In the end, Cleveland the volcano decided not to erupt. While the weather didn't exactly cooperate, Era had space on a late-night flight out of Homer and off we went!
After a short stop in Seattle (to hand Toddler off to her Granny and Uncle for a vacation of her own on
Salt Spring Island) we were on our way to one glorious week reconnecting and enjoying all that Los Cabos has to offer.
Hunter and I aren't exactly luxury travelers. Neither of us is interested in all-inclusive booze-fueled getaways. Our first stop when planning any holiday is the Lonely Planet site. It was there that we found the gorgeous
Los Milagros Hotel. This little gem was just a five minute walk from the Marina in Cabo San Lucas and close to just about everything we wanted to do. Its rooms faced a lush plant-filled courtyard with a lovely little pool and lots of places to lounge and read in the sun or visit with fellow travelers over morning coffee. The rooms were super clean the beds were comfy and the staff was friendly and welcoming. Loved it.
On our first morning, we met up with Claudia Velo, a local teacher and history buff who took us on a
food tour of Cabo San Lucas. We piled into her little car and set off to learn about how Cabo San Lucas came to be and the cultural effects of the unrelenting development of the area.
Development of Cabo San Lucas and the corridor to Los Cabos brought workers to the area from all over Mexico. They came to work, brought their families and settled into the area. With that came restaurants and food stalls offering cuisine from each of the country's distinct regions.
We started our tour at a food stall where workers make corn tortilla by hand. It was quite a revelation to discover what a corn tortilla really tastes like. We learned that a taco in Mexico is anything stuffed into a soft corn tortilla. At this stop, we sampled chicken, pork, poblano and cheese tacos and a fresh salad made with Nopales cactus.
Our next stop was a local mall where we were introduced to
Burritos Chostomo and a flour tortilla stuffed with beef and egg. It was amazing. I haven't had beef in almost a year and this was a great way to reacquaint myself. We then took a tour of a Mexican grocery store, learning about cheese, tequila, mezcal, breads, tortillas, fruit, chilies and vegetables. A walk down the spice aisle and the sweets aisle sent us hunting for a cart to stock up.
Our next stop was a restaurant renowned for pork. We pulled up and found a guy in a hut out front using a two-by-four to stir pork in a copper pot set over an open flame. The light and dark pork tacos we tried were great - we even watched them make our corn tortillas before our meal was served.
Our last stop was a restaurant that specialized in Central Mexican cuisine. There we tried a beef broth flavoured with allspice and yet another delicious taco filled with juicy, spicy beef.
After we said goodbye to our Claudia, we lumbered back to the hotel for a quick nap before we hit the beach for a long walk. The next day, we vowed to avoid tourist fare, took out our handy little phrasebook and taught ourselves to ask, "where do YOU eat?" in Spanish.
From then on, we used that phrase on people who live in Cabo and discovered amazing local food. This stuff was eye opening to say the least - I am now completely ruined for Mexican food.
And that was just the first day.
Labels: alaskatarian, Cabo San Lucas Food Tour, Claudia Velo, Los Milagros Hotel