Cabo!
by Joyce Wade
It all began last Christmas when my husband and I had a delightful
dinner out with his two sisters. One sister lives near us in Southern
California and the other was visiting from Seattle. The conversation
got around to all of us going on a trip together-"wouldn't that
be fun?" That started the ball rolling.
The sisters had already discussed a trip to Cabo San Lucas so that
would be our destination. Cabo lies at "land's end", at the
very tip of Baja California, which is a finger of land extending south
from Southern California. One coast of Baja is the Pacific Ocean,
while the other is the Gulf of Cortez, one of the richest fishing
grounds in the Western Hemisphere. So Cabo it would be, a wonderful
destination to break the winter doldrums in Seattle and Southern
California.
Since I am the computer "geek" of the family, I took it upon
myself to arrange for our accommodations in Cabo, using the Internet.
Judy, the Seattle sister, suggested a place named The Bungalows. A
friend of hers had stayed there and highly recommended it.
So I grabbed a cup of coffee, booted up my computer, and pointed my
browser to The Bungalows. Low and behold, there in black and white
with a little finger pointing at it on my computer screen was The
Bungalows. The pictures were delightful, and a gourmet breakfast was
included with the room. And to top it off, they had a two-bedroom
bungalow that would sleep five. Janet, the Southern California;
sister, would bring her significant other.
Many e-mails were exchanged with the manager of The Bungalows, and
questions answered in a prompt manner. What a benefit to use e-mail to
go back and forth with arrangements in another country!
Airline tickets were purchased with Alaska Airlines. The four Southern
California-ites would fly together and meet the Seattle sister in Cabo.
Finally, the February date arrived. The trip would also coincide with
my birthday.
The flight from Los Angeles was a delight, taking about an hour and
forty minutes. A snack was provided and it seemed no time at all when
we were landing. The four of us gathered up our luggage and headed to
a shuttle bus to take us to the Bungalows. Judy would be coming in
later that day.
Making our way through the airport terminal was a bit like a salmon
swimming upstream. Various "hawkers" wanted us to hire them
and on the way we would take a side trip to see a condo, perhaps to
purchase a time share. "Thanks, no, we'll just take the
shuttle," we told them.
The shuttle bus was quite full and the drive was beautiful. Blue skies
greeted us with warm breezes, and there it was-Land's End. The famous
arches of Cabo San Lucas stood majestically off shore. Sail boats
cruised near the impressive rocky sentinels while an ocean liner
anchored offshore. For a minute I thought we were in Hawaii; palm
trees and tropical plants made for beautiful entries to impressive
hotels dotting the landscape for the twenty mile ride to Cabo San
Lucas from the airport. In between these first class hotels are some
of the most beautiful golf courses one could imagine. Was this heaven
or where was I?
I began to get a bit uneasy about our destination when the driver,
checking our hotel destination for the second time, said in a heavy
Mexican accent, "Ooh, Thee Boong-ga-lews." He seemed amazed
to be taking us there. My palms began to sweat a bit.
One by one, tourists departed the shuttle bus at breath-taking
beautiful hotels. Finally, it was just the four of us, heading right
smack into the middle of the hectic town of Cabo. Horns honked, cabs
darted here and there, and shops lined the main street and those
stretching a few blocks from the main street. Everything was visible
from street hawkers to first class shops. The marina was filled with
boats from teeny sail boats to yachts.
As we made our way through town, the paved street turned to a dusty,
bumpy dirt road. I began to get even more anxious about the locale of
The Bungalows and hoped the sweat on my brow wasn't showing.
Janet said, "Joyce, what kind of a place did you get for
us?" I felt somewhat defensive and said, " Well, Judy
recommended it!" If only she was with us right at that moment.
"We will be backing the bus up to Thee Boong-ga-lews," the
driver announced as if a warning. Right then, I almost lost it. Why
would he have to back up? Was it to spare us the sight of the place?
Delay it another few minutes?
Suddenly, as the bus came to a stop, with dust flying everywhere, we
finally saw it, The Bungalows. An enormous fuchsia bougainvillea
spread its branches in a welcoming bouquet. As we entered the
courtyard, it was as though a little slice of heaven had been brought
right there. A gentle bubbling fountain soothed my nerves as I gazed
across the sparkling blue pool. Giant banana trees and towering palms
gently swayed with the tropical breeze. Enormous shady trees embraced
winding ivy climbing up the trunk and through the branches and
provided a garden respite. Guests lazed around the pool in comfortable
lounge chairs.
Suddenly, there was my e-mail friend and manager, Steve. What a
wonderful host he was. Our room was delightful with beautiful bright
blue Mexican tile in the bath and small kitchen. Comfortable furniture
provided a cozy place to read or visit in the living room area and the
bedrooms were roomy. The place was delightful. Television and VCR was
provided along with a good selection of movies. Bottled water gave us
the security necessary to stay healthy.
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