The Parroquia San José del Cabo church, or Mission of San José del Cabo was located in the arts district. There were lots of displays sculptures and plenty of food and drink to enjoy.
The Parroquia San José del Cabo church, or Mission of San José del Cabo was located in the arts district. There were lots of displays sculptures and plenty of food and drink to enjoy.
SAN JOSE DEL CABO — August is a busy month for the Notebooms and this year was a special year for my mom, Nan, who is also a freelance writer for CGN. She celebrated her retirement, birthday and wedding anniversary. The first week of August my family loaded up and traveled south of the border to San José del Cabo on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. The resort town is 20 miles northeast of Cabo San Lucas — located on the Sea of Cortez — and is home to white sand beaches, traditional Mexican art and the tastiest coronaritas — a classic margarita with a mini Corona beer tipped upside down in the drink.
Our original plans included a condo in Cabo San Lucas, but burst pipes forced a change of plans that led us down the “tourist corridor.” This 20-mile stretch of highway has lots of luxury resorts and is heavily patrolled by the Guardia Nacional — The National Guard of Mexico. Officers were deployed along beaches, sidewalks and along the highway to protect visitors. Intimidating at first, they would always wave back and could be seen smiling and playing around in the surf with other residents.
It is not cheap to fly six people to Mexico, so we opted for a 3:45 a.m. take off from Portland International Airport. We flew to Seattle and then Cabo.
We wasted no time swapping our travel clothes for swimsuits and hit the beach. The water was so warm. I am used to frigid mountain waters, so this was a dramatic change of scenery. The beach was popular with surfers. They would be out on the water every day from the time I woke up until the sun set.
We set out to Cabo San Lucas for our first adventure. A tour company took us via sailboat to see the famous Los Cabos Arch as well as Lover’s Beach. The waters are calm and the sand is smooth at Lover’s Beach. Just on the other side of the peninsula was the Pacific Ocean and Divorce Beach. Our tour guide said they call it that because the waters are rough and unforgiving.
We anchored near Pelican Rock, geared up and jumped in. Our first underwater wildlife sighting was not a fish, however, but a jellyfish. Nearly every member of our party was stung at some point. They were minor and did not require life-saving measures, but a new experience nonetheless.
While in town we visited the famous Cabo Wabo restaurant before some shopping in the downtown plaza. The stream of tourists kept the shopkeepers busy for the most part, but when they weren’t helping customers they would go fishing — for more customers. Most just said hello in hopes of attracting you to their store.
Our troop visited San José del Cabo’s historic art district and cultural center. The Parroquia San José del Cabo church, or Mission of San José del Cabo, piqued the interest of my geography-loving-dad. Steve is a human geography teacher at HRVHS, so it checks out. The mission was established in April 1730 by Jesuit priests Sebastian Sisneaga and Nicolas Tamaral.
The central district has lots of art displays and every Thursday night between the months of November and June the streets close to vehicles for the Art Walk. Unfortunately we missed the art walk, but everybody we asked suggested we visit the weekly event.
We would soon return to downtown Cabo for a sunset cruise, unlimited drinks and my mom’s 60th birthday. About two dozen people were smiling, taking selfies, making new friends and enjoying the energy. I, on the other hand, experienced some stomach discomfort but my F.O.M.O. (Fear Of Missing Out) kicked in and I decided to go anyway. People are advised to not drink the tap water, but I chalked up my tummy troubles to a bad enchilada.
During our stay a tropical cyclone passed through Cabo that brought torrential rains and high winds. Two seconds on the deck to get a photo and I was completely soaked. Traffic was at a standstill for about 15 minutes as the Guardia Nacional directed traffic and cleared the streets of debris. The storm gave us some time to relax and prepare for the 15-hour trek home to Oregon.
I would highly recommend visiting San José del Cabo, not just for the coronaritas, but the art, the people and the warm water. Need some advice on where to start? I can recommend places to stay, restaurants to eat at and activities you should explore.
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