April 17, 2008 -- Layover in Marina de La Paz -- Bus trip to Cabo San Lucas

We selected this day for an excursion to Cabo. We figured that, being so close, we really should see Cabo San Lucas. It was too long and difficult a passage to attempt with the boat, so we opted to take the bus. The bus terminal is a comfortable 10 block walk from the marina, down the malecon. We started early, reaching the terminal in time to catch the 7 am bus. The fare was 147 pesos each way, per person, or about $14 US. The bus was quite comfortable, with air conditioning, reclining seats, and a restroom in back. They even showed a movie during the trip. We learned that our tickets assigned us to specific seats, after being politely being informed by a Mexican woman that we were in the wrong seats. The drive south took us through some pretty dreary cactus/scrub brush country before nearing the Pacific coast, with occasional agricultural fields and resort projects in various stages of development.

We rolled into the outskirts of Cabo San Lucas, and were disappointed to find that the bus terminal was a long way from the heart of Cabo. The ticket clerk told me we could catch a local bus, called Centro, for 7 pesos each, and it would take us downtown. We started out walking, eventually discovering a bus stop sign. Before long, a Centro bus pulled up and we climbed in. I already had 14 pesos clutched in my hand, and dropped the coins onto the towel which the driver had stretched across a plastic bucket next to the drivers seat, just like a local. We took our seats among the all-Mexican passsengers and bounced our way into town. We were relieved when a fellow seated across from us struck up conversation in perfect English. He was able to point out the best place for us to get off the bus.

We spent the next couple hours poking around in the waterfront area of Cabo. A cruise ship was in port, and we kept being approached by local shop keepers and street vendors, asking if we were from the ship. The implication was that they had very good deals for cruise ship passengers. We just kept walking. I did manage to buy a fishing lure and some salt water flies. The scene at the marina waterfront was hectic, with street vendors of all ages, from 5 year old kids to the very old, all hawking their wares. Ceramics, jewelry, hats, pictures with an iguana, and ceramic whistles seemed to be the big items. We had lunch at an open air restaurant above the main walkway. We made the mistake of taking a table along the rope railing, which meant we had to continuously turn down opportunities to buy the various trinkets being offered.

After lunch we went out on a glass bottom boat to view the scenic rock formations and beaches which make Cabo famous. The boat operator was highly skilled, and he maneuvered us through choppy waters and into very tight quarters. We got some great views of the Arch, Lovers Beach, and numerous other beautiful rock features. He also brought us over some large schools of fish which we could see through the glass bottom, and we moved close in to a sea lion colony. We had a good time on the boat, and I gave the operator a good tip.

We then tried making our escape from the waterfront scene, but not before a silver necklace in the hands of a vendor briefly caught her eye. The guy immediately noticed her passing interest, and quickly strode up. The cruise passengers had reboarded their ship, and he'd not yet made a sale. He offered the necklace for $60 US, and when we said no, he almost begged us to name our lowest price. Neither Sandy nor I like haggling, and I'm not very good at it anyway. We kept saying no and trying to walk away, and he kept chasing after us. Each time he caught up, he dropped his price by $5. He got down to $35 and we once again said no and tried to walk away. He called after us again, and again headed us off. To discourage him I finally said $20. He got a pained look on his face and then he started to walk off. However, he just couldn't face the possibility of losing the sale and came back one more time. $30 he pleaded. I knew Sandy did like the necklace, so I proposed 300 pesos. He said ok, and we bought the necklace. I have no idea if we got taken, or if we virtually stole the necklace from him. It does have a stamp on it, apparently signifying some degree of silver content. In any case, Sandy now has a pretty necklace, and a story to go with it.

We next struck off across town in search of an arts and crafts store. We couldn't locate the one we were looking for, but we did meet a friendly local couple who offered to drive us out to a good place. We accepted their offer and rode out to a big emporium, which was stocked with all manner of goods. It's apparently the place where local vendors pick up many of the items which they then resell. We found a number of things we liked, but before we decided on buying anything, the store was closing. Empty handed, we walked back out and made our way to a bus stop. I had exactly 14 pesos remaining in my pocket, which just covered our bus fare. The bus we boarded looked to have once been a US school bus, since it still had a sign with bus rules, aimed at school students and in English, posted above the driver. The interior was covered with graffiti. On our way through Cabo an older man, toting a portable music player, stepped on. The driver didn't charge him for the ride. This man turned his music on and proceeded to sing several songs. He had a fine voice, rich with feeling. I felt badly that I didn't have any money appropriate for a tip in my pocket. He picked up a few pesos from the other passengers and got off, with a "gratias" for the driver. A fellow passenger who spoke a little English assisted us in determining where to get off the bus, near the main bus terminal. It all worked out great. We crossed the boulevard and bought our return bus tickets. The 2 1/2 hour return trip seemed even longer than the ride down, but we finally got in, around 6:30 pm. We walked back to the boat, grabbed quick showers, and walked up to a nice restaurant which features marinated, grilled beef. It capped off a long and rather tiring day.