Wednesday 23rd January – Fly to the USA

Foster’s taxi arrived dead on 7.00 and to drive us to Heathrow.  Coffee and croissant at Heathrow, which Rosemary managed to throw over her smart white top and handbag.  Changed some Sterling and French Francs into US dollars.  Flight to San Francisco was just over 9 hours on a new Virgin Atlantic 747.  The in-flight entertainment was very clever. Twenty Four films to watch, each could be started and stopped whenever you wanted, and even rewound.  Managed to watch four complete films. Landing at SF was fun, with one false attempt, so had views down to the South, and a second view of the city as we came in for the second attempt.

US immigration was a laugh.  They took Rosemary’s immigration card and held it up as an example of a correctly completed card.  He announced that Rosemary’s backside was correct, not something normally said.  The horrid queue for the taxis, with a man shouting all the time.  The hotel, Nikko was huge and very Japanese. Showered and phoned Lynda Pike.  

Walked to the office, looking in a few shops en route.  Met Lynda, and Neil Robertson, Steve Delman and Eddie Hairston.  With Lynda and Neil, we went to Kate O’Brians for a Guinness.  After Lynda left, Neil’s girlfriend, Flo, turned up with a photo album of his, mainly underwater shots, including one of many starfish eating a seagull.  They’d been to Cabos year before last. We then went on for a Chinese Hunan restaurant nearby for supper.  This was an excellent meal.  Back to the hotel by 22.00, arranged to meet with Chris Buckley and share their limo to the airport.

Thursday 24th January – Fly to Cabo

Coffee in room, then to the airport with Chris.  Terrible coffee at the airports.  Met others, including Frank and Sherry Richardson, Roger and June Llewellyn.  We left boarding to the last minute, and because we had British Passports, we were searched, delaying take off. Flew down the Pacific side of Baja, but crossed over to the Sea of Cortez at the tip.  Very barren-looking land, with dry river beds.  Very light lunch on the plane.  Coach to the hotel, (which Rosemary saw from the air), huge and bright colour, sand, blue, orange, like a Diarmuid Gavin garden.

The hotel had cactuses, bougainvillaea, hibiscus and oleander planted everywhere. Walked along the beach looking at the pelicans, and picked up shells.  Loads of Keynote Limpets, one ark shell, cowry, signs of cones and small volutes.  Beach vendor selling jewellery from a suitcase, bought a couple of bracelets for twenty dollars.  He said they were made on the mainland of Mexico.  He also said there had been whales off the beach yesterday.

The hotel room had a walk-in shower with one glass wall and no screen at the entrance.  The Balcony overlooking the sea views.  Complimentary beers, tacos and tomatoes.

In the evening we met at the beach bar, greeted by having a neckerchief and small pottery cup on a ribbon around the neck for a tequila.  Limes, salt and Marguerites were on tap  The evening got colder, so blankets were dispensed.  Supper was a hot buffet of all kinds of American and Mexican dishes.

Friday 25th January shopping in Cabo San Lucas

Up early, coffee and out to walk along the beach.  More cowries and different tiny cove in the same resort.  

The trip into Cabo San Lucas for shopping started well. We entered a large glass and pottery shop. Spent a large time looking, but not buying. Could have bought quite a large amount.

Next into town. Here we spent rather a long time doing nothing, wondering whether the others were waiting to go back, and they coming and going. Should have arranged a proper time to meet. Very tourist, with the Mexicans selling cheap stuff to the Americans for unrealistic prices.

Now onto a glass blowing place. This was quite fun, tried to blow some glass, Rosemary failed to get the camera to work. Could have bought loads of glass.

Back at the hotel had lunch at the beach bar.  Steve had squid and fish, while Rosemary had a massive starter of Nachos, which proved too much, followed by a sandwich. During lunch, we saw whales.  They appeared to be travelling West along the coastline in several groups. Afterwards, Steve strolled up the hill behind the hotel to take some pictures.  Rosemary stayed by the pool and chatted with a few people.

In the evening we took a coach to San Jose and had a meal outside.  Here they had heaters to take the chill from the air.  Had a few wines, including a Cabernet Sauvignon produced in Mexico on a Rothschild estate.  It was their top grade and made in 1996.  R & I thought it a bit ordinary.

The meal, appetisers of Raw Tuna, a Salad and Beef.  Had a very nice pear in Cabernet Sauvignon sauce.

Saturday 26th January Quad Biking

Today Steve and Rosemary went their own ways.  Steve went on the quad bikes, while Rosemary went on a tour of San Jose.

The quad bike (ATV) tour took us through Cabo San Lucas town onto an old river bed being excavated for building sand.  Eventually, we made it to the coast and some sand dunes.  Here we had an hour to play.  There were some neat winding trails to go around.  Unfortunately on the harder one, a tree trunk jumped out catapulting me and the bike through the air, with the bike landing upside down on my leg.  Luckily bike and I were not badly hurt; just limped around for the next week, but clothes filthy & jeans had to be hotel laundered.  The whole tour was 3 hours and was fun.

The San Jose tour was a drive back to where the previous dinner had been taken, plus a minor drive through the residential area and lunch in an open rather Greek-like place.  The town was more expensive than the pottery place.  Much more gallery than grockle shops.  Went to the mission (founded when English pirates were roaming about), and the town hall.  There were local elections soon, and feelings were running high.

When Steve got back, he had a light lunch by the pool, and later met Rosemary after her lunch. 

Today we saw a hummingbird on the brightly coloured flowers in the hotel, and a bird with a very distinctive cry which was a woodpecker on the cactuses. Out at sea, we saw some jumping/diving things which may have been dolphins, porpoises or flying fish. For the evening we dressed in a Black tie for the awards ceremony at Pitahayas.

Awards Ceremony and Black Tie Dinner

The Black tie event was at Pitahayas restaurant at the Sheraton, on the road towards Cabo San Lucas.  The drive down into the hotel was magnificent, with its own bridge over the motorway, and beautiful gardens.  This dinner was the awards ceremony.

We had drinks on the terrace. And then dinner was taken off the main restaurant in a small round “hut” with glass windows.  We sat on pre-arranged tables with Roger and June.  Frank Richardson and Paul Lord made the presentations. The menu was

• Lobster and Shrimp Sui Mai with Passion Fruit Sauce and Balsamic Syrup.
• Chipotle flavoured sweet potato soup with bell Pepper bacon relish
• Petite Filet Mignon and BBQ glazed shrimp roasted garlic mashed potato
• Ice Cream truffle with mango sauce

It was gorgeous

After the presentations the band (The Twins) came on and played till 2.  We danced and drank many Gin and Tonics.

Sunday 27th January Whale watching

Decided to have breakfast today, probably because of the excess of the previous night.  The breakfast was extremely expensive.  We know Elevon were paying. but not doing that again.  

Today we met at the lobby at 11.15 and coach ride to Cab San Lucas to pick up the boat The Princess, large twin hull motor sail boat. As we left the harbour we could see some of the fishing boats coming in, followed by 10-20 Pelicans picking up the baitfish.  On the right, as we left we saw the small Window to the Pacific, the seals on the rocks, loads of pelicans and the Lovers beach.  We sailed to the East towards our hotel.  We began to see whales, but single whales some distance off from the boat.

Eventually, we anchored off the beach in a bay and changed into our swimming gear for a  Snorkel.  The water seemed cold, but it was so much warmer than the UK North Sea in summer.  There were loads of fish in shoals ranging from tiny tetra like ones, through banded yellow on the buff to larger dark blue with yellowfins and single band.  Small bright blue ones, Two transparent looking pipefish, urchins, large barnacles, and anemones.  Climbed back onto the boat at the bows after 45 minutes.  Steve had tequila to warm him as he came out.  Beers abounded.  Lunch served of nachos, guacamole and red tomatoes and tuna sandwiches. 

Left to go back to the harbour.  On the way managed to get a photo of the tail of a whale.   

 

Back at the hotel we had a swim in outdoor pool for a short soak.  Afterwards we met Tom and Beth at 6.00 for a shuttle ride in to San Jose for a walk around.  Driver dropped us along way from the main street outside a restaurant.  We had a look in some of the gallery shops, with the 8,000 peso dream fish model.  Then a meal in the Tropicana with an outdoor heater right behind us.  Watched a lobster argue over being someone else’s next dinner.  Rosemary had Aztec soup (a meal in itself),  then a Mexican dish which came in a huge sizzling metal dish with wooden board with more nachos guacamole etc!  Too much!  Steve had  avocado stuffed with crab, followed by sea bass with basil sauce.  To drink we stuck with beers, not too keen on the Mecican wines.  Home at 9.30.

Monday 28th January Jeep drive

To the lobby for 8:30 and seemingly loads of people wanting to take the jeep tour.  However, there were two drivers and six jeeps and we did not fill all the places.  We went with Tom and Beth electing not to drive.

Off the San Jose and along the river Lucy and Rosemary had found on Saturday, but this time no cows or bells.  Had breakfast of fresh fruit (melons, oranges, papaya and pineapple), fresh pastries and juices at Fernando’s.  Picked up lunch and off to the beach.  The road they took us on had been washed away they said, so we had to drive along a soft beach.  We were with Tom and Beth and got stuck, after much work, smoke and burning clutch and tires we reversed out back off the beach.  Then the Jeep would not start again.  Eventually abandoned that one, and split into the spare spaces on the other jeeps.  With Keith driving, we set across the beach again only to get stuck in the ruts.  This time we were totally grounded and after much time digging out we managed to get going, while the rest of us followed on foot.  Then the guide (Alfredo) managed to get his Jeep stuck below the high watermark of the beach.  He seemed a bit clueless on driving on beaches, having previously tried to jack Keith’s Jeep up without supporting the jack on the sand).

Now we were off again into the interior on dirt tracks and a small town called Santiago.  We went up to a nature reserve, parked and walked a couple of hundred meters to view a waterfall in the distance.  Back to Santiago for lunch in the village square.

We then drove back to hotel.

Casey, the American guide, said the cactus (cocone) grew only 1-2 centimetres a year, and could be 200 years old.  He also said there were two species of woodpecker, (Crested and Baja).

All said we had (at least I and Rosemary) had a good time, although a bit dusty.  We though expected that.  It was not off really off road and if it had not been for the beach we would have been back a bit on the early side.

On arriving back from the jeep ride, we took a shower to clean off.  Started to wash Steve’s beach shorts, but forgot to turn off the tap, because while we showered, the hotel room flooded with water.  Afterwards went to the deli and bought a couple of beers to drink.  AS we drank them we watched the flying fish, porpoises/dolphins in the sea.  

Lobby at 17.30 for a trip to La Concha (Hilton Hotel) on the way to San Lucas.  The very pretty setting we watched the Pelicans fly into the sky and then plunge into the sea at high speed.  Meal on the beach with dancing to a disco.  The beach was lit with candles and fires.  When we arrived the sun was setting, and later a full moon rose.  It was very pretty and romantic sitting down in the dark on the rocks by the sea.

Tuesday 29th January

Up, and breakfast buffet overlooking the sea, & a lot cheaper.  Mexican dishes, scrambled eggs, overcooked bacon and small but fat sausages.  Yellow & blackbird, long beak, graceful like a magpie but smaller was around.  Sorted out a late checkout and new pickup.  Steve’s sandals broke so threw them away.  His foot now looks very bruised as well as swollen.  We had a swim, drink and sunbathe by the pool.  Left for the airport, had a roll on the plane.  Numerous queues at LA, then on to a flight to Las Vegas.  This was the end of the President’s Club.  

We were due to stay on for three days at Las Vegas.