Cabo San Lucas, Day 1

It is not like we were dying to get out of town again, but a new resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, invited us for two nights and... who would say no?

The great joy in this trip, for me, is that for Cabo there was no need to put things like pants and socks into the bag. In fact, I should have a t-shirt that reads, "Have sandals, will travel." Sandals, shorts, bathing suit, t-shirt, and one decent shirt for dinner. That is it. I could have filled the pockets of my cargo shorts and gone bagless.

The last view of Los Angeles.

Okay, this is the last view of Los Angeles. Something about the sun on the ocean...

This is where we went. Almost exactly.

The first view of the Mexican sky.

If only I could have taken pictures of everyone's feet. I think 9 in 10 people were wearing sandals on this flight. The degree to which we all anticipated the Mexican heat was beautiful.

Passport time. Funny how for most of my life a CA Driver's license got me in and out of this country, while today I need a Passport. Meanwhile, for much of history you needed that passport to move from country to country in Europe, and today you travel freely across borders.

We arrived at Capella Pedregal through the 300m tunnel they blasted into the mountain. See, this resort is next to the heart of downtown Cabo San Lucas, yet a tall hill stands between it and the town. They brought in mining crews to blast out a tunnel through the rock and Voila, a new luxury resort next to yet seperated from the town.

The resort only opened last month, and as you can see what are clearly going to be water ponds are not yet finished.

But this part looks finished. I'd say that this would do the trick if you were seriously burned out and needed to refresh your soul. Just two hours from home.

I didn't get around to taking pics that really show the niceness of the room. But see that bathroom door? It's the height of our 14 foot ceiling, and moves with ease. I've got to figure out how to get a good pic of the largest bathroom door on Earth.

Our room, like every room at Capella Pedregal, has a private plunge pool. It's skin temperature.

Hungry for lunch, and settling in, we ordered room service. Tortilla Soup for him, Chicken Nachos for her. Too delicious, by the way. I don't want to have a major setback to all the post-Europe weight loss.

By the way, the genius of the infinity pool is that the water perpetually flowing across that infinity edge takes all leaves, grass, and general yuckiness away. The surface always looks perect.

The restaurant next to the pool.

What else did you expect? Cabo has an interesting history, it is true. But this quick jaunt to Cabo is about one thing... the pool and spa. Well, two things.

If pool pics bore you, leave now.

Does not the infinity edge to the pool absolutely make it look like Barbie is in the surf?

Included for the wave. Not the ocean's wave. The wife's.

This one gives you a feel for how close the pool is to the waves of the Pacific. This is the Pacific, so it is chillier than the Sea of Cortez side of Cabo. Of course, here the bodies of water meet and I have no idea where they draw the line. But I trust our driver who told us this is the Pacific; a young Mexican guy from Los Angeles, who moved here 10 years ago to live and work, and is now married with three kids. His parents visit from Los Angeles when they can. I did include these facts for those of you open to thinking more deeply about the complexities of migration over the USA-Mexico border.

Barbie with the swim up bar behind her. Have you noticed yet? We are the only people here. Like, ONLY. Clearly this is because they just opened and it is mid-week. Most travel agents were here over the weekend, but we delayed so that we could attend a wedding on Sunday.

If you'd like to have a luxurious resort to yourself, consider the value of travelling Tues-Thurs.

I have so far failed to mention that the pool is saline and skin temperature.

No, a pool does not get better than this.

Included for the curious types who were thinking, where does that infinity pool end? Of course, the really curious types are asking, "Why do they call it infinity if it has an end? Why not edgeless? But the edge is right there." You can be too literal.

This is Larry. I have around 20 pics of Larry. I started taking them from very far away, one every second or two as I slowly approached him. It was right after this one that he flew away. Larry is the smartest bird in the area. He has figured out the advantages of resting by a pool next to the ocean between fishing expeditions.

Larry is right THERE. He came back after I vacated his spot. Oddly, I suspect he was looking at me and named me Larry as well.

As we left, I turned back and had it not been for the bag I was carrying I would point out the two lounge chairs we used. Full disclosure: I didn't use mine once. There's no need to ever get out of the skin temperature saline pool, so I didn't.

Yes, this is the end. For today.

No more pics. Just two people in a room on laptops. We'd have the news on but gosh darn another famous person has died. Ted Kennedy's passing has now eclipsed all other news. Why is it that when we travel the 24 hour news networks devote 23.99 of those hours to a recent death?