Baja California - Part 1
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March 2nd, 2006
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Just like last year we decided to visit my sister in law who lives in San Jose Del Cabo which is located in the very south of Baja California. This areas is well know for nice golf courses, beautiful beaches, whale watching, and sport fishing. The more famous location is Cabo San Lucas which is on the southern tip of Baja California, about a 30 minute drive from San Jose Del Cabo. Cabo San Lucas is one of the most overexploited destinations I have ever seen and doesn’t appeal to me at all. Weather is always nice but there are only Americans, some traffic, and you even have stupid restaurants like Houlihans. It’s no different than going to any city in US which has nice weather and is filled with tourists. San Jose Del Cabo also has some hotels but it’s more low key, no tourist crowds, and a healthier blend of people on vacation and locals.
Our ten day stay can be summed up as being a fucking nightmare. More of that tomorrow but it has to do with my sister in law and her family….. But we did have many nice days and ended up doing lots of stuff. I did mountain biking a few days which is one of my main hobbies. Me and Sandra used to do lots of biking together before we had Daniel and I really miss those days. 
We both still bike but now we have to take turns. No great sacrifice but it was always nice to spend that time together. Baja California got mountains and ocean near each other so you’ve got beautiful views. But there is too much sand for my taste and not enough technical single-track riding. There are many gravel roads, double track, and empty river beds to ride but that gets boring very fast.
We spent lots of time at the different beaches. If you want privacy on a beach, this is the place to go. Since you’re driving next to the coast you can take any dirt road and be on the beach in a couple of minutes. It will be you and no one else for many miles. Perhaps a sea lion or a whale in sight, but that’s it. The best "official" beaches in the area are Playa Chileno and Playa Santa Maria which are both located in between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose Del Cabo. That may sound far but it’s not. 15 minute drive, maximum. These beaches are located in small bays without waves and offer a relaxing time in a beautiful setting. You will see a few people there but no crowds. Just bring a large beach umbrella, a cooler with your favorite beverage, optional snorkeling equipment, and some sunscreen. That’s it. If you want to have sex on the beach without anyone bothering you, the beaches of Baja California is the perfect place.
We spent a day at Lovers Beach and Divorce Beach which is an incredible place. This is where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. You take a water taxi for ten minutes from Cabo San Lucas and you’re in heaven. Unfortunately this is a popular spot and there were quite a few people there. But most stay near the arrival spot. If you take a five minute walk along the beach you will find complete privacy. Bring your rock climbing shoes if you’re a climber. The rocks are perfect for climbing but you’re not allowed to use any protection (that’s rope, not a condom:-)). You will find plenty of surfers here and the snorkeling on the Cortez side is excellent. Bring some food and drinks. There is no official selling of beverages and food allowed but you will be able to find cold beer and sandwiches. Be very careful with the water on the Pacific side!! There is an incredibly strong undertow and there is a large chance you will get sucked out if you try to swim. Don’t be fooled by the beautiful beach and the nice setting. Many people drown on the Pacific side every year. Our first stay here was eleven years ago and nothing has changed. On these two beaches there is nothing except sand, water, and rocks. No buildings, signs, trash, or traffic. It’s a place I can highly recommend to visit at least once.
Downtown San Jose Del Cabo is pretty small but nice. It’s worth a stroll and a quick snack somewhere. The nicest bakery/restaurant I’ve found is the French Riviera. They’ve got nice ice cream, great bread, and of course nice romantic restaurant as well. If you want the best authentic tacos in town you go to Taqueria El Ahorcado. Delicious stuff!! They don’t serve alcohol but you’re allowed to bring whatever you want. A decent sports bar is Rusty Putter, but I found it lacking in atmosphere. Zippers Bar & Grill is a better choice. It’s not a sports bar but they’ve got a few sets. The food is good and it’s located right o the beach.
We made a couple of visits to the Puerto Paraiso mall in Cabo San Lucas. It’s located right next to the harbor and you will find hundred of sport fishing boats waiting to leave. They’ve got a great ice cream place called Senor Sweets and during the spring they’ve also got a small Museo del Papalote there. We visited this in Mexico City and it was excellent. This one is more suited for kids a bit older and they had few attractions for Daniel. We did make an attempt to do some baking but it was no success. Daniel did like to see us using the silly baking hats which made us look like complete idiots. Puerto Paraiso is nice but it’s too exploited so you feel like you’re in Florida.
Great pics! That beach looks so inviting.
Mar 24th, 2006 at 11:35 am
[…] Daniel's group at kindergarten includes some kids three years of age and most of them haven't used diapers for a while. This seems to be a huge advantage for us. Every day Daniel can see how his friends go to the bathroom, pull down their pants, and proceed to pee or poop without diapers. When we got back from our long trip to Mexico a few weeks ago we were positively surprised that Daniel started using the potty at school. Mostly for peeing but it felt like a promising start. The teachers at school were so excited and impressed by our potty training. We had to tell them they deserved all the credit which made them feel great. […]
May 3rd, 2006 at 11:38 am
[…] Sandra has been fearing the Terrible Twos period and started asking other parents about it when Daniel was less than a year old. Most parents gave us a grim picture and told us to watch out so we've been in the starting blocks for at least six months. To be fair, Daniel had a period of about two weeks when he was a irritated and obstinate. But it was just after we got back from our six week vacation to NYC and Mexico. Perhaps he was just dealing with the jet-lag, a cold, missing the grandparents, and was confused about the change in scenery. But that stage passed quickly. He's still saying an automatic "no" to many questions we ask but not in an angry way. Questions like "Do you want to sleep?", "Are you hungry?", "Do you want to take a bath?", "Should we stop playing and go brush your teeth?", are all met with an automatic "no" response. But he follows along anyway. I'm not surprised. It's like asking me if I've had too much to drink or if I though some girls boobs were too large. That's an automatic "no" 100% percent of the time. […]