Guest Post by Bandit Basheert
(click on picture to enlarge)
Cannot believe we've been here a week - sunsets are spectacular here - and since it's never cloudy, everyone does beach walking in the afternoon and sits on the beach to watch the sun set nightly. It's warm - last week in the low 90's but has cooled down to the mid 80's and the nights have that wonderful onshore ocean breeze.
The sand gets between our toes as we walk until the sun goes down (hoping to see a turtle come onshore to lay her eggs, but they usually arrive later than midnight). This year the waves have been magnificent - crashing on the shore and producting big curls almost good enough to surf. It is not a swimming beach - there is a 300 foot dropoff . The beach is private - and lovely walking - the longest beach in Cabo, it ends at The Arches and Lover's Beach where a colony of sea lions lives on the rocks. You can hear them during the day as the Glass Bottom Boats take visitors out to view them. We are at the end of Baja California ... nothing but ocean South of us. The sea lions frequently swim into the harbor and lie on the boat slips - posing for pictures and cruising for the small fish that inhabit the marina, competing with the millions of pelicans also swarming the marina.
(click on picture to enlarge)
Lots of cruise ships this year - they are now staying here 2 days and no longer stopping at Puerto Vallarta or Mazatlan due to violence on the mainland. While this is a shame for Mexico, it has proven to be extremely economically beneficial to Cabo San Lucas. Last week it was announced that next year's G20 will "invade Cabo" in June (evidently they have no clue that in June, Cabo "is" Phoenix with humidity). We had the Disney Ship for 2 days - these stops really do help the city.
The seafood is fresh caught daily - the margaritas (strawberry, mango, banana) are tart and cheap. The water is all purified and filtered in the whole town, so even the salads are crisp and fresh. Avocados and mangos are in abundance - sea bass, shrimp, wahoo, dolphin, lobster ... all on the menu and so delicious. (Not THE dolphin - it's a typeof white fish). Music everywhere - mariachi bands wander the streets - and every afternoon finishes at the local Cabo Coffee Company ... for an icy cold drink.
We'll be home soon (I get daily Bailey reports - the new kitten, he doesn't seem to miss me) - and it will be another year before we return to our "second" home in Cabo. Going on our 10th year here - it's always hard to leave ... but it's also great to get home. Who knows what changes we will see when we come back next year.....it's always a surprise when we arrive. And it's always good to arrive back home.
Here is the video which Bandit Basheert sent us, showing the efforts to save baby turtles:
(video shot by Ragdoc)
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NOTE:
The Baby Turtles are being saved by an organization called "The Association for the Protection of the Environment and the Marine Turtle in Southern Baja (ASUPMATOMA)." On their website they explain:
The Association for the Protection of the Environment and the Marine Turtle in Southern Baja (ASUPMATOMA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the endangered sea turtles of Baja California Sur, Mexico, and the overall environmental sustainability of Los Cabos’ beautiful beaches, lands and surrounding communities.
ASUPMATOMA was founded more than 18 years ago by René Pinal, a prominent real estate investor and conservationist in Cabo San Lucas, along with a team of biologists and local residents to address the pressing environmental issues facing Los Cabos. In particular, the organization is a leading worldwide advocate of the preservation of the endangered sea turtles, which are now at risk of destruction in the Sea of Cortez region due to rapid land development, pollution, and illegal hunting and fishing practices.
For nearly two decades, at Pinal’s Rancho Punta San Cristobal estate, a three-and-a-half-mile stretch of environmentally protected beaches and lands (located along the Pacific Coast of Baja approx. 15 minutes north of Cabo San Lucas), ASUPMATOMA has saved tens of thousands of sea turtles in the wild and hundreds of thousands of baby sea turtle hatchlings along the beaches of Los Cabos. In addition, Pinal’s natural lands protect more than 17 other species in the area, some which are also endangered.
Links with more information about this organization can be found HERE and HERE.
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