Cabo boat cruise

Benjamin in front of the famous rock arch separating the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific

At the last minute, the Chesslers decided to take advantage of some off-season pricing at resorts in the southern tip of Baja, Mexico.  Yesterday, we flew down to Cabo San Lucas from San Diego and arrived in a tropical storm.  The rain eased up as we got our rental car and headed to Sirena del Mar Welk Resort, about ten minutes outside of Cabo.  As soon as we settled into our room, the rain poured down.  Precipitation didn't keep us from the jacuzzi however, or stop us from enjoying happy hour. But most guests chose to stay inside.  It wasn't a hardship.  Sirena del Mar features one bedroom suites with a kitchenette, dining table and sleeper couch.  We were also delighted to discover that our suite had a private balcony with an uninterrupted view of the ocean.  Not requested, but definitely enjoyed.

We fell asleep to rain, and then thunder and lightning at 4 a.m. Amidst the noise, I could have sworn I heard dolphins chirping outside.  But maybe it was just the birds.

Today began overcast, but rain was not predicted.  So we braved Mexican highway 1, which was littered with vegetation and sand from the storm, and made our way into downtown Cabo San Lucas. We discovered you can't just take a left, you must use the "Returno" lane and make a U-turn, and then watch very carefully for the merge.  Eventually, we made it to the luxury mall in town and parked for 20 Pesos.  Inside the mall buckets had been placed here and there to catch the drips.  The mall leaks frequently, based on the patched ceiling.  Despite the buckets, we welcomed the walk through the air-conditioned mall, because humidity stood at 84%.

The mall opens out into the marina, and we slowly walked around the marina, wilting in the heat, and noting the crabs skittering on the rocks. Benjamin had the fine suggestion that we avail ourselves of an air-conditioned restaurant on the boardwalk, while we planned our strategy.  We decided that a ride on a glass-bottomed boat out to "Land's End" would be an ideal way to catch a breeze and see the famous natural arch that separates the Sea of Cortez from the Pacific.

One of many glass bottomed boats offering tours from Cabo's marina

We chugged our way out of the marina, enjoying the cooling breeze and joining dozens of other tourists, some preparing to snorkle near the rocks,  or "rock jump" into the clear blue-green water.
As we passed out of the port, I noticed an unfinished building ahead.  Our tour guide and captain informed me that the building had remained unfinished for decades.  Construction had been shut down because the building was financed by a drug cartel.  There seem to be a lot of unfinished buildings in Cabo.  Are they remnants of other cartels?

Unfinished resort in the Cabo marina, financed by drug cartel money.