Kariann HaskellWe were invited to come along on a family trip with Ronny’s family, and it was too difficult to say no. So off we jet from SLC to LAX to do our first flight to make our way to Cabo San Lucas. We land and deplane ,but lose one in our party due to losing a passport. The rest of us made our way to Cabo San Lucas, and spent the day getting comfortable in our AirBNB.
Our favorite eatery close to our stay was Villa Serena. A fantastic view of the water from the open patio was a delight at sunset. It stayed warm well past sunset at the Baja does, and we ended the night with Lord of the Rings.
Rising early the next morning, we hop on a boat to explore El Arco and the surrounding waters for some whale watching. It was a delight to see numerous whales rising, swimming around us, and one breached nearby. Truly a must do when you visit Baja California.
After a quick trip back to the Marina, we boarded another boat to go ParaSailing. I’ve never done anything like this before, so I was a little shook on having to participate in something so different from my comfort zone. But, I holster in, and get flung back and out behind the boat, rising slowly into the air, and resting high above the water. A wild experience, as it was eerily quiet which I wasn’t expecting. The view was exquisite.
Ronny and I got ready to go out on the town and get a lil’ toasty. I had made reservations at Sunset de Mona Lisa, a restaurant overlooking Cabo San Lucas from the waterfront. We were sat on a tier of patio overlooking even some of the restaurant which was awesome to see change in the night. The patio lights come on and made a very cozy private space of our own.
The food was divine, and so affordable. While the portions were nothing to provide a hearty dinner, it was all paired together well and unique in flavor. Getting to watch the sunset from the patio was so open and comfortable. We left in the darkness and stumbled down to the shore from the AirBNB we were staying in. I took a few images of the rising moon and we enjoyed the moonlit shore.
A long van ride transported us the next morning across the island to La Paz. After a 5 hour van ride, we arrived at our hotel, La Concha. While Ronny’s father watched whales breach out in the Bay of LaPaz, we indulged in shrimp tacos with a cold beer ( and a hotel cat whom we gave all the love.) Later that evening, we ventured out to the small bar by the end of the pier. Here we had a cocktail and watched the sun go down.
In the morning, we headed out with Baja Cat, a charter that took us out into the bay of LaPaz to snorkel with Whale Sharks and have a day trip.
Mariana is a true delight to be around. She makes you feel engaged, and taken care of as a host and guide to the underwater life you’re going to encounter. There was a whole crew of chefs and captains aboard with us. The whole family was well fed and looked after.
After a quick overview of everything we set off and the group I was set to snorkel for the first time. As I went to lean backwards into the water, my body froze. After a few minutes of gaining composure, I jumped in.
While we are not Olympic swimmers, it takes a little practice and time to get comfortable in the gear and not feel like you’re going to drown. But getting to swim alongside such a big creature underwater was amazing. They float rather briskly along, so keeping up may be harder for some than others.
After that first snorkel, I was hooked. After a lunch aboard the Catamaran, we set off to Isla del Espiritu Santo to have another underwater encounter with sea lions.
This time I was much more confident, and took off into the Sea of Cortez. What I was not expecting was how friendly and interested the sea lions were in our marine biologist. She was able to dive down with them and twirl, interact. Loved watching these creatures.
We head back to Cabo San Lucas to spend our day before heading back to Salt Lake City. The morning before our flight, we scoured the beaches for treasures, climbed around mountains of jagged rock to enjoy a final view before heading back to the Utah Snow.
