I just had the pleasure of spending two weeks in Mexico—Cabo San Lucas to be precise. This is my third trip to this city and it is the most beautiful place I have ever been. Of course I haven’t been everywhere, yet.
The weather is perfect in January. The temperature is about 75 to 80 degrees and cools down to about 65 or 70 at night. They think it’s cold…I laugh.
While we were there Minnesota faced temps of 18 below, without windchill. I felt bad, but not bad enough to come home and suffer with you!
The best part of Cabo is the view. The blue waters of the Sea of Cortez meet the Pacific Ocean. The sky is reflected on the sea and the ocean and sometimes you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins. There are pods of whales visible from shore and a colony of seals lounging near the famous arch.
I collect Ironwood carvings from each vacation. This year we brought home a beautiful whale. I also found a grizzly bear with a fish in his mouth to represent our trip to South Dakota in 2005. Mike was able to dicker the price from $65 a piece to $40 for both! I am terrible at bargaining, Minnesota guilt, but I have come to realize the locals expect tourist negotiations and always start their pricing very high so you think that you got a good deal.
My mom and her good friend Gloria also went to Cabo this year. I have to tell you traveling with these two is a riot. I heard “Give me a break!” and “Are you nuts?” about a thousand times during this vacation. This is Gloria’s response to just about everything I say.
The day we went to the beach they were “tattooed” by a local—mom a hummingbird and Gloria a roadrunner! Fitting if you know either of them. My husband fooled several Facebook friends with a Green Bay Packer logo on his bicep. Trust me there is not enough tequila in Mexico for him to get a real tattoo!
Gloria watched the parasailors for about three hours when she said, “Hey, I want to do that!”
The next thing I knew she and Mike were about 500 feet in the air chatting away like they were sitting on a park bench. I had a rougher ride as their photographer on the boat! As soon as she landed she said, “That was nothing! I want to skydive before my 90th birthday!”
Now who’s nuts?
The rest of the vacation we drank delicious margaritas, ate amazing food, both Mexican and Japanese… yes you can get fabulous Japanese cuisine in Cabo and go to a wine pairing dinner with five courses of new and exciting recipes.
Of course the vacation was topped off with Gloria skydiving! She jumped tandem with a handsome Italian man who has over 5,000 successful landings. I am not sure he would live to tell of his unsuccessful landings, so overall we found him trustworthy. It was so exciting…the plane was a tiny spec in the sky at 9,200 feet when it looked like a fly came out of the plane….they free fell for 40 seconds before we saw the opening of her yellow parachute. For five full minutes she floated above the Baja coastline with some of the most amazing views in the world. When she landed on the beach she said “That was great!”
When asked if she would do it again, she said, “Maybe next year!” She’ll be 91. My hero and friend, hats off to you Glo!
If you go around being afraid, you’re never going to enjoy life. You have only one chance, so you’ve got to have fun.
Lindsey Vonn
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