Cabo San Lucas is a tourist spot, full of resorts, restaurants, stores, and entertainment of every kind. Want to windsurf? Bungee jump? Zip-line? Marlin fish? Scuba dive? Take a glass-bottom boat ride? Go whale watching? Find a spot to tan on beaches filled with sun worshippers? This is the place to do it. Want to buy (legal) pharmaceuticals or cosmetic creams at 1/10 of the U.S. price? Pop into one of the many drug stores – Viagra seems to be the big drawing card, advertised using some very amusing billboards. Party all night long? That too! It’s the kind of insanity Ted and I generally prefer to avoid, but it is incredibly vibrant. Fortunately, we were able to walk through town just as shops were opening and before the crowds descended.

Our cruise-ship was the first, and smallest, to arrive here today, our 700 passengers hardly making a dent in the almost 8000 expected. We anchored out in the bay and tendered in; the only boats that anchor close to shore are tour boats and multi-million dollar yachts. From the ship’s deck we were able to get an unobstructed view of the natural arch that is part of “land’s end”, the southernmost portion of the Baja Peninsula.

To get to San José del Cabo, the “other” cape, we travelled along the highway known as “The Corridor”. Here there are gorgeous beaches, exclusive resorts, and high end hotels. This is where John Travolta hosted his 50th birthday party, and where celebrities come to relax in anonymity. Driving along the coast, we also saw whale spouts out beyond the beach.

The “old town” is quiet, except when cruise-ship tours arrive. Apparently about 40% of the population is American and Canadian expats, and we noticed that a number of the businesses in town were owned by “foreigners”; those that weren’t still had staff who were VERY fluent in English. A few of the buildings had colourful street art that we enjoyed. The town square itself was much bigger than many we’ve seen – a real “event space” – although the church and municipal buildings located on it were smaller than what we’ve come to expect from these grand squares.

Just before returning to the ship we walked along the waterfront where Ted got some great shots of a white-headed pelican, a very Zen sea lion, and a couple of blue and white polka-dotted fish visible just beneath the water’s surface.

Tomorrow night we’ll welcome 2020 on board the ship, before reaching San Diego California on January 2nd. Happy New Year everyone!!