Hola
How did we ever end up in Mexico? Let me start with some background information. Alice's 60th birthday was in June and I didn't have any idea how to celebrate that milestone for her. Asking the kids one of them reminded me of how much she loves Sammy Hagar and wanted to see him in concert on his birthday, which is always at the Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo, Mexico. Alice had been trying for a couple years to get me on a cruise but I never got a passport, on purpose. I decided to put everything in motion and on her birthday I gave her a birthday card with my brand new passport and a note about going to see Sammy. The planning commenced and the excitement built. Then President Trump put a travel ban on Mexico because of the drug cartel killings and I got nervous and debated whether to go or not. We decided to go.
Fast forward to Friday October 6th. Alice and I are on vacation but first we have to drive 3 hours from Ohio to Lawrenceburg Indiana for a surprise 70th birthday party for Ted, our friend from the canoe club. His wife Connie had a great party with family and friends and we spent the night. Saturday the drive home took 4 hours due to traffic. After packing everything in the car it was off to our grandsons 3rd birthday for an early evening party. Not wanting to drive to the airport at 3 in the morning, we got a hotel at the Columbus airport and settled in around 11:00 pm. On the way to Indiana I had gone to the bank to get one dollar bills to use as tips and put them under the floor mat in the car for storage. After getting to the hotel I went to retrieve the dollar bills and realized we had driven the other car. Oh well, I just bought some gum at 5 in the morning at an airport shop and asked for change in dollars. A couple other shops later and we were good. At 6:15 am we lifted off for our first foreign country.
We had a 2.5-hour flight to Houston with a 3-hour layover, and then took off for Cabo/San Jose. On the plane we sat next to a wonderful lady from Rochester N.Y. Kristin Elaine was heading to see Sammy also and we picked her brain for all sorts of information (ok I did, Alice talked). After talking to Kristin I felt much better about being in Mexico since she was traveling by herself and had been to Mexico many times before. After landing Kristin even helped us get through customs, a first for Alice and I. We bid her farewell and she said we would see her in Cabo. We had a taxi reserved, found it and had to wait for other passengers so of course we had to have a beer at the airport. We got to the Holiday Inn Resort which was really in San Jose, checked in and were in the room at 3:20 pm Mexico time. Their time was only 2 hours behind Ohio so it was easy to convert back and forth.
The Holiday Inn Resort was very nice with 4 pools, 2 with swim up bars, more bars, restaurants, exercise room, laundry and gift shop. Most employees spoke English, which was a concern of mine, but we could always communicate somehow with the ones that didn't. We were tired and jet lagged so we had a few drinks and since it was all inclusive all I had to do was tip and drink. What a life. We found a bite to eat and settled in the room to watch the Cleveland Indians lose game 2 in the playoffs. We were asleep by 9:30 their time. We had made it, were relaxed and felt safe.
Day One
I was up at 5:30am wide awake so I took a walk and found the exercise room. Rode a bike for a while and felt so good I had to go wake Alice up to go watch the sun rise over the Sea of Cortez. San Jose is on the very bottom tip of the Baja Peninsula so you could see east and partially west. After walking the beach and collecting shells, we found the breakfast buffet complete with mimosas. It was getting hot around 9:00am so we got swim suits on and wondered over to the activities swimming pool. It had a swim up bar, volleyball net in the water, basketball hoop and chairs with umbrellas all around. We settled into the reclining chairs, Alice with a book and I had a magazine and had just gotten comfortable when employee Eli walked up and said "would you like a drink?" I think I stuttered before saying "tequila and lemonade please" and off he went. Hey, it was after noon at home. Folks were really coming out and the chairs were filling up fast. There was a couple in the water hitting the volleyball around and we half watched them playing around. Vacationers having fun. We both decided to get in the water as that sun was hot and of course I swam around the bar and got more drinks. The couple playing ball came up and got drinks and we started small talk, like where are you from, etc. Next thing you know we are laughing and having a great time and that's how we met Hal and Jeanette from Indianapolis, Indiana who kind of adopted us. There were also 2 ladies from Ohio and lots Canadian folks. In the late afternoon we headed to the room for naps, something I never do at home and the same with wearing flip flops. How do people get used to that damn plastic in between their toes?
It was very hot and sunny from noon to 6 everyday so I bought a straw hat from a sidewalk vendor to shield my balding head. He started at $20.00 but I kept talking until he finally said it was a slow day, give me $11.00. All the palms trees we saw had the trunks painted white about 4 feet up. I asked someone about it and they said it keeps the ants off the trees as ants kill them somehow. After supper we went to the sports lounge to watch the Indians play game 3. The TV station was in Spanish as were all but one channel, CNN. Now I know how the Spanish people feel back in Ohio. The 2 ladies from Ohio, Mackenzie and Rebecca came in and watched the game with us along with Hal and Jeanette. We were very tired at 10:00 pm and went to bed shortly after.
Day Two
I was up again at 5:30am and hit the exercise room again. After working out I just wondered around the grounds and on the beach watching it get daylight. Went and got Alice and we continued our shell hunting. There is a sea turtle hatchery on the beach and this morning there was a baby turtle in one of the safety fences. The eggs are buried in the sand and marked with white sticks. When they get close to hatching they put a wire fence around that one egg with a palm leaf on top. The baby is safe from predators that way. After breakfast we walked up the street pass other resorts and saw some shops. It was getting very hot so we stopped at the Rock and Brews for a cold beer. I found a local IPA which tasted great. Much better beer there than on the resort but cost more too. Rock and Brews had lots of Kiss signs and banners and since our 3 year old grandson Andryc loves Kiss I had to take pictures and text him. Walking back to the room we were really sweating. It was time to head to the pool for cool water and reading under the umbrellas. We bellied up to the bar and started everyone on tequila and lemonade. Told them I was buying. We met a couple from Canada that were real fun. They got everyone doing shots of Damiana Tequila Liqueur or ginger juice as we called it, so the lady could have what we called the budda bottle. Hal and Jeanette were there shooting shots with us. In the evening we had a baked chicken dinner and sat on the beach enjoying the breeze off the water. The movie Kung Fu Panda was playing on the outdoor screen and we watched kids laying on big bean bag type chairs having a good time and giggling to the show. We were really relaxing and enjoying doing nothing which is very hard to do back home.
Day Three
Up at 5:30 again and rode the bike getting all the poisons out from the day before so I could put more in. Lazed around the room before breakfast then walked the beach getting more shells and letting the water lick our toes. The waves are much smaller than the last 2 days as the winds diminished immensely from day one. In fact, supper our first night in the open air hut we had to hold our plates down to keep them from blowing away. You could not swim in the ocean due to the under tow and another lady we met from Ohio got stung by a jellyfish while just wading in the water. We checked the turtle eggs then changed into swimsuits for another afternoon in the pool with Hal and Jeanette, Canadian Kim and Steve and his wife. We were drinking beer and playing water volleyball and enjoying our bartenders, Eli and Elva. Later we got cleaned up and met in Hal and Jeanette's room for a date to the sports bar to watch the Indians again. Mackenzie and Rebecca met us and another couple from Ohio also joined us. We swam with them but didn't get their names. We made our own party but sadly the Indians lost and were knocked out of the playoffs. We went and watched some of the Mexican Fiesta show and the dancing ladies but since we were very tired it was back to the room for the night. Vacation sure is tiring!
Day four
Today was our last full day at the Holiday Inn. We slept in then had a leisurely breakfast. We walked around the entire hotel finding the laundry room then sitting under a palm shelter on the beach, in the breeze not at all sure what we were going to do all day. We got all buzzed up Mexican style and decided to do laundry. Of course it was very hot so we again ended up at the pool. We closed the pool bar and said our goodbyes to the bar help who had become like family. When we got back to the room we had a phone call from the front desk. We were only paid up through the 12th and today was the 13th. Went down and settled up felling ashamed for missing a day but they assured us it happens all the time. Had supper then took wine to the water's edge and listened to the water lapping the shoreline, in total darkness. Life is peaceful when you have no responsibilities.
Day five
Up again at 5:30 and getting ready to head for Cabo San Lucas. It's Sammy Hagar Day! Did breakfast and got a taxi to Cabo which drove straight to The Bungalow Hotel for only $40.00 and 21 miles. Eric the proprietor of the Bungalow is a wonderful friendly guy and knows English very well. He is also a hugger and everyone gets a hug every morning. While checking in, Eric asked us how much of a discount we wanted. Of course I said 800 of the $838.00 charge. He said be realistic so I said 20%. He took $138.00 off the price if we paid cash. Cheap me agreed, gave him $200.00 and told him I needed to find an ATM machine. He drove us to a local bank to get 13,000 pesos' which was roughly $715.00 American dollars. I screwed up and only got 1300 pesos. I couldn't read the ATM machine. I had to go back 2 different days to get all his money and more spending cash. I did learn their currency a little but when you are holding a $500 peso bill you feel rich. $500 pesos was only $27.51. My mind had trouble with that. Eric left us so we walked around downtown Cabo and found the Happy Ending bar, lots of shops and the Cabo Wabo Cantina. We had to stand in line to get wristbands for the Friday evening show. After getting the wristbands we ate at Las Mariscadas seafood restaurant which had really great food. We then went back to Cabo Wabo and waited to get in then waited 2 more hours for the show to start. We had fun talking to everyone standing in line with us and asking where people were from which was all over the country. Friday October 13th was Sammy Hagar's birthday and what a really great show he put on. So much energy and happiness was felt throughout the entire building. His family joined him on stage at the end with a 70th birthday cake and he introduced is family to all of us. At 12:40 am we walked the .5 mile back to the hotel without any problems at all.
Day six
Breakfast at the Bungalow was French toast and oh did it taste good. 2 slices of french toast with cream cheese and walnuts in between and banana on top, slices of fruit, fruit smoothie, coffee and tea. It was hot by 9:00am so we sat around the pool with reading material and occasionally took a drip just to cool off. The Bungalow staff are so nice as are their customers, most of whom are returning customers. We got ourselves around and walked downtown and out to the marina where we found an open air bar for chips, salsa and beer. Then it was time to go stand in line at Cabo Wabo to get wristbands for Saturday's show. I was very lucky to get tickets for one show let alone two shows. Some folks have been trying for years and have never gotten them. While standing in line a Mexican man and lady were trying to sell everyone stuff. The lady walked up to me and put a large lizard on my shoulder. It licked some sweat off my neck and crawled on my hat. I didn't move and when she finally got it off me I immediately went and washed my hands and neck. After getting the wristbands we walked back to the room to cool off and relax. Around 6 we walked back downtown (Alice was getting pretty tired of me walking her) and had supper at the Giggling Marlin Restaurant. Good food and while eating they put on a show, letting the customers play Jenga. Whatever table knocked the wooden blocks down, the table before got free shots of Tequila. After eating we walked right into the Cabo Wabo and found a nice standing spot for the show. Much better than the night before. While standing there, this lady walked up to us and in the darkened room I didn't recognize Kristin. She found us and stood with us the rest of the evening. She went down to Cabo without any tickets but had enough friends to go to all 4 shows. Another great Sammy show but not as many guest musician's as the night before so it was a 30-minute shorter concert. Over two nights we saw Vinnie Paul, Jerry Cantrell, Darryl McDaniels, Run DMC, Bob Weir, Kenny Aronoff, Alex Gonzales, Chad Kroeger and Eddie Money. Walked back to the room after midnight and watched a DVD as the Bungalow doesn't have cable.
Day seven
Breakfast was omelets with mushroom sauce and potatoes. Again so good. Hal and Jeanette had planned on coming to Cabo that morning and when they got to their hotel they wanted $2000.00 more dollars to make it all inclusive. The name of the hotel was "Salamar All Inclusive" which was very deceptive advertising as Jeanette thought she booked an all-inclusive. I asked the front desk and they had one room left at the Bungalow so Hal and Jeanette headed our way. Alice and l lay around the pool until they got there and it was like a family reunion seeing those two again. We all got around and went to the mall, the marina, Baja Brewing Company, where I got my first pizza, Desperados Bar, Happy Ending and Cabo Wabo. What a great afternoon seeing part of Cabo. Back at the Bungalow the ladies got ready to lounge at the pool while Hal and I walked to a store for beer then we lounged. It was a fine time. Turning in for the evening Alice and I tried watching another DVD but feel asleep really quickly.
Day eight
Another wonderful breakfast of waffles, yum. Lazed around the pool until 2 then walked back to the marina to find Hal and Jeanette who went for massages. They love massages. We all souvenir shopped, had drinks and appetizers and just walked around. While sitting in a bar at the marina, we saw a seal floating in the water on its back. Looked like it was waiting for a hand out. When the fishing boats came back in the seal disappeared. I had thought about going deep sea fishing that day but didn't. When the boats came in no one had any fish so I saved money. At 7 we walked to a local pizza shop which was actually someone's front yard with tables. The waitress didn't speak English as we wanted to just get drinks, order the pizza to go and eat at the room. A man came over and in broken English said we had to eat there. While eating we watched other people come in and get pizza to go, but it was really good food in an outdoor setting so we didn't mind. We walked back up the hill to the rooms with Hal and Jeanette retiring to their suite, Alice started packing and I went to the pool. It was a nice relaxing last evening in Mexico.
Day nine
The day was full of airports and airplanes but first there was another wonderful breakfast of frittata's, more fruit and watermelon juice. Since Ha and Jeanette were also flying out, we all got a taxi together, said goodbyes to Eric and staff and headed to the airport. Alice and I were an hour early but it didn't matter as the airport was fun for people watching. The four of us had one last drink together and had to say goodbyes. It wasn't long before Alice and I were in the air seeing Mexico retreat below us as we headed to Chicago. Arriving in Chicago after dark, we could the Cubs baseball stadium all lit up. It was a neat sight from the air. We had another trip through customs which isn't all that fun and boarded a flight to Columbus. We landed at 11:30 pm Ohio time, got the luggage, found the car and pulled in our driveway at 1:00am. Mexico was a fun and experiencing time but it sure was good to get home. We had trouble anxiously waiting until the next morning to go get our 3 Yorkie children, whom we very much missed, but we crashed feeling so good, to be in our own bed.
Buenas Noches!!
We took 862 pictures but whittled them down to 297. Click here to see them.
Sammy Video Sammy Video Sammy Sound Cabo Wabo Lights