Our vacation in Mexico. Without kids. I'm not kidding.

I have to tell you something. Promise you won't be jealous, but very happy for us burnt out, vitamin D deprived parents of three.

Last week, Steve and I vacationed in San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico. Steve's parents took care of the kids back home (Thank you again!). We stayed at a very, very fancy hotel, courtesy of Steve's brother, who let us use his time share at the “Grand Mayan”. It is magnificent, opulent, filled with very wealthy people. We would/could never stay at a place like this, and I kept profusely thanking the Mexicans who lugged our suitcases, cleaned our toilets, folded our towels into swans, or served us food. I felt like constantly apologizing to them.

Boy, was it nice, though... Several pools overlooking the ocean, palm trees, statues, waterfalls, luxurious rooms, flower petals strewn on the bed, sunshine, whales, tropical fish, warm ocean water...

The view from our room.

Here are some highlights:

Good:
At the most Southern tip of Baja California, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez, there is a famous arch, aptly called "The Arch".  One of my favorite beaches can be found there, reachable either by water taxi or a long walk along the coastline at low tide.  It's called Lover's beach.  Our whale watching tour guide said this is because at high tide, the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortez meet and embrace each other.  I think it's called Lover's Beach because there are so many nooks and crannies to hide, so lovers can have some privacy.  But that's just me and my twisted mind.  Semantics don't matter.  What matters is that it is breathtakingly gorgeous. The final scene of "Planet of the Apes" was filmed there.

Walking to Lover's Beach.

The famous Arch.

Running and playing in the waves on the Pacific Coast side.

Not so good:
Steve ordered dinner one night, and upon being asked how spicy he wanted his food, he replied, “un poco spicy”. When he put the first bite into his mouth, his eyes started watering, and he began to moan. Being the tough Gringo he is, he didn't want to lose face with the Mexicans, so he forced the meal down.

The next day, we had to keep finding toilets, since he had bad diarrhea. On the way through the desert, another bout came on, and Steve had to pull our rental car onto a dirt road, squatting in the sand. Although I did feel terrible for him, I was very tempted to take a picture of him hiding behind a cactus. He kept getting stabbed by cactus as he was trying to support himself.

Later that day, the horrible noises coming out of the shower were magnified by the tile walls of the shower, as he threw up violently for a few minutes.

Lesson learned? I hope so. Never order food “a little spicy” when you eat in Mexico.

The little town of Todos Santos, where Steve kept having to find various bathrooms.

Good:
Humpback whales are starting to migrate this time of the year. We participated in a whale watching tour – twice. The first time, the ocean was very choppy, so we had to turn around after not spotting any whales, while our insides kept turning over when the boat slapped down hard on the water. The next day, we were allowed to come again for free. And did we see whales! It was magical to see them slowly surface, blow water vapor out of their blow holes, and arch their tails in the air. They are huge!

Not so good:
After running a couple of miles on the beach, we encountered two dogs, who immediately adopted us. Accompanied by our new canine friends, we walked back through an estuary filled with pelicans, egrets and water fowl. The dogs delighted in chasing the birds and swam out to the middle of the pond. The fat black labrador retriever non chalantly grabbed a duck and swam back to us. While I yelled hysterically for Steve to rescue the poor bird, the black lab proudly presented his prey to us, still in his mouth. Steve yelled at the dog to let the bird go, and although I am pretty certain the dog didn't understand English, he gently dropped the bird in front of Steve's feet. The duck sauntered off confused and swam away. The dog looked hurt because Steve had yelled at him.

Our favorite restaurant to each breakfast in.  Can you see why?

Good, and maybe not so good:
At a beach famous for its waves, Steve attempted to teach me bodysurfing. Instead, I swallowed a lot of salt water, got my nostrils and bikini bottom filled with sand, and received several cases of sand burn. In other words, I got tossed around the waves like plastic water bottle – and loved every minute of it!

The big fat elephant seal who likes to catch a ride on the boat.

Not so good:
Steve and I decided we did not want to pay $15 for a drink, so we went to the local grocery store and bought a bottle of rum and juice, so we could mix our own cheap(er) drinks. Steve carried our groceries through the fancy lobby in a plastic bag, cracking a joke about us being such hicks. Just then, a loud explosion made us jump in the air, followed by the smell of rum. Our bottle had fallen through the plastic bag onto the beautiful marble floor of the hotel. Ten Mexicans scurried to the scene, mopping and cleaning things up, as Steve and I stood by red eared, apologizing and wincing. Can you picture it?