Shoes, Tanzanites and the "Atrapa-Novios"

Yes, yes! You will find all kind of beautiful places to shop, here is a list of them:

LUXURY AVENUE, by the Marina of Cabo San Lucas.
Private Covered Parking in Puerto Paraiso Mall, all day long only $20 pesos

• Carolina Herrera
• Ferragamo
• Maliparmi
• Ultrafemme
• Chopard
• Swarovsky
• Fendi, etc.

Puerto Paraiso Mall, by the Marina of Cabo San Lucas.

• Swimming Suits Shops
• Boutiques such as Keneth Cole, La Coste, Nike, etc.
• Diamonds International and its famous Tanzanites
• Local Handcraft Shops
• Sunglasses
• And much more..

Art District, Historic Downtown of San José
All kind of Galleries, get your local piece of art! Remember, every Thursday afternoon is the Art Walk, so not only you get to see the galleries, they even offer wine and you will listen to music on the street, it is really quite a delight thing to do.

Plaza El Pescador, San José in front of Hotel Cabo Azul

• Bikes store
• Surf Clothes
• Book Store
• etc...

Streets, everywhere
Jewelry, silver, clothes, souvenirs, tequila, wine shops, cigars, etc.

You must know more than me about the perfect souvenir, I guess classics are tequila, key chain, refrigerator magnets and shot glasses. But you can also get a little bit more "out of the box" and try:
Mezcal - It is a destilled beverage from Maguey, just as the Tequila, but with a different production process, mainly I can tell you Tequila is industrialized while Mezcal is down to earth, it is artisanal and that is what you taste in it. This is really IN everywhere in the world, it is the most organic and the most traditional thing. Instead of using lime as with Tequila, this one is great with orange, mmmm!!! So try some, get advices from conoceurs, and prove me wrong, but YOU WILL NOT GET HANGOVER!!
Zarape - Blanket made with 100% wool. Perfect way to cover yourself with Mexican colors and designs.
Mexican EcoBag - This is the bags that my grandma use to bring to "mercado" (markets) every morning. It is 100% ecologic, you can bring them to supermarket and they really can hold more weight than any horrible plastic bag. I love them, and actually use them to do my groceries and to bring my lunch to work. There are many designs, colors, sizes and the best thing is that they do not represent any extra weight to your luggage.

Eco-Mexican-Bag

What about bargaining? Well I always ask if you would go and bargain to Walmart cashiers? You would not right? I understand some people find it funny, even they compete within each others to see who gets the best price. I would totally bargain if it is something made in China, just because the massive production. But honestly if it is a hand craft, try to pay the price, if is an art, support it, it would be a shame that all those artisans would stop their tradition because it is not business anymore. Just a personal opinion, I also get that, now they increase the price because they just "know" you will bargain, but I would just ask to pay for the right price, they are valuable things and you will be supporting families that do this for living, you will help to keep being a heritage one generation to the next one.

If you want to dig into Mezcal information, I really liked this blog with the explanation about differences between Mezcal and Agave, check it out: Tequila vs Mezcal

And for the most exciting shopping, well there is also amazing properties, visit CaboforLife.com for more information.

And, finally in my title I used the word "Atrapa-Novios" (Boyfriend - Trapper) because I find this a very particular, fun little Mexican Toy that artisans do with dry palm leaves, and basically it consists on someone asking another someone to run the finger inside it, and when they pull to take the finger out, it is stocked! So you trap him/her.

ATRAPA-NOVIOS
PhotoStream by Andrea Rios

#ShopingCabo #CaboRealEstate #CaboforLife

Spring Break Cabo

S.P.R.I.N.G 

S as Sun

P as Party

R as Rocking

I as Irresistible

N as Night

G as Get me some aspirins for the headache, please!

So if you are coming to Cabo for these amazing time, be prepare, get ready to some party!! Here is the TOP 5 of activities for you, all the spring breakers =) Keep in mind I am actually ordering them in order of showing in. So the perfect day will be starting at Mango Deck with its margaritas, games, shows, and music all day long. After that you can get back to your hotel, and get ready for Rock and Roll! Go downtown and enjoy the night life of #Cabo.

1. Mango Deck - Open every day from 7am until 11pm. Contests start about 11am.

2. Nowhere Bar - Locals love this place, good for drinks, dancing and good music.

3. Mandala - Excellent party every night!

4. Pink Kitty - See and check if you like it, they are all in the same block.

5. Squid Roe - Well, this would be your last stop at night. I would say you will not find me there, most probably hahaha! But if you are looking for someone that likes to party until 5 in the morning this will be the place to find them.

Normal croud in Mango Deck

Also, there is a little bar next to Mandala, it is called Saloon Saloon, I like it because of two things; first because they serve a little basket of peanuts on the tables and second, because the bartender gives a very good show on the bar, with fire and all!! Just need to order a set of shots. Peanuts, I know, mmm!!!

Remember in Mexico, you are considered "old" enough to drink at 18 years old, hence, all those young people taking advantage of the 3 years difference about legally drinking.

Bloody Mary @ Flora Farm

I am not quite sure if teenagers are looking in the website about places to go while their spring break in Cabo, must of them, probably are coming with friends that have been here and already know what to do. So if you are reading this and may be concerned about your kids coming to party, let me just tell you... it is not the environment, it is not what they offer to them or what they can or can not drink. It is what they have learned and how much you have been clear about their value as human beings and how emotions or problems could never be covered with addictions, they will only grow bigger. It is about teaching that little human that they are of high value, that they do not need to demonstrate how "cool" they are to anybody. It is about letting them know that it is o.k. to say no and also, it is "cool" to be unique.

I'd like to say I was a teenager not long ago, well... define long, any way, I remember my folks gave me limits and even prohibited things, but at the end, if I wanted I could have broken every rule they gave me... instead I chose wisely thanks to the good foundations they gave me as a child.

On the other hand if you, are in Cabo during this season and like to go and have different kind of fun than the "wet t-shirts contests" of Cabo, well, here is what I would recommend:

1. Morning jog on the beach

2. Fishing tour

3. Golfing

4. Fine Dining

5. Walk by the Marina

Pescado Zarandeado - You have got to try it!!!
MARISCOS MAZATLÁN

And at last, little bit of Rock and Roll at Cabo Wabo won't hurt anyone. 

So there, a little point of view from a local lady, sometimes feeling melancholic about those times when I could go on and on all night long with my friends from one place to the other jumping and dancing... but also feeling proud of myself being a girl that even if I some few, few times had more alcohol than what my body was able to resist, I always treated myself with respect, and demanded the other ones to do as well. I had a terrific time and never regretted anything.

Be wise, love yourself, live the moment and #VisitCabo #LoveCabo #CaboforLife 

Whales Watching

My dearest readers, this time I want to share with you the experience I had with a 40 tons animal with its calf in their most calm and caring moment.

During the winter, the gray whale comes all the way from Bering Strait to many spots of Baja California Sur, one of them is "Bahia de Magdalena" where they actually reproduce and give birth here as well.  You can choose between Lopez Mateos or San Carlos.

I went with friends and their kids, we all are locals in Cabo and for the most majority it was our first time to do this amazing trip, but fortunately one friend have done this before and acted as the perfect guide and food adviser. We took the road in the afternoon, the idea is to get from Cabo to Ciudad Constitución, and the best advice is to drive only at day time. Roads are very narrow and you may find some cattle animals on motion... be extremely careful.

Distance from Cabo San Lucas to Ciudad Constitución is 248 miles, and that will take you approximately 4.5 hours driving. So, starting point is Cabo San Lucas, which will take about 1 hour to get to Todos Santos. Then another hour to get to La Paz, which is the capital of Baja California Sur. Keep going up and you will find a region called, "El Valle" (The Valey), Las Pocitas, Santa Rita and your destination, Ciudad Constitución. It is all a great sightseeing as it is a valley, full of many agricultural towns, you will actually see local vendors on the road, I highly recommend to stop and buy all things you see, strawberries, oranges, figs, dates, asparagus, etc. There are some amazing plantations of sunflowers, cotton, chickpeas and wheat. There are missions, old time mine towns and various eco-touristic activities to do all along the Baja, but this time we are just focusing on the Whale Watching amazing tour.

Visit Baja Sur

Try to stay the night at Ciudad Constitución, we found "Hotel Cuatro Misiones" very clean, good service, little hotel, only $600 pesos per night. The idea is to wake up early in the morning and get to the bay (Lopez Mateos in my case), take the boat and see the whales as soon as possible, it is better early in the morning when they are in a better mood and not many boats are bothering their babies. You can get lucky enough to touch them, it all depends on their mood. But being just 6 feet away from them it is something else! So enjoy the bay, there are many birds as well, if you are a bird person, I am telling you may want to stay there all morning. Locals are very organized there, they have enough boats, big enough for big groups, and you will pay according to the people going in your boat. I have this phone number if you want to get quotations: 613 13 70336, it is directly with the boats union. Remember to wear sunscreen, a hat, and keep your camera ready for amazing pictures. Tour normally takes 2 hours.

El Faro at Lopez Mateos

After that tour, you are free to go! You can either go farther to the north, or go back, stay in La Paz, or Todos Santos. We, decided to stay one night in La Paz, as it happened to be the weekend of the Carnaval. So you imagine, all the "Malecón" (Side walk, bordering the ocean) full of people, fair, games, food, vendors... and of course music! It was fun and we had a very good time. Carnaval in La Paz is in February. We ate at a very nice restaurant, "NIM".

Carnaval at La Paz

So I hope this gives you a better idea on what to do when planing to go and see the whales, it is really something your soul will enjoy, feeling so close to that amazing creature, just reminds you the fact that we are all, that all is us... that we are all part of an infinite universe and we shall as well, let our magnificence and peace manifests with all our environment.

#LoveWhales #LoveCabo #LiveCabo #CaboforLife