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