Let's Meet in Cabo! Cousins Pat and Charlie; pal Dina visits!!

Joan at the Dai-ichi Bldg, U.S Army General HQ, Tokyo Japan, 1951, where she worked for Gen. MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of  the U.S. Occupation of Japan.
The building and pond still remain (2015).

Tom's mother, Joan, ran away from an unhappy home life in New Jersey at age 11. She eventually found a home with a wonderful foster family who helped raise her to adulthood. About the only relative from her blood family with whom Joan kept in contact was her first cousin Charlie. Charlie was younger, but they both shared a bond of being U.S. Army veterans. Over the years while on travel to the East Coast, Joan and husband Dick Condy had often visited with Charlie and his wife, Pat. When Joan passed away in 2011, both Tom and I reported the sad news to Pat and Charlie on the phone (they were traveling and unable to come to Joan's memorial service), and I had an instant affinity for them. I loved Pat's New York accent, and she sounded like a fun and likable person. They traveled a lot, so I figured they were probably very interesting as well. I was amazed when Tom told me he had never met his mother's favorite relatives!

We've kept in contact with Pat and Charlie (who live in Florida), and a while ago they told us they were taking a cruise from California to Florida, via the Panama Canal, which included a day stop in Cabo San Lucas. If we were around would we be able to meet them? Tom REALLY wanted to do this, and I also looked forward to meeting the infamous Pat and Charlie. So, on April 9th, we jumped into our trusty Toyota Tundra and headed down to Cabo San Lucas.

We had selected a meeting place and I instantly recognized them, even though I had never met them. There was definitely a family resemblance between Charlie and Joan! 

We finally meet Charlie and Pat!

We embraced as if we'd known each other for years, which we kind of had in a way. Luckily, Pat and Charlie, being such seasoned travelers, had zero interest in walking the tourist strip at Cabo. Pat wanted to visit some beaches and take in some views, so we all climbed into the Tundra and drove to our first destination, the scenic and luxurious Grand Solmar Land's End Resort, built right up against a large, granite mountain, right next to the famous Cabo Arch. 

Pat and I were enchanted with how the natural stone was incorporated into the landscape.

The view of the Pacific was stunning, and we were able to watch lots of whale activity out in the water. While the whale-watching boats were scrambling around trying to see the whales close-up, or at all, we had the big picture of whales breaching, spyhopping, and fluke-slapping.

Whale watching from the rock wall.

The view was so stupendous that we decided to have drinks at the poolside cafe. We spent the next couple of hours talking about Joan's family, and it was interesting to get information and genealogy that Tom had never known. It was also fun to hear stories about Pat and Charlie's excursions and fun times with Tom's parents.

Pat wanted some beach time, so we visited the big beach along Cabo's hotel row...

View of their ship, the Queen Victoria, from Cabo beach.

...and then drove up the highway to Playa Chileno.

Pat finally gets her feet wet at the beach.

We were getting hungry, so we made a pilgrimage to Baja Brewing Company's rooftop location with an outstanding view of the bay and their ship, the Queen Victoria. 

Stupendous view!!

Tom couldn't stop raving about the view.

The food and beer were excellent and we could easily have talked with Pat and Charlie for hours longer, but it was time for them to return to their ship, and time for us to retrieve our friend Dina at the Cabo airport for her long weekend in La Paz. 

Yay! Dina comes for a visit!

Dina said she needed some R&R, and with Tom being sick with a bad headcold, and Dina fighting one, that's exactly what she got. We enjoyed some local restaurants, morning walks along the Malecon, long naps, and some pool and Margarita time at the neighboring Hotel Marina.

Before she left, Dina wanted to visit a beach. Well, since that Sunday was officially the last day of the Easter holiday, Dina got the true Semana Santa experience, a beach packed with families, activities, music and food. We got to Playa Balandra early enough to rent a big umbrella (sombrilla) with chaise lounges (camastros), so we staked out our area and watched the families arrive.

Enjoying a local treat - green mango and chili

Crowded beach, last day of the Semana Santa holiday.

Balandra is a huge bay that is very shallow for a long way out. I grabbed my snorkeling gear and Dina and I started our long walk across the bay. All of a sudden she yelped and jumped about two feet high. She had stepped too close to a crab's lair and it pinched her foot! I even found the not-so-little bastard hiding in his hole waiting for his next victim. That was enough Wild Kingdom for Dina, so she returned to the beach while I went for a snorkel. NOTE: the snorkeling is not good in the bay and there are stingers, so not recommended.

Is is an election year in Baja, and the beach was filled with candidate-sponsored games and activities.

Politico-sponsored volleyball and soccer

After we'd had our fill of Balandra, we piled into the Tundra and drove up to Playa Tecolote for one of Restaurant Sr. Marlin's strong and tasty Margaritas. There was a huge Navy presence at all the beaches to help keep order during Semana Santa, so of course we couldn't resist a good photo op.

LOL, I didn't notice this random guy groping Dina during the photo!!

It only took one Margarita to get a nice buzz on (Tom was the driver so he only had a beer) before we drove back to the marina. It would be an early night since we had to pack for our airport shuttle departure the next morning. Dina would be flying home and Tom and I were scheduled to fly to Antigua for Classic Race Week. More about that adventure later.

Ready for our 3-hour shuttle trip to the airport. Thanks for visiting, Dina!!

Album: Pat, Charlie, and Dina

Repairs in Bahia Concepcion, Surfing Trip to Scorpion Bay/San Juanico

State-of-the-art weather station predicted good weather for our trip. Read on...

This year our annual trip to visit the McGuires in Bahia Concepcion was by land, not by sea. After assessing some of the damage to their property (courtesy of Hurricane Odile) Mike sent us a shopping list and Tom and I headed off to the La Paz Home Depot to pick up items such as outdoor lights, ceiling fans, bags of dry-wall repair, buckets of stucco repair, and much, much more. It was quite an experience to try to find the correct materials when reading directions in a foreign language! My eye gets a nervous tic just thinking about it. Luckily, our relationship survived the shopping trip (barely), we loaded up the tundra with the materials and the next day (March 24) drove north to Bahia Concepcion.

We arrived about an hour after dark, and were soon comfortably at rest in the private Casita of Casa de los Suenos. It felt very odd to be perched high up in the Casita and not have Cinnabar anchored below as part of the view.

What's missing from this picture? No red boat!!

Luckily, the Casita seemed untouched by the hurricane. The only drama was one night a huge centipede tried to eat my arm, but luckily Tom managed to squash it after a high speed chase through the Casita. Did you know that centipedes can run up to 16" per second?

Picture from "What's That Bug?", but my centipede looked JUST LIKE this one, same size, but a pretty green color.

The next few days were spent enjoying the area, snorkeling (me), and helping out with repairs (Tom). 

Tom and Mike doing one of the numerous light/fan repairs.

The annual surfing trip to Scorpion Bay was on the agenda, so after a few days of Home Improvement, we loaded up our two trucks, Tom and I in one, and the McGuires (including cousin Preston and friend Mackenzie) in another, and set off across the Baja for the Pacific side.

Preston, Mac and Savanah make breakfast for us before the trip.

There were many spots along the highway, including entire bridges, that had been washed out by hurricane Odile. Most of the sinkholes were marked merely by white rocks, dead cacti, or other debris, so we had to drive carefully to avoid the treacherous areas. 

Random rocks and stuff = Warning! Sink hole or road washed out!

This entire bridge was destroyed by the hurricane and flooding.

We missed our turnoff, and ended up on an hour or so detour across the Baja outback.  Stephanie and I were skeptical that we would ever make it to our destination, and wondered if we would be camping outdoors or taking shelter in a goat farm...

These goats were the only traffic we saw on our off-road adventure.

...but we eventually popped out at the highway and soon found our campsite at Scorpion Bay/San Juanico.

We made it! Maybe we'll survive after all.

The campsite overlooked the entire Scorpion Bay and the view was stunning...

Sunrise over Scorpion Bay

...but one night in the mosquito-infested palapa was more than enough for me, and I moved myself back into the Tundra so I could get some decent nights' sleeps.

Go ahead...ask Stephanie and me what we think about palapa living.

The first day everyone grabbed their boards and headed down to enjoy some of the some of the best surfing in the world, while Stephanie and I enjoyed some relaxing "alone" time reading and walking along the bluff. Scorpion Bay has something like six different surfing spots, ranging from long beginner waves to very advanced waves out around the point.

The kids head for the most excellent surf break. (photo M. McGuire)

The town of San Juanico is all about surfing, but they do have a couple of stores and restaurants. We ate at El Burro restaurant a couple of times.

Mesa para uno, por favor?? (photo M. McGuire)

Mac just turned 18 and is old enough to drink in MX! Just kidding, give our drinks back girls.

...And had the best fresh halibut tacos ever at Christy's Tacos and Burgers.

Christy rules her kitchen with a wicked spatula.

We had heard that Bobby and Denise Davidson might join us, and sure enough, our second day there we spied the familiar Vanagon driving into the camping area. These road warriors had just completed a 3-day marathon trip from Santa Cruz California to join us! 

The Davidsons and their intrepid Vanagon. 

Tom and Bobby were happy to be back on such world-class waves, and Mackenzie, Savanah and Preston were soon surfing like champs. The waves at Scorpion Bay were so amazingly easy, and the water so warm, that even I gave surfing a shot. 

It kinda looks like I'm about to catch this wave with expert surfer BobbyD. Looks can be deceiving, LOL!! (photo M. McGuire)

I got as far as surfing on my knees and never actually made it up, but I still had a great time. 

Tom and BobbyD after a great session.

We had arrived just before Semana Santa, the Easter holy week, which is the traditional time for families to camp at the beaches for a week of celebration. While we were there the long beach became absolutely packed with families that had set up large compounds with tents, fire pits, outdoor showers, and a stage for entertainment. 

Public beach PACKED with families.

Families enjoying the water.

The McGuires had to get Mackenzie back to Mulege for her flight home to the SF Bay Area, and Kelston would soon be arriving from Colorado so, much to Stephanie's dismay (NOT!) the McGuires left us and only the Vanagon and the Tundra remained. 

After BobbyD and Denise had made the long trip down to Baja no way were Tom and I going to leave so quickly, so we spent another glorious 2 days surfing, enjoying the local color, and meeting other surf vagabonds.

All happy after the guys enjoy their last day of surfing.

Denise and the hunks.

Denise tries to remove all the nasty stickers from their rug.

These little buggers (aka goat heads, devil's weed, puncture vine) got everywhere!!

When it was time for BobbyD and Denise to continue their road trip to Arizona, we followed them along the washed out roads all the way to Ciudad Insurgentes...

We follow the Vanagon to Insurgentes.

...and then we went our separate ways. They headed back up the Baja and Tom and I continued our return to La Paz.

We had heard about a little town on Bahia Magdalena famous for its whale watching, so we turned off the highway to Lopez de Mateos to check it out. 

The whales had pretty much gone for the season, but the town was busy with fishing and we enjoyed a tailgate lunch on the beach.

We arrived back in La Paz before sunset...

Cows on the freeway? Yep, we're back in La Paz.

...tired from our adventure, but happy to have spent an exceedingly fun time with great friends.

Now we just had to rest up and get ready for meeting Tom's cousins in Cabo, the arrival of my friend Dina, and our trip to Antigua for Classic Race Week. More on that soon!

Album: Bahia Concepcion and Scorpion Bay

Once again our beloved Tundra gets it done.

La Dinamita Blasts Into La Paz

We just had a terrific few days with my girlfriend Dina, visiting from the SF Bay Area for a long weekend. Dina, you rock for making the trip down here, we LOVED having you!! You are invited any time, and next time bring Dominic.

Even though Tom had a terrible cold, and Dina was more or less fighting one, we had fun walking around La Paz, eating, going to the beach, hanging out by the pool, people watching, and relaxing. And relaxing some more. 

Killer Margaritas at Tecolote Beach. Crazy hair courtesy of the wind. Don't we look relaxed?

The internet connection at Marina Palmira has been atrocious, so I haven't been able to post about our trip to Concepcion and Scorpion Bays (where I actually tried to surf, don't laugh!). In fact, it took forever to upload this one photo of Dina and me, which I was finally able to do at 04:00 this morning, gah.

Now we are all headed to the Cabo airport via EcoBajaTours shuttle. Dina is returning to SF and Tom and I are flying to Antigua Classic Race week to race aboard our friends' schooner. If all goes according to plan then we shan't be back in La Paz until April 25th.

Antigua here we come!!!

Festival Artesanal de El Triunfo

Wow, have we ever been busy! We went to a terrific art/craft/performance festival in El Triunfo, and I was hoping to post some pictures of it while we were in Mulege. But the wifi at Casa de Los Suenos was having none of my antics, so I haven't been able to update the blog until now.

Anyhoo, one Sunday in March, when I did my usual morning calendar check, I noticed I had entered the "Festival Artesanal de El Triunfo, 11:00 - 17:00" on that date. We had driven through El Triunfo on our way home from Cabo, had purchased an outrageously delicious and authentic sourdough loaf there, and made a mental note to return again when we had more time. No time like the present! We grabbed our neighbors Lola and Manny, jumped into the Tundra, and headed up into the mountains for some culture.

El Triunfo is an old gold and silver mining town. In its heyday it was the largest city in Baja California Sur and a well-known cultural center. The mines shut down in 1926, people left, and now it is a sleepy town with a population of less than 350 people. Gustav Eiffel, of Eiffel Tower fame, designed the mine's smokestack. (If you remember from one of our previous posts, he also designed the metal church in the mining town of Santa Rosalia north of Mulege.)

Main street of El Triunfo (photo M. Fimbres)

We parked at the picturesque church, and started off at the crafts that were set up inside..

Apple vase...or three?

Tom enjoys a hand-crafted rocking chair

Not my style, but definitely photo-worthy.

Then we made our way to the numerous outdoor stalls...

Beautiful woven rugs

Que? Go Niners!

Men trying the free samples of Damiana, aka Mexican Viagra

Loved these dresses (photo L. Torgerson)

Not to mention the world class people watching opportunities!

We heard music and headed over to the performance stage, which was set up at the elementary school...

This singer was amazing! (photo M. Fimbres)

Beautiful Folklorico dancers ready to perform (photo M. Fimbres)

Talented Ballet Folklorico (photo M. Fimbres)

We had as much fun watching the audience as we did watching the performances!

Twirling her skirt, inspired by the dancers.

Mini cowboy complete with boots, buckle, hat and Cheetos.

We got a bit hungry and decided to walk to the famous Caffe El Triunfo for lunch. 

The streets were crowded with families (photo M. Fimbres)

Unfortunately the Caffe was way too crowded, although we did purchase some cold beers. Luckily a number of homes had set up ad-hoc food stands outside their homes hoping to take advantage of the crowd and make a few extra pesos. We found one around the corner from the Caffe and made do with some goat Birria (stew) and tamales.

 

The Birria was the best thing at this stand.

After lunch we walked over to the old mining works to admire El Triunfo's Eiffel Smokestack...

Suddenly the sky turned gray, the thunderheads rolled in and the skies opened up...

Here comes the rain!

...so we called it a day and headed back to La Paz. We all agreed it was a superb way to spend the day.

Lola and Manny enjoying the local color.

Here are more pictures from our day in El Triunfo: Festival Artesanal de El Triunfo

Also, Manny and Lola took some absolutely terrific photos: Manny and Lola's Photos of El Triunfo

Coming soon...our road trip to Bahia Concepecion and caravan with the McGuires and Davidsons (who drove all the way from Santa Cruz!!) to the surfing town of San Juanico. Stay tuned!