We officially caught the travel bug in February of 2006. We booked an all-inclusive trip to Cabo San Lucas with our good friend Dave. Neither of us had ever even been out of the country…unless you count my drunken trip to Tijuana at 19….we don’t. This was way back in the day when you didn’t even need a passport to travel to Mexico, a birth certificate sufficed. We sent the boys up to Grandma and Grandpa’s farm in Idaho and headed off on the first of many adventures. We should also mention that this was only my second time on a plane. We lucked out and had a direct flight to Cabo. No layovers, a travelers dream!
We landed in Cabo and the first thing to hit us was that dry, Mexican heat. We definitely were not in Utah anymore! The second thing to hit us, was the stark difference in liquor laws! We weren’t quite sure what to think when Dave said “Let’s grab some beers for the cab ride!” and the cabbie responded “What kind, Senor?” as he pulled into the gas station. He emerged moments later with a six-pack of Pacifico for us! And so began our beer and tequila-fueled first trip to Mexico!
We arrived at what is now the Holiday Inn in Los Cabos after only almost “dying” twice; anybody who has been in a cab in Mexico knows what we are talking about. Mexican cab drivers are some of the most skilled drivers we have encountered in the world, second only to Indonesian drivers. That being said, when it is your first time to the country and nobody warns you, a cab ride can be quite the harrowing experience, to say the least!
We found our rooms, dropped our bags and went off to experience Cabo. Our first stop was the henna tattoo shop, naturally. I opted for a classic, 2006 era tramp stamp…you know the type. While perusing through the design book, I noticed a they had a gecko selection…I giggled to myself and went on to pick my “classy” design. Whilst I was getting “inked”, Jeron had made his way to the backroom of the shop where the owner’s family was huddled around the black and white tv watching football. (Soccer to Americans). Being the social butterfly, chatty Cathy that he is, it did not take long before the tequila shots were being doled out. So it wasn’t surprising that 30 minutes later, he emerged from the shop with a very classy, very chic gecko tattoo band on his arm! I thank God every day that it was only a henna tattoo, as I’m certain he does as well!
The next couple of days were spent lounging around the adult pool, eating at the delicious resort restaurants and taking full advantage of the bar services. I never knew I loved guacamole so much, and I definately ate my weight in it on this trip!
On the third day, as I am lounging by the pool, doing what I do, Jeron and Dave went off exploring. They made their way to a nearby nature preserve, where there were various species of cattle, birds and other small animals. When they returned, Jeron said he spotted an ultralight aircraft being wheeled down to the beach and was going to go check it out and see if they were offering rides.
An hour or so later, he and Dave returned again and Jeron had a grin from ear to ear. Turns out, they did offer rides and Jeron just went on one and was insistent that I go as well. I should probably mention that I have a fear of heights and I also cannot swim. So an ultralight ride over the ocean didn’t really seem like something I would enjoy. BUT, I know my husband as well as he knows me, and I knew that if I did not go on the ride I would never hear the end of it. Just like he knew that if he pestered me enough, I would go and I would love it! So 30 minutes later, I’m being strapped into the ultralight, shaking like a leaf. I ended up loving the ride, just as Jeron knew I would.
Sometimes you have to venture outside of your comfort zone and do things you never thought you would. That is a big basis of our relationship, Jeron is the thrill-seeker and most of the time I feel like I am the tag-along! But there has not been a time that I have done something that he has “pestered” me to do and not thoroughly enjoyed myself, and I know that he would never convince me to do something that would put me in danger. That is his famous line, “If I thought it was dangerous I would never make you do it.”
We spent our last couple of days the same way we started them, lounging by the pool, eating, drinking etc. We did have quite an eventful night at Cabo Wabo, an adventure in itself. I was 24 at the time, drinking age in Mexico is 18, and I got carded. Just the ego boost I needed!
We left Mexico feeling relaxed and anxious to get home to our boys. We also left with a feeling we could not quite explain. Looking back on it, we realize that the feeling was the bug. We had caught the travel bug and the only antidote is more travel. This post is titled “Cabo, Where it All Began” because we truly believe that this is where our obsession with travel began. We are endlessly grateful to Dave for convincing us to go on this trip. We were nervous about leaving the kids – I was nervous about flying – but the trip was something that we needed in our relationship. We realized that this was something that we will always have. We will always have these memories, and we will always love making more memories in the future. The great thing about us is that we have different personalities and naturally want different things in our vacations, but we are always able to have an amazing time and each get something different out of our trips.
As I mentioned before, I was perfectly content lounging by the pool while Jeron was the one adventuring. As we have continued to travel, we have realized that we are able to have two vacations within the same vacation. The couple that travels together, stays together.
– To Eatch Their Own