Yes...visiting Mexico twice in a one month span is a bit indulgent, even by my standards. But, I had been extremely sick, busy and stressed over the weeks leading up and just felt the need to wind down...so when I checked my Airmiles balance and realized I could spend very little cash to get away, it was a done deal. Airmiles now lets you apply your points balance as cash towards vacation packages (including last minute deals) from Sunquest and Transat Holidays. My 4 night getaway to San Jose del Cabo would leave on a Thursday afternoon and return on Monday night - a short trip indeed, but a deal too good to pass up.
The flight there was long at 5.5 hours. I had grabbed a bite to eat at the airport and noticed a group of people having drinks at the bar having a great time. Good for them, I thought. Little did I know that they would be the loudest, drunkest and (hate to say it) most annoying people on my flight. One of the women, who was about 50 years old, was actually stealing mini-liquor bottles from the flight attendants. What was I in for?
Landing at the airport in Cabo was pretty uneventful and the drive to the hotel (the five star, Riu Santa Fe) was about 25 minutes. I must admit, I have always been reluctant to visit the Pacific coast of Mexico only because I am so in love with the Caribbean sea. But when I saw the beautiful full moon and the mountains that night, I was a changed woman.
It was late when I arrived so I settled in and called a night. My a room was nice and had a fridge full of water, pop and beer which is a simple thing but makes a huge difference. I hit the pool early to lay in the sun and decided to park myself close to the infinity pool and bar...though it was a challenge with all of the best spots being reserved by the towels and books of people who were no doubt catching a few more hours sleep. The sun was lovely and I got most of the way through my book (Zeitoun by Dave Eggers). I ended up drinking way too many mojitos (and one enormous "Bob Marley" shot) and, no surprise, made some friends in the pool. (Hello to Cale if you are reading this!?)
Day two should have been a slow start after all those drinks the day before but I dragged my ass out of bed and decided to go Whale Watching. For $50 I was picked up at the beach of my hotel by a glass bottom boat and taken just two miles out to sea to witness one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. HUGE whales - and tons of them - breaching and blowing near our boat. Unfortunately my camera wasn't fast enough on the rocky boat (and I was far too stunned by the beauty and size of the whales) to get any amazing photos, but I did get a few shots. I was lucky enough to experience this trip with two other young guys - Antonio and Julio - who were Mexican, from a town just two hours away. After the whales, our boat captain took us over to the famous Arch rock formation at the very tip of the Baja, where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez. It was so beautiful - the sun sparking on the turquoise green sea, sleepy sea lions, crabs clawing their way across the rocks, white sand beaches...
After my boat trip I retreated to, what I dubbed, the "quiet pool". I finished my book and chilled. Dinner was at the resort buffet which was excellent (except for the "chilled" red wine) and hung out in the bar area for a bit before calling it an early night. Lame, I know.
I spent my last day sunning myself at the quiet pool before taking a taxi into the town of Los Cabos (5 minute taxi) to have lunch in the pretty marina and watch the NFL games on a patio. Not a bad day, especially considering the temperature at home in Toronto was -30C.
My last day was a bit of a wash since I had to leave for the airport at 7:30 am. I finally reached my home in Toronto around 7:30pm and, thankfully, it had warmed up to -5C. It was a great trip but I am already getting the itch to get out of town again...time to start planning a February getaway.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Cabo
Posted by Janine at 3:58 PM 0 comments
Labels: Mexico
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Cozu-mellowing out...
At the beginning of 2010, I set a hugely aggressive goal of traveling ten times in the year. I thought I'd get close...but I had no idea I would actually surpass my goal. My Christmas vacation to Cozumel, Mexico was trip number 11.
My family - myself, my parents and two of my three brothers - decided to get away from the cold over the holidays and booked an amazing, last-minute deal to a resort in Cozumel, Mexico. Cozumel is an island just off the coast of Playa del Carmen, which is just south of Cancun. The island itself is quite small and underdeveloped but we were able to fly directly into it's airport. You can also access the island by a 40 minute ferry ride from Playa del Carmen. Known for it's beautiful reefs, Cozumel is a diver's destination - the beaches are a bit rocky and arid and but the snorkeling and scuba is terrific. There are a few major resorts on the island, and we were happy to be staying at the Wyndham Cozumel. Our hotel was decent - on a good stretch of beach, great food, nice rooms - but it was even better after we were upgraded on our 3rd day to the "Sabor" section of the hotel. The Sabor section included a la carte meals, hammocks and water-slides running from the rooms to the pool.
While I am very used to traveling over Christmas (and not at all sad to leave the snow), it was very unique to spend it in Mexico. The resort did a great job keeping things festive - decorating the resort, creating special holiday meals and even having Santa para-sail, then jet-ski to the beach and distribute gifts on Christmas day. And, we even enjoyed a nice Christmas dinner complete with our waiter, "Jesus", ironically wearing a full-on Santa suit. Christmas dinner served by Jesus himself. It doesn't get much better than that.
My brother, Matthew, and I did a snorkeling tour ($40 US / person) which took us out in a glass bottom bottom to three different reefs over 2 hours. The snorkeling was really good and I was happy to have my water-proof camera, even though the camera doesn't really capture the colours very well.
I also made sure that I left the resort and saw a little bit more of the island before I left. A walk just down the beach yielded a 30 minute massage for $15. Score. I also headed into the little town of San Miguel. A cab cost me $20 US one-way and I was dropped off at town square where I shopped for a bit and then enjoyed happy hour - 2 strawberry margaritas, beef tacos, guacamole - plus a serenade from a guitarist.
It was a lovely getaway...but felt too short. I was tempted to stay longer but lots of important work was waiting for me back in Toronto. However, as soon as the work was over I would be making my way back to Mexico again (Cabo this time) in less than a month...but that story is for my next post.
Posted by Janine at 1:48 PM 0 comments
Labels: Mexico
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Lost in Translation
I was supposed to spend my Sunday taking a train to visit a traditional Japanese village just outside of Tokyo...but...I woke up and felt like I needed a rest. I decided instead to treat myself to a relaxing day of lunch (an amazing 6 course Italian meal), another walk around Harajuku and a visit to a hair salon (the stylist, who spoke no English, was very excited to work on my long blonde hair). That night, I decided I would treat myself to one last luxury - drinks at the American Bar at the Park Hyatt. A gorgeous hotel, the Park Hyatt Tokyo is most famous for it's starring role in Sofia Coppola's film Lost in Translation. As a lover of hotels, I had actually hoped to stay there but did not make my booking in time to take advantage of a decent enough rate. The hotel lived up to it's reputation with impeccable service and an almost serene vibe. I parked myself close to the jazz musicians and a beautiful view of Tokyo from the 52nd floor, sampling three delicious champagne cocktails and an amazing cheese platter. The pretty-much-perfect end to an already perfect day.
On my last day, it was raining but I made my way out to do a bit of shopping (super cute new boots) before my bus to the airport. Unfortunately, my flight was delayed for 2 hours, giving me a whole 5 hours to kill in the airport. I promptly booked myself a massage at the spa inside my terminal. It was no Thai massage but it hit the spot for a fairly decent price. When I finally flew out of Tokyo, the sun was just starting the set and the city looked really beautiful. I wish I had the time to see even more of Japan...but. fingers crossed, I'll be back again soon.
Japan in the spring, anyone?
Posted by Janine at 9:04 PM 0 comments
Labels: Japan
Fast & Furious: Tokyo Tour
After grabbing a quick snack of pork and pizza "buns"at Family Mart (a Japanese convenience chain), we made our way by subway to Akihabara, also known as Electric Town...or, as I like to call it, Nerd Heaven. This is the area known for computers, electronics and anime...and French maid cafes (more to follow on that one). We met up Chris' very pregnant wife Kaz outside a local department store and decided to sample some of the top quality cuisine from some of the vendors inside - pork sandwiches, traditional Japanese curry and pork cutlets - which we ate outside on the street while people-watching. Afterwards we toured around to continue our people watching. We visited lots of touristy shops - including an Adult store that was seven floors of some of the weirdest, naughtiest things I will likely ever see (ie a vending machine full of used School Girl panties. Nasty!) Lots of people dressed as their favourite anime characters and lots of white nerdy guys with Japanese girlfriends who are ten-times-hotter than them. Good for you fellas! After being approached several times on the street, we decided to venture into one of the French Maid Cafes. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, basically it is a cafe (mostly) for men who want to have a drink and be doted on by a cute girl in a french maid costume. It may sound sexual...but it actually very tame. The girls will serve your drink, sit down, talk and flirt with you...maybe even play darts or boardgames with you (which costs extra). Chris and I went in for a chu-hi and played 3 games of darts (I beat Chris all three times!). It was really fun but, unfortunately...no cameras allowed. Sorry. Afterwards, we took another stroll and came across a girls pop group performing on a street corner. Very kawaii! Again, we were walking around, just waiting for the next weird thing to happen when we were handed a flyer for a "Cat Cafe". Hmmm. This was just too weird to pass up - 1 hour of unlimited cat petting and a free drink. Done. The cats were all very clean and beautiful but, surprisingly, unfriendly. One was a dwarf cat with short little legs. The clientele was all Japanese and they were very into the cats - except for one girl who was just sitting around reading. After that we hit an outdoor batting cage. I sucked, but Chris was pretty good. Then it was back to the subway to head over to our last stop on the tour - the neighborhood of Shinjuku.
Shinjuku was a bit of a shadier place but definitely alive with lots of bars and nightlife. Chris really wanted to show me a cool place called Golden Gai - a neighborhood of teeny tiny bars - but for the life of us we could not locate it. Thankfully his Japanese was good enough for us to get directions to this amazing little spot! Hundreds of little bars that would never hold more than a dozen people could be found down a series of narrow alleyways. We visited Bar Albatross - a beautiful little place with dark red velvet banquettes and chandeliers. The four or five seats were full at the bar so we moved upstairs to sit in the loft and enjoy a...you guessed it...chu-hi. :) But it was getting late and we had to get moving or else Chris would miss his train home. We bid each-other a quick farewell on the subway - and I made my way back to my hotel a little sad that I wouldn't see Chris again for a long time. He's a terrific friend with an amazing sense of humour and a great attitude towards life and I am so grateful that he spent so much time showing me his new city. Now I'll just have to plot to find a way to visit again soon...
Posted by Janine at 1:58 PM 0 comments
Labels: Japan
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Tokyo!
Almost immediately after meeting Chris in the lobby, we took off on a whirlwind tour of the neighborhood of Shibuya. As it was Friday night, the streets were filled with an after-work energy - people filing into bars and restaurants or waiting to meet up with friends for a night on the town. I was so overwhelmed - by the speed of Chris' tour, the lights, the people, that I couldn't help but be reminded of one of my favourite scenes from Amelie.
I was almost immediately in love with Tokyo and I never saw it coming.
Our first stop was the Shibuya station to see the large scale mural "Myth of Tomorrow" by Taro Okamoto. Outside the station, we visited the statue of Hatchiko - a most famous dog whose loyalty to his owner is honoured in this station. You can read his amazing story here.
After passing through the incredible Shibuya Crossing - a set of traffic lights with a "pedestrian scramble" - we slowed down long enough to catch up over a few drinks. It was here that I was introduced to the deliciousness that is the "Chu-Hi". Mmmm. Thankfully these drinks are not readily available in Canada or else I would be in big trouble. We followed that up with some sake, but sensing two young dudes across the bar were eyeing up the two young ladies who were sharing our table top, we decided to let them make friends and we moved on. So generous of us.
Now it was time for Chris to deliver an important lesson in Japanese culture - I was to learn all about "kawaii". Which, if you don't know, translates to "cuteness" . Japanese girls live and die by cuteness. Think pink, fluffy, big eyes, small lips, hello kitty, stuffed animals, fur boots, and short skirts. Our first stop on the cuteness field trip was a little pet store with only the cutest pets. Teeny tiny dogs and the youngest, cutest, tiniest little kittens peered at you from their glass boxed cages with the biggest eyes you can imagine. Uh-oh - I seemed to be falling prey to the cute business but luckily we moved on before I found myself going back to Canada with a pocketful of over-priced pets.
But the cuteness wasn't over yet - next up was a Photo Booth shop filled with make-up, accessories, props and a whole bunch of over-sized photo-booths. After modeling several strange hats (Chris was wearing a rice ball hat!) we made our way into one of the booths for a photo shoot. On a screen in front of us we were instructed by a very "kawaii" looking girl on how we should pose "cute" for each photo. We then waited for our photos close by where we could add all the stars, hearts etc we wanted to our masterpiece - which, when printed out had exagerated large eyes and pink lips. Too funny...and weird.
After that we decided to cruise around Shibuya and see some of the shadier sights (umm...look up a place called "Strawberry Jam" on the net) and we came across a sign for "Drinks, Guns & Popcorn". Now really, who could possibly walk past a sign that said that? We made our way up three flights of stairs to a small space that looked like an apartment. As the sign said - it was a deal for one drink, one round of air-rifle shooting and...best part...all-you-can-eat-popcorn. While the young owner fetched us a couple of Chu-Hi and fired up his old-fashioned popcorn cart, we picked our weapons from the menu. We both shot a pistol - I was only okay - but I went back for more and tried the magine gun on for size. Much better!
We were pretty hungry at this point so we hit a popular chain of restaurants that charge only 250 yen for every dish on the menu. 3 dishes, 2 chu-hi's and a bottle of sake later it was time to call it a night as Chris had to catch the metro back home. I hit the sack exhausted...but excited for another whirlwind day in Japan tomorrow.
Posted by Janine at 7:06 PM 0 comments
Labels: Japan
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Turning Japanine
Posted by Janine at 9:39 PM 0 comments
Labels: Japan