Cabo Wabo Baby!!

El Arco in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Early October of 2010, we embarked on yet another adventure.  My husband is a HUGE fan of Sammy Hagar which was a  former frontman for Van Halen.  Now fans will say there are either a Roth or Hagar fan! Personally, I like both contributions to the band as both brought their on style.  Each year around the week of Sammy Hagar's birthday he throws a huge birthday bash at his club the Cabo Wabo in Cabo San Lucas.  Last year was the first year that he allowed tickets for this famed event to been sold online without having to travel to Cabo and sleep on the streets the night before just to get tickets to his show.  Well as luck would have it my husband was able to get two tickets.  So Cabo here we came!!  I was excited about going on a mini vacation.  We left from Reagan National Airport in the District of Columbia.  As our plane started to pull away from the gates we were halted as a tire had blown under the front tires of the nose of the plane.  The pilot came on the advise us of the situation and it advised that this is a rare event and that it was best to have found it before it caused a crash upon landing.  We waited on the tarmac for over two hours.  We were then told that we might not make our connecting flight through the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. We found out that our flight out of DFW was the last flight to Cabo for the day.  We were very anxious that we would not make the last flight to Cabo.  When we disembarked the plane at DFW it was discovered that the plane we were just on was the same one that was flying into Cabo, what a big sigh of relief.  We arrived in Cabo at 9:30 P.M. Pacific time and we were greeted by men that said that they had been waiting for us to arrive and had gotten worried, but had discovered that our plane was late.  After a hour ride we arrived at the hotel Finnisterra in Cabo.  All we could do was check in wash our hands and faces and crash.  We enjoyed our stay at the hotel.  The restaurant on the premises was very good for breakfast.  They offered both American and Mexico breakfast opinions at affordable rates.  The hotel is quite large and sits on the beach.  The beach is great for sunbathing but swimming in NOT allowed as of the very strong currents and steep drop off from the beach.  Many people have gotten killed by being swept into the ocean by walking too close the the ocean's edge.  A short walk down the beach from the hotel is Divorce Beach, swimming there is prohibited as well.  No trip to Cabo would be complete without seeing the El Arco.  

This why you do not want to swim here!

All of the restaurants that we ate lunch and dinners were within walking distance of our hotel.  There are a lot of great restaurants around the marina and at decent prices.  All restaurants have menus that list the costs in  US Dollars as well as Pesos.  Some only list it in Pesos.  Some restaurants will even put the conversion on the bottom of the receipt.  One of the best restaurants we found was Senior Sweets in the Cabo marina.  The menu was extensive and the food was fresh and affordable.  They also have quite an extensive offering of gelato!!  Before we left for this trip we went to our local AAA and purchased several small bundles of Pesos or Mexican currency.  We found that when dealing with businesses they had difficulty calculating the conversion rate and when they found out you had Pesos they treated you better instead of a tourist.  Also you will can find some ATM's that will dispense money in Pesos as well as US Dollars.  I would also suggest saving the credit cards for larger more commercial establishments like chain restaurants.  One example of this was the Cabo Hard Rock Cafe as well purchased several t-shirts and pins.

The thing that annoyed us most on this trip were the amount of beggars and pan handlers.  They were everywhere selling anything and everything.  There were no shortage of cigars, Mexican silver jewelry and Nacho Libre Masks.  These venders are slick, they employee their small toddlers to sell small packets of gum. There children would hide behind the advertising signs on the marina and try to scare you.  I had that happen to me at night and I could see little feet from underneath the sign and I said "I see you" and then laughed and walked on.  When a cruise ship(s) are in port the marina becomes a frenzy of locals vying for attention.  My husband constantly got pestered to take a deep sea fishing trip.  My husband is far from the deep sea sport fishing type. Remember, we were there for Sammy's 63rd Birthday Bash.

While there we were able to book some day excursions through the hotel.  On one trip we took a two hour ride on an air conditioned van to Todos Santos in Baja California, Mexico.  The drive was pleasant and the driver was informative and spoke clear English.  Todos Santos is rumored to be how The Eagles came up with the lyrics to "Hotel California".  The town of Todos Santos is a small arts and crafts town and has a bohemian artsy vibe to it.  The streets were dirty and there was a fair share of venders and tourist type shops. We made a quick pass through the famed "Hotel California" and it's gift shop and as I am walking through I am running through the lyrics of "Hotel California" in my head.  The hotel has a mystic vibe and there is a local mission within earshot of the hotel. There are a lot of parallels with the town and with the the story this song tells.  One would have to visit in order to make an opinion, though I am convinced.

While in Todos Santos we had lunch at Tequila Sunrise and had an award winning margarita made by Mr. Margarita who has won numerous titles for having the best margarita.  I ordered the damiana margarita. Damiana liqueur is a light herb-based liqueur from Mexico.  It is made from the damiana herb or flower that is grows in Baja California, Mexico.  Damiana is said to create a euphoric sensation. My drink came in a huge margarita glass with very little ice.  It was truly the best margarita that I have ever tasted.  Let's just start off by saying that I am not a drinker not even a casual drinker. Soon after taking a couple of sips "my head grew heavy and my site grew dim."  I could not even finish my wonderful quesadilla.  All of our tour group ended up at Tequilla Sunrise and all of the women slumped back in the seats on the van ride back to our respective hotels.  If I went back to Todos Santos I would definitely eat more before having a sip of that powerful margarita.

Another excursion we took as a pre sunset ride on a replica pirate ship called the "Buccaneer Queen."  We set out before sunset as it was a sunset cruise.  There was an open bar with plenty of liqueur flowing.  We sailed along the coast of the Gulf of California.  The weather was great and the trip was enjoyable.  The crew put on a pirate show for which they will draft guests to partake.  At the end of the trip the crew shot off fireworks.

I would say we had a great trip.  I felt totally safe walking the streets after normal hours.  A taxi was always close by.  On this trip we never used a taxi as everything was within walking distance and it was great to get the exercise in.  I would recommend Cabo as my husband plans on returning October 2012 for Sammy Hagar's 65th Birthday Bash.  I will be the one holding the sign in the front row asking Sammy if he filled out his Medicare forms yet!