Los Cabos, Mexico

We had a unique opportunity to visit Los Cabos, on the Pacific side of Mexico because my brother Peter owns a timeshare and was generous enough to let us use it.  Usually on vacation we rent a house and I do a lot of the cooking and shopping, as well as keeping the bed made and house picked up.  This time all I had to think about what where and when we were going to eat, what to drink, and when to go down to the pool.  We were there nine days and for nine days it was sunny and warm.  That is the biggest appeal:  the guarantee of perfect weather.  We've been other places where you have at least a few days of rain, but not here. 

I was so impressed with the staff, from the man who raked the sand all day long, to the housekeeping staff, to the waitstaff.  Each one was friendly to a fault and seemed genuinely happy, even though they were working very hard at a menial job catering to a bunch of spoiled tourists.  The facility was spotless, dust and cobweb free, and we could have eaten off the floor.

Speaking of eating, it was only by the grace of God (and my swimming for hours on end each day) that prevented me from coming home 20 lbs heavier.  All inclusive means you can drink as many drinks and have as many meals you want, whether from the swim-up bar, the five restaurants or room service.  Our favorites were the sushi restaurant and the Italian restaurant, Portofino. 

We were among many newly married couples, or couples who actually got married at the resort.   We witnessed three such ceremonies.  The first was the most entertaining.  The groom arrived in a motorized glider which buzzed over the seated guests at water's edge with the theme music from James Bond over the loudspeaker. The glider landed and he emerged, in a white suit, to the applause and cheers of the guests.  Pumping his fists in the air, he ran through the guests to his bride who was coming down the walkway from the hotel. 

The ubiquitous Arch was on our list of things to do and we took a small boat ride to the rock formations and beaches surrounding the landmark. 

 

 

 

My favorite part on tropical vacation is always the sunrise and sunset, watching the sun creep up tantalizingly and this was no exception.  The view from our balcony afforded us some spectacular views.

 

Visiting Prince Eric in Sacramento

Going to Eric Kunze's shows around the country affords me the opportunity to get to know cities I might not otherwise visit.  It also gives me the chance to plan travel opportunities with friends and family members.  Since they are usually long weekend trips I can do them more often than extended vacations and, thanks to my obsession with collecting frequent flyer miles, it usually is more affordable that way and doesn't cut too much into my work schedule. 

This trip was one of the first times I have been able to travel with my sister Caroline.  Her business and family keep her busy most of the time.  But she had never been to California and this was the perfect chance for us to experience it together.  Hopefully, it is not the last time we will be able to have so much fun traveling together! 

We saw "The Little Mermaid" three times at Sacramento's Music Circus, a theater in the round which seats 2200 people and there is not a bad seat in the house.  The set is minimal, some of which is dropped from the ceiling, some is brought onto the stage by crew and some of the action takes place in the aisles.  After the shows, we waited for Eric as he patiently signed autographs and posed for pictures with the throngs of dressed up little girls eager to catch a glimpse of "Prince Eric" and "Ariel".  We organized and attended an Eric Kunze fanclub meeting at Cafeteria restaurant with other fans who had traveled into Sacramento for the occasion. 

Caroline and I also took two day trips, one to the Napa Valley area and one to San Francisco.  In Napa we had a scrumptious meal at Morimoto (of "Iron Chef" fame) and visited a winery designed after a Tuscan castle.  In San Francisco we had a great meal at Scoma's, an institution that has been around since 1965, visited the Japanese garden at Golden Gate Park, drove over the Golden Gate Bridge and ended our day overlooking the water in Sausalito.   The five days went by so quickly, but we are hoping to do it again really soon. 

Nevis: An Overview

I always gain perspective on trips when I am back home in my normal routine. It is only then I can appreciate all the people we met and the beauty we were able to see. They are memories that stay with me for a lifetime. No luxury I can buy, no house, no car, no jewelry, could ever enrich me more than the money we spend on travel. I will do it as long as I can draw breath. Thank you to everyone on Nevis who made our trip so special: from those adorable kids at St. Thomas Primary, to Isaac, to Marlon, Paterson, Armena, Ethan, Doreen and especially Jane of the Lazy Turtle.

Nevis Day Six: More Lobster!

Some days it seems as though we are going from one meal to another on this vacation, interspersed only by napping and floating in the pool. Today we were not only treated to a free lunch AND a free dinner at two different exclusive resorts on the island, we also were personally brought a freshly caught lobster to our door. I had casually expressed the desire to cook a lobster here at the villa to Armena, the owner of the pottery we visited yesterday. She talked to someone and secured one for me from a local fisherman. They are hard to come by, because the restaurants on the island buy them all. She remembered where we were staying and brought it over personally. Amazing!

Now the question was: how the heck do I prepare this beast? After looking it up on Google, I managed to do an OK job and the result is in the fridge for tomorrow's lobster salad sandwich lunch.

Our first free meal was lunch at Nisbet Plantation next door. We had lobster sandwiches, little knowing we would have lobster delivered to us later. I am hooked on lobster, especially on some good bread, cut into chunks and simply dressed with mayo, salt and pepper. We had a lazy afternoon, then dressed for dinner at the Mt. Nevis Hotel. We got there in the nick of time for sunset. It was Mexican night. We were greeted at the entrance with tequila shots and led to our table overlooking thr twinkling lights of the island of St. Kitts.

Nevis Botanical Gardens

This Thai-inspired garden was so beautiful no further words are needed...

Nevis Day Five: Lobster!

Last night at the beach barbeque our maitre d', Paterson, told us of his own place called Lime Cafe on Pinney's Beach. I had been on a quest for the perfect grilled lobster and he assured me that would be the place to get it. Once there we realized we had passed by on the way to Sunshines a few days ago, right next door. Paterson greeted us with a big smile, only this time not in a dark suit, but a colorful shirt, shorts and sunglasses. He looked like a cooler, younger, more relaxed version of the formal man we had met the night before. As soon as we were seated he bought us mint-scented, ice cold washcloths, a really nice touch. There was no question what we were going to order. The Caribbean spiny lobsters are different than the Maine lobsters we typically get in the States. They are smaller and sweeter, split down the middle and grilled. He was right: it WAS the perfect grilled lobster. From now on I will be comparing all future lobster dishes with that experience.

Nevis Day Four: Babies and Beach Barbeques

Our villa, The Lazy Turtle, has these great pineapple wall sconces, which are also to be found at Nisbet Plantation next door. They would be the perfect addition to our cottage at home. I found out from the nice lady at Nisbet's reception that they are made and sold at the pottery right across the street. Of course that was first on my "to do" list for the day.

I got so much more than a wall sconce. The building was so nondescript we had passed it by several times before noticing the sign, which was propped up near the ground. In the entryway sat a man holding an adorable baby, trying to keep cool in the shade. The shop owner and artist (Armena?), her hands grey from the clay, had been expecting me, since her daughter works at Nisbet and had told her of my interest. The baby was her little boy and the man her father. Luckily there was one pineapple sconce to be had and I happily purchased it. The baby, Ethan, who up until now had been sitting contentedly in his grandfather's lap, started getting a little fussy. I asked if I could hold him for a minute. He came to me readily and reached up and started playing with my blond hair. It is a precious moment that will remain in my memory forever.

That evening was the weekly beach barbeque at Nisbet Plantation, complete with music and dancing. We were greeted at the entrance with a rum punch, which we sipped while perusing the wares of some local gift shops which were on display. After listening to the steel drum bank for awhile, we proceeded to the pool area to be seated for the buffet dinner. That is when we first met Paterson,the maitre d'. He is the kind of person you never forget. Very formal, dressed in a dark suit and colorful tie and a big smile, he seemed to know everyone and everyone knew him. Throughout the evening he constantly checked on us to make sure we were well taken of.

The buffet was an assortment of Caribbean fare: plantains, rice, vegetables, seaweed salad, barbequed steak, shrimp and different kinds of fish. We strolled home in the dark and floated in our pool, looking at the brilliant star-lit sky, the steel drum music wafting its way across the sand to us.