One of my least favorite things about being on the road is being away from family during the holidays. We usually save trips home until Christmas. Of all the holidays to miss going home on Thanksgiving is the hardest. Last year I was fortunate enough to be home, and the year before that we had several of Mark’s co-workers that also didn’t get to go home that came over and I fed them. But this year it looks like its going to be just me and the hubby. He still wants me to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal and we’ll probably watch football. So I’m going to have plenty of leftovers for us to nibble on the following week. So I want to ask for some feed back from everyone. What is your favorite recipe using leftover Turkey? Put it in the comment box. Or you can e-mail me at gypsydiva24@hotmail.com. And I’ll post the recipes on my next blog. Also, let me know what you are thankful for this year.
I’m thankful for all of my friends and family and for all the blessings the Lord has bestowed on us. I pray everyone has a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving. Thanks for reading my blog.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Last Day in Cabo
Last Day Cabo
Friday, our last day in Cabo, Mark was invited to go fishing with one of our new friends. He was pretty excited about this until he found out he had to get up at 5:00 am in order to be on the boat by 6:00. He said he had a fun time and caught several fish, including some tuna, mahi mahi and a rooster fish. They ended up giving their catches to the fishing guide because we were all leaving the next day to go home and really didn’t have time to do anything with them. Although there are restaurants all along the marina that will cook anything you catch.
I took the opportunity while Mark was gone fishing to take advantage of the spa and booked a massage, a rare treat for me. Although next time I believe I will book at the beginning of our trip, because by the 6th day I was so sunburned and bruised that I was almost too sore to enjoy it. With the huge bruise on the bottom of my foot due to slipping off the ladder when we went snorkeling, I couldn’t get my feet massaged, one of my favorite things, because it hurt too badly. When I checked in they gave me a key to a locker that provided a robe and slippers, if you can call them that. I put the robe on, but the “slippers” would have been too big even for my husband. They hurt my feet when I walked, too, because the part that went across the top of my foot cut into the flesh making impossible to walk without swearing. It also had a bumpy soul that was supposed to feel like a soothing foot massage, but felt more like I was walking on rocks than anything. So I ended up wearing my own sandals. Apparently a lot of people do this, too, as I noticed while in the waiting area. Sitting still is not one of my attributes, so waiting in the quiet, darkened room for my massage with 5 other women was actually rather awkward. Guess I really was due for a massage, because I seem really uptight at this point. Although the Swedish massage was nice and relaxing, I think next time I will get the deep tissue massage. I feel as if I would benefit from that a bit more. Most hotels offer this service, although not at a bargain. I paid $120 and charged it to the room.
Since we were leaving early the next morning to go to the airport, we spent the rest of the day at, guess where, The Sky Pool. There we ran into our group of friends we had befriended and spent most of the day talking with them and saying our goodbyes. By day six I really wasn’t in a mood to drink anymore. In fact, nobody was. I drank water most of the day. I was also so tired and worn out I pretty much didn’t contribute to much of the conversation, if you can believe that. Later that evening two of the couples were going downtown, but we decided not to go out, due to the fact we had to get up early. We cleaned up and met one of the other couples we had met later that evening for dinner at the restaurant by the main pool. We ordered the pizza which was on special for happy hour. I ordered Sausage, Green Pepper, Mushroom, and Tomato, and I got Ham, Onion, Mushroom, and Pineapple. Not even close to what I ordered. They offered to make me another one, but I didn’t want to wait another 45 minutes. I asked them to just take it off my bill and the waiter said he didn’t want to do that because it would look bad on him and offered me a drink instead, which was the last thing I wanted. This was the only other incident I wasn’t real happy about, but then again, not everything is going to be perfect so I can’t complain too much. I would still stay at this hotel again. After we ate we then went back to our room and went to bed early. So our last day in Cabo was pretty uneventful and laid back.
We left the hotel early and caught a shuttle to the airport. When we got in the van, the radio was playing Toby Keith’s “Cabo San Lucas.” How appropriate was that? Our driver was very friendly and even stopped along the side of the road to let us take pictures of the ocean and some surfers in San Jose Del Cabo. We got checked in and gave the girl our tourist card which you don’t want to lose if you want to get back home. Once we got through security we actually had quite a while till our flight, so we grabbed something to eat. One thing you do not want to do is take any leftovers on the plane. Eat it all or throw it away. You are not allowed to take any food item onto the plane and out of Mexico. And they do open your bag and search through it in front of everyone before you get on the plane, so don’t pack anything you would be embarrassed for anyone to see. There are also a few souvenir shops at the airport in case you forgot to grab any while in Cabo. There’s even a Cabo Wabo store with t-shirts, koozies, and other items in case you were too intoxicated when you were there to remember to get anything. When we got on the plane they handed us a form to fill out with a space on the back to list all your purchases. Anything over $800 will be taxed. I think I totaled everything we brought back to about $150. We’re not much on souvenirs. Just something you have to carry around with you. We got to fly first class on the way back. I don’t know how that happened, other than the fact that we booked our flight at the last minute and it did say there were only 2 seats left, so maybe we lucked out and got into first class by default. I was rather disappointed because the one time I get to fly first class I’m not in the mood to drink anything but water. Maybe this is a good thing because there was one couple who was on our second flight who were perfectly fine when they got on the plane and several drinks later ended up getting in a fight right before we landed. Don’t be that person. Going through customs wasn’t as tedious as I thought it would be. Though we were the first ones off the plane and went straight there. But all the agent asked us was if we had anything to declare and I told him just souvenirs and I listed it all on the back of the paper I just handed him. He said fine and to go on. They do have dogs there, so don’t try anything stupid. Thus ended our trip to Cabo. We had a great time and I can’t wait to go back again.
Friday, our last day in Cabo, Mark was invited to go fishing with one of our new friends. He was pretty excited about this until he found out he had to get up at 5:00 am in order to be on the boat by 6:00. He said he had a fun time and caught several fish, including some tuna, mahi mahi and a rooster fish. They ended up giving their catches to the fishing guide because we were all leaving the next day to go home and really didn’t have time to do anything with them. Although there are restaurants all along the marina that will cook anything you catch.
I took the opportunity while Mark was gone fishing to take advantage of the spa and booked a massage, a rare treat for me. Although next time I believe I will book at the beginning of our trip, because by the 6th day I was so sunburned and bruised that I was almost too sore to enjoy it. With the huge bruise on the bottom of my foot due to slipping off the ladder when we went snorkeling, I couldn’t get my feet massaged, one of my favorite things, because it hurt too badly. When I checked in they gave me a key to a locker that provided a robe and slippers, if you can call them that. I put the robe on, but the “slippers” would have been too big even for my husband. They hurt my feet when I walked, too, because the part that went across the top of my foot cut into the flesh making impossible to walk without swearing. It also had a bumpy soul that was supposed to feel like a soothing foot massage, but felt more like I was walking on rocks than anything. So I ended up wearing my own sandals. Apparently a lot of people do this, too, as I noticed while in the waiting area. Sitting still is not one of my attributes, so waiting in the quiet, darkened room for my massage with 5 other women was actually rather awkward. Guess I really was due for a massage, because I seem really uptight at this point. Although the Swedish massage was nice and relaxing, I think next time I will get the deep tissue massage. I feel as if I would benefit from that a bit more. Most hotels offer this service, although not at a bargain. I paid $120 and charged it to the room.
Since we were leaving early the next morning to go to the airport, we spent the rest of the day at, guess where, The Sky Pool. There we ran into our group of friends we had befriended and spent most of the day talking with them and saying our goodbyes. By day six I really wasn’t in a mood to drink anymore. In fact, nobody was. I drank water most of the day. I was also so tired and worn out I pretty much didn’t contribute to much of the conversation, if you can believe that. Later that evening two of the couples were going downtown, but we decided not to go out, due to the fact we had to get up early. We cleaned up and met one of the other couples we had met later that evening for dinner at the restaurant by the main pool. We ordered the pizza which was on special for happy hour. I ordered Sausage, Green Pepper, Mushroom, and Tomato, and I got Ham, Onion, Mushroom, and Pineapple. Not even close to what I ordered. They offered to make me another one, but I didn’t want to wait another 45 minutes. I asked them to just take it off my bill and the waiter said he didn’t want to do that because it would look bad on him and offered me a drink instead, which was the last thing I wanted. This was the only other incident I wasn’t real happy about, but then again, not everything is going to be perfect so I can’t complain too much. I would still stay at this hotel again. After we ate we then went back to our room and went to bed early. So our last day in Cabo was pretty uneventful and laid back.
We left the hotel early and caught a shuttle to the airport. When we got in the van, the radio was playing Toby Keith’s “Cabo San Lucas.” How appropriate was that? Our driver was very friendly and even stopped along the side of the road to let us take pictures of the ocean and some surfers in San Jose Del Cabo. We got checked in and gave the girl our tourist card which you don’t want to lose if you want to get back home. Once we got through security we actually had quite a while till our flight, so we grabbed something to eat. One thing you do not want to do is take any leftovers on the plane. Eat it all or throw it away. You are not allowed to take any food item onto the plane and out of Mexico. And they do open your bag and search through it in front of everyone before you get on the plane, so don’t pack anything you would be embarrassed for anyone to see. There are also a few souvenir shops at the airport in case you forgot to grab any while in Cabo. There’s even a Cabo Wabo store with t-shirts, koozies, and other items in case you were too intoxicated when you were there to remember to get anything. When we got on the plane they handed us a form to fill out with a space on the back to list all your purchases. Anything over $800 will be taxed. I think I totaled everything we brought back to about $150. We’re not much on souvenirs. Just something you have to carry around with you. We got to fly first class on the way back. I don’t know how that happened, other than the fact that we booked our flight at the last minute and it did say there were only 2 seats left, so maybe we lucked out and got into first class by default. I was rather disappointed because the one time I get to fly first class I’m not in the mood to drink anything but water. Maybe this is a good thing because there was one couple who was on our second flight who were perfectly fine when they got on the plane and several drinks later ended up getting in a fight right before we landed. Don’t be that person. Going through customs wasn’t as tedious as I thought it would be. Though we were the first ones off the plane and went straight there. But all the agent asked us was if we had anything to declare and I told him just souvenirs and I listed it all on the back of the paper I just handed him. He said fine and to go on. They do have dogs there, so don’t try anything stupid. Thus ended our trip to Cabo. We had a great time and I can’t wait to go back again.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Cabo Day 5
Today’s entry will be shorter than the rest, because we took it easy on this day. We slept in after a night out in downtown the night before. I got up and cooked breakfast and took advantage of some relaxing down time. Later we decided to go check out the Main Pool, since we had not taken the opportunity to visit before. We had gotten in the habit of going to the Sky Pool, because it was right behind our building and not necessary to take a kart to get to. I was surprised by the activity and the expanse of the main pool. We were wondering why we haven’t been spending our time here. It’s actually several pools that all connect together. There’s one large area that’s not actually a hot tub, but has the jets you can sit and relax in. There’s a bridge that crosses over one end of the pool. They have lots of chaise lounges, and cabanas. It’s very relaxing and beautiful. They also have a swim up bar with swim up tables. The pool sits right at the edge of the beach, where they have beach beds that you can rent for the day. This part of the beach is non-swimmable because of the dangerous currents and undertows. We spent some time here just watching the waves which are breathtaking. Then we sat at one of the tables near the swim up bar and enjoyed some Pina Coladas. What a great concept!
One of the couples we had befriended while in Cabo invited us to join them and another couple on the Sunrider sunset dinner cruise later that evening. After some consideration we decided to accept. The normal price for this cruise is $55, but we only paid $40 through the concierge at the hotel. The price includes all you can eat dinner and drinks. We had debated about going, not really knowing what to expect. Let me tell you, this was one of the most entertaining activities we did on our vacation. They also have wine cruises, booze cruises, and whale watching tours available. Whale watching tours are only available certain times of the year. On our cruise we passed by El Arco and had the opportunity to take pictures. My husband told me not to go crazy on the pictures on this trip; because he said he wasn’t going to buy any more. Later he turns up with two pictures in his hand. He bought one of our group of three couples in front of El Arco, and one they took of us as we were preparing to board. I love my husband. The Sunset Cruise boasts “Music, Ambience, open bar, full dinner, and an unbeatable back drop of breathtaking surroundings are all-inclusive with your ticket to ride on this two and a half hour tour.” I won’t give away all we did, so you can experience it fresh. If you don’t take one of these cruises you are missing out on a lot of fun, and some of the beautiful scenery of Cabo San Lucas. For more information visit http://sunridertours.com/
One of the couples we had befriended while in Cabo invited us to join them and another couple on the Sunrider sunset dinner cruise later that evening. After some consideration we decided to accept. The normal price for this cruise is $55, but we only paid $40 through the concierge at the hotel. The price includes all you can eat dinner and drinks. We had debated about going, not really knowing what to expect. Let me tell you, this was one of the most entertaining activities we did on our vacation. They also have wine cruises, booze cruises, and whale watching tours available. Whale watching tours are only available certain times of the year. On our cruise we passed by El Arco and had the opportunity to take pictures. My husband told me not to go crazy on the pictures on this trip; because he said he wasn’t going to buy any more. Later he turns up with two pictures in his hand. He bought one of our group of three couples in front of El Arco, and one they took of us as we were preparing to board. I love my husband. The Sunset Cruise boasts “Music, Ambience, open bar, full dinner, and an unbeatable back drop of breathtaking surroundings are all-inclusive with your ticket to ride on this two and a half hour tour.” I won’t give away all we did, so you can experience it fresh. If you don’t take one of these cruises you are missing out on a lot of fun, and some of the beautiful scenery of Cabo San Lucas. For more information visit http://sunridertours.com/
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Cabo San Lucas Day 4
I can’t believe we’re already half way into our vacation. We woke up early on Wednesday morning, at least earlier than we have been, to go on our snorkeling tour. My husband had originally wanted to catch the free shuttle to the Rose` and walk over to the marina, but I did not feel like walking that early in the morning, esp. since I wasn’t quite feeling up to par when we got up. We took a cab down to the marina, which cost only $10. There were porters that met us where we were dropped off that directed us where to go. This was quite helpful, since this is a large area. Fortunately we got there early and we were able to find a pharmacia and purchase some Alka Seltzer. After consuming this and a couple of beers I was good to go.
We got on a catamaran called The Pez Gato, which left at 10:00 am. The cost for this tour is $45 and includes snorkel equipment, lunch, and beverages. They only allow you to have up to 3 alcoholic beverages before snorkeling, but after that you can have as much as you want. They have your basic drinks: Bloody Mary’s, Margaritas, Rum, Vodka, Whiskey, Tequila, and your choice of beer, if that choice happens to be Tecate. We sat at the front of the catamaran on the netting. That part of the tour, to me, was the most fun. It took about 50 minutes to reach Santa Maria Bay, where we were taken to snorkel for about an hour. We were impressed with the crew of the Pez Gato, who were very friendly, and helpful. As we were being fitted for flippers and snorkel equipment I asked if they sterilized them after each use, a question I believe most of the passengers wanted an answer to. The response was “Oh yes, we soak them in tequila.” Tequila!? I hope he was kidding.
They lowered a ladder that slanted into the water for those of us who did not want to jump off the boat. This was my first snorkeling experience, and I have to admit I was a little nervous. My husband has a PADI license for scuba diving, so he helped me a lot and made me feel more comfortable. At first I was a bit claustrophobic, but after a while I got used to it and did a good job of keeping up with my husband. I have to admit I wasn’t as awestruck as I expected to be. But it was pretty cool. There were some pretty fish to be seen, but not as much as I anticipated. We also some beautiful coral reef on the ocean floor. I was told by several people, including my husband, that snorkeling in Cozumel and Grand Cayman was a lot better. Someone had a water bottle full of oatmeal and she would shake some of it into the water and there would be a fish frenzy. This was pretty amazing, until my husband informed me that the small yellow ones bit, and it really hurt. Ok, when things start biting or stinging, I’m out.
My husband thought it would be a great idea to go check out the beach. The sand on the beach here is actually made up of really small pebbles. It looks like oatmeal when you looking down in the water from the surface. We swam up to the beach and of course I immediately got knocked down by waves, and my flippers filled up with these pebbles. I had a difficult time trying to get back up because the waves were pushing me up on the beach, then pulling me back down. I finally managed to get up on my feet so I could get to a point where I could start swimming without being pushed back to shore. I had to float in the bay while emptying my flippers so I could continue swimming. We finally loaded back onto the boat, and after drinking a few beers earlier I had to find the ladies room. I pulled my swimsuit bottoms down and about 50,000 pebbles fell on the floor. You can only laugh at this point. Good grief. Like I said, I’m not much of a beach person.
After everyone was back on the boat, we headed back to the marina and they served us lunch. They had several sandwiches on hoagie rolls, and they were actually pretty good. Either that or I was extremely hungry from not eating breakfast. On the way back to the marina we cruised by El Arco, or The Arch, a 200-foot granite rock situated at the tip of the Land's End peninsula and one of the most popular landmarks in Cabo San Lucas. It is also a popular gathering area for sea lions, several of which we saw sunbathing on some of the smaller rock formations protruding from the water. The captain cruised slowly by and gave everyone a chance to take pictures. There was a photographer on board, as well, who took several pictures and let us pick the ones we wanted, which he had printed up for us and ready for purchase when we returned to the marina. We ended up buying two; one of us in front of El Arco, and one of us in the water with our snorkel equipment, because I didn’t have anyone to take a picture of us at that point. The cost for the pictures is about $14 each if you are interested in purchasing. After we passed the Arch, we made a stop at Lovers Beach and were allowed to get out and swim for a short time. We got out and swam, but I decided to not trek to the beach again. Be careful when climbing down the ladder with bare feet. I slipped off the last rung as I was getting in and I ended up with a huge black and blue bruise on the bottom of my foot that made it difficult to walk the rest of my vacation. We then headed back to the marina after swimming for about 10 or 15 minutes. The total tour took about 4 hours. Even though it wasn’t what I was expecting I’m glad I went on this tour. I could ride on that boat all day long. I love being on the water. You can find out more about their snorkeling and other tours at http://www.pezgato.com/.
Upon returning to the hotel we went to Sky Pool, our favorite hang out now and hooked up with our new friends we had met there. Two of the couples had informed us that they had gone downtown to Cabo Wabo the night before and gotten into the show for Sammy Hagar. I’m pretty sure they had a better chance since Monday’s show was cancelled and there may have been people who couldn’t make it to the rescheduled show. So along with our new friends from Texas we decided to go downtown that night and make a try for getting in. They had an overflow line for people who didn’t have tickets and when asked if it was possible we might get in we were told we didn’t have a “chance in hell” of getting in. Oh well. There was a neat little bar across the street called Pirate Porky’s, and we were able to walk over there, purchase a cerveza, and bring it back for consumption while waiting in line. But, after a while we decided to give up. We bought a few Cabo Wabo souvenirs and went across the street to enjoy the rest of our evening. We had been watching the concert on a big screen provided in front of Cabo Wabo, and to be honest, I’m glad I didn’t pay $90 to go to that concert anyway. They were playing some fun, energetic music at Pirate Porky’s and we were having more fun there. They have a taco stand on the patio that serves beef tacos for about 30 pesos, and they’re really delicious. They bring salsa, pico de gallo, and guacamole to your table as well. So if you’re looking for a delicious inexpensive meal in Cabo, I would recommend this place. We actually went back late the following night and ate there again. I would recommend getting the beef without onions, because my husband ordered his with onions and it seemed he didn’t get as much beef as I did. There are plenty of onions in the pico de gallo if you really need any. The salsa was nice and spicy, and the guacamole was tasty, but a bit too thin for my preference. I had a chance to speak with the owner, Dan Catalano, who said he arrived in Cabo San Lucas on his boat a few years earlier, and liked it so much he decided to stay, and opened Pirate Porky’s. He told me he wanted to create his dream place; someplace he would want to go. He wanted to make it homey and fun, provide good service, and drink prices that won’t bust your credit card. He informed me he is in the process of adding on to create more fun for tourists. So I would definitely put this fun night spot on your list of places to visit while in Cabo San Lucas.
Next: Day 5
We got on a catamaran called The Pez Gato, which left at 10:00 am. The cost for this tour is $45 and includes snorkel equipment, lunch, and beverages. They only allow you to have up to 3 alcoholic beverages before snorkeling, but after that you can have as much as you want. They have your basic drinks: Bloody Mary’s, Margaritas, Rum, Vodka, Whiskey, Tequila, and your choice of beer, if that choice happens to be Tecate. We sat at the front of the catamaran on the netting. That part of the tour, to me, was the most fun. It took about 50 minutes to reach Santa Maria Bay, where we were taken to snorkel for about an hour. We were impressed with the crew of the Pez Gato, who were very friendly, and helpful. As we were being fitted for flippers and snorkel equipment I asked if they sterilized them after each use, a question I believe most of the passengers wanted an answer to. The response was “Oh yes, we soak them in tequila.” Tequila!? I hope he was kidding.
They lowered a ladder that slanted into the water for those of us who did not want to jump off the boat. This was my first snorkeling experience, and I have to admit I was a little nervous. My husband has a PADI license for scuba diving, so he helped me a lot and made me feel more comfortable. At first I was a bit claustrophobic, but after a while I got used to it and did a good job of keeping up with my husband. I have to admit I wasn’t as awestruck as I expected to be. But it was pretty cool. There were some pretty fish to be seen, but not as much as I anticipated. We also some beautiful coral reef on the ocean floor. I was told by several people, including my husband, that snorkeling in Cozumel and Grand Cayman was a lot better. Someone had a water bottle full of oatmeal and she would shake some of it into the water and there would be a fish frenzy. This was pretty amazing, until my husband informed me that the small yellow ones bit, and it really hurt. Ok, when things start biting or stinging, I’m out.
My husband thought it would be a great idea to go check out the beach. The sand on the beach here is actually made up of really small pebbles. It looks like oatmeal when you looking down in the water from the surface. We swam up to the beach and of course I immediately got knocked down by waves, and my flippers filled up with these pebbles. I had a difficult time trying to get back up because the waves were pushing me up on the beach, then pulling me back down. I finally managed to get up on my feet so I could get to a point where I could start swimming without being pushed back to shore. I had to float in the bay while emptying my flippers so I could continue swimming. We finally loaded back onto the boat, and after drinking a few beers earlier I had to find the ladies room. I pulled my swimsuit bottoms down and about 50,000 pebbles fell on the floor. You can only laugh at this point. Good grief. Like I said, I’m not much of a beach person.
After everyone was back on the boat, we headed back to the marina and they served us lunch. They had several sandwiches on hoagie rolls, and they were actually pretty good. Either that or I was extremely hungry from not eating breakfast. On the way back to the marina we cruised by El Arco, or The Arch, a 200-foot granite rock situated at the tip of the Land's End peninsula and one of the most popular landmarks in Cabo San Lucas. It is also a popular gathering area for sea lions, several of which we saw sunbathing on some of the smaller rock formations protruding from the water. The captain cruised slowly by and gave everyone a chance to take pictures. There was a photographer on board, as well, who took several pictures and let us pick the ones we wanted, which he had printed up for us and ready for purchase when we returned to the marina. We ended up buying two; one of us in front of El Arco, and one of us in the water with our snorkel equipment, because I didn’t have anyone to take a picture of us at that point. The cost for the pictures is about $14 each if you are interested in purchasing. After we passed the Arch, we made a stop at Lovers Beach and were allowed to get out and swim for a short time. We got out and swam, but I decided to not trek to the beach again. Be careful when climbing down the ladder with bare feet. I slipped off the last rung as I was getting in and I ended up with a huge black and blue bruise on the bottom of my foot that made it difficult to walk the rest of my vacation. We then headed back to the marina after swimming for about 10 or 15 minutes. The total tour took about 4 hours. Even though it wasn’t what I was expecting I’m glad I went on this tour. I could ride on that boat all day long. I love being on the water. You can find out more about their snorkeling and other tours at http://www.pezgato.com/.
Upon returning to the hotel we went to Sky Pool, our favorite hang out now and hooked up with our new friends we had met there. Two of the couples had informed us that they had gone downtown to Cabo Wabo the night before and gotten into the show for Sammy Hagar. I’m pretty sure they had a better chance since Monday’s show was cancelled and there may have been people who couldn’t make it to the rescheduled show. So along with our new friends from Texas we decided to go downtown that night and make a try for getting in. They had an overflow line for people who didn’t have tickets and when asked if it was possible we might get in we were told we didn’t have a “chance in hell” of getting in. Oh well. There was a neat little bar across the street called Pirate Porky’s, and we were able to walk over there, purchase a cerveza, and bring it back for consumption while waiting in line. But, after a while we decided to give up. We bought a few Cabo Wabo souvenirs and went across the street to enjoy the rest of our evening. We had been watching the concert on a big screen provided in front of Cabo Wabo, and to be honest, I’m glad I didn’t pay $90 to go to that concert anyway. They were playing some fun, energetic music at Pirate Porky’s and we were having more fun there. They have a taco stand on the patio that serves beef tacos for about 30 pesos, and they’re really delicious. They bring salsa, pico de gallo, and guacamole to your table as well. So if you’re looking for a delicious inexpensive meal in Cabo, I would recommend this place. We actually went back late the following night and ate there again. I would recommend getting the beef without onions, because my husband ordered his with onions and it seemed he didn’t get as much beef as I did. There are plenty of onions in the pico de gallo if you really need any. The salsa was nice and spicy, and the guacamole was tasty, but a bit too thin for my preference. I had a chance to speak with the owner, Dan Catalano, who said he arrived in Cabo San Lucas on his boat a few years earlier, and liked it so much he decided to stay, and opened Pirate Porky’s. He told me he wanted to create his dream place; someplace he would want to go. He wanted to make it homey and fun, provide good service, and drink prices that won’t bust your credit card. He informed me he is in the process of adding on to create more fun for tourists. So I would definitely put this fun night spot on your list of places to visit while in Cabo San Lucas.
Next: Day 5
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Cabo San Lucas Day 3
Tuesday we decided to go downtown. The Pueblo Bonito Sunset has a free shuttle that runs every hour on the hour between 10 am and 11 pm to their sister resort, The Pueblo Bonito Rose`. It’s supposedly within walking distance to the Marina and the downtown area where there are numerous restaurants and shops to choose from. I would advise wearing comfortable walking shoes if you are going to do this. I made the mistake of wearing thin-soled flip flops and I was miserable on our return walk back to the hotel. I also recommend taking a hat to keep the sun off your face and of course, sunscreen. And although we were there in the middle of October it was still hot, and unbelievably humid. I looked like I had just gotten out of the pool by the time we walked back. My hair was soaked from roots to ends.
Before we left our hotel my husband took some money out of the ATM and I asked how much he withdrew, to which he replied 500 pesos. I proceeded to inform him that was less than $50. He shortly received his text from Chase Bank that alerts him every time he makes a purchase or takes money out, and it stated that $42 was taken out of his account. I believe the current exchange is about roughly about $12.5 pesos per dollar. So don’t panic if you see a price tag or menu item that reads $244. This is about $12 USD. After arriving at the Rose` we walked downtown and ate lunch at Squid Roe. I had the fish Tacos, which are very good, reasonably priced at $110, and more than I could eat. Mark ordered the chicken fajitas and said they were also very delicious. They use fresh ingredients and grind them in a bowl with a stone into salsa right at your table, which I found intriguing. Our new friends from Texas ate there the following day and had the Flaming Shrimp, which they also made at their table. She said it should definitely go on the list of recommended menu items. Squid Roe is a nice place to eat lunch in the afternoon. But at night it becomes a nightclub and I’ve heard it gets pretty crazy, although we never returned to experience this. Some people we met said they sat with the members from Pantera the night before after Sammy cancelled his first concert due to illness, and another couple we knew ran into Chris Angel eating here. So it appears to be a popular place to hang out at night.
After we ate, we walked around downtown for a little bit to do some shopping. Let me warn you right now, if you go to downtown Cabo San Lucas you are going to be plagued by the vendors and people walking around trying to sell you junk you don’t need. And I’m positive that bracelet for only a $1 was sterling silver. Note tone of sarcasm. At first I was very nice and friendly with trying to brush them off. Like “Oh, no thank you.” But after walking in flip flops in the heat and humidity as long as I had, I was starting to get irritated. Every time I would look at something, there was immediately someone there asking “Weesh wun yoo like?” I finally said “When I see it I’ll let you know.” This is such a turn off when you are just trying to shop. I was wearing my ceramic turtle necklace I had purchased a few nights before and I constantly had to explain to people I didn’t need two. I just finally learned to ignore them and keep walking. The only thing I bought was a colorful beach bag that ended up falling apart before the day was over.
We had to make sure and stop at the Harley Davidson dealership, which is at the entrance to the mall right on the marina, and get a shirt. According to my husband, I am not allowed to purchase a Harley shirt unless it has the name of the dealership and city written on the back. Unfortunately, they only had 2 shirts in the ladies section to choose from. I later spoke to some people we met at the hotel that told us the last time they were in Cabo they had a huge selection, so maybe we just hit them at the wrong time. I ended up settling for a turquoise tank top. It was either that or a black, sleeveless shirt that only covers half of my back and I’m a little to old for that look. We went inside the mall for a little while, where my husband had to purchase another swimsuit after accidentally throwing his in the bin along with his towel at the hotel swimming pool. I must say it was such a relief to shop in peace without being harassed by the vendors, and almost worth paying more for this pleasure.
As we were walking around the marina we met a gentleman who was a representative, so to speak, for some of the tours available, such as fishing, snorkeling, and whale watching. We wanted to take a snorkeling cruise, so we had him set us up for an outing on the Pez Gato the next morning for only $40 each. He called and made the reservations for us, and we got on the phone and gave the girl our information. He wanted us to give him $20 for deposit for each of us, and its not that I don’t trust anybody, but I don’t trust anybody. We asked if we could just reserve our spots with our Capital One credit card, since this would assure us of not getting taken. We spoke with the girl on the phone and she said to just bring it the next day and we could pay then. I’m telling you this to inform you not to give anyone cash up front since it is not necessary, as we discovered in this transaction, especially if it is a legitimate one.
We took a stroll around the Pueblo Bonito Rose` after we walked back from the marina. It is a beautiful hotel, although not as spread out as the Sunset. It is also located on one of the few swimmable beaches in the Los Cabos area. The beaches on the Pacific side are off limits to swimming because of dangerous currents and undertows. The expansive swimming pool at the Rose` is located almost right on the beach. We took a small stroll on the beach, which is a lot more populated than the one at the Sunset. It’s a nice beach with beach beds available for rent and a volleyball court. Although, one of the drawbacks is, again, the vendors, which we were approached by immediately upon setting foot on the beach. This takes away from the peaceful, relaxing setting. I’m not a big beach person anyway, since I’m not a big fan of walking across the hot sand or getting knocked over by incoming waves. And getting sand in everything is not my idea of fun. It was in my cell phone, my beach bag, my finger nails and other places I care not to mention. And no matter how much I rinsed off at the provided showers, I still could not get all of the sand out from between my feet and my flip flops. Some people enjoy this, though. But, I’m perfectly happy sitting by the pool with a pina colada in my hand while looking at the beach.
Speaking of which. We returned to our hotel taking the free shuttle which runs every hour on the half hour between 10:30 am to 10:30 pm from the Rose` to the Sunset. We spent the rest of the day at the Sky Pool where we ran into our new friends we had made earlier in the week. There we watched the sunset and then decided to retire to our room while the others went out to dinner. We went to bed at a decent hour since we were getting up early the next morning to go snorkeling. Today wasn’t the most exciting, but it was nice to relax and not do much of anything, which is what being on vacation is about, right?
Before we left our hotel my husband took some money out of the ATM and I asked how much he withdrew, to which he replied 500 pesos. I proceeded to inform him that was less than $50. He shortly received his text from Chase Bank that alerts him every time he makes a purchase or takes money out, and it stated that $42 was taken out of his account. I believe the current exchange is about roughly about $12.5 pesos per dollar. So don’t panic if you see a price tag or menu item that reads $244. This is about $12 USD. After arriving at the Rose` we walked downtown and ate lunch at Squid Roe. I had the fish Tacos, which are very good, reasonably priced at $110, and more than I could eat. Mark ordered the chicken fajitas and said they were also very delicious. They use fresh ingredients and grind them in a bowl with a stone into salsa right at your table, which I found intriguing. Our new friends from Texas ate there the following day and had the Flaming Shrimp, which they also made at their table. She said it should definitely go on the list of recommended menu items. Squid Roe is a nice place to eat lunch in the afternoon. But at night it becomes a nightclub and I’ve heard it gets pretty crazy, although we never returned to experience this. Some people we met said they sat with the members from Pantera the night before after Sammy cancelled his first concert due to illness, and another couple we knew ran into Chris Angel eating here. So it appears to be a popular place to hang out at night.
After we ate, we walked around downtown for a little bit to do some shopping. Let me warn you right now, if you go to downtown Cabo San Lucas you are going to be plagued by the vendors and people walking around trying to sell you junk you don’t need. And I’m positive that bracelet for only a $1 was sterling silver. Note tone of sarcasm. At first I was very nice and friendly with trying to brush them off. Like “Oh, no thank you.” But after walking in flip flops in the heat and humidity as long as I had, I was starting to get irritated. Every time I would look at something, there was immediately someone there asking “Weesh wun yoo like?” I finally said “When I see it I’ll let you know.” This is such a turn off when you are just trying to shop. I was wearing my ceramic turtle necklace I had purchased a few nights before and I constantly had to explain to people I didn’t need two. I just finally learned to ignore them and keep walking. The only thing I bought was a colorful beach bag that ended up falling apart before the day was over.
We had to make sure and stop at the Harley Davidson dealership, which is at the entrance to the mall right on the marina, and get a shirt. According to my husband, I am not allowed to purchase a Harley shirt unless it has the name of the dealership and city written on the back. Unfortunately, they only had 2 shirts in the ladies section to choose from. I later spoke to some people we met at the hotel that told us the last time they were in Cabo they had a huge selection, so maybe we just hit them at the wrong time. I ended up settling for a turquoise tank top. It was either that or a black, sleeveless shirt that only covers half of my back and I’m a little to old for that look. We went inside the mall for a little while, where my husband had to purchase another swimsuit after accidentally throwing his in the bin along with his towel at the hotel swimming pool. I must say it was such a relief to shop in peace without being harassed by the vendors, and almost worth paying more for this pleasure.
As we were walking around the marina we met a gentleman who was a representative, so to speak, for some of the tours available, such as fishing, snorkeling, and whale watching. We wanted to take a snorkeling cruise, so we had him set us up for an outing on the Pez Gato the next morning for only $40 each. He called and made the reservations for us, and we got on the phone and gave the girl our information. He wanted us to give him $20 for deposit for each of us, and its not that I don’t trust anybody, but I don’t trust anybody. We asked if we could just reserve our spots with our Capital One credit card, since this would assure us of not getting taken. We spoke with the girl on the phone and she said to just bring it the next day and we could pay then. I’m telling you this to inform you not to give anyone cash up front since it is not necessary, as we discovered in this transaction, especially if it is a legitimate one.
We took a stroll around the Pueblo Bonito Rose` after we walked back from the marina. It is a beautiful hotel, although not as spread out as the Sunset. It is also located on one of the few swimmable beaches in the Los Cabos area. The beaches on the Pacific side are off limits to swimming because of dangerous currents and undertows. The expansive swimming pool at the Rose` is located almost right on the beach. We took a small stroll on the beach, which is a lot more populated than the one at the Sunset. It’s a nice beach with beach beds available for rent and a volleyball court. Although, one of the drawbacks is, again, the vendors, which we were approached by immediately upon setting foot on the beach. This takes away from the peaceful, relaxing setting. I’m not a big beach person anyway, since I’m not a big fan of walking across the hot sand or getting knocked over by incoming waves. And getting sand in everything is not my idea of fun. It was in my cell phone, my beach bag, my finger nails and other places I care not to mention. And no matter how much I rinsed off at the provided showers, I still could not get all of the sand out from between my feet and my flip flops. Some people enjoy this, though. But, I’m perfectly happy sitting by the pool with a pina colada in my hand while looking at the beach.
Speaking of which. We returned to our hotel taking the free shuttle which runs every hour on the half hour between 10:30 am to 10:30 pm from the Rose` to the Sunset. We spent the rest of the day at the Sky Pool where we ran into our new friends we had made earlier in the week. There we watched the sunset and then decided to retire to our room while the others went out to dinner. We went to bed at a decent hour since we were getting up early the next morning to go snorkeling. Today wasn’t the most exciting, but it was nice to relax and not do much of anything, which is what being on vacation is about, right?
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Cabo San Lucas-Day 2
Our second day in Cabo San Lucas we got up early and took a cab to Wal Mart. Yes, they have a Wal Mart, and also a Sam's and a Costco, which we were told you don't need a membership card to shop at. We bought some eggs, turkey bacon, bread, ham, cheese, mayonnaise, jelly, chips, salsa, some granola bars, milk, cokes, bottled water and beer. I wouldn’t recommend purchasing a large amount of beer. We actually bought too much. We purchased 2 cases, which would amount to 6 beers a piece per day, thinking we could drink it at the pool. We discovered later, to our dismay, you can’t take your own beer to the pool. So we ended up leaving a case in the refrigerator when we checked out 5 days later. I also wouldn’t recommend the Kellogg’s Special K granola bars we bought. They were not very flavorful, and we ended up disposing of them as well. I did notice that some things taste different in Mexico than here. The Nacho Cheese flavored Doritos, for example, have a noticeable jalapeno flavor to them. I would recommend purchasing lots of bottled water. I would try to drink a lot of water to stay hydrated. I also used it to make coffee and brush my teeth, even though the resort claims the water is filtered and perfectly safe to use. I didn't want to take any chances. Since I burned really bad the day before, even though I had on sunscreen and was in the shade most of the day, we decided to buy some SPF 45 while we were here. I had forgotten to bring a hat, so I bought a white wide-brim hat at this fabulous hat store located in the shopping strip in front of the Wal Mart entrance for only $12. Two things I recommend you bring on a trip to Mexico is sunscreen with a high SPF and a hat to cover your face when out in the sun. I burned so bad that my upper lip and chin scabbed over. Not a pretty sight for prospective picture taking. After our purchases, we took another cab back to the hotel. There are several cabs waiting in the front, as well as porters that will help you load your purchase, for tips of course. I think our round trip cab fare cost us a total of $40 with tip, but including our purchase was totally worth the trip considering what we would pay to eat out 3 meals a day for 6 days. I want to take this time to tell you that the hotel we stayed at provided lotion, shampoo, and even cotton swabs and cotton balls. They did not, however, provide conditioner, so if you must have conditioner, as I do, I would bring my own or purchase it at Wal Mart. Make a list before you go, and do not forget anything, because one trip is enough hassle, which is why we got it out of the way early. Another item of importance to mention regarding ammenities at the hotel is the electical outlets. I read that many Mexico outlets have not been updated to accomodate three prong and polarized plugs. The Pueblo Bonito Sunset where we stayed however was fully furnished with polarized plugs so it was unnecessary to bring an adapter. I don't know about other hotels in Cabo San Lucas, but thought this information might be helpful when considering a hotel.
When we returned to the hotel the cart driver helped us load our groceries on the cart and even helped take them to our room. After we put our groceries away, we decided to go to the Sky Pool, which is one of 5 pools at the resort and is located behind the building we stayed in at the very top of the resort. It looks as if it spills right into the ocean and is absolutely breathtaking. When people told me that it looks like it runs right into the ocean I had no idea what that meant until we experienced it, and I was in awe. There we ran into our Texas friends, Colly and Cori, whom we met on the shuttle the day before. We also met another couple, Eric and Nicole, from Indiana. We all decided to go out eat downtown that night. Cab fare from the hotel to downtown is anywhere from $10 to $15, depending on who you get. If you pay in pesos you get a better deal. Sharing a cab with friends like we did makes it even cheaper. We ate at a restaurant called El Pescadora. They have fabulous food, mostly seafood, and I would recommend eating there at least once. Our friends, Eric and Nicole said they eat there every time they visit Cabo San Lucas. Outside the restaurant I was approached by this little boy selling these cute ceramic turtle necklaces. You know I’m a sucker for kids, and when he showed me how to blow in the turtle and it whistles I was sold. He wanted 60 pesos, but I informed him I only had 50 pesos on me and he said “I’ll take that.” After the transaction I later learned this was only $4.20 USD. I felt kind of bad after that. We then walked over to Cabo Wabo Cantina, which is the bar owned by Sammy Hagar. He was supposed to play that night for his birthday, but the show was cancelled because Sammy was sick. I guess he drank the water? We all went in for a drink, danced a little, took pictures, and bought souvenirs. It was a lot of fun and if you get a chance to go to Cabo San Lucas you have to make at least one trip to Cabo Wabo Cantina. But, don’t go on his birthday, unless you already purchased tickets months ahead of time or you “won’t have a chance in hell” of getting in, as we were told. They did sell about 150 tickets on the 10th , but you had to get in line at noon and wait for hours, something I did not want to do on my vacation. That sounds as fun as sitting through a time-share meeting.
Next blog: Day Three in Cabo
When we returned to the hotel the cart driver helped us load our groceries on the cart and even helped take them to our room. After we put our groceries away, we decided to go to the Sky Pool, which is one of 5 pools at the resort and is located behind the building we stayed in at the very top of the resort. It looks as if it spills right into the ocean and is absolutely breathtaking. When people told me that it looks like it runs right into the ocean I had no idea what that meant until we experienced it, and I was in awe. There we ran into our Texas friends, Colly and Cori, whom we met on the shuttle the day before. We also met another couple, Eric and Nicole, from Indiana. We all decided to go out eat downtown that night. Cab fare from the hotel to downtown is anywhere from $10 to $15, depending on who you get. If you pay in pesos you get a better deal. Sharing a cab with friends like we did makes it even cheaper. We ate at a restaurant called El Pescadora. They have fabulous food, mostly seafood, and I would recommend eating there at least once. Our friends, Eric and Nicole said they eat there every time they visit Cabo San Lucas. Outside the restaurant I was approached by this little boy selling these cute ceramic turtle necklaces. You know I’m a sucker for kids, and when he showed me how to blow in the turtle and it whistles I was sold. He wanted 60 pesos, but I informed him I only had 50 pesos on me and he said “I’ll take that.” After the transaction I later learned this was only $4.20 USD. I felt kind of bad after that. We then walked over to Cabo Wabo Cantina, which is the bar owned by Sammy Hagar. He was supposed to play that night for his birthday, but the show was cancelled because Sammy was sick. I guess he drank the water? We all went in for a drink, danced a little, took pictures, and bought souvenirs. It was a lot of fun and if you get a chance to go to Cabo San Lucas you have to make at least one trip to Cabo Wabo Cantina. But, don’t go on his birthday, unless you already purchased tickets months ahead of time or you “won’t have a chance in hell” of getting in, as we were told. They did sell about 150 tickets on the 10th , but you had to get in line at noon and wait for hours, something I did not want to do on my vacation. That sounds as fun as sitting through a time-share meeting.
Next blog: Day Three in Cabo
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Cabo San Lucas: Day 1
Day One in Cabo San Lucas
My husband and I recently returned from a fun-filled trip to fabulous Cabo San Lucas. We did so much in the six days we were there, and there is so much to write about, I’m going to break this segment of my blog down by each day.
We actually started our trip in Seattle. Our flight was at 5:15 am Pacific Time so we drove into Seattle the night before and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express so we didn’t have to get up and drive 2 hours through the Cascades in the middle of the night. We went to bed at 8:30 pm, but didn’t get much sleep thanks to the people with the colicky baby staying on the floor above us. I really appreciated that since we had to get up at 2:30 to catch the shuttle at 3:00. I’m not sure I got much rest to make up for this while we were on our trip either. It was really cold in Seattle that morning so I wore jeans, a black tank top, and a light long sleeve black shirt, the latter coming off as soon as we landed in Cabo. I wore my tennis shoes so I wouldn’t have to pack them and also because it was a little cold for flip flops. I also wore a light denim black jacket, which I never wore again or the light sweater I brought, because it never got cool enough in Cabo to wear them. In fact, it was pretty warm in the evenings when we were there, contrary to what some people had advised. We departed on time in Seattle and changed planes in Phoenix for the hour and a half flight to our destination. When you’re on this flight they will hand out a tourist card to everyone. Don’t forget to bring a pen so you can fill this out. And do not lose it, because you can’t get back to the States without it. It is a big hassle to get one replaced and will also cost you about $60.
We arrived at the airport in San Jose Del Cabo about 12:30 Mountain Time. We actually paid extra to get to Cabo in about 6 hours. This was definitely worth the price. The other flights wanted us to layover overnight and would have taken a total of 12 -20 hours depending on which one we picked. When we landed and got through customs we walked out into another large room with counters on three sides and several people behind the counters. There are a group of people in the middle of the room who will catch you as you walk in and lead you to one of the people at the counter. They lead you to believe they are there to help you arrange transportation, but they are all time-share representatives. Every one of them. If you go there just walk straight outside and ignore anyone who comes up to talk to you. We had to walk away from about 3 or 4 guys, one of which I thought was going to chase after Mark as we walked out the door. There are also a horde of people outside all trying to convince you to sign up for timeshare meetings. This is the most annoying part of the trip. It’s best to make transportation arrangements before you leave and remember to print off the confirmation. It saves a lot of stress. And don’t do what my husband did and look at the travel paperwork after you arrive at the hotel and paid $40 for a shuttle, only to find out that transportation was already included in your package with a different shuttle company. So we made arrangements with a shuttle to take us to our hotel and we rode with 3 other couples, and two of them were from the Fort Worth Metroplex, and staying in the same hotel. We kept running into one of the couples a lot and ended up hanging out with them and another couple from Indiana on several occasions. One thing that I found out is, even if you don’t go with anyone else, you will definitely meet people here. We met several couples that we are now friends with.
It takes about 50 minutes to get to The Pueblo Bonito Sunset in Cabo San Lucas from the airport in San Jose Del Cabo. I’ll warn you, apparently stop signs are just a suggestion in Cabo. The cab drivers would just drive right through them. I would be grabbing the back of the seat and mouthing Oh My God! The whole trip. The intersections that didn’t have signs were the ones that everyone stopped at. Or should I say “slowed down at” more or less. Our shuttle driver slowed down at one intersection then continued through, and this truck coming the other way saw us go into the intersection and he just kept coming. He didn’t even slow down. So our driver stopped and let him through. Thank goodness. I said “Are you serious!?” Our driver said “Welcome to Cabo San Lucas!” and we all just laughed. But it is kind of a scary ride. I tried not to pay attention when we were taking a cab. otherwise I would be a nervous wreck. I was kind of glad we decided not to rent a car, because we probably would have been killed. And renting a Harley, which we were debating on doing, was out of the question now. We managed to arrive safely at the Pueblo Bonito Sunset and checked in at about 2:00 in the afternoon. We supposedly received $400 in credit to use at the resort. This is a scam. They send you to this other desk to get it validated by another person, who just happens to be, guess what, a time-share representative. And they ended only being for coupons of things we weren’t even interested in. Like $30 off fitness center, $30 off a facial, or $50 off a beach bed. If it was for a massage, or even restaurant, it would have been worth it. We finally gave the girl $20 to set up a meeting just to get her to leave us alone. You supposedly get your money back at the meeting. We ended up not going because our other friends told us later they went to one and it wasn’t worth it. It was a waste of 3 hours of precious vacation time. They only did it to get the discounts for the massage, and other activities, like the snorkeling and dinner cruise. But she said she would rather just pay the full price than sit through that again. And they wanted $90,000 for one week a year. Excuse me? If I’m going to spend $90,000 it’s going to be on a house that I can stay in every week a year. Anyway, after this we were never bothered by time-share people, other than having them call our room everyday after we didn’t show up to the meeting. Since we were never in our room. this didn’t bother us too much. We just had a message on our voice mail everyday.
Everyone at the Pueblo Bonito Sunset is very friendly, with exception of a few persons working at the Sky Pool, especially Andreas, the waiter. He really needs to find another job since he seems so unhappy here. The Sunset is a HUGE resort. It’s so spread out you can’t go anywhere without taking a cart, which are available 24/7. They don’t tell you this in any of the brochures. At first we were a little daunted by this. But, we got used to it. If you leave your room, make sure you have everything you will need, because going back can be a hassle not to mention time consuming. All the cart drivers were friendly and helpful, though. We learned real quick you can’t tip every time you ride. You will spend a fortune. They have a tip jar in the lobby and we contributed to that. The only time we really personally tipped the driver was when we first arrived; the driver of the cart brought our bags up and showed us the room and where everything was. One of the cool things about the rooms is when you open the door you put your key in this slot on the wall, and when you take it out when you leave it turns off all the lights, the fan and the a/c. None of these will work if you don’t put the key in the slot. They also have a safe in each room, which I highly recommend taking advantage of. We put our passports and tourist cards in here, along with our cameras when we weren’t using them, and my jewelry. The other time we tipped the driver personally was when we brought groceries back from Wal Mart and he helped us bring those up. We tipped about $10 each time and they seemed pleased with that. We also tipped the maids each day anywhere from 20 to 50 pesos depending on how messed up the room was. One day we had to leave early and I didn’t have time to clean the breakfast dishes so I left 50 pesos. And I think we left 100 pesos the day we left. She did a really good job.
The hotel boasts 5 pools. We went straight to the middle pool after settling in. There are two pools in this area one right above the other. One is adult only, but it doesn’t have a bar. We ended up at the “family pool” which had a swim-up bar, which didn’t make sense to us. We sat at the swim-up bar and drank some Pina Coladas. This swim-up bar seems to be the only one in the resort with a TV, and they just happened to have the Cowboys game on. I mean, how cool is it to sit at the bar, in the water, drink Pina Coladas, and watch football. We thought it was great, until the Cowboys lost. Good thing we had a steady supply of Pina Coladas. The bartenders, Omar and Federico, were very friendly and outgoing. We had a great time sitting there chatting with them. That evening we ate at The Manila, a restaurant that sits right by the main pool and looks out over the ocean. It has a wonderful atmosphere and excellent food. Mark had the steak and I had grilled shrimp. The only thing I didn’t like was the way they cut my potato. They cut it 3 times across instead of straight down the middle. So I had 4 round pieces of potato which is difficult to spread the butter and sour cream they provided on. Other than that it was an enjoyable experience and a perfect ending to our first day.
Tomorrow: Day two in Cabo San Lucas
My husband and I recently returned from a fun-filled trip to fabulous Cabo San Lucas. We did so much in the six days we were there, and there is so much to write about, I’m going to break this segment of my blog down by each day.
We actually started our trip in Seattle. Our flight was at 5:15 am Pacific Time so we drove into Seattle the night before and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express so we didn’t have to get up and drive 2 hours through the Cascades in the middle of the night. We went to bed at 8:30 pm, but didn’t get much sleep thanks to the people with the colicky baby staying on the floor above us. I really appreciated that since we had to get up at 2:30 to catch the shuttle at 3:00. I’m not sure I got much rest to make up for this while we were on our trip either. It was really cold in Seattle that morning so I wore jeans, a black tank top, and a light long sleeve black shirt, the latter coming off as soon as we landed in Cabo. I wore my tennis shoes so I wouldn’t have to pack them and also because it was a little cold for flip flops. I also wore a light denim black jacket, which I never wore again or the light sweater I brought, because it never got cool enough in Cabo to wear them. In fact, it was pretty warm in the evenings when we were there, contrary to what some people had advised. We departed on time in Seattle and changed planes in Phoenix for the hour and a half flight to our destination. When you’re on this flight they will hand out a tourist card to everyone. Don’t forget to bring a pen so you can fill this out. And do not lose it, because you can’t get back to the States without it. It is a big hassle to get one replaced and will also cost you about $60.
We arrived at the airport in San Jose Del Cabo about 12:30 Mountain Time. We actually paid extra to get to Cabo in about 6 hours. This was definitely worth the price. The other flights wanted us to layover overnight and would have taken a total of 12 -20 hours depending on which one we picked. When we landed and got through customs we walked out into another large room with counters on three sides and several people behind the counters. There are a group of people in the middle of the room who will catch you as you walk in and lead you to one of the people at the counter. They lead you to believe they are there to help you arrange transportation, but they are all time-share representatives. Every one of them. If you go there just walk straight outside and ignore anyone who comes up to talk to you. We had to walk away from about 3 or 4 guys, one of which I thought was going to chase after Mark as we walked out the door. There are also a horde of people outside all trying to convince you to sign up for timeshare meetings. This is the most annoying part of the trip. It’s best to make transportation arrangements before you leave and remember to print off the confirmation. It saves a lot of stress. And don’t do what my husband did and look at the travel paperwork after you arrive at the hotel and paid $40 for a shuttle, only to find out that transportation was already included in your package with a different shuttle company. So we made arrangements with a shuttle to take us to our hotel and we rode with 3 other couples, and two of them were from the Fort Worth Metroplex, and staying in the same hotel. We kept running into one of the couples a lot and ended up hanging out with them and another couple from Indiana on several occasions. One thing that I found out is, even if you don’t go with anyone else, you will definitely meet people here. We met several couples that we are now friends with.
It takes about 50 minutes to get to The Pueblo Bonito Sunset in Cabo San Lucas from the airport in San Jose Del Cabo. I’ll warn you, apparently stop signs are just a suggestion in Cabo. The cab drivers would just drive right through them. I would be grabbing the back of the seat and mouthing Oh My God! The whole trip. The intersections that didn’t have signs were the ones that everyone stopped at. Or should I say “slowed down at” more or less. Our shuttle driver slowed down at one intersection then continued through, and this truck coming the other way saw us go into the intersection and he just kept coming. He didn’t even slow down. So our driver stopped and let him through. Thank goodness. I said “Are you serious!?” Our driver said “Welcome to Cabo San Lucas!” and we all just laughed. But it is kind of a scary ride. I tried not to pay attention when we were taking a cab. otherwise I would be a nervous wreck. I was kind of glad we decided not to rent a car, because we probably would have been killed. And renting a Harley, which we were debating on doing, was out of the question now. We managed to arrive safely at the Pueblo Bonito Sunset and checked in at about 2:00 in the afternoon. We supposedly received $400 in credit to use at the resort. This is a scam. They send you to this other desk to get it validated by another person, who just happens to be, guess what, a time-share representative. And they ended only being for coupons of things we weren’t even interested in. Like $30 off fitness center, $30 off a facial, or $50 off a beach bed. If it was for a massage, or even restaurant, it would have been worth it. We finally gave the girl $20 to set up a meeting just to get her to leave us alone. You supposedly get your money back at the meeting. We ended up not going because our other friends told us later they went to one and it wasn’t worth it. It was a waste of 3 hours of precious vacation time. They only did it to get the discounts for the massage, and other activities, like the snorkeling and dinner cruise. But she said she would rather just pay the full price than sit through that again. And they wanted $90,000 for one week a year. Excuse me? If I’m going to spend $90,000 it’s going to be on a house that I can stay in every week a year. Anyway, after this we were never bothered by time-share people, other than having them call our room everyday after we didn’t show up to the meeting. Since we were never in our room. this didn’t bother us too much. We just had a message on our voice mail everyday.
Everyone at the Pueblo Bonito Sunset is very friendly, with exception of a few persons working at the Sky Pool, especially Andreas, the waiter. He really needs to find another job since he seems so unhappy here. The Sunset is a HUGE resort. It’s so spread out you can’t go anywhere without taking a cart, which are available 24/7. They don’t tell you this in any of the brochures. At first we were a little daunted by this. But, we got used to it. If you leave your room, make sure you have everything you will need, because going back can be a hassle not to mention time consuming. All the cart drivers were friendly and helpful, though. We learned real quick you can’t tip every time you ride. You will spend a fortune. They have a tip jar in the lobby and we contributed to that. The only time we really personally tipped the driver was when we first arrived; the driver of the cart brought our bags up and showed us the room and where everything was. One of the cool things about the rooms is when you open the door you put your key in this slot on the wall, and when you take it out when you leave it turns off all the lights, the fan and the a/c. None of these will work if you don’t put the key in the slot. They also have a safe in each room, which I highly recommend taking advantage of. We put our passports and tourist cards in here, along with our cameras when we weren’t using them, and my jewelry. The other time we tipped the driver personally was when we brought groceries back from Wal Mart and he helped us bring those up. We tipped about $10 each time and they seemed pleased with that. We also tipped the maids each day anywhere from 20 to 50 pesos depending on how messed up the room was. One day we had to leave early and I didn’t have time to clean the breakfast dishes so I left 50 pesos. And I think we left 100 pesos the day we left. She did a really good job.
The hotel boasts 5 pools. We went straight to the middle pool after settling in. There are two pools in this area one right above the other. One is adult only, but it doesn’t have a bar. We ended up at the “family pool” which had a swim-up bar, which didn’t make sense to us. We sat at the swim-up bar and drank some Pina Coladas. This swim-up bar seems to be the only one in the resort with a TV, and they just happened to have the Cowboys game on. I mean, how cool is it to sit at the bar, in the water, drink Pina Coladas, and watch football. We thought it was great, until the Cowboys lost. Good thing we had a steady supply of Pina Coladas. The bartenders, Omar and Federico, were very friendly and outgoing. We had a great time sitting there chatting with them. That evening we ate at The Manila, a restaurant that sits right by the main pool and looks out over the ocean. It has a wonderful atmosphere and excellent food. Mark had the steak and I had grilled shrimp. The only thing I didn’t like was the way they cut my potato. They cut it 3 times across instead of straight down the middle. So I had 4 round pieces of potato which is difficult to spread the butter and sour cream they provided on. Other than that it was an enjoyable experience and a perfect ending to our first day.
Tomorrow: Day two in Cabo San Lucas
Friday, October 8, 2010
Mexican Vacation!
Good day everyone. I am pretty excited right now as I’m getting packed and ready for my trip to Cabo San Lucas in two days! This is the trip my husband and I have been talking about taking for over 6 years now.
I have been doing a lot of research for this trip, as I do for everything in my life. Thank God for the internet. Several websites I have found to be helpful are www.loscabosguide.com and http://www.fodors.com/world/mexico-and-central-america/mexico/los-cabos/. I found a facebook page called “All about Mexico” where you can talk to other people and get information and advice. This has been a great help. Thank you to my new friend, Maddie. We also purchased a book by Fodors featuring Cabo San Lucas and its sister city San Jose del Cabo. I would highly recommend this as it gives lots of valuable information regarding travel as it pertains to each particular destination. It also gives its recommendations for lodging, dining, and entertainment. It’s small enough to carry in my travel bag and it has common words and phrases in the back translated into Spanish with correct pronunciation. My two favorites are “Una mas cerveza por favor.” and “Donde esta el bano?” Two phrases I believe will come in handy on our trip.
Packing is always the most difficult part of traveling. I always want to be prepared for any occasion and temperature. This is what I am packing in my carry on: 3 sundresses, one of which is a cover up for my swimsuit, 1 sleeveless dress, 1 pair of white walking shorts, 1 multi-colored skirt, one multi-colored shirt to go with the shorts, one turquoise shirt that will go with the white shorts and multi-colored skirt, 1 pair of turquoise flip flops, one pair of black flip flops, and a swimsuit. Also 2 day’s worth of fitness clothes, which I can wash between each workout. Like I’m going to workout there, but my intentions are good. Since it will be cold when we leave Seattle, I’m wearing on the plane a pair of jeans, which I can roll up into capris when I get to Cabo, and a black tank top, that can also be worn with my shorts or skirt. I’m also wearing my tennis shoes so I don’t have to pack them. I’ve been advised through talking with people on All About Mexico’s Facebook page to bring a light jacket this time of year as it can get cool and breezy in the evenings, so I am wearing a light denim black jacket with crocheted panels on the plane, and I’m packing a light ¾ sleeve crocheted black sweater since I’m not sure how cool it will really get in the evening. Hopefully I won’t need either one. But it’s good to be prepared. Everything I brought is in the same turquoise and/or black color scheme, so I’m bringing a couple of pair of turquoise earrings, and a pair of black hoops and a pair of dressy hoops. Also a couple of necklaces, and bracelets, but I want to stay light on the jewelry so I didn’t bring anything too clunky. We’re going to be there for 6 days and I probably still packed too much, but I’d rather pack too much than not enough. And since it all fits in my carry on I’m not too worried about it. Fitting it in one bag is my main goal. Believe it or not they have a Wal Mart there. We decided not to bring too many toiletries other than toothbrushes and my makeup. We are going to purchase small travel size containers of other items we may need when we get there. Another piece of advice is be sure to make several copies of your passports before you go. Keep one in the safe in your hotel room, one in your luggage, and one on you . We will probably both carry a copy of each others. I’ve also been advised to keep your actual passport in the safe. Don’t carry it around with you. They also give you a tourist card when you arrive. Do not lose this. Keep it in the safe with your passport. It is a hassle to get a replacement and costs about $60. And you can’t get back home without it. Now I just need my camera and my sunglasses and I’m ready to go. Bon Voyage!
I have been doing a lot of research for this trip, as I do for everything in my life. Thank God for the internet. Several websites I have found to be helpful are www.loscabosguide.com and http://www.fodors.com/world/mexico-and-central-america/mexico/los-cabos/. I found a facebook page called “All about Mexico” where you can talk to other people and get information and advice. This has been a great help. Thank you to my new friend, Maddie. We also purchased a book by Fodors featuring Cabo San Lucas and its sister city San Jose del Cabo. I would highly recommend this as it gives lots of valuable information regarding travel as it pertains to each particular destination. It also gives its recommendations for lodging, dining, and entertainment. It’s small enough to carry in my travel bag and it has common words and phrases in the back translated into Spanish with correct pronunciation. My two favorites are “Una mas cerveza por favor.” and “Donde esta el bano?” Two phrases I believe will come in handy on our trip.
Packing is always the most difficult part of traveling. I always want to be prepared for any occasion and temperature. This is what I am packing in my carry on: 3 sundresses, one of which is a cover up for my swimsuit, 1 sleeveless dress, 1 pair of white walking shorts, 1 multi-colored skirt, one multi-colored shirt to go with the shorts, one turquoise shirt that will go with the white shorts and multi-colored skirt, 1 pair of turquoise flip flops, one pair of black flip flops, and a swimsuit. Also 2 day’s worth of fitness clothes, which I can wash between each workout. Like I’m going to workout there, but my intentions are good. Since it will be cold when we leave Seattle, I’m wearing on the plane a pair of jeans, which I can roll up into capris when I get to Cabo, and a black tank top, that can also be worn with my shorts or skirt. I’m also wearing my tennis shoes so I don’t have to pack them. I’ve been advised through talking with people on All About Mexico’s Facebook page to bring a light jacket this time of year as it can get cool and breezy in the evenings, so I am wearing a light denim black jacket with crocheted panels on the plane, and I’m packing a light ¾ sleeve crocheted black sweater since I’m not sure how cool it will really get in the evening. Hopefully I won’t need either one. But it’s good to be prepared. Everything I brought is in the same turquoise and/or black color scheme, so I’m bringing a couple of pair of turquoise earrings, and a pair of black hoops and a pair of dressy hoops. Also a couple of necklaces, and bracelets, but I want to stay light on the jewelry so I didn’t bring anything too clunky. We’re going to be there for 6 days and I probably still packed too much, but I’d rather pack too much than not enough. And since it all fits in my carry on I’m not too worried about it. Fitting it in one bag is my main goal. Believe it or not they have a Wal Mart there. We decided not to bring too many toiletries other than toothbrushes and my makeup. We are going to purchase small travel size containers of other items we may need when we get there. Another piece of advice is be sure to make several copies of your passports before you go. Keep one in the safe in your hotel room, one in your luggage, and one on you . We will probably both carry a copy of each others. I’ve also been advised to keep your actual passport in the safe. Don’t carry it around with you. They also give you a tourist card when you arrive. Do not lose this. Keep it in the safe with your passport. It is a hassle to get a replacement and costs about $60. And you can’t get back home without it. Now I just need my camera and my sunglasses and I’m ready to go. Bon Voyage!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Back from two week vacation
I recently returned from a two week vacation to Texas. It was great to be home and see my friends and family. Although gone for two weeks, I still did not have enough time to visit everyone I wanted. There are several friends I really wanted to see and we just could not coordinate our time, with people being sick, moving, and having prior commitments. This is frustrating as I don’t have any friends on the road and rarely get to visit with anyone. That’s just one of the drawbacks of they gypsy life. On the other hand I did get to see some people I haven’t seen in quite a while. I got to have dinner with my niece, who I’ve known since she was a baby and give her baby shower gift to her since I won’t be in town for the official shower. Her mother also joined us and that was nice because I haven’t seen her in almost 10 years. We had a lot of catching up to do. I had another opportunity to spend the day with another dear friend, who just had surgery. We had a nice long and fun-filled visit. It was great to see her since I haven’t seen her in over a year. So the trip to Texas wasn’t a complete waste.
I also took the opportunity to go up to Tulsa and visit some family I haven’t seen in a very long time. I had a nice visit with my grandparents, my aunts and my uncle. We had to make the traditional expedition to Coney Island in downtown Tulsa. It’s a locally famous restaurant where they have been making coneys since the 1920’s. There are 2 or 3 locations, but my family likes to go to the one in downtown Tulsa. If you’re in the area check it out.
While I was staying with my aunt in Tulsa she was showing off her new Kindle, which is a wireless reading device available through Amazon. I was quite impressed with this device as it is only 8.5 ounces and 1/3 of an inch thick. It could slip easily into a computer bag, carry on, or beach bag and can hold up to 3500 books. More than I could read in a lifetime. It reads like a paper with no glare and can be easily seen in bright sunlight as well as in your living room. One feature I like is you can set the font size to a level that suits you. No more reading glasses. You download books via wi-fi or 3G. The 3G is a bit more expensive than the straight wi-fi version. But books cost an average of about $6 which is considerably less than the hard cover books, and out-of-copyright books are free. This is the perfect device for the Gypsy Diva since it is so lightweight and versatile. It is going on my Christmas wish list. Go to Amazon.com for more information.
One of my missions while on my trip was to exchange my seasonal clothing. As fall is hitting the Northwest and soon it will be getting cold, I felt it was time to take my sundresses and shorts back to my storage and get my cooler weather clothing out and send it back to Washington. I decided to pack it up and mail it back in boxes rather than pay to check in bags at the airport. Depending on what airline you fly on, this could be less expensive. I think I broke even. But, I flew on Alaskan and I found out after the fact that they only charge $15 for bags. I flew Frontier on the way back and they charge $20. So I would recommend getting online and finding out what the charge is for bags. Unfortunately I forgot to do this. The girl at the post office tried to persuade me to overnight my packages at $60 a pop. A total of $120. This was on Friday and they would get there the following Monday. I decided I could wait 4 more days and save $44. Costing only $16 each package with guaranteed delivery on the following Friday. A total of $38. It was also worth an extra 80 cents for delivery confirmation. That way you can track where your package is. I received one package on Monday. I’m glad I didn’t pay $60 for that. I received the other package on Wednesday. I would recommend you not send anything fragile as I sent some of my favorite cooking utensils in one package, including a pampered chef garlic press. When I got it the hinge had completely fallen out of it. How hard do you have to throw a box around for a hinge to fall all the way out. Fortunately it was salvageable?
On my last day there, as I was getting ready to head to the airport, my step-dad handed me $20 and told me to use it buy me some Bloody Marys at the airport. I had two bags I was taking on the plane with me. One was a small suitcase carry-on and the other is a backpack, which I had pretty full and would have been a chore getting it stuffed under the seat on the plane. But, I’ve done it before so I wasn’t worried. However, I decided to use the $20 to check my carry-on luggage in. I put my magazines, books, iPod, computer, purse, and plastic bag of liquids-so they would be easier to get to at security- in a small reusable grocery bag, which fit easily under the seat and was a lot easier to manage than the back pack, which I put in the overhead bin. This was a lot more stress relieving than the alcohol would have been. Especially since I had to change planes in Denver and don’t like having to juggle two fairly heavy, not to mention packed-to-the-max bags. There are drawbacks to checking your bags in. One is the cost and the other is 30 minute wait to pick it up once you’ve landed. This is why I normally try to pack strategically on trips. But this trip was under different circumstances. While on the plane I took full advantage of the in-flight television provided by Direct TV. They have a lot of channels to choose from. Unfortunately I chose to watch the Cowboys get creamed by Chicago at 30,000 feet, while trying not to disturb the other passengers with my groans and cursing and beating my head on the back of the seat in front of me. This service only costs $6 and also lets you track of your flight on one of the channels provided. This is one of the reasons I love flying Frontier.
After my packages arrived in Washingto with my warmer weather clothing that had been sitting in storage for the past six months I had a lot of laundry to do. My least favorite activity especially while traveling. I would almost rather wash my clothes in the bathtub than use a Laundromat. Fortunately, we were blessed enough to find a place currently that has a washer and dryer included. So I can wash clothes at leisure, instead of having to load them all up and trying to get them all done at one sitting. One of my favorite laundry products for on the road is Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets. They have the detergent, fabric softener, and anti-static built right in one sheet. You just throw it in the washer, then it goes in the dryer with the clothes. No measuring or extra products needed. No heavy bottles full of liquid to haul around. This is great for going on trips, too. Just put a couple in a zip-loc bag and toss in your suitcase along with a pair or two of jeans, a couple of tank tops and, depending on the weather and the occasion, one or two longer sleeve shirts for layering and maybe a sundress and always a swimsuit. Jeans can be worn for a couple of days before washing and its suggested that you do this anyway to keep them from wearing out and getting baggy in the knees. I just spray them with a bottle of fabric freshener and hang them back up between wearings. It’s available in travel size and comes in a wrinkle release version. Perfect for trips. Then just wash a load of clothes half way through your trip using your pre-packed and compact laundry sheet. Costing only about $3-6 in quarters compared to up $50 you would pay for checking in bags full of enough clothes to last throughout your trip, leaving you with more money in your pocket for souvenirs or a nice dinner. What a great concept?
I also took the opportunity to go up to Tulsa and visit some family I haven’t seen in a very long time. I had a nice visit with my grandparents, my aunts and my uncle. We had to make the traditional expedition to Coney Island in downtown Tulsa. It’s a locally famous restaurant where they have been making coneys since the 1920’s. There are 2 or 3 locations, but my family likes to go to the one in downtown Tulsa. If you’re in the area check it out.
While I was staying with my aunt in Tulsa she was showing off her new Kindle, which is a wireless reading device available through Amazon. I was quite impressed with this device as it is only 8.5 ounces and 1/3 of an inch thick. It could slip easily into a computer bag, carry on, or beach bag and can hold up to 3500 books. More than I could read in a lifetime. It reads like a paper with no glare and can be easily seen in bright sunlight as well as in your living room. One feature I like is you can set the font size to a level that suits you. No more reading glasses. You download books via wi-fi or 3G. The 3G is a bit more expensive than the straight wi-fi version. But books cost an average of about $6 which is considerably less than the hard cover books, and out-of-copyright books are free. This is the perfect device for the Gypsy Diva since it is so lightweight and versatile. It is going on my Christmas wish list. Go to Amazon.com for more information.
One of my missions while on my trip was to exchange my seasonal clothing. As fall is hitting the Northwest and soon it will be getting cold, I felt it was time to take my sundresses and shorts back to my storage and get my cooler weather clothing out and send it back to Washington. I decided to pack it up and mail it back in boxes rather than pay to check in bags at the airport. Depending on what airline you fly on, this could be less expensive. I think I broke even. But, I flew on Alaskan and I found out after the fact that they only charge $15 for bags. I flew Frontier on the way back and they charge $20. So I would recommend getting online and finding out what the charge is for bags. Unfortunately I forgot to do this. The girl at the post office tried to persuade me to overnight my packages at $60 a pop. A total of $120. This was on Friday and they would get there the following Monday. I decided I could wait 4 more days and save $44. Costing only $16 each package with guaranteed delivery on the following Friday. A total of $38. It was also worth an extra 80 cents for delivery confirmation. That way you can track where your package is. I received one package on Monday. I’m glad I didn’t pay $60 for that. I received the other package on Wednesday. I would recommend you not send anything fragile as I sent some of my favorite cooking utensils in one package, including a pampered chef garlic press. When I got it the hinge had completely fallen out of it. How hard do you have to throw a box around for a hinge to fall all the way out. Fortunately it was salvageable?
On my last day there, as I was getting ready to head to the airport, my step-dad handed me $20 and told me to use it buy me some Bloody Marys at the airport. I had two bags I was taking on the plane with me. One was a small suitcase carry-on and the other is a backpack, which I had pretty full and would have been a chore getting it stuffed under the seat on the plane. But, I’ve done it before so I wasn’t worried. However, I decided to use the $20 to check my carry-on luggage in. I put my magazines, books, iPod, computer, purse, and plastic bag of liquids-so they would be easier to get to at security- in a small reusable grocery bag, which fit easily under the seat and was a lot easier to manage than the back pack, which I put in the overhead bin. This was a lot more stress relieving than the alcohol would have been. Especially since I had to change planes in Denver and don’t like having to juggle two fairly heavy, not to mention packed-to-the-max bags. There are drawbacks to checking your bags in. One is the cost and the other is 30 minute wait to pick it up once you’ve landed. This is why I normally try to pack strategically on trips. But this trip was under different circumstances. While on the plane I took full advantage of the in-flight television provided by Direct TV. They have a lot of channels to choose from. Unfortunately I chose to watch the Cowboys get creamed by Chicago at 30,000 feet, while trying not to disturb the other passengers with my groans and cursing and beating my head on the back of the seat in front of me. This service only costs $6 and also lets you track of your flight on one of the channels provided. This is one of the reasons I love flying Frontier.
After my packages arrived in Washingto with my warmer weather clothing that had been sitting in storage for the past six months I had a lot of laundry to do. My least favorite activity especially while traveling. I would almost rather wash my clothes in the bathtub than use a Laundromat. Fortunately, we were blessed enough to find a place currently that has a washer and dryer included. So I can wash clothes at leisure, instead of having to load them all up and trying to get them all done at one sitting. One of my favorite laundry products for on the road is Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets. They have the detergent, fabric softener, and anti-static built right in one sheet. You just throw it in the washer, then it goes in the dryer with the clothes. No measuring or extra products needed. No heavy bottles full of liquid to haul around. This is great for going on trips, too. Just put a couple in a zip-loc bag and toss in your suitcase along with a pair or two of jeans, a couple of tank tops and, depending on the weather and the occasion, one or two longer sleeve shirts for layering and maybe a sundress and always a swimsuit. Jeans can be worn for a couple of days before washing and its suggested that you do this anyway to keep them from wearing out and getting baggy in the knees. I just spray them with a bottle of fabric freshener and hang them back up between wearings. It’s available in travel size and comes in a wrinkle release version. Perfect for trips. Then just wash a load of clothes half way through your trip using your pre-packed and compact laundry sheet. Costing only about $3-6 in quarters compared to up $50 you would pay for checking in bags full of enough clothes to last throughout your trip, leaving you with more money in your pocket for souvenirs or a nice dinner. What a great concept?
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
New product I love
I found a new product I absolutely love. I went to Snoqualmie Falls Theater last weekend with my friend whose brother is in the play. It’s in a highly wooded area and the mosquitoes are really bad at night so we stopped to bug repellant. I decided to try a Bug Band bracelet. You know what; I did not get bothered all night. It’s also waterproof and safe to use while swimming. I am impressed. I also bought some Off Smooth & Dry as a back up. My friend used it and he said he liked how it went on, well, smooth and dry. And it doesn’t have the harsh smell that most insect repellants have. I highly recommend either product.
The play was wonderful. We saw “The Wizard of Oz” and they did an outstanding job. I had a blast. Dinner was included with our tickets and I got the salmon which was really good. The others I went with got steak and chicken and everyone said their dinners were delicious. So if you’re in the Snoqualmie Falls area, check the theater out. It’s a wonderful experience.
We also went to the Aquafest in Lake Stevens, WA. They had contests on the lake such as water skiing competition and boat races. But the best part was all the vendors. That’s where I got a beautiful multi-jeweled bracelet for $15, a crystal necklace, and my fabulous bra purse. It’s the perfect size for just going out for the evening and holds my cell phone, ID, and lipstick. The best part is that all proceeds go to buy cancer patients care packages with items like anti nausea pills, lotion and other items. Purses ranged from $20 to $45. What a great find. I can’t wait till hubby takes me out someplace I can use it.
The play was wonderful. We saw “The Wizard of Oz” and they did an outstanding job. I had a blast. Dinner was included with our tickets and I got the salmon which was really good. The others I went with got steak and chicken and everyone said their dinners were delicious. So if you’re in the Snoqualmie Falls area, check the theater out. It’s a wonderful experience.
We also went to the Aquafest in Lake Stevens, WA. They had contests on the lake such as water skiing competition and boat races. But the best part was all the vendors. That’s where I got a beautiful multi-jeweled bracelet for $15, a crystal necklace, and my fabulous bra purse. It’s the perfect size for just going out for the evening and holds my cell phone, ID, and lipstick. The best part is that all proceeds go to buy cancer patients care packages with items like anti nausea pills, lotion and other items. Purses ranged from $20 to $45. What a great find. I can’t wait till hubby takes me out someplace I can use it.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Fish Tacos
I've had several people ask about my fish tacos, so I decided to post the recipe, or my version of it for everyone.
FISH TACOS
Fish: You can use any type of fish, although Tilapia is the most popular. Most people like to use a beer batter recipe for the fish. I don’t like to eat a lot of fried food, and to keep it simple I use Waterfront Bistro “Chili Lime Tortilla Crusted” Tilapia. Or I bake fish in the oven then coat it with corn meal and seasonings and throw them in a skillet with olive oil for a minute or two.
Shredded Red Cabbage. I can usually buy a half a head, shred it and throw what is left in salad the rest of the week. Or I just use spring mix. It tastes good too on fish tacos.
Corn tortillas: I put a little oil in a large pan and cook the tortilla a little on each side. Just enough to get it a little brown and crisp. But not too crispy so it won’t fold over.
Shredded cheddar cheese *optional
Spiced Yogurt and Mayo White Sauce
• fresh lime juice
• ½ cup yogurt
• ½ mayonnaise
• 1 habenero chili (use a milder one if you wish)
• ½ teaspoon - crushed oregano
• ½ teaspoon - ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon - dried, crushed dill
• ½ teaspoon - ground cayenne chile
• ground white pepper to taste
First mix the first three ingredients, aiming for a slightly runny consistency. Dice the chili and finely as possible and add it along with the remaining ingredients. Watch out for the habeneros, they can knock your tongue for a loop. You're done.
I use jalapenos instead of habeneros, it tastes just as good. And I don’t carry all the spices listed so I just use McCormick Perfect Pinch Savory All Purpose Seasoning. It tastes good as well. Lime juice is a must. It won’t taste right without the lime.
Hope you enjoy!
FISH TACOS
Fish: You can use any type of fish, although Tilapia is the most popular. Most people like to use a beer batter recipe for the fish. I don’t like to eat a lot of fried food, and to keep it simple I use Waterfront Bistro “Chili Lime Tortilla Crusted” Tilapia. Or I bake fish in the oven then coat it with corn meal and seasonings and throw them in a skillet with olive oil for a minute or two.
Shredded Red Cabbage. I can usually buy a half a head, shred it and throw what is left in salad the rest of the week. Or I just use spring mix. It tastes good too on fish tacos.
Corn tortillas: I put a little oil in a large pan and cook the tortilla a little on each side. Just enough to get it a little brown and crisp. But not too crispy so it won’t fold over.
Shredded cheddar cheese *optional
Spiced Yogurt and Mayo White Sauce
• fresh lime juice
• ½ cup yogurt
• ½ mayonnaise
• 1 habenero chili (use a milder one if you wish)
• ½ teaspoon - crushed oregano
• ½ teaspoon - ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon - dried, crushed dill
• ½ teaspoon - ground cayenne chile
• ground white pepper to taste
First mix the first three ingredients, aiming for a slightly runny consistency. Dice the chili and finely as possible and add it along with the remaining ingredients. Watch out for the habeneros, they can knock your tongue for a loop. You're done.
I use jalapenos instead of habeneros, it tastes just as good. And I don’t carry all the spices listed so I just use McCormick Perfect Pinch Savory All Purpose Seasoning. It tastes good as well. Lime juice is a must. It won’t taste right without the lime.
Hope you enjoy!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Grocery Shopping
Not having a vehicle to drive can be very challenging to say the least, especially when the nearest grocery store is 2 miles away. But it does motivate me in a way to get some extra miles in on my daily walk. Since I can’t carry a cart load of groceries home on my back I only buy 2 or 3 days worth of groceries. This is also a good thing since we don’t like to keep a large supply of food because of our gypsy lifestyle. We could get a call and in two days be headed to the next town. It’s also not the most frugal lifestyle. I purchase the smallest container of each item available. It keeps me from carrying a heavy load and keeps me from having a lot of perishables I may have to throw away if we were to leave tomorrow.
I try to buy products with the least amount of ingredients. I try to avoid high fructose corn syrup (hfcs) and MSG, although that is not always possible. I don’t buy anything that’s fat free, or sugar free, unless it comes that way naturally. I’ve never lost weight by eating fat free or sugar free anything. And I don’t like artificial sweeteners. It has been shown that some artificial sweeteners can interfere with normal body processes. Sucralose, for instance, has been shown to impair thyroid function, and the body does not recognize artificial ingredients as food. These food-like substances are metabolized differently by the liver. They actually need to be detoxified. It is best to avoid artificial foods. Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/43858-unhealthy-foods-avoid/#ixzz0tmL1xBwr.
Here are popular items on my grocery list and why.
Corn tortillas: they can be used for breakfast tacos and fajitas or eaten by themselves. I can also bake them in the oven at 400 degrees for 3 minutes on each side for crispy tortillas that are a lot less fattening than tortilla chips and have few ingredients, usually corn flour, water and salt.
Nature Valley Granola Bars: No hfcs, and contain less sugar than most yogurt. It’s a great alternative snack to candy bars or potato chips because they are sweet and crunchy. They’re great to take on road trips, to.
Egglands Best Eggs or similar product: They are higher in Omega 3’s and better for you. I eat the whole egg, too. If you just eat egg whites you’re losing most of the nutrients of the egg. Egg whites contain far fewer nutrients. The only thing that could justify their consumption is their attachment to their companion yolk. (http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Egg_Yolk.html) Eggs are very versatile to cook with. I can make omelets for breakfast or dinner and add any of the following ingredients: bacon, ham, sausage, salmon, green pepper, mushroom, tomato, zucchini, onion, cheese. We also like to make breakfast sandwiches with eggs, sausage ham or bacon, veggies, and cheese on an English muffin are easy to make and can be taken with you when you’re on the go.
Hormel Natural Choice 100% Natural ham or turkey: No nitrates or nitrites, no artificial ingredients, no MSG, no hormones. I buy lunchmeat because my husband can’t take anything that must be heated to work since he is usually up tower in the windmills all day and doesn’t have access to a microwave. So he eats a lot of sandwiches. I can use it to make breakfast as well. You can cut it up and throw in omelets, throw it on a muffin or biscuit, or just eat it as a side piece of meat instead of bacon.
Whole grain English muffins: I use these to make breakfast sandwiches or just toast them and eat them with jelly.
Lucerne spreadable butter: It comes in an 8 oz container, and takes up little room. And its spreadable. In addition to spreading it on toast I use it to sauté vegetables, toss it in with green beans and some spices, and make garlic toast. Since I don’t eat it that much I don’t justify buying imitation butter at all. I don’t believe in anything imitation.
Extra Virgin Olive oil: I only use olive oil to cook with. I never buy cooking sprays for two reasons. They’re not supposed to be used on non-stick pans. They create a sticky residue that’s hard to get off if you do. And I don’t like to have extra containers in my kitchen that I’ll have to use up or throw away. Olive oil works just fine for cooking and has Vitamin E and Omega 3s. If I just need a hint of coating I use a cheap basting brush I got at the dollar store to spread the oil across the pan. I also have found small bottles of olive oil at Dollartree.
Triscuits: They only have 3 ingredients. Whole grain wheat, oil, salt. How much simpler can you get than that. Other crackers have a whole paragraph of ingredients, most of which I can’t pronounce, and if I can’t pronounce it I don’t want to eat it.
Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Preferably Kraft or Tillamook. They have the best flavor. Cheddar cheese goes great with Triscuits for a mid-afternoon snack. It can also be used in my breakfast menus. And sprinkled on baked corn tortillas and heated up with a variety of toppings. I like sharp because it gives me a good flavor when I’m cooking.
Black Beans: Are a great source of fiber and protein. I use them as a side dish for meals, and a topping with cheese and other ingredients on a baked corn tortilla. Again, read the label. I only buy the kind that say black beans, and whatever spices they use. If there is anything else like sugar or calcium chloride I don’t get it.
Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice: I don’t buy this often. It has yeast extract, aka MSG, but if we’re staying someplace for only a few days these work great in a pinch and the MSG is not at the top of the list of ingredients. Just heat in the microwave for 90 seconds and you have brown rice. Regular brown rice takes about 45 minutes to cook and is hard to get perfect. When I find a brand that has no MSG I will let you know.
Birdseye or Green Giant frozen vegetables in steamer bags: Steams right in the bag in the microwave in less than 5 minutes. I only buy the bags whose ingredients list is: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc. If it has added salt or sugar I don’t buy it.
Greek yogurt; plain: Its thicker than regular yogurt and can be used as a replacement for sour cream on dishes and in sauces. I use it on my fajitas, tacos, and baked potatoes, and in my jalapeno white sauce for my fish tacos. It can also be mixed with ½ tablespoon sugar, agave nectar, honey, or maple syrup and ½ teaspoon of vanilla and used as a dip for fruit. I do not buy flavored yogurts due to the fact they have too many sugars or are sweetened with NutraSweet. They also have artificial colors and flavors. I would rather take acidophilus pills, which travel better anyway.
Boneless, skinless chicken breast: Chicken can be used in a variety of recipes. Any leftovers can be thrown in a salad, on a tortilla, or made into a sandwich the next day for lunch.
Waterfront Bistro frozen fish: They have plain and pre-seasoned. We like the Chili Lime Tortilla Crusted Tilapia. I use it to make my fish tacos, which my husband requests quite often. I use several other varieties and flavors as well. I believe this brand is exclusive to Safeway.
Fresh vegetables: My favorites are tomatoes, green peppers, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, celery, cucumber and zucchini. I try to include veggies or fruit in every meal. I add green pepper and/or tomato to my breakfast sandwiches. I add lettuce, tomato, avacados and/or cucumber to sandwiches. I pick a couple different veggies each week and cut them up as soon as I get home and put them in zip loc baggies so I have them handy to grab and snack. If I bought a whole lot of vegetables I would be throwing away most of them at the end of the week. I have mentioned before that I like the pre-packaged salads. I am starting to re-think this. I’ve heard some bad things about them. Like the ingredients they use to wash their lettuce and some contain more bacteria and contaminates than we care to talk about. It’s less expensive to buy a head of lettuce and cut it up yourself. Throw it in a zip loc bag and you have a prepackaged salad. I mainly liked the ones that had the dressing and everything already included. But I can easily make a homemade dressing that is a lot healthier and I can make as much or as little as I want. I will post recipes on another blog.
Fruit: My favorites are watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, bananas, peaches, and apples. Fruit is always part of our breakfast. Any fruit that is on the verge of going bad gets cut up and put in the freezer for smoothies, if I have a blender handy.
Carol Shelby Chili kit: Occasionally we get a craving for chili, especially on those cold nights. I like this kit because you can make it as hot or as mild as you want and the only items on the ingredient list are spices like chili powder, onion powder, masa, etc. No MSG or artificial flavors. Just add a pound of ground beef or turkey, an 8 oz can of tomato sauce, and water.
Chips: My husband loves to have chips to accompany his sandwiches at lunch. Who doesn’t? The only chips I buy are Natural Ruffles potato chips and Fritos. They both only have 3 ingredients on the label.
Spices: I get most of my other spices at the dollar store or at Wal Mart. I don’t keep a lot in stock. Mainly garlic and onion powder, lemon pepper, salt and pepper.
I love tacos, and I used to buy the complete taco dinner, till I realized MSG was one of the first items in the ingredients. Most stores sell small packages of spices near the produce or on the Mexican food aisle for about $1.50. I get chili powder and cumin here. I make my own tacos or tostadas out of corn tortillas. I also get fresh spices like oregano, basil, and rosemary in the produce section for about $2.29 a package. I like to plan my meals that use the same ingredients where I will use most of these up within a week. Like pizza and spaghetti. Fresh basil tastes wonderful cut up and spread over a pizza on top of the sauce.
Whole Wheat Flour: Speaking of pizza. I love to make my whole grain pizza crust and add my own toppings. I can usually find a bulk section at one of the grocery stores where I can buy as much or as little whole wheat flour as I want. So this works out well if I just need 2 or 3 cups. Yeast is also sold in small packets. The only other ingredients are olive oil, salt, sugar and all-purpose flour which I can also find in the bulk section, and I use as well in my hash browns.
Vanilla: I do not buy the imitation variety. Vanilla tastes great in coffee with a little bit of milk and sugar or Agave nectar. I use it to make my yogurt dip for fruit, and to make French toast with milk, eggs, and a little sugar.
Whole Grain Frozen Waffles: I only buy these because my husband likes them and I don't travel with a waffle iron. I buy the ones with the least amount of artificial ingredients. They do make an easy, quick breakfast if you're in a hurry.
Maple syrup: I prefer Grade B maple syrup, but its not always easy to find. So I settle for the Grade A. A small bottle will not last long for us so I don’t worry about having to use it up. I will not buy the pancake syrup. Too many artificial ingredients.
Natural Peanut Butter: Most name brand peanut butter is nothing more than peanut flavored shortening. I can’t believe people feed this to their kids. Add the added sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup and you have a really unhealthy snack. Natural peanut butter however is a healthy snack providing vitamin E, phosphorus, niacin, magnesium, and fiber. I like it on celery sticks, crackers, apples, or just a good ole peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It is very filling and tasty. Just don’t eat too much. When you first purchase it you will want to stir the oil into the peanut butter and then I store mine in the fridge to keep it from separating. Natural peanut butter should only have two ingredients: peanuts, salt, unless you get the salt free variety.
Jam or jelly: When we find a store that sells local made jam or jelly we try to buy a small jar of it. We recently bought some Plum jam. The only ingredients: Plums, water, lemon juice, pectin, sugar. And it doesn’t last long.
Milk: Make sure it’s hormone free. I usually end up buying a gallon, because it’s usually cheaper than a half gallon. Can someone explain this to me? I love milk. I drink it by the glassful. I also put it in my coffee along with ¼ teaspoon of vanilla instead of store bought creamers which are full of all kinds of artificial ingredients.
Coffee: I like the Millstone or similar variety. I can buy as much or as little as I need and I can grind it fresh in the store. It tastes so much better than the kind that has been sitting on the shelf for weeks after grinding.
I try to buy products with the least amount of ingredients. I try to avoid high fructose corn syrup (hfcs) and MSG, although that is not always possible. I don’t buy anything that’s fat free, or sugar free, unless it comes that way naturally. I’ve never lost weight by eating fat free or sugar free anything. And I don’t like artificial sweeteners. It has been shown that some artificial sweeteners can interfere with normal body processes. Sucralose, for instance, has been shown to impair thyroid function, and the body does not recognize artificial ingredients as food. These food-like substances are metabolized differently by the liver. They actually need to be detoxified. It is best to avoid artificial foods. Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/43858-unhealthy-foods-avoid/#ixzz0tmL1xBwr.
Here are popular items on my grocery list and why.
Corn tortillas: they can be used for breakfast tacos and fajitas or eaten by themselves. I can also bake them in the oven at 400 degrees for 3 minutes on each side for crispy tortillas that are a lot less fattening than tortilla chips and have few ingredients, usually corn flour, water and salt.
Nature Valley Granola Bars: No hfcs, and contain less sugar than most yogurt. It’s a great alternative snack to candy bars or potato chips because they are sweet and crunchy. They’re great to take on road trips, to.
Egglands Best Eggs or similar product: They are higher in Omega 3’s and better for you. I eat the whole egg, too. If you just eat egg whites you’re losing most of the nutrients of the egg. Egg whites contain far fewer nutrients. The only thing that could justify their consumption is their attachment to their companion yolk. (http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Egg_Yolk.html) Eggs are very versatile to cook with. I can make omelets for breakfast or dinner and add any of the following ingredients: bacon, ham, sausage, salmon, green pepper, mushroom, tomato, zucchini, onion, cheese. We also like to make breakfast sandwiches with eggs, sausage ham or bacon, veggies, and cheese on an English muffin are easy to make and can be taken with you when you’re on the go.
Hormel Natural Choice 100% Natural ham or turkey: No nitrates or nitrites, no artificial ingredients, no MSG, no hormones. I buy lunchmeat because my husband can’t take anything that must be heated to work since he is usually up tower in the windmills all day and doesn’t have access to a microwave. So he eats a lot of sandwiches. I can use it to make breakfast as well. You can cut it up and throw in omelets, throw it on a muffin or biscuit, or just eat it as a side piece of meat instead of bacon.
Whole grain English muffins: I use these to make breakfast sandwiches or just toast them and eat them with jelly.
Lucerne spreadable butter: It comes in an 8 oz container, and takes up little room. And its spreadable. In addition to spreading it on toast I use it to sauté vegetables, toss it in with green beans and some spices, and make garlic toast. Since I don’t eat it that much I don’t justify buying imitation butter at all. I don’t believe in anything imitation.
Extra Virgin Olive oil: I only use olive oil to cook with. I never buy cooking sprays for two reasons. They’re not supposed to be used on non-stick pans. They create a sticky residue that’s hard to get off if you do. And I don’t like to have extra containers in my kitchen that I’ll have to use up or throw away. Olive oil works just fine for cooking and has Vitamin E and Omega 3s. If I just need a hint of coating I use a cheap basting brush I got at the dollar store to spread the oil across the pan. I also have found small bottles of olive oil at Dollartree.
Triscuits: They only have 3 ingredients. Whole grain wheat, oil, salt. How much simpler can you get than that. Other crackers have a whole paragraph of ingredients, most of which I can’t pronounce, and if I can’t pronounce it I don’t want to eat it.
Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Preferably Kraft or Tillamook. They have the best flavor. Cheddar cheese goes great with Triscuits for a mid-afternoon snack. It can also be used in my breakfast menus. And sprinkled on baked corn tortillas and heated up with a variety of toppings. I like sharp because it gives me a good flavor when I’m cooking.
Black Beans: Are a great source of fiber and protein. I use them as a side dish for meals, and a topping with cheese and other ingredients on a baked corn tortilla. Again, read the label. I only buy the kind that say black beans, and whatever spices they use. If there is anything else like sugar or calcium chloride I don’t get it.
Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice: I don’t buy this often. It has yeast extract, aka MSG, but if we’re staying someplace for only a few days these work great in a pinch and the MSG is not at the top of the list of ingredients. Just heat in the microwave for 90 seconds and you have brown rice. Regular brown rice takes about 45 minutes to cook and is hard to get perfect. When I find a brand that has no MSG I will let you know.
Birdseye or Green Giant frozen vegetables in steamer bags: Steams right in the bag in the microwave in less than 5 minutes. I only buy the bags whose ingredients list is: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc. If it has added salt or sugar I don’t buy it.
Greek yogurt; plain: Its thicker than regular yogurt and can be used as a replacement for sour cream on dishes and in sauces. I use it on my fajitas, tacos, and baked potatoes, and in my jalapeno white sauce for my fish tacos. It can also be mixed with ½ tablespoon sugar, agave nectar, honey, or maple syrup and ½ teaspoon of vanilla and used as a dip for fruit. I do not buy flavored yogurts due to the fact they have too many sugars or are sweetened with NutraSweet. They also have artificial colors and flavors. I would rather take acidophilus pills, which travel better anyway.
Boneless, skinless chicken breast: Chicken can be used in a variety of recipes. Any leftovers can be thrown in a salad, on a tortilla, or made into a sandwich the next day for lunch.
Waterfront Bistro frozen fish: They have plain and pre-seasoned. We like the Chili Lime Tortilla Crusted Tilapia. I use it to make my fish tacos, which my husband requests quite often. I use several other varieties and flavors as well. I believe this brand is exclusive to Safeway.
Fresh vegetables: My favorites are tomatoes, green peppers, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, celery, cucumber and zucchini. I try to include veggies or fruit in every meal. I add green pepper and/or tomato to my breakfast sandwiches. I add lettuce, tomato, avacados and/or cucumber to sandwiches. I pick a couple different veggies each week and cut them up as soon as I get home and put them in zip loc baggies so I have them handy to grab and snack. If I bought a whole lot of vegetables I would be throwing away most of them at the end of the week. I have mentioned before that I like the pre-packaged salads. I am starting to re-think this. I’ve heard some bad things about them. Like the ingredients they use to wash their lettuce and some contain more bacteria and contaminates than we care to talk about. It’s less expensive to buy a head of lettuce and cut it up yourself. Throw it in a zip loc bag and you have a prepackaged salad. I mainly liked the ones that had the dressing and everything already included. But I can easily make a homemade dressing that is a lot healthier and I can make as much or as little as I want. I will post recipes on another blog.
Fruit: My favorites are watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, bananas, peaches, and apples. Fruit is always part of our breakfast. Any fruit that is on the verge of going bad gets cut up and put in the freezer for smoothies, if I have a blender handy.
Carol Shelby Chili kit: Occasionally we get a craving for chili, especially on those cold nights. I like this kit because you can make it as hot or as mild as you want and the only items on the ingredient list are spices like chili powder, onion powder, masa, etc. No MSG or artificial flavors. Just add a pound of ground beef or turkey, an 8 oz can of tomato sauce, and water.
Chips: My husband loves to have chips to accompany his sandwiches at lunch. Who doesn’t? The only chips I buy are Natural Ruffles potato chips and Fritos. They both only have 3 ingredients on the label.
Spices: I get most of my other spices at the dollar store or at Wal Mart. I don’t keep a lot in stock. Mainly garlic and onion powder, lemon pepper, salt and pepper.
I love tacos, and I used to buy the complete taco dinner, till I realized MSG was one of the first items in the ingredients. Most stores sell small packages of spices near the produce or on the Mexican food aisle for about $1.50. I get chili powder and cumin here. I make my own tacos or tostadas out of corn tortillas. I also get fresh spices like oregano, basil, and rosemary in the produce section for about $2.29 a package. I like to plan my meals that use the same ingredients where I will use most of these up within a week. Like pizza and spaghetti. Fresh basil tastes wonderful cut up and spread over a pizza on top of the sauce.
Whole Wheat Flour: Speaking of pizza. I love to make my whole grain pizza crust and add my own toppings. I can usually find a bulk section at one of the grocery stores where I can buy as much or as little whole wheat flour as I want. So this works out well if I just need 2 or 3 cups. Yeast is also sold in small packets. The only other ingredients are olive oil, salt, sugar and all-purpose flour which I can also find in the bulk section, and I use as well in my hash browns.
Vanilla: I do not buy the imitation variety. Vanilla tastes great in coffee with a little bit of milk and sugar or Agave nectar. I use it to make my yogurt dip for fruit, and to make French toast with milk, eggs, and a little sugar.
Whole Grain Frozen Waffles: I only buy these because my husband likes them and I don't travel with a waffle iron. I buy the ones with the least amount of artificial ingredients. They do make an easy, quick breakfast if you're in a hurry.
Maple syrup: I prefer Grade B maple syrup, but its not always easy to find. So I settle for the Grade A. A small bottle will not last long for us so I don’t worry about having to use it up. I will not buy the pancake syrup. Too many artificial ingredients.
Natural Peanut Butter: Most name brand peanut butter is nothing more than peanut flavored shortening. I can’t believe people feed this to their kids. Add the added sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup and you have a really unhealthy snack. Natural peanut butter however is a healthy snack providing vitamin E, phosphorus, niacin, magnesium, and fiber. I like it on celery sticks, crackers, apples, or just a good ole peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It is very filling and tasty. Just don’t eat too much. When you first purchase it you will want to stir the oil into the peanut butter and then I store mine in the fridge to keep it from separating. Natural peanut butter should only have two ingredients: peanuts, salt, unless you get the salt free variety.
Jam or jelly: When we find a store that sells local made jam or jelly we try to buy a small jar of it. We recently bought some Plum jam. The only ingredients: Plums, water, lemon juice, pectin, sugar. And it doesn’t last long.
Milk: Make sure it’s hormone free. I usually end up buying a gallon, because it’s usually cheaper than a half gallon. Can someone explain this to me? I love milk. I drink it by the glassful. I also put it in my coffee along with ¼ teaspoon of vanilla instead of store bought creamers which are full of all kinds of artificial ingredients.
Coffee: I like the Millstone or similar variety. I can buy as much or as little as I need and I can grind it fresh in the store. It tastes so much better than the kind that has been sitting on the shelf for weeks after grinding.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Spontaneity
I haven’t been keeping up with my blog lately. My husband had some time off between sites and we decided to visit some of the local areas. He flew his parents up for their 50th wedding anniversary and they did some sightseeing with us. We drove around the Mt Hood area which is absolutely beautiful. We also took a trip to Goldendale Washington. If you ever find yourself driving through there be sure and stop at St John’s Greek Monastery on US 97. They own and operate the Greek Bakery which has the best baklava you’ve ever had. Another interesting and educational place to visit is the Goldendale Observatory. We however got there about 5 minutes after 5:00 and missed the opportunity. We recently returned from a spontaneous “day” trip to Seattle. Something I learned from that trip is I need to keep a small bag packed with a change of clothes, small antiperspirant, toothbrush, and travel size toothpaste, as well as a light jacket, work out clothes and swim suit. We have recently become increasingly spontaneous and have actually taken 3 trips where we ended up staying the night somewhere without a change of clothes, or a tooth brush. Most hotels will provide you with certain toiletry items at no charge, such as toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and razors. But not all hotels do. The place we stayed had everything except deodorant. So I have decided to just stay prepared and keep a bag ready to go as soon as my hubby says “Let’s go for a ride.” Fortunately, this trip was so spontaneous and the drive so far I decided to just put my hair up in a ponytail and put my makeup on in the truck. So at least I had my makeup with me and didn’t have to worry about fixing my hair. I highly recommend bringing along healthy snacks when taking a long drive like this. I always carry with me some mixed nuts, fruit, and/or granola bars. I like the Nature Valley granola bars because they don’t have high fructose corn syrup, usually the first ingredient on most snack bars, and they have less sugars than most yogurts. Carrying snacks with me keeps me from grabbing unhealthy munchies at the convenience store like potato chips or cookies. I also bring lots of water, and stay away from sodas.
Seattle is a beautiful city, but the traffic is less than desirable. Almost as bad if not worse than Houston. Our trip also coincided with the annual gay pride parade and it was crazy in downtown Seattle. We didn’t get to do a lot of sightseeing because we were with his parents and they can’t do much walking. But we did get to go to the Pike Place Market where they have the “flying fish” where employees throw three-foot salmon and other fish to each other rather than passing them by hand. When a customer orders a fish, an employee at the Fish Market's ice-covered fish table picks up the fish and hurls it over the countertop, where another employee catches it and preps it for sale. According to the employees, this tradition started when the fishmongers got tired of having to walk out to the Market's fish table to retrieve a salmon each time someone ordered one. Eventually, the owner realized it was easier to station an employee at the table, to throw the fish over the counter. The "flying fish" have appeared in an episode of the television sitcom Frasier that was shot on location and have been featured on The Learning Channel. After that we took a trip up to the observation deck in infamous Space Needle. It was interesting and you get a great view of Seattle and the bay, but not sure its worth the $17 ticket price. I hope to go back to Seattle soon and experience the Underground Tour. It’s an hour and a half walking tour beneath Seattle's sidewalks and streets, so we didn’t get the opportunity to do this for obvious reasons. Since we are now about a 2 hour drive from Seattle I’m sure we’ll make several trips there. I'm looking forward to my next spontaneous trip and my bag is already prepared and ready to go.
Seattle is a beautiful city, but the traffic is less than desirable. Almost as bad if not worse than Houston. Our trip also coincided with the annual gay pride parade and it was crazy in downtown Seattle. We didn’t get to do a lot of sightseeing because we were with his parents and they can’t do much walking. But we did get to go to the Pike Place Market where they have the “flying fish” where employees throw three-foot salmon and other fish to each other rather than passing them by hand. When a customer orders a fish, an employee at the Fish Market's ice-covered fish table picks up the fish and hurls it over the countertop, where another employee catches it and preps it for sale. According to the employees, this tradition started when the fishmongers got tired of having to walk out to the Market's fish table to retrieve a salmon each time someone ordered one. Eventually, the owner realized it was easier to station an employee at the table, to throw the fish over the counter. The "flying fish" have appeared in an episode of the television sitcom Frasier that was shot on location and have been featured on The Learning Channel. After that we took a trip up to the observation deck in infamous Space Needle. It was interesting and you get a great view of Seattle and the bay, but not sure its worth the $17 ticket price. I hope to go back to Seattle soon and experience the Underground Tour. It’s an hour and a half walking tour beneath Seattle's sidewalks and streets, so we didn’t get the opportunity to do this for obvious reasons. Since we are now about a 2 hour drive from Seattle I’m sure we’ll make several trips there. I'm looking forward to my next spontaneous trip and my bag is already prepared and ready to go.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Staying fit on the road
Let’s face it. I’m no Jillian Michaels. And you can bet I’m not going to be gracing the cover of Fitness Magazine anytime in the near future. But, I do truly believe that if you don’t live a healthy lifestyle while on the road you’re not going to be on the road for very long. You’re also going to miss out on some awesome opportunities. Like hiking to the top of Multnomah Falls, take a walk along the Columbia River, or riding a Harley through the Black Hills of South Dakota. All of these things I’ve had the opportunity to do because of our travels.
Staying fit on the road can be a challenge. Walking is always the best option. It’s free, you don’t need any special equipment other than a good pair of tennis shoes which almost everyone has, and you get to sightsee while getting exercise. The only disadvantage can be the weather. For example, it has done nothing but rain since we got to Oregon a week ago. Now this does not seem to be a hindrance to most natives here. I see people out running, walking their dogs (hey Fido’s gotta go rain or shine) and riding their bikes. Let’s just say I’m not a walking in the rain kinda girl. But if this keeps up I may have to invest in a good raincoat.
Some towns have a recreation center available for use and you usually don’t have to be a resident. They generally have monthly and daily rates. In one place we were staying I was fortunate enough to have one right across the street and it was $30 a month. Another time I got a job working at a hotel and they allowed me to use their fitness center when I was off duty. Hood River however does not have a recreation center, surprisingly. They do have a lot of hilly streets and you can get a good workout when it is not raining or snowing. Having a nationwide gym membership, like the one I had at 24 Hour Fitness, is not practical for us because we are always located hours from the closest location. So we just have to work with what is available in each particular situation.
I do carry along certain exercise accessories that I can use when on the road and don’t have access to a gym. When we are driving and I have more room I have my bicycle which is a great source of exercise and transportation. I also bring a balance ball, hand weights and a yoga mat. However, when we have to fly, for obvious reasons those items are impossible to bring. So I have a small mesh bag that I keep resistance bands and a jump rope in. They’re lightweight, don’t take up much room, and you can get a decent workout with them, although I prefer hand weights when I can have access to them. And if I don’t have a yoga mat available a folded up blanket will work for floor exercises. If you have access to a DVD player then fitness videos, such as P90X may be a great option. Although, I haven’t brought myself to spend $120 plus shipping on it. If you have access to the internet, which if you’re reading this I’m pretty sure you do, www.exercisetv.tv has dozens of free full length videos you can watch online. They also have videos you can download onto your computer for a nominal fee. www.fitnessmagazine.com and www.shape.com have workout routines on their websites. They also have a fitness tracker where you can keep track of your consumed calories as well as your activities so you can see how many calories you have burned each day. This is a great tool to utilize. One of my favorite things to do, especially if I’m stuck inside due to inclement weather, is turn my iTunes on my computer up and just dance to some bouncy tunes. Dancing is a great and fun way to get some aerobic activity.
The most important thing is to get moving and not get stuck sitting around watching TV and eating junk food all day. That can be not only detrimental to your physical well being but can also lead to depression. So get up and move that body.
Staying fit on the road can be a challenge. Walking is always the best option. It’s free, you don’t need any special equipment other than a good pair of tennis shoes which almost everyone has, and you get to sightsee while getting exercise. The only disadvantage can be the weather. For example, it has done nothing but rain since we got to Oregon a week ago. Now this does not seem to be a hindrance to most natives here. I see people out running, walking their dogs (hey Fido’s gotta go rain or shine) and riding their bikes. Let’s just say I’m not a walking in the rain kinda girl. But if this keeps up I may have to invest in a good raincoat.
Some towns have a recreation center available for use and you usually don’t have to be a resident. They generally have monthly and daily rates. In one place we were staying I was fortunate enough to have one right across the street and it was $30 a month. Another time I got a job working at a hotel and they allowed me to use their fitness center when I was off duty. Hood River however does not have a recreation center, surprisingly. They do have a lot of hilly streets and you can get a good workout when it is not raining or snowing. Having a nationwide gym membership, like the one I had at 24 Hour Fitness, is not practical for us because we are always located hours from the closest location. So we just have to work with what is available in each particular situation.
I do carry along certain exercise accessories that I can use when on the road and don’t have access to a gym. When we are driving and I have more room I have my bicycle which is a great source of exercise and transportation. I also bring a balance ball, hand weights and a yoga mat. However, when we have to fly, for obvious reasons those items are impossible to bring. So I have a small mesh bag that I keep resistance bands and a jump rope in. They’re lightweight, don’t take up much room, and you can get a decent workout with them, although I prefer hand weights when I can have access to them. And if I don’t have a yoga mat available a folded up blanket will work for floor exercises. If you have access to a DVD player then fitness videos, such as P90X may be a great option. Although, I haven’t brought myself to spend $120 plus shipping on it. If you have access to the internet, which if you’re reading this I’m pretty sure you do, www.exercisetv.tv has dozens of free full length videos you can watch online. They also have videos you can download onto your computer for a nominal fee. www.fitnessmagazine.com and www.shape.com have workout routines on their websites. They also have a fitness tracker where you can keep track of your consumed calories as well as your activities so you can see how many calories you have burned each day. This is a great tool to utilize. One of my favorite things to do, especially if I’m stuck inside due to inclement weather, is turn my iTunes on my computer up and just dance to some bouncy tunes. Dancing is a great and fun way to get some aerobic activity.
The most important thing is to get moving and not get stuck sitting around watching TV and eating junk food all day. That can be not only detrimental to your physical well being but can also lead to depression. So get up and move that body.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Introduction to my life on the road.
I’ve decided to write a blog about my life on the road with my husband and some of the challenges of living on the road, such as trying to eat healthy, get in exercise, and live with minimal possessions, as well as some of the advantages we experience. He works for a wind energy company and we get transferred…a lot! Sometimes we get as much as 4 days notice, but usually less, which sometimes takes us by surprise when we are on a junket home to Fort Worth, TX. On more than one occasion we have had to fly back to an assigned site only to pack everything and move right to the next one. We have learned to travel light, which keeps us from spending a lot of money on shopping trips because we have nowhere to keep anything. We carry a few clothes and cooking utensils. This last trip to Oregon we were required to fly here and leave our truck and trailer in Texas. That presented a challenge with all the weight limits on what to carry on the plane, especially for an undetermined amount of time and unknown weather conditions. For example, its been raining and cold since the day we got here. Thank goodness I brought some light jackets. So much for all those cute tank tops I bought while I was in Texas. We also could not bring our other provisions and essentials. We were fortunate enough to find a vacation rental considering it’s their peak vacation season. Hood River is claimed to be the Wind Surfing Capital of the World. Though I doubt I see anyone out on the river today. The summer season is more popular for tourists than the winter even though they have great skiing on Mt Hood. I am rather impressed that the kitchen in our rental is well stocked. That is not always the case. Usually you get a pan and two of each: plate, cup, silverware.
There’s no room for gourmet cooking on the road. Cooking healthy is a challenge. We do eat a lot of grilled chicken and fresh veggies. We don’t have much inventory as far as spices; Salt, pepper, and McCormick Perfect Pinch Savory All-Purpose Seasoning. If I’m going to be somewhere for a while, I will get some garlic powder and onion powder at Wal Mart or Dollartree for about $1.00 each. Waterfront Bistro pre-seasoned seafood is a great option. I love their selection. And the fact that they are pre-seasoned is an advantage. Other healthy options we prefer are Uncle Ben’s brown rice in the steamer bag, and Green Giant’s Valley Fresh Steamers. They come in a variety of flavors and the fact that they steam in the bag cuts down on having to have extra bowls to haul around. And we eat a lot of fresh veggies and salads. I like to buy the pre-packaged salads with the dressing including. That way you’re not lugging around a bunch of dressing bottles. I wish they would make some items in smaller containers so I don’t have to buy so much of something. Like butter, sour cream, and mayonnaise. You would not believe how much of these we’ve had to get rid of or throw away only to buy another container at the next location because it either doesn’t travel well or we are flying instead of driving like we did this last trip.
Being in certain locations can be advantageous when it comes to the local Farmer’s Market. When we were in Cheyenne we had access to a variety of local produce and fresh bread at the Farmer’s Market at the Cheyenne Depot Plaza in downtown Cheyenne. I bought lots of fresh peaches and corn when we were there in the fall. Here in Hood River we have access to the “Fruit Loop” which is a loop that goes around the area where all the orchards are located. www.hoodriverfruitloop.com. At certain times of the year you can get fresh apples, pears, raspberries, apricots blueberries strawberries, cherries, chestnuts, etc. Not to mention the wine. There are close to 40 wineries in the Columbia River Gorge area. I may have to write another blog about that.
I just touched on a few items this entry. I will talk more about each subject in more detail in subsequent entries as well as other adventures. This is a blog about my journey and activities. I hope you follow along as I encounter each situation and what I do to overcome the obstacles of living on the road. I encourage you to comment regarding your trials and encounters in your journeys as well.
There’s no room for gourmet cooking on the road. Cooking healthy is a challenge. We do eat a lot of grilled chicken and fresh veggies. We don’t have much inventory as far as spices; Salt, pepper, and McCormick Perfect Pinch Savory All-Purpose Seasoning. If I’m going to be somewhere for a while, I will get some garlic powder and onion powder at Wal Mart or Dollartree for about $1.00 each. Waterfront Bistro pre-seasoned seafood is a great option. I love their selection. And the fact that they are pre-seasoned is an advantage. Other healthy options we prefer are Uncle Ben’s brown rice in the steamer bag, and Green Giant’s Valley Fresh Steamers. They come in a variety of flavors and the fact that they steam in the bag cuts down on having to have extra bowls to haul around. And we eat a lot of fresh veggies and salads. I like to buy the pre-packaged salads with the dressing including. That way you’re not lugging around a bunch of dressing bottles. I wish they would make some items in smaller containers so I don’t have to buy so much of something. Like butter, sour cream, and mayonnaise. You would not believe how much of these we’ve had to get rid of or throw away only to buy another container at the next location because it either doesn’t travel well or we are flying instead of driving like we did this last trip.
Being in certain locations can be advantageous when it comes to the local Farmer’s Market. When we were in Cheyenne we had access to a variety of local produce and fresh bread at the Farmer’s Market at the Cheyenne Depot Plaza in downtown Cheyenne. I bought lots of fresh peaches and corn when we were there in the fall. Here in Hood River we have access to the “Fruit Loop” which is a loop that goes around the area where all the orchards are located. www.hoodriverfruitloop.com. At certain times of the year you can get fresh apples, pears, raspberries, apricots blueberries strawberries, cherries, chestnuts, etc. Not to mention the wine. There are close to 40 wineries in the Columbia River Gorge area. I may have to write another blog about that.
I just touched on a few items this entry. I will talk more about each subject in more detail in subsequent entries as well as other adventures. This is a blog about my journey and activities. I hope you follow along as I encounter each situation and what I do to overcome the obstacles of living on the road. I encourage you to comment regarding your trials and encounters in your journeys as well.
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