Los Cabos

Los Cabos, translates to english as “The Capes”.  Twin towns of San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas are located at the tip of Baja California Peninsula.

Del Arco – The Arch is a must see for any Los Cabos visit.

 

San Jose del Cabo: Closer to the airport (SJD) and more traditional. The mission founded in 1730 is the center of the town.

Cabo San Lucas: Set against the backdrop of the “del-arco”,  more tourist oriented centered around the marina with a mall, many restaurants, bars, spas and dance clubs catering to the year long spring break crowd.

Christmas in Mexico

Scenes from Nativity (accounts of birth) of Jesus Christ adorn homes and Churches. The statue of baby Christ is added to the scene on the Christmas day.

On Dec 24th : No Christ in the cradle next to Mother Mary.

On Dec 25th : Jesus Christ appears in the cradle next to Mother Mary.

The mission town of San Jose is centered around a Mission from 1730. We visited the mission several times and attended the Christmas morning mass.  When the priest opened a cradle to show baby Christ, a hummingbird entered the church and hovered above the priest and the Christ statue for some time before going to the altar where it was perhaps attracted by presence of flowers.

The Mission in afternoon sunlight

San Jose  del Cabo: Town-square

A water fountain, an open air theater, the Mission and Municipal buildings occupy the town-square of this historic town. Narrow streets lined with shops and restaurants cater to the tourists. Blvd Mijares has most shops specializing in Mexican arts and crafts.

San Jose del Cabo – Jazmine Restaurant

It was Mexican food with a unique twist – using local foods and tastes which I never experienced in the Mexican restaurants in America. The decor was nice and service was impeccable. A couple of blocks behind the Mission.

Tropical Salad – with papaya, tomato, beet and a local cheese (white)

A Vegetarian platter – Stuffed Chilli was hot and sweet, Enchilada was out of the world – it had a hint of sweet (almost like Jaggery sweet)..nice food..

Shopping

Since the target is the American tourist – prices are bloated and in US$ rather than in Mexican pesos. If anything appears cheap do ask if the “$” sign indicates US $ or Mexican pesos and be prepared to bargain.

Some beach vendors can be very aggressive

One tried to sell me goggles on an overcast day, while I was wearing one. Another one approached me and asked if I wanted to buy dope.

What to buy depends on your taste – painted china, hats or jewelry. Mexico is especially famous for Silver jewelry and ornaments made from Mexican Fire Opal or Abalone Shell/Pearls found in the sea around Los Cabos. Many of the cheap souvenirs are Made in China.

Silver Jewlery

Fiery shades of orange and red in Mexican Fire Opal

You can select a stone and have it set in 24 hours.

Finally .. our find

Mexican masks with a modern twist

Sunrises and Sunsets

Beautiful Sunrises and  Colorful sunsets marked the begining and end of our days. The best colors last for no more than 5-10 minutes. None of these pictures are color enhanced.

Sunrise as seen from Worldmark-Coral Baja resort

Sunset on Medano Beach – Waited for the wave to recede to capture the glow of the sky in the thin film of water left behind by the receding wave. Medano beach is a zoo when the cruise ships are in the town as it is walking distance from the Marina. Nice long beach with roped off areas for swimming in warm water. Water taxis and Jet Skis can be rented to visit the Arco. Too crowded for us.. OK for an occasional evening stroll.

Bird-Watching

Western Mexico Birding Website for Bird identification

Male Frigate bird (one with Red breast) trying to impress the female

Frigate birds are a common sight near the Del Arco.

Female bird of a Yellow Warbler Variety during morning walk near Mission

Brown Pelicans wait for fishing boats to return to the Harbor

A Seagull hovering near our Catamaran

Whale Watching

Whale-watching..

Tail-watching

Pirates

In the 1700s the pirates looted  ships sailing with Silver and Gold to the Philippines. The rock formation at the arc provided a vantage point to see the Armadas far away at the sea while coves and caves around the area provided excellent hideouts for the pirates and their loot.

Today this ship - “Buccaneer Queen”, serves as Charter for snorkelers and runs sunset dinner cruises. Pictured above anchored in Chileano Bay for snorkeling tour.

Cabo San Lucas : Marina Area

Cabo San Lucas Marina as seen from water taxi

Puerto Parisio Mall tower is in the center of the picture.

Puerto Parisio Mall

Great place to park your rental car. 10-15 pesos for the whole day. Clean restrooms and easy access to restaurants/shopping around the Marina. Most snorkel/dinner/whale-watching tours and water taxi’s leave from here. Cruise ship passengers are also ferried to this marina by the tenders.

Other major attractions are: Sport-fishing, Golf and visiting near-by towns of Todos-Santos on the Pacific Coast and La-Paz on the Sea of Cortez coast. La Paz has the only natural coral reef in this area – though snorkeling is fun in Chileano Bay (and I have heard Santa Maria Bay).