi over instead of using the s
huttle service. The brunch was really good - it had all sorts of yummy food! I finished up and left to catch a golf cart back up to the main hotel to catch the shuttle. There were several people waiting for the golf cart in front of me and after a minute of hesitation and no sign of a golf cart I decided to walk up to the main lobby. I ran up the first flight of stairs and then found the next set of stairs. I realized at this point I was committed to this course as it would take too much time to go back down and wait for a golf cart. And here I was thinking this was going to be a vacation with no stairs!! I ran up the next set, stopping about half-way to catch my breath. Finally I was at the top. As I was getting my ticket from the concierge desk, the shuttle pulled up. How's that for timing? At the hotel I took one last look around before heading downstairs to wait for the shuttle. Airport security in Mexico is something else! My checked luggage was hand searched before I checked in, my carry-on luggage was hand-searched before going through the X-ray machine. But finally I made it through security. Both flights were uneventful and before I knew it I was back in Seattle.I hadn't thought I was going to write too much for this trip, but there you have it!! You can view more pictures at: http://emily77.shutterfly.com/
