Lunes y Martes

Monday we spent the day relaxing poolside again, this time with much stronger SPF, reapplying religiously. We met the nicest couple lying next to us at the pool--newlyweds from Indianapolis! Abby and Eric just got married this past weekend, and they were fortunate enough to have their honeymoon go off without a hitch just after the wedding. :-)

The 4 of us really click, and we hung out again on Tuesday at the resort's "Welcome Fiesta," complete with margaritas y mariachi band!























When the host (a Mexican Adam Sandler) asked for volunteers on the stage, Abby & I both gladly volunteered our husbands. I think Wheeler and Eric were secretly excited for the opportunity, as Mexican Sandler was holding a large bottle of tequila in his hand. Mexican Sandler had one of the band members demonstrate what each contestant needed to do in order to win a bottle of Jose Cuervo...the contest included a microphone, a shot of Cuervo, and topped off with an authentic high-pitched Mexican Scream.


















It was a close competition between the 2 boys (funny enough, the 2 ladies competing both had man voices), but Wheeler won the popular vote and walked off stage with said bottle of liquor, which we all promptly poured into our previously weak (but free) margaritas. At our table, we also made friends with a couple of nice fishermen on their annual Cabo fishing trip (seen in the background of the tequila bottle photo below). I think Eric was hoping they would invite him out on their boat, but no matter how much tequila we poured, sadly...no invitation. Turns out these boats are super expensive and only fit a few people on at one time. 'A' for Effort though Eric!

































Later that night, we all changed into our bathing suits and met back at the pool for a moonlit swim/poolside night cap with our newly won bottle of tequila and our handy iPod stereo. Nothing like being able to swim outside at 9:00 at night in October!

We made it!!!

So with only a half hour of internet time per day on our resort, we have decided not to spend it posting the blogs...rather, you all will have to wait for the details and photos of the trip upon our return to the states. But in the meantime, we will document our experiences and our thoughts along the way. Enjoy!

October 3rd, 2009

After a full year of waiting our honeymoon to finally come, we have finally made it to our Cabo destination on the gorgeous resort, Hacienda del Mar! Upon our arrival, it was pouring rain, which everyone informed us only happens about 5 days a year (lucky us). It made for some HUGE puddles as we made our way in the rental car along the main highway ("The Corridor") between San Jose del Cabo and San Lucas. Our resort was just about a 10 minute drive outside of San Lucas, the energetic nightlife half of Los Cabos.

Views from the plane

Even amidst the rain, as we drove up to the resort, we could hardly believe our eyes at how incredible this place looked. Very traditional hacienda style Mexican villas, surrounded by palm trees and fountains.


During our check-in, when we told them our whole sob-story of just how long we had been awaiting this honeymoon, the nice gentleman at the front desk immediately informed us that he would be upgrading our suite to a nice 2-story suite with an ocean view! When we stepped in, it was better than we had envisioned! Complete with a full kitchen, Jacuzzi, 2 balconies, 2 full baths, etc. Loving every minute!




Our first night here, we went into San Lucas, and ate at a very authentic Mexican restaurant called Mi Casa, complete with a Mariachi band. The food and margaritas were muy delicioso!

After dinner, as we attempted to navigate our way from downtown back to our hotel, we realized that we were most certainly not in America anymore! We were surprised to find that even right there in touristy Cabo, it was pretty desolate living conditions for the locals...I admit, I kind of freaked out as we drove through a not-so-good neighborhood (neither of us having any idea where we were really going), at midnight. We drove past prostitutes, stray dogs, and kids still running around in the streets. Needless to say, I was very relieved when we made it back on the main road and back to our very gringo resort.

Our 1 Year Anniversary!

We woke up on our first full day--our 1 year Anniversary! It is so hard to believe that the wedding was already a year ago. In so many ways, it seems like just yesterday that we were able to share such a special day with so many of our close family & friends. And in so many other ways, it feels like an eternity because it's been a whole year since we've been home, or even back there in New England! Fortunately, after this wonderful week, we also get to go home to visit family just a few days after our return to LA!

"The first wedding anniversary is a special anniversary. This anniversary is the official end to the couple’s newlywed status. It sets the precedent for how a couple will celebrate their anniversaries in the future and reflects the romance of their newlywed year. How often do you eat year-old cake and are happy about it! Many people eat the top tier of their wedding cake on this day. The traditional reason for saving the top tier of a wedding cake was to use as a christening cake, though most modern brides and grooms save it to eat on their first anniversary for good luck and a sweet reminder of their special day."


Though we didn't spend our 1st Anniversary eating year-old cake (although we do plan to do that as soon as we get home to Vermont later in the month!), we were fortunate enough to spend it in beautiful, sunny Cabo, and enjoyed the majority of it relaxing pool/beach side--finally! We had been waiting to step foot in that infinity pool for YEARS now, ever since we discovered this resort while researching honeymoon destinations, way back in 2007! And the resort is more than living up to our expectations! Multiple organically-shaped pools, all along the beach view, have little foot bridges and waterfalls, and each one offers a slightly different temperature, starting off as bathwater and with each pool, gets a little more cool the further down you go. Of course, it's so hot here, the coolest pool is deliciously refreshing, and that's the one that Wheeler and I have found ourselves laying next to the most.
We are right on the Sea of Cortez, and the waves break right on the shoreline, causing some extreme undertow here at the resort. Hence, they do not recommend swimming in the ocean in our particular portion of the beach. Did I think that would stop Wheeler? I would be surely mistaken to think so. Of course, he decided the current was assuredly much overrated, and he was going to brave the enormous waves himself. As he sauntered down to the water, crashing high above our heads, people warned that he shouldn't go in by himself. Again, he was not to be deterred. I stood close by, and made sure that the lifeguards were also not too far away, in the event that SuperWheels happened to...get in over his head. The undertow WAS very strong, and fortunately Wheeler is a good swimmer, and smart enough not to test his luck too much. He had a few minutes of fun, and then (with my insistence), came back for a swim within the safe confines of the pool.
About 5 hours, not nearly enough sunscreen, and a nice start to our tans (errr...burns) later, Wheeler and I ended our wonderful first Anniversary with a romantic dinner at the renowned 5-Star restaurant right there at our resort, Pitahayas (courtesy as a wedding gift from my amazing friend & bridesmaid, Shibani!).

This restaurant is considered one of the best of all dining experiences there in Los Cabos, and we just so happened to have it right at our fingertips at our resort! We indulged in one of THE most exquisite meals we have ever had the pleasure of consuming. Located overlooking the beach, under a giant "palapa" roof, the restaurant was surprisingly empty, and Wheeler and I enjoyed attentive service and food that was beyond amazing. First, we started with some refreshing white wine, and had a toast to our first year of marriage. As they say here in Mexico to toast: "Arriba, abajo, al centro, pa dentro!" (Up, down, center, inside!). Next, we shared an appetizer of crispy, spicy coconut shrimp with a delicious mango sauce, after which, our waiter brought over a nice sorbet to cleanse our pallets, compliments of the house! Perhaps that was because we had both ordered some of the most expensive entrees off of the menu, haha! Wheeler had the seared tuna over some Asian-style noodles, and my filet minon over garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, and BBQed jumbo shrimp was out of this world!!! Needless to say, neither of us saved room for dessert.

After dinner, we decided to walk off some of the food, and took a stroll through the resort, ending at the bell tower, overlooking the property and the beach, with what appeared to be a full moon. Que romantico!I cannot imagine a better way to celebrate our first year of marriage! And if what they say is true about the first anniversary setting a precedent for future anniversaries, then I would say that Wheeler and I have a lifetime of romantic anniversaries to come!

Challenges and Dreams

Back in the spring, I received the following email message less than a week before we were scheduled to leave:

"...In life there will always be challenges that have manifested, and dreams that haven't. But they'll always pale in comparison to the number of dreams that have manifested, and challenges that haven't." ~The Universe

Talk about foreshadowing what was to come! I didn't think much of it at the time, but after our trip was once again postponed, the significance of this message hit me like a ton of bricks. And it made me realize that perhaps there was a more positive perspective I could take on what was a devastating, unfortunate challenge getting in the way of our long-awaited dream of going on a honeymoon.

The reality is that as annoying as it has been to have our honeymoon postponed so many times, Wheeler and I are actually very fortunate to be in the position where we can even take a vacation to Cabo, especially during the state of the current economy. It can be so easy to lose sight of that when faced with a number of challenges, but as this message reminds us, the number of good things in life typically outweigh the bad. We often take these things for granted, so I'm making it my personal goal to be grateful for the things that have worked in our favor.

In regards to our upcoming vacation, I am particularly grateful for:

• My parents, who made this entire trip possible by giving us a week of their timeshare
  
  


• Wheeler's mom, who purchased our direct flight for the re-scheduled trip after we lost $800 on our original flight (Challenge #2 with the hurricane fiasco was that AeroMexico refused to refund our tickets even though the hurricane was hitting Cabo the day we were flying down there).
  
  


• All of our friends and family who provided us with honeymoon gift certificates that will allow us to experience some really fun adventures, dinners, and drinks in Cabo!
  
  


• A direct flight from LA to Cabo through American Airlines, which turned out to be half as much $$ as the original AeroMexico flight, even though it was going to have a layover in Mexico City (of all places)!
  
  


• Getting to stay at one of the top rated resorts on the Baja Peninsula--a place that we picked out as our #1 resort through RCI timeshares way back in the spring of 2006!!!
  
  


• Our friend Megan, who is going to take care of our wonderful kitty, Pepper (Pepper has a bit of separation anxiety due to her first few years of life being passed around between different homes). We will miss her terribly while we're gone, but it's nice to know that she'll be in good hands.
  

Thank you all!

Don't Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch

I don't want to get too excited, especially after getting let down about this trip twice within one year...but if all goes well (for once), we will FINALLY be in Cabo in just 12 days!!!!

Have you been to Cabo? If so, what's your absolute favorite thing to do there? What's the one thing we MUST be sure to do on our postponed honeymoon?

Fingers Crossed

Swine Flu Paranoia

OK, 24 days till the UBER-long awaited Honeymoon in Cabo! Please keep your fingers crossed that hurricanes are done taunting the Baja Peninsula, and that any random unfortunate mishaps (see above) stay away until at least October 11th.

The countdown begins...again

32 days!

32 days from now (fingers crossed), we will *finally* be on our way to Cabo!!! We begin the countdown for the THIRD time now, in the hopes that the 3rd time is a charm. We're scheduled to fly down on October 3rd, just the day before our 1 year anniversary! I think the long wait will make the eventual trip all that much more enjoyable.

As Susan Jeffries said: "If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing well. If it is worth having, it is worth waiting for. If it is worth attaining, it is worth fighting for. If it is worth experiencing, it is worth putting aside time for."


Well after a wait like this it's inevitably going to be worth it. I cannot wait to just relax in the Mexican sol. After almost an entire year (!) of no vacation (yes it's true--I didn't even have any vaca time time around the Holidays), this will be a sweet, sweet vacacione en el sol.