Cabo San Lucas
THE OOSTERDAM MADE PORT just before 6:00 a.m. on Monday and from our little cove on the Sea of Cortez, you could hear seals barking while squadrons of pelicans circled overhead. A crew of the STANDARD staff were on one of the first tenders to shore. We rented a Jeep and took off to see Cabo and then make our way east to San José del Cabo.
Cabo (the first one) is a boomtown, with all sorts of luxury resorts and high-end shopping. It’s both beautiful and charming, with everything from Dunkin’ Donuts to jewelry stores to an arena which advertises “Bloodless Bull Fights.” What more could you ask for.
As we drive out Highway 1, the opulence continues–the entire coastline here is exploding with pricey condominiums, fancy resorts, and lush golf courses. Most of these places look newish and dozens more gated communities are works in progress, with construction cranes dotting the cliffs over the water.
We stopped at a surf shop about 20 miles east of Cabo to rent a surfboard. DAILY STANDARD contributor Christian Lowe caught some waves while the rest of us lazed around on the beach for a few hours.
After that, we drove the rest of the way to San José del Cabo and lunched at a fabulous restaurant in the little Old Town section–the best ceviche and fajitas I’ve ever had. While we were eating at a little outside table, Jesse “The Body” Ventura walked by with his wife. He’s going for a biker look these days, with scraggly hair and a long, braided goatee. And he was wearing a Harvard Football T-shirt. Go figure.
After the long excursion, dinner on the Oosterdam was, again, fantastic. The STANDARD cruisers who’ve been my dinner companions so far have been an amazing bunch–a vascular surgeon, a painter, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur–just to name a few. It’s really an impressive, fun group of people and it’s great getting to know each other over good food and good wine (and good cigars).
If you’re interested in being a part of next year’s cruise, drop us an email at [email protected]. Include your name and address and we’ll give you all the details about the 2007 expedition. (And no, we won’t use your email for anything else.)
More to follow tomorrow from our next port of call.
–Jonathan V. Last
