Cabo San Lucas (Mexico) | Back at It - Day 1

 

The view as I exited the International Airport in Cabo San Lucas. Cabo, like much of Mexico, is a desert.

I decided to skip my post on Friday while preparing for my trip to Baja, Mexico. I am excited to be in Baja. The air is perfect here; it is around 74 F (23 C) as I step out of the Airport. My first couple of tasks were withdrawing Pesos from the ATM and finding transport to Cabo San Lucas. The Airport is located northeast of Cabo San Lucas by about 30 mi (48 km). 

I find an ATM at the Airport to withdraw some Pesos. A few minutes later, my bank is contacting me about a potential fraud charge. I take a few moments to confirm that the activity was prompted by me and I am, in fact at the Airport in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I would rather not cancel my ATM card on my first day of travel. I appreciate the bank's efforts and can't blame them; Mexico is a long way from Europe, where my last transaction was.

Fifteen minutes later, I am exploring my transportation options. I know there is public transportation, a bus, taxis, and private shuttles. Taxis will cost me about $120 to $150 USD, shuttles are between $80-$100 USD, and economical if you have a group you are traveling with. The fare for a party of four would be $20-$25 USD per person. In my previous travels to Mexico, I hadn't taken public transportation. This was something I want to do on this trip. Though, I sense my mind is uneasy as life has been simple while I was back in the US.

I walk out of the airport terminal and make my way to the bus stop. A few minutes later, a bus arrives. It is standing room only, and I can barely get in the door. Finally, the door opens, and the bus driver waiving me and a family group behind me onto the bus. The lady behind me says, "We'll wait for the next one. We have too much stuff."

One of the things I've learned in my travels is to take advantage of the opportunity in front of you. This bus is here, and I don't know if the conditions will be any better on the next bus or when the next bus is. Well, that's partially true, I know it's in about 30 minutes. As I climb onto the bus, an airport worker who climbed on the bus ahead of me looks back and tells the lady, "They are all like this." She shrugs, and he family group splits up, entering from the front and the rear door.

This is my view for the first 30 minutes of the bus ride. I am standing next to bus drivers far forward as I can get. I laugh as I remember not getting confirmation that this bus was going to Cabo San Lucas. Although, I do remember the bus name matching the one I had looked up. It wouldn't be the first time I walked onto the wrong bus. Hahaha!

The Baja peninsula extends down from the southern end of California and is separated from mainland Mexico by the Sea of Cortez (a.k.a. the Gulf of California). 

The bus slowly empties at each stop as we head south. Unfortunately, I don't have data on my phone, so I can't look up the scheduled visits but I can track the bus via the GPS on my phone. About an hour later, we are entering Cabo San Lucas. The Estancia Real Los Cabos, where I am staying, is near, and when the bus stops a few blocks from it, I hop off. That was perfect! And the fair to get here was 85 pesos (about $0.45).

The Ruta Del Desierto (Desert Route) bus after it dropped me off.

After getting settled, I head out for food. Traditional Mexican food is one of my favorite types of food. A bowl of Pozole soup with fixings, chips, and two types of salsa. The green is a tomatillo and jalapeno salsa, and the red is a smoked red pepper with tequila salsa. My drink is a Peña Oaxaqeña Mescalita; it's a smoky margarita-like drink made with Mezcal instead of Tequila. All Tequilas are Mezcal but not all Mezcal are Tequilas. Tequilas are made only from Blue Agave plants, while Mezcal is made from various agaves (nearly 40 types). It's akin to all Bourbons being Whiskeys but not all Whiskeys being  Bourbons (e.g., Scotch, Canadian. Irish. Japanese, etc.).

The main dish is a trifecta of seafood tacos, Tacos del Mar. Left to right, fish, lobster, and shrimp tacos.

The meal was incredible! And were it not for my conversion factor being off by a factor of 10, it would have been cheap too. Instead, it cost me a lot more than I wanted, but it was worth every peso. The current exchange rate is 18 Pesos to $1 USD. For some reason, I was still converting based on the exchange rate in Albania, 118 LEK to $1 USD. Nevertheless, this was a great way to spend my first evening in Cabo and it feels great to be back at it again!