Cabo

 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.