Sunday, September 16, 2007

We walked to Senor Sweets at the Puerto Paraiso Mall for brunch. Senor Sweets offered free wifi and call to the US and Canada. But we didn’t go there twice for the free stuff, we were there for the food. I loved everything I ordered except for the chocolate they used for my crepe.

After our brunch, we headed to Cabo Dolphins to swim with the dolphins! That was so much fun. We spent a few minutes learning a little about dolphins and the signs to use to communicate with them. We spent most of the time in the pool playing with our group’s dolphin. There were 5 of us that were adults and 2 little kids. We got to be towed by the dolphin twice. We danced, kissed, splashed, touched, and took pictures. We paid US$120, but it was originally US$165. Either way, I think it was worth it.

We weren’t allowed to take our cameras with us though. But even though we were allowed to, we probably wouldn’t be able to take decent pictures being too busy playing with the dolphin. We purchased 16 photos in a CD from Cabo Dolphins for US$139 + tax.

Reviews after the jump…

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Saturday, September 15, 2007

I still had upset stomach, but I was able to get out of bed and go on the ATV tour we had booked that day. We booked the ATV tour to Candelaria and Migrino beach. That was a long tour under the scorching sun. I did wear sunblock, but it wasn’t enough. I was burnt. So I suggest reapplying sunblock from time to time.

Driving the ATV was different from driving a motorcycle. I practiced a bit, but I ended up riding behind the guide. There were a lot of sharp and steep turns that I was slowing the group down. After a couple of hours riding, I was glad I wasn’t driving. I was exhausted from heat and the rugged paths, even though I wasn’t driving.

We had our lunch at Migrino Beach. We were the only ones there and it was beautiful. It was not a swimmable beach though.

We got back to the hotel around 4pm. After a nice shower, we headed to Cabo Wabo with the fish we caught for dinner.

Reviews after the jump…

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Friday, September 14, 2007

It was fishing day!  We had to be at the dock at 6:45 am.  We went with Pisces Sportfishing and they were able to find us someone to share a boat with, so we only had to pay half the price.  The problem was the boat we were assigned with, the Quien Sabe was very slow.  All the boats that had gone after us all passed us on the way.  I got so bored and slept most of the time.  We got to the fishing area too late and only caught two fishes.

  

The most exciting part of the day was the school of dolphins we passed by.  That was the first time I saw dolphins in the wild, and there were lots of them!

[video]http://youtube.com/watch?v=dlond1×1lr0[/video]

I got diarrhea that day.  I was in pain that we just ordered room service for dinner.  I took some of John’s Pepto-Bismol hoping I would feel better and not miss any of the activities we had planned the following days.

Reviews after the jump…

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Thursday, September 13, 2007

Our second day of diving was supposed to be in Cabo Pulmo, but the visibility was terrible at only 5 ft, so Kevin of Amigos del Mar set up a trip across the bay instead.  We had the Amigo 2 boat which didn’t allow for a giant stride entry.  We had to do a backroll entry which I never did before.  I was a little nervous thinking I might get disoriented when I get into the water.  But it wasn’t bad at all.  You would bounce back in the surface anyway.  It was easier for me too coz I don’t have to stand with all the heavy gear.  Coco, the captain, held my gear on the side of the boat.  I slipped into it, move a little farther out of the boat and backrolled.  That was even more fun than the giant stride.

  

Our first dive had a really strong current.  We had to swim to the line before going down.  We had to hold unto the line the whole time until we got to the bottom.  The visibility wasn’t the great.  That was my deepest dive yet, 80+ ft.

  

We took a cab back to the hotel, showered, took a rest and walked by the beach to Baja Cantina for dinner.  I had to have the clams .  At the end of the day, John got diarrhea.  We didn’t know how.  We only drank bottled water.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

John was supposed to dive Gordo Banks this day and leave me with my camera roaming around Cabo. But because of the hurricane, a lot of people cancelled and John was the only one left on the list for Gordo Banks. So he unwillingly went with me to Pueblo Bonito at Sunset Beach and got a massage in the afternoon. He didn’t enjoy the massage. He was bored. He was more into adventure than pampering.

After the massage, we roamed around the grounds of Pueblo Bonito Sunset. The hotel grounds was huge, set on the hills by Sunset Beach. To get to the pool and the beach from the main building, you have to ride a cart. Sunset beach was not a swimmable beach, but very beautiful.

With the free Pueblo Bonito shuttle, we got back to our hotel (Pueblo Bonito Rose) around 5:30 pm and took a cab to Nick San for dinner. Nick San is a Japanese restaurant with a sushi bar of course. Surprisingly, we didn’t order sushi. We ordered Scallops Dinamite for appetizer and it was plenty and delicious. For the entree, John was lame and ordered chicken teriyaki while I ordered Seabass Misoyaki in some sort of mushroom sauce. I loved it. Our dinner at Nick San was our most expensive one at $65.45.

Reviews after the jump…

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Tuesday, September 11, 2007

This day was our first day of diving. We had a local dive at the Pelican Rock and another dive site that was close. The visibility wasn’t that good, maybe because of the hurricane that hit the place a week before. We still saw a lot of fishies though.

We got back from our dives around noon and decided to walk to Pisces Sportfishing to check on our inquiry to share a boat. On our way, someone invited us to attend a timeshare presentation offering free stuff. It was in our plans to attend one timeshare presentation to get freebies . So we said yes. The guy told us that we need to be married to attend the presentation. But we weren’t. So on our way to the timeshare presentation, the guy stopped at a shopping center and got us silver rings as wedding rings, ha! We husband and wife for the rest of day hihi.

The timeshare presentation was at Cabo Villas, close to Pueblo Bonito Rose. We were glad, we got a free ride! We also got free lunch, Mexican blanket, Tequila, ATV tour, and discounted Swim with the Dolphins.

We ended our day with a dinner at Mi Casa. It was a Mexican restaurant. I like the feel of the place, with mariachi bands singing to you and clowns making balloon things. Of course they expect tips. The food, however, I wasn’t too impressed with.

Reviews after the jump…

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Monday, September 10, 2007

I probably only got 2-hour sleep the night before our flight.  Our flight left at 6 am and we arrived in Cabo around noon.  I’ve read in the forums all these warnings about the timeshare salespeople in the airport and I thought with that knowledge, I would be okay.  Not really.

  

After customs, we got into an area with counters on the sides and tons of people approaching arriving passengers.  They all were wearing marked shirts and ID’s and looked pretty official.  I was a bit hesitant until someone asked us who was picking us up and when I answered, he said I had to follow him and he would call my transport.  As he continued talking, I sensed that he wasn’t what he said he was, so I continued on to the outside of the building while John was pretending to listen to him.  Outside the building, I saw the Transcabo staff.  So I went back in, fetched John and we went outside.  I can’t believe the airport itself has an area (actually a couple) for the timeshare sharks.  Just remember, from customs, don’t stop until you get outside the building.

  

As soon as we got settled in our hotel, we walked by the beach to go to Baja Cantina for lunch.  It was hot and the walk seemed longer than I expected.  Walk on the beach + early afternoon sun + 90 degree weather = very exhausting.  After lunch, we decided to walk to the marina, find Pisces Fishing and Amigos Del Mar to confirm our reservations.  We did find Pisces, but a few steps before Amigos Del Mar, we gave up and started our way back to the hotel.  On our way, we decided to stop by City Club (similar to Costco) to get some stuff.  All I could say is that I wouldn’t do that again.  We were sweating and so exhausted that we just went straight to bed after a shower and skipped dinner.

Reviews after the jump…

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It was time to leave and head north to the freezing weather of the Northeast .  We left our check-in luggages outside our room door for pick-up and went to the front lobby to check out and we hang around for a an hour in the resort.  An hour before our flight, we went back to the front lobby and the van, with our luggages inside, was already waiting for us to take us to the airport.  I didn’t want to leave.  While waiting for the plane to arrive, I took a couple of pictures…

 
  
 

Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM)
We were hoping we could buy some food to eat at the airport in Grand Cayman.  There was a canteen outside the airport and it was very expensive… a burger combo for about $10.  Souvenirs at the waiting area are very expensive, too.  The store in the right corner (by the restroom) right after you get out of immigration is a little cheaper.  There was a small restaurant at the waiting area too but they didn’t have the prices listed.  I bet it was expensive too so we didn’t buy there.  We waited til we got to Atlanta to eat.

Read on…

Today is total relaxation.  We woke up at 6am to watch the sunrise and took pictures.  The breakfast bell rang and had a hearty breakfast as always.  John then worked out in the gym and I played pool by myself.  After that, John soaked in the jacuzzi while I email people by the pool.  We decided to take a shower before lunch then headed right to lunch after.  We roamed around the resort, bought souvenirs, left tips for our divemasters and instructors, burned DVDs with dive pictures for Bob and Nolan’s pictures for Teresa.

 
 

Meals
The usual for breakfast.
For lunch, we had chicken tenders, hotdog buns and hamburgers.  As always, dessert rocked!
For dinner, we had beans, macaroni & cheese, chicken, ribs, flank steak and more dessert!

We’re using the rest of our vacation to relax and do mostly nothing.  Today, we took advantage of the jacuzzi by the pool.  I stayed by the pool watching 3 newcomers doing their open-water certification pool sessions.  I was so happy I was done with all that.  In the afternoon, we walked around the area.  We visited The Club and Conch Club, condos that were for rent and for sale as well.  They’re very beautiful, but expensive.  I’d stay with Little Cayman Beach Resort.  We also visited the small museum (the key to the museum we got from the front desk and we let ourselves in) and National Trust Visitor Centre.

  
 
 

Meals
For breakfast, we had the usual plus pancakes.
For lunch, we had beef with mushrom, fish sticks, nachos.
For dinner, we had rosemary duck, beef with gravy, fish.

A review summary of the whole trip will be posted when I get back home.  It will include tips, prices, resources, recommendations, short notes, and more.