Overland Adventure Excursions

Kathy checked with some old acquaintances who lived in Mazatlan to get a few places to visit. The first recommendation was a breakfast place called Pancho’s up north on the Malecon. We navigated the traffic and streets and found a place to park a block from the beach, restaurants, and shops. I took the pups for a long walk, something they were looking forward to since getting on the ferry the day before. They were so happy to be out and walking for 45 minutes or so. Kathy and I then took to the streets to check on some shops, the beach, and then on to Pancho’s.

It is not really hotter here, but with the sun and the higher humidity it feels hotter, so after a 90 minutes of walking and browsing, we were back at Pancho’s for breakfast. It was definitely a good recommendation as the coffee was great, the atmosphere right on the beach was delightful, and the food was tasty and not overly priced. The whole meal was $430 pesos ($25). We have been eating out a lot lately and that has had a bit of a hit on our budget, so we will be stepping back on this to get back on track.

We decided to visit the old town of Mazatlan, down near the port as it was a recommended highlight. I looked on iOverlander for some street camping spots and checked out a few, but most were too narrow for Howie so we moved on to an area next to some construction and a wider street that was pretty level. We parked and took the pups for a walk in the old town area, first heading to the beach off the Malecon to do some beach combing and wading in the surf (Maggie is a beach bum, Zuzu prefers the sidewalks).

The cobblestone streets, colorful buildings, concrete and stucco architecture is so beautiful. There are several parks with restaurants and outdoor dining along the street and the vibe there is relaxing and peaceful. We took the pups back to the truck and then Kathy and I went back for some more exploring. We wandered for a couple of hours, taking in the sights and sounds of the beautiful place.

When we got back to the truck, we met a local guy named Luis, who recommended a better place to park for the night. He walked me a couple of blocks over to the park, which was really nice in a quiet neighborhood, but had a bit of a sewer smell. I told him that might not work, and he said where we were was fine, but the traffic and pedestrians on a Saturday and Sunday would be pretty heavy. We decided to chance it.

Luis was really helpful as he touted his neighborhood, the local shops, the convenience and grocery stores, and some of the sights. I offered him a beer and we sat on the curb and he taught me a bit of Spanish. 10 beers later, I was out of beers, and we headed around the corner to the Oxxo to get restocked. He helped me “get a good deal” and then we carried it back to the truck and had a few more. Overall it was a couple of hours of BSing and after hinting of a tip several times, I gave him a couple hundred pesos. Kathy came out of the camper after the ciesta and had some questions of pharmacies, and Luis, of course, knew the exact pharmacy to take us to. We walked there and they had the “natural” pills for the two things Kathy was asking for, and we paid about $15 for several month’s supply. Then back to the truck where we bid Luis a good evening.

Kathy and I freshened up and then decided we wanted Italian for dinner as we had passed several of these places while wandering. We found a place called La Venzia that had good ratings, and as we approached, also had live music for the Saturday evening. We got a table just around the corner and ordered a pizza and a Caprese salad. And we were not disappointed. This was probably the best pizza we have had. The crust was crispy on the bottom, but not greasy like pan crusts, plus the mushrooms and other toppings were cooked perfectly. Yum. Or we may have been just hungry. LOL.

We wandered the city at night for an hour or so after dinner and then returned to the truck to walk the pups and get some sleep. It was about 10 and things had picked up in the area. Luis was not wrong on the traffic, loud motorcycles and cars, music, and pedestrians, but about 12:30 is calmed down and got quiet. We woke around 4am to police lights outside and I figured out it was just a road block. All of the other cars on the street had left and we were alone with our police guards.

It turned out the roadblock was due to an event on the 18th, a 5K fun run along the malecon that included multicolored food dyes thrown over the runners. I took a walk with my coffee and watched the runners and skaters as well as the waves along the sea wall. It started to get a bit hot and after walking the pups up the hill and back, we decided to get some pastries at one of the bakeries and then find a new place to spend the night. We have been nursing the batteries since the ferry ride and needed to find a place with power so we could get them properly charged. Solar with a cloudy sky, parking between buildings, and even idleing the truck for 90 minutes only got us back to 35% (we were down to 12% and the system was dinging warnings at us for low battery voltage).

There are no camping or RV lots in south, east, or central Mazatlan. Several are listed in the northern suburbs, so we headed north of the marina to a little place that was listed on iOverlander. The park is really nice, but suprisingly vacant. It was 600 pesos for the night, and had a dump and electricity, some shade, and a nice cement pad to put the chairs out. It is only a block from the beach, and the pups and I made it down there last night after dark. Looking forward to the morning walk to explore it a bit more. There was also an iguana walking by the swimming pool as we drove in to the camp.

There are these interesting birds here that are extremely loud. Sounds like something is screaming/screeching. They are called chachalacas (means chatterbox) and can get quite close.

I wish we were 100% off-grid, but there is always the little bits of things we need; water, black/grey water dump, power to recharge the batteries if our driving is not long enough. So every 10 days or so we need to plug in. We are still deciding if we want to leave Mazatlan today or wait another day. And I am now caught up on my blogging after several weeks of being behind.

Here are some additional photos of Mazatlan; a place we love and would recommend to folks to visit.

We left Basecamp in Todos Santos and headed the hour drive into La Paz. The goal was to get to La Paz, being a Friday, and see about getting the Temporary Import Permit for the Ram 3500. The goal for the day was to get the TIP. There are two ferries going to Mazatlan and the TMC ferry is preferred by overlanders and campers since they let you sleep in your camper instead of purchasing a cabin. We have the pups and did not want to leave them in the camper for the 19 hour float. The TMC ferry leaves La Paz on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so we planned to hang out in La Paz for the weekend, or maybe hit one of the hot springs.

I needed to get a few things done before heading to the port. We missed the La Paz photo on the way in the last time so we headed out there to get that. Then I needed some cash, so we headed to the ATM at Walmart to get those thousands of pesos. We ran in to Marcus and Jasmine in Walmart for the 4th time since we met them in Ensenada. They were catching the Friday ferry and had to be there at 2PM. It was 12:30 already. We needed copies of the insurance and my visa (FMM) for the TIP, so we tried a couple of places and ended up at OfficeMax. I managed to get a couple of pictures printed for Kathy as well. (She’s made a neat little wall of photos and collections up in our bed area.)

We were all stocked up and headed to the port… and then a speed bump. Really, a speed bump in front of a store in the parking lot that I did not see. I did see the first one, but the second was 5 feet further and I hit it too hard and Howie jumped up in the back of the truck. I noticed the eye bold was bent, so I had to undo that whole thing and use one of my last two spares. 30 minutes later it was repaired and we were off to the port.

Some background information on this: I have been stressed for almost a year about this TIP process because there are stories that Mexico will not give you a permit if your vehicle is over 7700 GVR base weight. Some groups on Facebook have members say they have been turned away while others have said it was not a problem. I had tried to get a TIP at Sonoyta when we crossed, but their computers were down, and the guy said just get it in La Paz or any of the Banjercitos. I had thought of selling the truck and getting a 2500, but I would only have to beef it up to a 3500 status to get Howie stable. Plus tons of people are doing this in 4500’s and 5500’s. To compound the issue, Arizona registers 3500’s as commercial vehicles, even though they are not. I tried having that changed, but the DMV person in Coolidge was adamant it could not be changed.

Well all that worrying, research, and stress turned out to be wasted energy, as worry usually is. We got up to the counter, presented our papers, and after 10 minutes we were given a packet for the Aduano (customs) to stamp. She said it was “muy facil”, so we headed on over there. The gentleman looked at the VIN, the paperwork, and 5 minutes later came back with a stamped form. She was right, and we hit the easy button on that process. We headed back to the banjercito and she charged us $400 deposit and $56 for the permit and we received our TIP. The whole process took about an hour.

Just as a joke, I told Kathy we should check the TMC office to see if we can get on the ferry today as it was still loading at 3:30PM. So we asked, and they said “Yes!” and called ahead for us. We had to get through a customs inspection, be weighed, and then purchase the tickets. Customs was easy… they looked through the camper, asked me a bunch of questions about drugs, money, and weapons, and then passed us through. We were 5800kg, by the way (12,700 lbs). The tickets for us and the truck were $650 (there goes the budget) and we were off to wait with the other overlanders. Marcus and Jasmine were there (#5 meeting).

We got on the boat around 5:30 and set sail about an hour later. The tickets included Dinner and Breakfast so we were directed to get dinner. Rice, beans, and a meat chili mixture and we purchase our drinks. Not the normal cruise line buffet, LOL. It was LOUD in the vehicle bay since we were right next to the ventilation fans for the ship (you can see it in the above photo beneath the smoking lettering). DEAFENING sound. We tried watching a movie but it was too loud so we put in our noise canceling headphones and tried to sleep.

The night was fairly uneventful, but was loud. We got a decent amount of sleep. The ferry was supposed to be 19 hours, however we were in Mazatlan port by 8:30, so it took only 14 hours. We were glad to get off and were happy to be in Mazatlan. We missed this port a few years back when we were on a cruise due to some airplane crashing in the harbor, and it feels really strange to have driven here. But here we are, several days earlier than expected on Mainland Mexico.

Here are some additional photos of our ferry adventure.

We made the drive from Cabo to Todos in about 90 minutes. The road was bizzare for what we have experienced in Mexico. It was a double land divided highway, with a full shoulder. Very modern. I guess it is because the routes from Cabo to Todos Santos to La Paz are heavily traveled and get the best funding. It’s nice to only have to dodge a few potholes here and there.

We rolled into Todos Santos, a dusty little town near the beaches. It is an oasis town settled in the 1700’s and has been more recently transitioned into an arts town. More history here. We quickly found the Hotel California, famous for inspiring the Eagles song of the same name. We found a place to park and I took the pups for a quick walk to stretch their legs and relieve their bladders. Then we set them off in the camper to sleep the day away, as they usually do so we could explore.

There are blocks and blocks of shops and art galleries and restaurants along the two main streets in town. We walked for 90 minutes or so and checked out the local inventory of tourist finds. We got our sticker for Howie. We stopped for a few beverages and then headed back to the truck. I had checked iOverlander and there were not too many places near the beach to camp. One place it was noted that the local property owner had tried to block the beach access, but was challenged and his gate was removed, so instead some campers have noted him on a bull-horn about 8PM saying “Gringos get off our beach” until people leave. Instead we headed a bit further north to some beaches that were supposed to be open.

It turned out that most of them had no-camping signs on them, so we opted for a cool little campground called Basecamp, managed by a young couple with their 3 year old daughter. It was only $400 Pesos for the night and we got a cool little spot that Howie barely fit in, but had a really nice area under the adjacent tree where we could hang out, read, or nap. The campground was “Dry camping” but it did have showers and flush toilets, which works great on any day for this kind of traveling. They also had a little store made from two containers welded together, and a viewing deck on top to watch the ocean and the sunsets.

The campground was about 1/2 mile from the beach access, so we took the pups down there to run in the sand and play. There were tons of surfers out there and that was interesting to watch. The sound of the waves crashing was really loud on this beach and we could hear it all the way back at camp. We got our feet a bit wet, but did not go swimming here. It was hot with the sun at mid day and the pups needed water. Back at camp we decided on another night stay, paid our bill, and relaxed for the afternoon. I got some of these posts done and did a bit of research on the ferry in La Paz.

Well, I got a bit restless later in the afternoon and took a walk north of the campground. about 1/4 mile up there were really nice stables called Villa Santa Cruz, and next to it was a high-end restaurant called The Green Room. Another resort called Caracara was there, and they had a really nice outdoor bar area. I headed back to camp to pick up my wife for a date night. The drinks were delicious and we met and talked with a younger couple from Pittsburg that was here on holiday. After dark we wandered around the resort and marveled at the beautiful buildings and grounds. We walked to the beach and watched the stars from a two-story palapa with cushioned seating.

We both slept really well at Basecamp as it was quiet and we were still a bit tired from the “vacation” we took in San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. Great times. Now on to La Paz to get the TIP and get the truck on the ferry to Mazatlan.

Here are some additional photos from Todos Santos and Basecamp.

It was flight day for Donna and Tim and we were sad to see them go. I almost made them late to the plane because I forgot my wallet and had to go back, then made a wrong turn… Oh well. They made it in the nick of time and it looked like they had their choice of seats as well. We had a great time visiting with them and feel so blessed they came down to share some time with us. Memories we will cherish forever.

We got back to the AirBnB and rested for a bit. I had talked to Koby about a mechanic to help with the brakes, but decided to take a look and see if I could get them done myself. I have changed dozens of brakes in my life, and maybe these were easy. It turns out, they were probably the easiest out of all of my vehicles. Loosen one bolt at the top, remove the lower bolt and swing the caliper upward. I had to go to Home Depot to get some C-Clamps so I could compress the dual pistons, but other than that, remove/replace the clips and slide in the new pads. Bolts tightened and brakes tested. Worked like a charm and took about an hour, not counting the Home Depot run in the rental car.

We had a quiet night, took the pups for a walk, made an easy dinner, washed the remaining clothes, and packed the camper up as much as we could. The next day we got Howie all packed and ready and then headed in to downtown Cabo to return the rental. Return took 45 minutes, about the same time as checkout, but was simple and completed. We stopped at KFC for lunch and checked out a Woolworth department store (don’t have those anymore in the USA, at least not in the west). And we were off again traveling, this time to Todos Santos to check out the Artsy town everyone raves about.

We did not have a tour scheduled for the day so we figured we would go out to find some whales along the coast south of San Jose del Cabo. But before that, we had been passing this store near our AirBnB that had a bunch of Christmas stuff and Donna loves Christmas decorations. (You should see her house during the holiday, decorated inside and out, front and back yard, and is the spectacle for their subdivsion.

The store was 3 floors of Christmas decorations and eclectic furniture and decorations. I found this cool chair basket swing that was ultra comfortable and only $500 USD. Back in the states this one would be $1200 or more. They even had a fake (or it could be real) VW Bus that was made into a kind of gazebo. That one was 75% off at only $6k USD. It was definitely an interesting place where Tim and Donna found some Christmas decorations that were one-way mirrors that projected LEDs into the abiss. They purchased 6 of them and had them wrapped for travel. I found an interesting toilet with the sink to wash your hands as the cover… it drained back into the bowl.

We headed south to San Jose and Kathy guided us to a road that took us to where her and the campground girls had gone to a local market the previous weekend. The road started in a wash and then climbed up along the coast on a well aged, rutted, and rocky track. I was a bit nervous because we were in the rental car, not the 4×4, but in the end I did not hit anything beneath the car or damage any of the tires. (I had skipped the insurance with Hertz because instead of something reasonable, like $20 per day insurance, they wanted $600 (half the cost of insuring Howie for 6 months in Mexico). I was betting on chance and that my costco card and other insurance would cover at least some of it. We did see a few whales way off in the distance, but I was more interested in the homes constructed along the beach.

We found a path down an arroyo to the beach and proceeded to see if we could see the whales better down there. And then we found the wild donkeys. Kathy and Donna were quickly up to the herd and were feeding and petting them in no time. All were moms with their yearlings so of course the babies were all fluffy and cute. They spent about an hour getting their fill of animal interactions. Seagulls on day 2, Camels on day 3, and donkeys on day 4.

We got back to the car with the donkey herd escorting us the entire way. There was a restaurant called Zachs that was recommended by Chandra and Koby so we had lunch there. This was probably the most expensive place we had food. Two margaritas, 4 craft beers, two bean and rice burritos, some chips, guac, salsa, fish and chips, and two tacos was close to $100 USD. I talked to this guy I met on the morning dog walks named Carson who has lived in Cabo since 2004, and I asked him about prices. He said when he first moved down there the food was cheap, awesome, and the whole scene was a party atmosphere but in the last 15 years, all the resorts and restaurants have changed everything and the food, drinks, and atmosphere is just expensive. He said he rarely eats out and cooks his own food in the house he is building. Carson was an interesting guy in the several conversations we had.

We headed back to San Jose, stopped at Campoamigos RV park to show Donna and Tim and to say hello to Koby and Chandra. On the way home we stopped and visited some shops at the north end that Kathy wanted to go back to. We then hit up Walmart 1 and Walmart 2 for a few last minute shirts and trinkets for Donna and Tim to take back to their family. Overall it was a fantastic day hanging out with friends and putzing around the cape of Baja California.

Here are some additional photos for the day.

We had signed up for a Camel tour and Outback adventure with a local tour group called Cabo Adventures. They have resellers everywhere and we found a guy in San Jose the first day we were there and got it from him on a 2 for 1 price. There was a bit of confusion on the pick up location but eventually figured out it was at the marina again. We stopped at Walmart along the way because one requirement was close toed shoes and we had to pick up a pair.

The tour was about 40 minute drive out of town toward Todos Santos, on the Pacific side. We all shared photos from the day before, took a few selfies, and just watched the lush desert as we drove north. When we arrived at the location, it was a self-contained area that provided side-by-side tours, camel rides, lunch, tequila tasting, and desert hikes along side a lush resort catering to yoga and quiet beach vacations. Of course, we were there for the camel rides, a bucket list for Kathy.

The ride was about 25 minutes and we leaned a bit about the camels before and after the ride. We weren’t supposed to pet them, talk to them, or interact so as to not spook them and buck us off. It was a really cool experience, especially with Kathy giggling the whole time up in the saddle on the camel. At the finish, we dismounted and then moved over where we could pose for some pictures with a two-humped camel. It turns out they have one hump and two hump camels there with the one-hump as the riders and the two hump as the posers for the cameras. The one hump are desert camels with short mattie hair and the two hump are the northern cold desert camels, with more hair. Needless to say, Kathy loved the camel kissing session.

After the camels, we got a quick tour of the desert where we learned of some of the local plants with medicinal and sunblock characteristics. The one with the sunblock, you break off a little bit of the branch and the sap can be rubbed directly on your skin for an SPF 90 sunblock. It is white when you rub it on but quickly absorbs into the skin. They showed us barrel cacti that can be used for water in case of an emergency, and for water filtering if the water in the are is not safe to drink. And the Cardon cacti, in the same family as the saguaro cactus has psychedelic properties if you drink the sap, but it will also give you extreme diarrhea for 2-3 days after consuming. The first part is enticing, but the second is definitely a deterrent, so hence, we did not try.

The third part of the Outback experience was lunch and tequila testing. The lunch included napoli, a cactus that is cooked and then sliced and put into salads. It looked like green bean salad and tasted pretty much the same. The tortillas and salad and ribs and other foods were ok but were definitely buffet food. They have two very large dining areas and we were there on one of the days that very few folks were attending so it was quiet.

The Tequila tasting was definitely not the same caliber as the one the night before, but the we managed 5-6 shots of various tequilas and mescals and one drink that was incredibly sweet in a bottle of a pregnant woman. I think I had had enough at that point and don’t remember the story about that one. I was too busy watching the whales that were surfacing a half mile from the beach.

We headed back to the pick up spot in a Jurassic Park style truck and then headed back in to town to the marina. We wanted to do a bit more shopping for Donna and Kathy as they had tested many many shops and had to go back to one that had some shirts they enjoyed. Tim and I waited at the bar across the road and had a beer before the ladies rejoined us for some cocktails.

It was getting late and they wanted to stop by Walmart again to look for some shirts and then we had dinner at a nice little taco shop across the highway from Costco near the AirBnB. We finally tasted some fish ceviche and it was delicious.

Here are a few photos from the day.

We started the day with packing a lunch for the crew so we could hang out on the beach, which was one stop on the harbor tour we chose. It was a quick drive to the harbor and then finding a place to park. The lot next to the harbor is only $15 pesos an hour so we waited about 15 minutes for a spot in the lot. The tour place was easy to find and we signed in and were assigned a spot on a boat that was leaving in about 15 minutes. We all had to wear life vests and once on the boat and out in the channel we all posed for the obligatory photo.

The tour is a quick guided ride out into the harbor and along the rock formations that is called Land’s End for Baja California. There are several beaches at the beginning of the tour that are good for families, scuba diving, and snorkeling due to the reduced waves and currents. At the snorkeling beach, the glass-bottomed boat allowed us to see fish swimming underneath, however there were more if we just looked over the sides. We spent a few minutes gazing over the fish before continuing on to the other sites, many of which were caves or rock formations with stories or names to make the tours fun. The final beaches were Lover’s Beach and Divorced Beach before we cruised through some of the channels into the Pacific Ocean side. We all took a bit of time to take photos at the famous arch in Cabo’s bay with the hundreds of other boats that stop throughout the day. On the way back we stopped at Lover’s beach, got off, and made a quick camp in the sand for lunch. We spent a bit over an hour there before heading back to the tour boat.

The beach was pretty fun and we made the mistake of feeding a seagull, which of course invited dozens to join him. We gave them crackers and some pringles until one of the more daring birds grabbed the cracker bag out of Kathy’s hand and took off, intending to break the slow feeding into a shared feeding frenzy with dozens of them fighting over the crumbs. We are not sure some of our neighbors appreciated it, but it was fun for us. On the way back, the seals were in the harbor and were following the fishing boats into the harbor to get the remains of the bait that were not used. This of course provided opportunities for some photos.

We exited the tour after about three hours (HAHA!, a three hour tour), and dropped stuff back at the car. We headed into the port to do some shopping and have a beverage after the scorching day at the beach. The first place we stopped for margaritas and mojitos because they advertised 2 for 1 happy hour. It turned out to be not good, which is probably why no one was there, and the price was like $500 pesos ($30 USD) for 4 small plastic cups of badly mixed drinks. We left and crossed over into the town and visited the many shops along the route. We ended up finding the Cabo Wabo Cantina and went in for a hopefully better margarita and some guacamole. The bill was paid for some good (and expensive) drinks and on the way out we stopped by the shop to get some stickers, shirts, and Tim bought a bottle of their Tequila for about $72 USD. (More on that later).

Shopping continued and the ladies made their deals while they sent us off for a promotion $1 beer at a tequila shop. We met the shopkeep (barkeep) and she began a tour of the tequilas on display. Many were in fancy bottles and she explained that the tequila was the same in those bottles as in the regular bottles, but people like to collect the ceramic, beaded, or painted collector’s editions. She then asked if we wanted an education on tequila and mescal. Of course! Our experience with tequila is pretty much body shots in college and margaritas (which I recently leaned how to make, properly).

Silver, Reposido, Anijo, and Mescal are three different versions of a similar product. First, the worm story… It was used initially to differentiate between Tequila silver and Mescal Silver in the early years. Mescal has the worm, which we found out should be complete and in tact, otherwise the bottle of mescal is likely old and of poor taste. Tequila is made from 100% blue agave while Mescal is made from any and all other forms of agave. Second, when the agave is shaved and the resulting “pineapple” is harvested, Tequila (blue agave) are baked in ovens until the pineapple is sufficiently dried and the “honey” can be pressed out of the core. Mescal is similarly harvested, but the drying is managed in a pit where a fire is lit above the pineapples and result in an earthy, smokey version of the same “honey”. The different drying method along with the blue versus “any” agave is what distinguishes tequila from mescal.

So on with the tasting. Silver tequila is basically the fermented honey that has been distilled several times, as the initial fermentation yields 160 proof tequila. It is distilled several times and cut with water to make the 38-40% (76-80 proof) tequila we drink. There is a bit of a scandal going on these days in that some of the tequilas are no longer made from 100% agave and are cut with corn, resulting in only 30% sugar from the agave. The ones we sampled were certified 100% blue agave. Lilyanne made us understand that you mix drinks with silver because using reposido or anejo, you were removing the extra aging and flavoring that made those types special. Reposido tequila is aged in barrels for 2-12 months only giving it a rested flavor. Anejo is aged 12-18 months usually, but up to 3 years in a variety of barrels. Extra Anejo is 3 years and above and can contain a variety of spices and flavors. There are a couple of other ones, like anejo but filtered (cristalilo) or Joven (gold) tequilas that are silver mixed with aged…

And how to drink… The lime, salt piece is for a couple of real reasons; or at least the lime. You are supposed to taste the lime to prepare your mouth and throat for the tequila. It causes you to produce saliva that will reduce the burn and allow for full flavor. Good silver tequila is easy to drink this way as is the reposido. When you get to the Anejo, no lime should be needed. You first kiss the tequila, putting a bit on your lips in the glass (not a shot glass) and then breathing in the tequila. When sipping it, you take it in your mouth, swish it around a bit, and then swallow, then breathing out to get the full flavor. It is definitely not the way we have experienced tequila. It is very good, tasty, and warm feeling. Reposido that we tasted was rested 12 months and the anejo was a 3 year. Anejo was very sweet and full flavor, much like a brandy or good whiskey. The Reposido had the best flavor for our liking.

The Mescal is consumed similarly, except that you finish it with an orange slice instead of lime. The smokey flavor is rather interesting and nothing I had ever experienced. It is easy to drink and does not really burn, as we typically experience. It is also a sipping drink that us usually consumed cold or with ice (as with anejo). Lillyanne was a good salesperson as we decided to purchase 3 bottles from her and provided her with a tip for the education.

By that time we had decided that Sammy’s Cabo tequila needed to be returned for a couple of reasons… no taste test for us on the 6 types they sell, and it was $72 ($1200 pesos) where this really good reposido stuff we just experienced was $50. The ladies took Sammy’s back to get a refund. And here is where the story comes in for the Cabo Wabo Cantina. When they came back they were given $140 pesos… two 50’s and two 20’s. We said hold the phone and headed back to the cantina shop to get the correct amount. When we got there the ladies behind the counter tried to accuse them of swapping bills. Kathy saw the cameras and we asked for the manager and said we would wait for the security to inspect the transaction. The sales ladies said something like “they would have to take it from their personal money, but wanted to make it right”. Bottom line, they gave us back two $500 peso bills along with the two $20’s. They still managed to steal $160 pesos from Tim, but at that point we figured it was lucky we got anything back. Sammy, check your people!!!

We finished off the night with more browsing and then a quick bite at a street side restaurant. The tacos were good and the drinks were ok and overpriced, but hey, we are in Cabo at the heart of the tourist money making machine….

Here are some additional photos from the day.

We traveled to Cabo and checked in to an AirBnB for our friends visit over the weekend. We were excited to get a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and laundry. The place looked really nice on the app when booking, and after arriving, the lady was really nice and set us up in the 3 BR place. The pictures on the app were a bit different than the actual place, but it was still pretty nice and the location was 10 minutes from down town, 2 minutes from grocery stores, Costco and Walmart.

Some translations: Cabo means Cape in Spanish.

I misunderstood the time Tim and Donna were arriving to be 7 PM when it was actually at 1PM and I had scheduled to pick up the rental car at 12PM at the marina. The airport is 40 minutes from Cabo, and I still had to walk the 2.5 miles to the Hertz location. and it was 10:30 AM. So I took off, figuring it would be close, or they’d have to wait an hour or so. I made it at 11:45 but it took them until 12:35 to get me the car… but on the walk over, Donna texted that their plane was delayed and would not get there until 3:35. It always works out and I drove the little VW SUV to get Kathy.

We picked them up after finally finding where they had walked off to and then drove them straight to San Jose del Cabo. I hijacked the crew and took them to a Birria place that Coby and Chandra had recommended as being the best in San Jose. The place had 3 things on the menu… Birria, Carne Asada, and tripe and two options for shells, soft or crispy. The were pretty good with all the sauces and grilled peppers and onions. Yum. From there we took them to the art district in San Jose del Cabo, which was at night and incredibly beautiful. Kathy and Donna loved walking through all the shops and Tim and I enjoyed the whole experience.

The city is still decorated for the holidays and it was nice to be down there at night. We walked through the art district, looked at some interesting and expensive “art” and furniture, and took in the entire area with a different view than in the daylight from a couple days before. A breeze had come in and it got a bit cold so we headed back to the car. Along the way we stopped and scheduled two tours, one a harbor and beach tour and the other a Camel adventure tour. We finally got them back to the AirBnB around 9 PM where we caught up and had a ton of laughs.

Here are some additional photos from the day.