Cabo After Odile

Well, after waiting a few months for things to subside, I went back in January ad the entire town, was, well, just as normal as ever. They really took the effort to the second level to get the town ready for the big tourist season coming this 2015. Proud of you Cabo!

Aloha from Cabo – Wait What?

Just got back again and they have finally got most of the work on the downtown streets done – including adding a bunch of Plumeria “Trees” – yes you read that correctly. Interestingly enough as you don’t see many in Mexico – but the weather will be perfect (?) as long as something or someone waters them! They are a different rounded leaf plumeria – maybe of Asian (Singapore?) descent, not sure.

According to some online sources, it could be a Plumeria Obtusa – also known as the “evergreen” frangipani, because in the right climate (not sure is Hot Cabo is that), they will keep their leaves all year round (in cold areas too). The leaves are a shiny darker green color and oval. The ends of the leaves are more rounded than those of the traditional or well known Plumeria Rubra. So there you have it! Aloha from Cabo!

Law Street Beach San Diego

Went to the beach at “Law Street” yesterday in a community called Pacific Beach – which is in the greater San Diego area. beautiful beach with grassy cliffs about a few hundred feet above – very nice touch. It’s really a park up top, plenty of space to set up if you’d like to sit up there instead of the beach… great breeze.  Had a good time. We sat down in the sand of course. I didn’t go in the water cause it was colder then i prefer and the wind did pick up a bit – making it too cold for me if I got out of the water.  We had a few drinks with us and went and got some food at a near by Mexican restaurant. We both had “California burritos” which means they basically take a Carne-Asada burrito and add cheese and french fries to it. Was pretty good – but filling.  All in all, the beach was beautiful. well staffed with lifeguard, no trash, easy access and full of people- but not noisy or bothersome like the tourists at Black Rock. These beach goers seemed to be locals with the main objective of laying out and catching some sun on a nice Saturday afternoon. After the beach, we rode beach cruiser bicycles down the boardwalk. Quite a nice day!

Prices on Maui

Well,  everything in Maui seem to be a bit more expensive. The gasoline prices were close to $.75 more than they are at home,  in Southern California.  food and drinks everywhere we went appeared to be on the high end,   but what do you expect so many touristy places. One night we had a sushi plate and two mai tais at the Hilton  –  $89 later we still had to tip.  The one place we did finding Maui that had reasonable prices similar to home was the Cosco right by the airport.  It actually happen to be the very first place we went.  The Walmart there,  which was also by the airport, seem fairly reasonable prices will – but for food and drinks I would go to Costco first.  So any plan your trip be ready have a really good time and spend a lot of money.

Maui and Ka’anapali Beach

Okay, so in all due reality,  when you hear “Ka’anapali Beach”  in Maui you probably think of a white sandy beach jam packed with tourists. While this is exactly what it is. However, there is a LOT  of that white sandy beach to go. Some of the best spots on Ka’anapali Beach  that we found what we were there last summer  were actually on the north side of Black Rock.  Black Rock is the large volcanic rock that projects out into the ocean creating the top of the southern part of  Ka’anapali Beach. On the North Side there aren’t  many beach goers were tourists until you get up to the Westin Timeshares – which is still on Ka’anapali Beach,  just not the, Ka’anapali Beach you think of.  So here’s the trick,  you can either stay at the luxurious Sheraton resort on Black Rock  and simply walk there from your hotel room ( by going across the road,  a small bridge on the golf course,  and down a couple of rocks)  or you can park at the Sheraton resort for a nominal fee.  One of the tourists that we did see parking there told us they pay close to $26.  The first afternoon at “North Black Rock beach” I’ll call it, was one of our best days  on Maui during that week  that we stayed.

While Maui has plenty of beautiful beachfront properties, it also has several 100% completely public beaches. On the south west end of the island you will  find Oneloa Beach. This is one of the biggest & best beaches we found in Maui.  Since the waves are really big that there, and actually happened attracts a lot of tourists and locals alike. The  Maui lifeguard team  that was working on a Oneloa beach on that day were busy group, reminding people not to go in the water. We saw a few rescues for a few tourists that really shouldn’t have been swimming in the first place.  If you get chance to go,  I’d recommend it.  Please make sure you notice when you dare to go in the water when the waves are 9 to 12 feet. Keep in mind  time we were here before that the waves were only 2 to 3 feet. Much more suitable for tourists, and some locals, to swim in.

All in all, when comparing the two, I still would prefer Ka’anapali Beach, simply because it was close to the hotel and we found a spot without any tourists.

8-10 Foot Shore break – OUCH!

Yes, ouch is right. We went in. (well a few of us) and yes, everyone made it back . Some tired, some white as a ghost, some throwing up sand and salt water…

anyhow.

Um, stay clear if its over head… especially after a few beers.

 

Dollars And Pesos

On our recent trip to Mexico exchange rate for US dollars Mexican pesos was between 12 and 13 pesos to one US dollar. Depending on where you went, whether it was a bank, the convenience store, a hotel lobby or a cantina, each place to have their own exchange rate – but they were all between 12 and 13. Regards to prices for hotel rooms and food I would have to say this was a very economical trip. We ended up getting a great deal on a package vacation for round-trip airfare and an all-inclusive hotel for a very reasonable price.  I did notice that in most of the outside bars that drinks were rather expensive. Drinks in our hotel were included, which made me very happy. Overall it’s a very cost-effective trip it made me want to go back.

Winter in Cabo San Lucas

On a recent trip in the middle of January, in 2012, we were in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and the weather was amazing. I was actually surprised there weren’t more people from the Northwest, the North, and even Canada there. I would estimate the temperature to be between 72-78 Fahrenheit. It was absolutely amazing for the middle of January. The ocean temperature was in the mid to high 60s and perfect for swimming, snorkeling and even diving. Winter in Cabo San Lucas is a great time.

Photos of Cabo San Lucas

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Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

This beautiful town in Baja Sur ( or southern Baja California)  is at the very end of the peninsula. It has beautiful beaches, wonderful resorts and lots of relaxing activities. The locals are friendly, the price are good and the food is excellent. It’s really tough to beat the weather as well. Only 2 to 3 hours from most southern cities in the United States this cute little city is easy to get to it seems miles and miles away from the norm.  If you have a chance to visit this town, by all means take it.