Beagles at the Beach: Part IV

After our excursions to Cabo San Lucas and Santa Maria, we spent the next few days exploring the city closest to where we were staying:  San Jose del Cabo.  In this small town, resides a beautiful mission, which is the foundation of the city.

 

This is a close up of the tiled detail above the church entrance:

The alter:

In Hispanic Catholic culture, the Virgin Mary is a very important figure.  This is a shrine dedicated to her:

The town plaza is also an important part of the history of San Jose del Cabo. While we were there, local towns people were holding political rallies for an upcoming election.

The architecture around the San Jose was beautiful.  Walls were painted in bright colors, metal and wooden doors everywhere, and nooks and crannies filled with small shops.  (This town reminded me so much of Santa Fe, NM).

   

Bougainvilleas were blooming everywhere, so pretty.

We came across some very large Catrinas (on stilts) wandering around the square.  They appeared to be looking for tips, so we admired them from afar.

One evening, we decided to have dinner in the city. We chose this place- La Panga:  (One of the many advantages to traveling with someone who is bilingual is that you can find out all the best places to eat from the locals :D)

While Mr. Beagle really only cares about the quality of food at a restaurant, I have to admit, ambience plays a big role in my dining experiences.  La Panga had the best romantic atmosphere with twinkle lights every where and secluded tables.  Love, love, love.

And to meet Mr. Beagle’s requirement, the food was pretty wonderful too!  I dined on salmon atop mashed potatoes, covered in a very yummy cilantro sauce,  and grilled veggies.

Mr. Beagle was kind enough to wait to dig into his food so I could take this picture :)  He had a traditional Mexican dish:  Chicken Mole with rice & plantains.

The waiter found out we were on our honeymoon and kindly brought us this beautiful dessert.  It reads Felicidades! (Congratulations!) and portrays two boats meeting.  It was almost too pretty to eat, almost.

Two happy Beagles after our tummies were filled with the delicious food.

Before we left our relaxing vacation, we took a few more walks on the beach. 
We admired the rocky beaches and the sandy ones.

We took in one last sunset.

And before we boarded our plane to leave, I snuck one last picture of the mountains looming in the distance.

When we finally arrived back in Austin, we were very well rested and relaxed.  It was the perfect honeymoon for the both of us (and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to lounge around for a week).  We also came home to a very, very nice surprise….. Our wedding pictures!  Stay tuned for Beagle recaps to commence very, very soon!

How did we get here?

Beagles at the Beach:  Part III
Beagles at the Beach:  Part II
Beagles at the Beach:  Part I

Beagles on the Beach: Part III

**I’ll warn you ahead of time, this post includes a TON of pictures.

After we spent an entire day playing tourist in Cabo San Lucas, Mr. Beagle and I were more than ready to relax on a boat and indulge in some good food and drinks.  Finally, after waiting by the dock, it was time to board the huge catamaran that would take us to see the famous arches.

By the time we left the harbor, the sun was on it’s way down, and there was a very nice breeze to cool us off.  I still can’t get over how beautiful the water was.

 

I think I would love living in a condo lining this shore.



This tiny beach between the rocks known as “Lover’s Beach”.  If you look closely, you can see a few sailboats in the distance.

  

The rocks leading up to the main attraction were so amazing.  They looked so magnificent jutting out of the water.

 
The famous arch aka Arch of Poseidon aka Land’s End Arch.  It marks the point where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez.

  
Although they blend in, there are sea lions lounging on one of the rocks.  Can you spy them?

  
Please excuse the ridiculous amount of pictures that are to follow.  The scenery really was breathtaking and the sunset was stunning.  It was so, so hard just to choose a few shots to share with you :)

   

Lover’s beach, seen from the Pacific Ocean is supposedly called “Divorce Beach”.   I thought this was pretty silly, but we didn’t stop to find out. :D



A cave that I would have loved to explore and proof that Mr. Beagle was on the boat with me.

The best part of this short trip?   We were able to take in the amazing sunset in one direction….

  

   

      

..and see the moon rise in the opposite direction.

After this point, it got too dark to take any more pictures :(  So, we continued to gaze at the sunset, the moon; we ate, drank, danced (yes danced), and mingled with our fellow cruise-takers.  If you are thinking about going to Cabo any time soon, I really would recommend taking advantage of this tour.  Mr. Beagle and I agreed that it was highlight of our honeymoon.

Finally, our boat docked and we took a leisurely walk back to the mall we explored when we first arrived in the city.  Lucky for us, the This one was dedicated to Mother Teresa:">Dia de Los Muertos decorations were completely set up, candles were lit, and music was playing.  Each alter, which was dedicated to one or two people, was very elaborate in detail.

This one was dedicated to Mother Teresa & Pope John Paul II:

 

One for Michael Jackson:

   

These two were dedicated to Mexican actors:
 

 

The orange flowers used as decorations are Mexican marigolds, a traditional flower used to adorn the alters set up at cemeteries and graves on this holiday.  The flowers and candles were so beautiful at night.:

It may be a little creepy, but I love these figurines, called Catrinas.  They are prominent in Mexico, but they can also be found in various cities throughout Texas too (Austin included :D).



After a full day of touring Cabo San Lucas the day before, we somehow managed to wake up bright and early the next morning to go snorkling at a nearby beach called Santa Maria.  Several readers suggested we make this a priority during our vacation and they were absolutely right.  The water was so pretty and clear, as in you can see straight to the bottom while swimming clear!!! (I know, we get excited over the little things, but if you’ve ever swam in the Gulf of Mexico, I’m sure you understand where I’m coming from).

        

I could have stayed there all day, except 1) I’m pale and I was starting to burn and 2) by the time we were ready to leave, several boats were docking and the beach area was getting really crowded (GO EARLY, if you decide to visit this beach!)

We spent the rest of the day relaxing by the poolside until that evening, where we decided to take part in the Mexican Fiesta that was held at our hotel/condo.  Cheesy?  Yes.  Definitely.

 

     
Worth it?  Yes, and here’s why:

 
After we finished dinner, several different traditional dancers performed.  The Aztecs are shown below:

 
Unfortunately, Mr. Beagle and I got dragged on to the stage at some point after this, which would explain why I have no other pictures of the rest of the evening's entertainment.

Coming up next:  We explore San Jose del Cabo and our departure (insert sad face).

Miss Something?
Beagles on the Beach: Part I
Beagles on the Beach: Part II