Back from San Jose del Cabo

My friend Anne whisked me away to Los Cabos for about a week with her and her two sons (Joshua, 3, and Eitan, 6 mos.). We rented a condo in a resort (my first resort stay, I think) with a giant pool, two large hot tubs, and a swim-up bar (definitely my first - whooo!). Oh yeah, and there was a beach there, too.

To get there, I took a bus to Guadalajara and spent the night there before flying to Cabo the next afternoon. I managed to do a whirlwind visit in Guadalajara, taking in the Cathedral, some Orozco murals, and a torta ahogada. Guadalajara was a neat city and it was a treat to be somewhere so cosmopolitan after my recent small-town living.

We spent some days around the hotel, and some days took the bus to nearby snorkel beaches. At Chileno, I saw tons of fish of all sorts. Playa Santa Maria had fewer fish, but more interesting types. I loved seeing the gobis, who flit around on the rocks, and which I've seen in the Monterrey Aquarium, but never wild. I also saw an amazing rock fish - fairly large, and with beautiful splotches that helped it blend with the coral. Another treat were two large, spotted puffer fish (not puffed) who lingered around. Also saw parrot fish, angel fish, and all those types whose names I never learn but always make me glow with joy and wonder at the colors that occur in nature (neon blues!).

Also good was food. I ate more poor little shrimp (I often think about each one being a life, but I still love to eat them) in the 6 nights than I can count. There were shrimp tacos from the hotel's restaurant, delivered poolside (and, I would like to mention again the swim-up bar, which had happy hour 2x1 from 2-4pm every day, followed immediately by the sports bar's happy hour only about 50 feet away); coconut shrimp at Sardina's, the good fish restaurant at the top of our hotel's driveway; delicious tequila shrimp and beautiful but only good shrimp, avocado, and mango cocktail at Havana's; shrimp and sometimes octopus cocktail pretty much anywhere (eaten with mayonnaise on corn chips instead of saltines because Anne can't eat wheat right now, and I prefer the chips). Also enjoyed two different taco places: one more traditional meat with a pastor brasserie and delicious cebollitas (green onions roasted on the grill with something like vinegar on top), the other more of a seafood place who had a variety of seafood tacos.

One night we went into downtown San Jose del Cabo to a restaurant called Salsita. It was beautiful inside, with low lighting and various artisan hearts hanging from mobiles or on the blue walls. I commented that it was the decor I would use if I were opening a restaurant in Mexico. The food we had was the best of the trip: shrimp tacos in raw, sliced jicama "tortillas", arugula salad with grilled calamari on it (how I miss arugula!), and one of the best dishes I have had in recent memory: pulpo al ajillo (octopus cooked with garlic and guajillo chilies). The octopus was soft and tender and rich with the garlic and chili flavors.

Meanwhile, I got some great bonding time with Joshua and Eitan and some good chats with Anne. I have missed hearing Joshua call me Juju, and Eitan is laughing now! I babysat Eitan a few times while Anne and Joshua did other things and it was wonderful bonding with him. Anne and I got some catch-up time after the kids when to bed or while Eitan was napping and Joshua was playing in the pool (while we sat next to him in the hot tub). This is the second time she and I have come to Mexico together without the menfolk. Last time, we went to Yelapa (near Puerto Vallarta) with Joshua when he was only one.

Finally, it was time to come home. I flew back to Guadalajara, took a taxi to the bus station, and took the next bus home, to arrive close to midnight, walking up our old callejon with a spring in my step (though not sure if I would have to get re-accustomed to our altitude) to see Peter again.

Cabo Bound

I am in Guadalajara for the night and tomorrow fly to Cabo San Lucas. This may seem sudden, and it is. My friend Anne came up with the plan suddenly and invited me to meet her and her kids there. I bought my plane ticket on Saturday, left Peter in Guanajuato, and took the bus today.

I chose to take a slightly more fancy bus line here than usual and they gave me the teacher discount (it was about 25%!). The seats were bigger and with leg rests, and there was wifi! Not enough to watch a tv show, but enough to tell everyone I could find online.

It is strange to be in a large city like Guadalajara. I have never been here. I don't have much time to look around, but after dinner (chicken with a flauta, enchilada, and sope, horchata, and jericallas for dessert -- like flan but without the syrup at the bottom and a lighter flavor), I walked over to the cathedral and theater and just took in the sights.

Right now Guadalajara has lots of Christmas lights up. I enjoyed looking at them and watching the pretty horse-drawn carriages go by. Also, as I got closer to the cathedral and central area, there were more and more Santas. Each one came with a photographer (not an elf, just a person) and each had his own house or workshop or sleigh, and they all had identical reindeer. I guess here there is no "real santa", just whichever one your kid picks. I think I saw one with only one arm. I definitely heard a few chuckling "jo jo jo" while holding their panzas (the Santas here might stand up when they are waiting for people to come) as people passed by. As I understand it, this is influence from the U.S. Traditionally in Mexico, as in Spain, the three kings bring the presents (on January 6).

Anne, Joshua, Eitan, and I will be staying in a condo in San Jose del Cabo. While I am normally a snob about "real Mexico" and such, I am kinda looking forward to the luxury. And the pool. Oh, and the swim-up bar! I have never experienced one (I think I only just saw my first, from the bus from Zihuatanejo when it stopped in Ixtapa). Plus, I get to see my friend and my kiddies!

This will begin the stretch of visits. I come home the day before my cousin, Jesse, and his fiancee Elianna, arrive. Then our friend Beth comes, and then our friends Rahel and Caroline, all in rapid succession. I am super excited and I'm glad our spare room will be getting so much use!

Meanwhile, Peter continues to take his classes (officially in intermediate level! and he starts learning the past tenses!) this week. I told the school I am taking two weeks off. I will see if it makes sense for me to go back for a couple hours a day or something once my friends arrive.

Someone (U.S. or Canadian) in the kitchen near me just said, "Oh, I can drink the tap water. I've been drinking the tap water for over a year." (ok, probably U.S.)