Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

It was a little breezy on the open 10th deck

 

Wednesday evening, 29 January 

We dressed for dinner as it was a Gala Night and we had our cocktail reception with Captain Inger Klein Thorhauge at 7:45PM. We were seated at a table for two beside a couple from England. They had done a considerable amount of cruising, but this was their first Cunard ship. They said it was good in comparison but not nearly their best experience which they said was on the P&O line, another UK based and owned by the Carnival Corporation. They will depart the ship in Australia.

Our waiter, a female who said she was from Zimbabwe, gives us our menu and we both select the beef filet although I was torn between it and the halibut.  It is unusual to have a woman for a waiter, nearly all are men and the women seem to have other roles such as serving coffee, water and bussing tables.  Others are in supervisory roles.  

We have a pleasant dinner visiting with the English couple but did not have time for dessert.  We must not be late for our Cunard World Club cocktail party.  The large open-air Pavilion area has been reserved for us on the 9th deck.  There is already a long line waiting for the doors to be open.  Most men are sporting tuxedos and the women dresses and gowns.  I regret not bringing my tuxedo as I think it would have fit.  I bought it years ago in preparation for Caribbean Cruise.  It is not long before we are allowed in and are met with a multitude of attendants offering drinks of either champagne, red or white wine, gin and tonic or some colored drinks I had no idea what they were.

  There were also chefs serving hor d'oeuvres.  I know we have around 1,000 World Club members on board and it seems most of them are here.  It is very crowded around the pool area which is sporting a cluster of different size silver tethered balloons.  We climb the stairs to the 2nd level which surrounds the lower pool area and find a seat opposite the big screen.  I take a couple pictures and a gentleman offers to take a picture of Sue and I which heads this blog.  I return the favor for a couple next to us.  

Before long the Cruise Director comes to the microphone and welcomes us and introduces the Captain.  She also gives her welcome and gives a short dissertation on the Queen Anne and this, her maiden world voyage. 

Our Captain on the big screen

She tells us there are 1060 World Club Members aboard from 29 different countries.  She takes a few moments to go through each and every country and how many are from each.  The most, of course, is England which had some 600 and the U.S. was a distant 2nd with around 300 if I remember correctly.  She tells us to enjoy ourselves and leaves to continue her duties.  

We hang around far a while enjoying the evening and listening to the ensemble below the big screen.  But we leave relatively early and head back to the peace and quiet of our cabin. 

I guess we are "Party Poopers" but it is not in our septuagenarian DNA to stay up late and mix with the masses until late evening hours.

 

 

Thursday, January 30

Routine day at sea.

Friday, January 31 anchored in Cabo Bay, Mexico

We woke around 5:30 AM, plenty of time to clean-up, dress and go to the 9th deck for breakfast before gathering in the Queen's Room, the assigned area for our excursion.  We signed up for the "Cabo by Land and Sea" 

We are anchored out in Cabo Bay, there is no place for a ship this size, or anywhere near it for that matter, to tie up to a pier at the marina.  By the time we get back to the cabin after breakfast, the lifeboat that is just below our stateroom and its neighbor to the aft, are both in the water.  These and others on the port side will be our transportation to and from the marina as well as at least two local water taxi's.  We end up being the second group of three.  We are given a sticker with #2 on it in case we have Alzheimer's.  Group one leaves and we follow about 15 minutes later and are boarded on a tender.

Our catamaran

  A short 10 minute ride and we are discharged on a pier where we walk with our #2 guide Ceci, to the large catamaran where all three groups will board and tour the largest tourist attraction of the area: El Arco, The Arch.  It is located on the very tip of the Baja California Peninsula, the second longest peninsula in the world.  It is 760 miles from the border town of Tijuana.  Centuries of tidal and wind erosion have created these rock structures. 

El Arco

This area is unique in that it joins the Sea of Cortes, also know as the Gulf of California, to the Pacific Ocean.  This interaction creates perfect conditions for whales, seals, sea lions and a multitude of other marine life.  Jacques Cousteau spent a lot of time in this area doing is research.

Because of this attraction for marine life, Cabo is the home for the last 35 years, of the Bisbee's Black and Blue Marlin Tournament held in October every year.  It cost $5,000 for a team of four to enter and nearly 7 million dollars was paid out last year in prize money.

We see many seals and even a sea lion basking on the rocks enjoying the sun oblivious to all the traffic around them.  Our host points out the landmarks, including a small beach area known as "Lovers Beach" and the arch known locally as "El Arco" or "Lands End". 

Seals basking

On the other side of the formation is a larger beach named "Divorce Beach ".  There are many different kinds of crafts in the area, boats of all kinds and even paddle boards.  We tour around the area for about 20 minutes before heading back.  People start pointing out that they have seen whale spouts.  The big spray of water that happen when they surface to clear the blow hole.  Our captain steers us closer to the area and sure enough, we all see them.  Then we see a whale surface and make that big arch we see all the time on TV and the captain says, here comes the tail, and sure enough we all see it.  He says it is a humpback female with a calf and soon we see the calf surface and playing alongside his mother.  What a bonus!  Sue and I went on a whale watching boat when we were in Newfoundland.  Sue got terribly seasick, and we saw no whales, so this was pretty special.  I tried to get a picture but it was hard to time the surfacing so no joy there but I have the memory imprinted on my brain.

We headed back to the pier and boarded buses for the 2nd part of our excursion, a trip to a glass blowing demonstration at The Glass Factory, a local family business since 1990. 

They use recycled glass from local hotels and bars to create their products which can produce up to 500 pieces of one-of-a-kind glassware daily.  We watch as the artisan for our group creates a hummingbird with his beak in a flower in the space of about 20 minutes!  They have a shop of course with thousands of glass works to purchase. 

Decorative glass  everywhere

 

Sue picks out a couple of small pieces to have as a memento.  The place is covered in glass, floors, ceilings and walls.  I priced a couple of the vases which are labeled in pesos (see pics).  

This vase: $180

 

 

 

 

Our 3rd stop is at the Puerto Vieja hotel that has a grand view of El Arco from across the bay.  I think the tour company uses this as a bathroom stop mainly.  They give us a free drink and the chance to order some food but our time there is short so we are advised to wait until the next stop where we will have more time.  I take advantage of the bano and snap a few pictures.

Queen Anne and MS The World in Cabo Bay

 

Our next destination is a 45 minute bus ride to a Mission located in the town of San Jose del Cabo.  The mission was founded in 1730 by the Spanish Jesuits when they were settling this area.  It has been kept up and holds regular masses.  Ceci tells us we have an hour to explore and find ways to enrich the local economy. 

 Sue and I discover there is an Adventure Lab here.  They are a form of Geocaching that take you on a tour of the area and ask specific questions that can only be answered if you are actually there.  We enjoy completing this challenge which uses up about 1/2 hour and we spend the rest of the time looking through shops and enjoying the day.

Mission San Jose del Cabo

 

We return to the bus for our return trip to Cabo San Lucas.  This whole area at the the end of the peninsula is simply referred to as "Los Cabos".  And we see several businesses sporting that logo.  The area between the two cities is quite desert-like and again, reminds me of South Texas. 

This peninsula could very well have been an extension of California.  Back in 1845 through 1847, the U.S. and Mexico were fighting over this territory and we ended up with what is now California and New Mexico.  But, if a few different people would have been in power, this whole area might have ended up as the part of the U.S.

Pier area shopping, bars and restaurants

Sue does a little shopping at the pier area and we proceed to our pick-up point and wait in line to be boarded on one of the tenders to return us to the ship.

Inside our life boat

  It wasn't a long wait, perhaps 20 minutes and we board one of our lifeboats for the 10 minute ride back to the Queen Anne.  They pack us in quite tight and one of the ladies across from us is from Quebec and she tells us that the other cruise ship in the bay is none other than "MS The World".  You may have heard of this ship, it is the one that you can buy and own your own condo aboard and live aboard it.   

MS The World

From Wikipedia:

"MS The World is a private residential cruise ship operated like a condominium complex, with large apartments that can be purchased. The residents, from many countries, can live on board as the ship travels. Some residents choose to live on board full-time while others visit periodically throughout the year.^[1] The ship is operated by ROW Management, Ltd., headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States.^[2]

The ship has 165 residences (106 apartments, 19 studio apartments, and 40 studios), all owned by the ship's residents. Average occupancy is 150–200 residents and guests."

Another reference says that in order to qualify to purchase a condo, you must have a net worth in excess of 10 million dollars.  I have a little way to go before I qualify. 

My next post will likely be after our San Francisco visit.  Thanks for tagging along and again, if you have questions, please ask them and I will do my best to respond.