To Travel is To Live

My last post for our San Diego/Cabo San Lucas trip is mainly about some of the pictures taken during our last day.  I am already planning to return to Cabo in February to finish off my scuba certification in preparation for Kauai in March.  It's one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, right up there with Capri, Italy!   A few things we learned this trip:  Many sites I read stated to take pesos as they would be cheaper to use as currency overall.  This did not seem to be the case, as the exchange rates varied a lot between vendors.  Most businesses preferred US dollars anyway.  Most places take credit card, but cash is a good idea just in case a credit card line is down.  Get cash before you go because each time you use an ATM down there, you are charged more than $15 for the transaction.   A Cabo stay doesn't necessarily mean an all-inclusive is the best way to go.  There are so many other options for restaurants and enter...

Today is our last day in Cabo San Lucas - we fly out in about 4 hours.  I am very sad to leave, but even more upset that I know I will be cold for six straight months as soon as we get out of here.  This heat is exactly what I need to be happy!  I love being warm! Yesterday was another easy day.  Beginning with a run in the nearby gym, we had a late breakfast and then took a water taxi over to the marina to check out the downtown area.  Since no cruise ships were in town, the marina was quiet so we just wandered around for awhile. We saw a sea lion playing, and a ton of different fish that we hadn't seen during our dives, including some fairly large crabs playing on the rocks.  There was a small school of fish that at first looked like jellyfish, but they were just small, vibrant fish with really long fins.  I think I would have still been a bit freaked out if I had seen them diving. Bryan really wanted to go to Cabo Wabo, so, after walking around ...

Today has been very relaxing, with little planned but a day at the beach.  We woke up pretty early but still not early enough to beat the heat for a morning run.  We still tried to run along the beach but, geez, was it hard!  Bryan struggled through most of the run and I was exhausted by the end of 20 minutes.  Between the heat, humidity, and the deep sand, it was a tough run.   We finally set foot on Lover's Beach and Divorce Beach this afternoon. Our water taxi was very efficient for getting us there and picking us up after a couple of hours out there.  The beach is practically undisturbed, which is the most amazing thing in a world where it seems every great beach or natural beauty has been exploited with tourism.  Watching the waves of the Pacific crash against the shore really shows you just how powerful that water can be.  Because of this, we aren't allowed to swim on that side - you could end up in Alaska if you tried!   The beach ...

Yes, we dove with the sea lions today!  Our two dives were amazing - the water was so warm that I did not even need a full wetsuit.  I was perfectly comfortable in a shortie, no boots or hood.  Unfortunately, the vest I bought in San Diego hasn't been used yet, but I'm sure somewhere down the road I'll need it.   We took a diving tour with Cabo Adventures , the sister to Vallarta Adventures with whom I was certified 2 years ago.  The dive masters, Roberto and Jenny, took great care of us and made sure our equipment worked properly and that we were geared up safely.  The first dive was called North Wall and we ended up near Sand Falls.  We were able to see some beautiful fish and other creatures, including a pregnant sea horse and a scary looking eel!  (It looked like a mean snake so of course I did not like that.)  The moray eel we saw looked ready to pounce so I got out of there fast, too.  The Sand Falls are awesome - it's literally ...

Right now we are both sitting on our balcony, listening to the band from the restaurant below.  It's so warm that I am in shorts and a very light shirt - I am not cold, I have no goosebumps...THIS is the weather that I want to ultimately experience each and every day!   I am still so happy that we came to Cabo, finally.  It's been on my list for awhile, so having the chance to see this place has been great. We really didn't do a lot today but relax.  I had school work to take care of this morning, so I did a bit of that before Bryan woke up.  I still haven't finished my assignment that's due Friday but hopefully tomorrow it's done to my satisfaction.  I am very happy now that I took the term off while we toured Italy!   Our hotel doesn't have a gym but luckily they must partner with the ME Cabo resort around the block because we were given a day pass to visit their gym this morning.  A nice 3 mile run and 30 pushups later, I was feeling somewh...

Cabo San Lucas is beautiful!  The heat is enveloping and the sun is bright in the crisp, clear blue skies.  Our hotel is alright, a pretty good boutique resort 1 block from the main public beach, Medano.  The room is clean, large, with a kitchenette, and a separate bathroom from the rest of the room (so I don’t have to listen to everything going on in there while lying in bed).  The staff are all friendly and very helpful, too.  I think we’ll like it, though there are other places that seem nicer than this one.  We are at Bahia Hotel and Resort, right across the street from Casa Dorado, which seems like a much nicer place.  We wandered around their lounge and pool and figured it might be where we hang out more often.  The good thing about these Cabo San Lucas resorts is that many are timeshares and thus people are not here on all-inclusive vacations – no wristbands to give us away as we wander around other hotels!  We are with...

It's our last full day in San Diego and today marks the reason we came to this city - the San Diego Chargers are playing the Indianapolis Colts later.  Bryan is very excited to see his favorite NFL team play live, and we are meeting up with some fellow Calgarians ahead of the game for some tailgate parties.   This 'photo issue' will round out our 4 nights in San Diego, but I do know someday I will head back here! The prettiest hotel I have ever seen: (The Horton Grand Hotel ) A fun pub beside our hostel, called The New Yorker Pours & Pies: Our hostel (Pacifica Hotel) - great location but very minimalistic.   Dinner from Chianti Restaurante last night (spicy shrimp spaghetti, and surf n' turf): A unique and beautiful building in the Gaslight District: And, a huge, tattered sailboat in the harbour: Go Chargers!!!

Today we woke up early so I could finish up some school work and so we could hit ihop for breakfast.  Turns out we are one block from an ihop express - serves you much like a McDonald's so it's right up Bryan's alley with how quickly we received our food.  But, it's been done and checked off our list for the trip.   It took us longer than planned to get to the beach for a run with the Sunday transit schedule but we did enjoy (or I did - not sure Bryan can say he 'enjoyed' it) a good run along the beach before hitting our towels for some rest.   We rented two surfboards for an hour to test out our skills.  I have none, since I have never surfed before, but Bryan offered me some good advice and I was able to feel what it is supposed to feel like once.  Otherwise, I was happy to get propelled towards shore along a wave without falling over. It was fun but very, very tiring.  The waves just kept beating up on me and I felt like I couldn't make any prog...

Well, we slept well last night, except for a few loud noises within the building.  We must have been tired as we both slept in well past the time we thought we would - 9am.  This put our plans for day off by about 2 hours, though, and it turns out we are much slower to get ready on vacation than at home.  Anyway, I was able to go for a run, albeit a short run (tomorrow will be longer).  By the time we were ready to go, Bryan no longer wanted iHop for breakfast, unfortunately.  Tomorrow, he promises.   The USS Midway Museum was a great way to spend over 4 hours, learning about the importance of coordinating work and staying loyal to your colleagues in order to make this massive ship function.  With a self-guided audio tour, it helps to keep you moving at your own pace throughout every area in the ship.  We saw living quarters, mess halls, captains' meeting rooms, communications, laundry, and more.  It really was amazing to hear stories...