27 June 2012

Cabo San Lucasssssss


I’m about two weeks late on this one. Whoops. You’ll have to excuse me. I’ve been working 8 to 5 Monday to Friday and in my spare time, I enjoy being with friends and relaxing (or playing with my precious kitty)… not continuing to stare at a computer.

But there was Cabo San Lucas. Man, did I love that place. Cabo is on the tip of Baja California, isolated from everything except itself. It’s a desert. The mountains are full of cacti and  tumbleweeds, yet sometimes the oceans is only yards away. Cabo isn’t very popular with people from the South and East, mostly because of logistics. It’s much easier to get to Cancun, Cozumel and the Caribbean than to the tip of Baja California but Delta (thank you, thank you, thank you!!!) has a direct flight to Cabo every day. Lucky for us.
My mom has been a part of a timeshare system since she was 25, making money from an early age.. . gotta respect that. With her ownership, she can virtually swap for another resort all over the world. It’s a sweet deal. So, we were able to stay at the Welk Resort on Serena del Mar. It was about 15 minutes outside of the town but we had a rental car. A few days, we didn’t even leave the resort because it was so incredibly pretty.
Water Taxi to Lovers Beach & the Famous Arch
Like any good resort, there were activities going on all day to keep the happy guests even happier. One day, we took salsa lessons. The next day, my sister, mom and I indulged in a ‘bar-tending course’. It was more of a drinking course and it kinda ruined me for the rest of the day. I had to drink a Coke at dinner that night.

The food was INSANE. Of course tacos and guacamole were always available but I was surprised by the prevalence of sushi. Cabo is close to some of the best fishing in the world and the sushi was incredible. At Baja Cantina on Medano Beach, we had avocado and crab wrapped in tuna. It was one of the tastiest meals I've had in a long time, says the girl who spent four months in Italy.
Queso Made Tableside
There are so many Americans living in Los Cabos, and I'm envious. It's incredibly Americanized. Need 42 rolls of paper towels? Head to Costco. Want to pick up an Iced Latte? Swing by one of the several Starbucks in the area. Home Depot recently opened a store in Los Cabos for home-improvement needs. And, of course, there was Wal-Mart. But don't fret... my family didn't step into any of these store. We instead bought essentials at a market on the highway. Right next to the drug store advertising Viagra, Lipitor, Phentermine, Vicodin and Latisse, the potion that makes your eyelashes look like Brooke Shields'.

The last day in Cabo, Natalie and I tried paddleboarding. It's like kayaking--- standing up on a surfboard. I fell a bunch and had to resort to my knees at times, but it was very cool. It's the closest you can get to standing on water! The waves were rough with all of the jet skis and boats on the beach but I can imagine it would be incredibly peaceful on a smooth and quiet beach. One lady even brought her dog on the board!! Lucky pup.

Sister, standing. Me, struggling.



 

14 June 2012

Our New Kitty! Part 1 of Many...

It's been a really exciting week around my house!!! On Monday, my friend Sarah's sister found a little kitten near the dumpsters at her apartment complex. Heartbreaking. My sister & I have been trying to convince my parents to get another pet for a while, but with all the traveling and us not living at home anymore, they would say no. Understandable. But when I showed Dad a picture of this little orange fuzzball, he smiled and said something like "Aw, he's cute! Bring him over." I was shocked.

Cute, but so sick. He needed some TLC.
Natalie and I went over to see it at Sarah's and he was even smaller than the picture made him look. We gave him a bath and the flea problem became more apparent. He needed a vet ASAP. Also, giving a cat a bath is terrible. Kudos to Sarah for that. So, Natalie and I took him to the vet afraid that he had every disease in the book. And we thought he was a she. Obviously, a little red haired rescue should be called Annie but Annie became Oliver. I wanted to name him Conan.

At this point, we still didn't know if we were going to keep him but he weighed 15 ounces. Not even a pound and estimated he was about 5 weeks old. The people at Town & Country Veterinary Clinic were so wonderful. They cleaned the mites out of his ears and gave him a pill to get rid of the fleas. As of now, Oliver has a clean bill of health. He looked like a new kitty but still had the voice of a lion. His meow is LOUD.
The little guy fell asleep at the vet... and I melted into a puddle on the floor.
We walked in the front door and the parents loved him. He sat in a basket next to the table when we ate dinner. Renato & I went and picked up food, kitty litter and all the accessories. The little guy was HUNGRY. We let him walk around the house for a while, then got scared he could get lost and decided to make him a home in the bathroom for the night.

Look how precious!
Since I've been working so much this week (8-5) I haven't gotten to spend a lot of time with him. That's what I'll be doing tonight and I couldn't be more excited.

13 June 2012

Trucking Food Through ATL


There’s something fascinating about seeing 100 businessmen & women in professional attire order their lunch from a van. But hey, it’s much more fun than a food court. Every Tuesday, food trucks from around Atlanta serve the Atlanta Galleria Office Park and surrounding area. I’d been planning on sampling the cuisine since reading about it in “Creative Loafing” on my way to Cabo San Lucas last week. Yes, Cabo was wonderful. I’ll write about it when my sunburn goes away.

I rallied the boyfriend to come with me because it’s incredibly depressing to eat alone. They set up the trucks in the middle of the Office Park, between the four high-rise buildings. It’s a beautiful area, with a fountain, tons of seating options and greenery all around. Quite a nice reprieve from an office. Today, there were four food trucks and a King of Pops cart. I didn’t have any cash, otherwise I would’ve gotten a Coconut Lime popsicle. If it’s anything like the Coconut Lime Mojito I enjoyed in Rome, I’d be a happy girl. Next Tuesday.

Here's the article from Creative Loafing about Food trucking: On the road with Atlanta's street food vendors

 We went to the Buen Provecho truck because the line was shortest. The Happy Belly truck line was at LEAST 20 minutes long. I got the Roasted Pork Emparedado (sandwich) with some plantains. Delicious. Except, it was SO HOT OUTSIDE and a hot sandwich wrapped in hot foil doesn't necessary cool you down. Lesson learned!

Hope you're having a great week!