Renting a Car in Cabo San Lucas

After scheduling our trip to Los Cabos, which is what everyone in Mexico calls Cabo, we debated whether or not to rent a car for the long weekend.

In the end, we decided that with a toddler, renting a car was in our best interest.

Since our hotel room had a kitchen, we knew we would be going to the grocery store...and cab rides, then dealing with a car seat at the destination is just not a fun experience.

So, we booked through National and got a small Nissan Tida. It was nice because there seemed to be a lot less rental car fees in Cabo than we normally see in the U.S.

We ended up getting the GPS for an extra $10 USD/day. Big mistake. The GPS was worthless and unnecessary, as it is very easy to find all of the hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, beaches, etc.

In the end, the rental car cost around $100 USD for the long weekend. Well worth the money, for us at least!

Especially when you consider that our hotel had a shuttle to and from the airport for $50 USD each way. Then, for another $10 USD they would take you to the grocery store. And, for another $15 each way they would take you to and from downtown Cabo San Lucas.

So, when considering renting a car or not...rent the car! The freedom it gives you while be well worth it!

Cabo Pulmo Marine Park

While in Los Cabos, we decided to drive about two hours to Cabo Pulmo Marine Park. It is a national park in Mexico that is completely undeveloped. It is one of three living reefs in North America.

The best part about Cabo Pulmo is that it is a gorgeous beach with no one around! There were a few other people sharing the beach with us last Saturday afternoon. But, the beach is so large that everyone had plenty of space to snorkel, walk, play and lounge without getting near anyone else.

In the U.S., this beach would have been PACKED. In Mexico, it is completely deserted.

Part of the reason it may be deserted is that the road to get to Cabo Pulmo is unpaved. The last 5-10 kilometers were VERY bumpy and rough. Most of the other cars we saw on the road and parked at Cabo Pulmo were SUV's. Our little Nissan Tida (probably the equivalent to a Toyota Corolla) was not meant to drive on this road! But, we made it!

Parking and admission to Cabo Pulmo was free! There was one restaurant, with bathrooms! There were a few guys renting out snorkel equipment and boat rides. Aside from that, the beach was peddler free! No one trying to sell you trinkets and other unwanted items!

We were gone a little over six hours, staying at the beach about two hours - which was Annabelle's max. She was not happy with the beach and waves to begin with, having gotten salt water and sand in her mouth the day before. So, she stayed attached to my hip (or leg) the entire time. Despite the bumpy road, she fell asleep not five minutes into the drive back to Cabo San Lucas! A successful trip to the beach!

If you ever go to Cabo, rent a car and drive to Cabo Pulmo! Make sure to take Highway 1 to get there though! Don't let your GPS try and take you down East Cape Road - it's another unpaved, sand road that takes a LOT longer to navigate than Highway 1!

Annabelle Goes to School

Yesterday was Annabelle's first day at Montessori school in Mexico City!... And, of course, we took photos!

For this first week, she is easing into her school day. Yesterday, she went for one hour. Today, she went for almost two hours!

She had a long list of school supplies that we needed to gather and purchase prior to school beginning. Being me, I waited until Sunday night to gather the non-medical form supplies. Needless to say...I still have to purchase several items.

However, the school was more than happy to take her with her partial supplies!

On Monday, Mike worked from home, so that he could go with to take and pick up Annabelle. When we picked her up, we were let in and waited while they brought her down from the upstairs classroom. We could hear her talking the whole way down, saying "I see my mommy, I see my mommy". When she did get to me, she gave me a big hug and started crying. But, when we asked her if she wanted to go back the next day, she said okay!

Today, when I picked her up, I waited outside. Once she cleared the last step, she came running to me and said "Hi mommy". No tears! She was in different clothes, wearing one of the four extra outfits that I had to send on day one, as part of her supply list! Apparently they had played with water. So, I was given a bag with her wet clothes and we went home.

Again, she says she wants to go back tomorrow!

Needless to say, Mike and I are still very excited for Annabelle's opportunity to learn, play with kids, and increase her Spanish vocabulary. And, it was nice to have a few hours this morning to run to Superama, Sam's Club and take Molly on a walk!

Villa Mascotas

While we enjoyed Cabo this past weekend, we sent Molly to Villa Mascotas.

They are located near Cuernavaca and came highly recommended by Mike's boss' wife!

The day before we left, Villa Mascotas sent their driver to pick up Molly. She was bathed and returned to us the day after we got home!

We got three emails from Gaby with multiple photos attached. As you can see from some of the photos I have posted...Molly played, socialized with another dog, and was kept VERY busy! She was quite tired when she got home!

This is by far better than sending her to Petsmart, which we did in the U.S., for approximately the same cost! We paid Villa Mascotas $1,910 pesos for five nights, which is approximately $159 USD. Well worth the cost for such excellent care and customer service at Villa Mascotas!!

We'll be sending Molly back to Villa Mascotas next month, when we travel to Riviera Maya for my brother's wedding!

Cabo San Lucas - Lover's Beach

We went into Cabo San Lucas and followed signs to the main beach, parked for about $40 pesos, then walked down to the beach. Immediately people started asking about boat tours. We ended up paying $90 pesos ($8 USD) per person (no cost for Annabelle) and took a glass bottom boat out to Lover's Beach. We got some great photos, saw a bunch of fish, about 6 seals, and the beautiful beach. Everyone on our boat, aside from us, jumped out and spent an hour walking around Lover's Beach. We elected not to, because the water was very rough and we were concerned about jumping on and off the boat with Annabelle. Regardless, we were very happy with our boat tour and thoroughly enjoyed Lover's Beach and it's backside - Divorce Beach!

Welk Resort Sirena del Mar in Cabo San Lucas

View of Sirena del Mar from the lobby.

View from Sirena del Mar's large pool.

View of the ocean from the hot tub deck.

Back of Sirena del Mar from the hot tub area.

Mike and Annabelle in the pool on 5.21.11.

View of part of the resort from the beach.

Photo from the private beach at Sirena del Mar.

While in Cabo, we stayed at Sirena del Mar, a Welks Resort. It was FANTASTIC!! The resort has only been open about a year, but it is already ranked #1 on TripAdvisor...for good reason!

It is a smaller resort with about 36 rooms, with another building of 32 rooms under construction. Since we went in their off-season, rooms were 50% off the regular $300 a night. So, we thought that was a good deal!

There were two pools, the larger one with a swim-up bar and both with infinity edges, and one hot tub. There were very few people staying at the resort, so most of the time we were alone in the pool and hot tub.

You can walk down approx. three flights of stairs to the private beach. We did that several times...and were basically alone on the beach!

Each room faces the ocean and has a balcony with a few chairs. The rooms also have a kitchen or mini kitchen, depending on the size of the room. So, we went to Walmart the first day and stocked up on food and water. The rooms also have a washer and dryer. With a toddler, that is always a nice feature!!

There is a restaurant onsite, which was nice. We went there once. It was a bit pricey, but had great views of the ocean!

Overall, we immensely enjoyed Sirena del Mar and look forward to going back later this year!!

Mexico City to Cabo via Interjet

We just got back from a long weekend in Cabo.

We flew Interjet, which is Mexico's version of Southwest.

When we arrived at the Mexico City airport to leave, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that Terminal 1, where Interjet is located, is SOOOO much nicer than the terminal (3??) where American Airlines is located!!

At the American Airlines terminal, there is NOTHING. A few duty free shops, but very little food.

In terminal 1, there was a McDonalds, two Starbucks, a large 7-11, among many other places! So, that was nice!!

Also, Interjet was fully staffed, so check-in was a breeze (typically not the case with AA).

The only issue we had was that while the flight was not full, we were not allowed to keep Annabelle's car seat with us. There was plenty of room, but the Interjet attendant taking our stroller was adament that we could not keep our car seat...and he took it out of my hands.

Another couple was traveling with their 2-3 month old baby and they too were not allowed to take on their car seat.

I found this RIDICULOUS, as if the plane were to hit a rough patch of air, or even crash, the kids would be MUCH safer in their car seats. Having flown many, many times with Annabelle on Southwest and AA, if there is room, she is always better off in the car seat...and better behaved in it.

So, that was my only complaint. ...Although I could remark on how bad the descent was. Despite taking sinus medication, Mike's head started bothering him, and Annie and I kept having to pop our ears...which we never have to do on Southwest or AA.

Carlos Slim's Soumaya Art Museum

Sunday afternoon we took a walk and ended up at Carlos Slim's Soumaya Art Museum.

It has only been open for a few weeks and has plenty of wallspace for more pieces...but impressive, nonetheless.

The unique design outside carries thru inside. Since we had an energetic two year old with us, we didn't make it to the top floors. But, we enjoyed what we saw and Annabelle loved the lack of stairs. We walked up and down ramps to get to the various levels.

I am quite sure we'll be going back to the Soumaya Art Museum as we have more visitors!

It is also important to note that entrance to the museum is free!! You do have to go thru a metal detector to get inside and check your purse/bag/stroller...but that is also free of charge!

And, if you aren't familiar with Carlos Slim - Mexico's richest resident...also the richest man in the world... take a look at his wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Slim

Zoologico de Chapultepec

Monday morning we got up and walked to Chapultepec Park to go to the zoo! ...Unfortunately, Mondays are the one day the zoo is closed.

So, we did the same thing Tuesday morning! We arrived right as the zoo opened at 10 am. We were excited to find out that the zoo is free (gratis)! Our only cost was 5.00 pesos (approx. 50 cents in USD) for a map of the zoo.

It turns out that the zoo has a WONDERFUL layout and you really don't need a map! Just wandering along, you will see every animal and exhibit. Some of the animals have really wonderful enclosures, like the oso blanco (white bear) and gorilla. The zoo has a ton of monkeys, four giraffes, multiple wolf enclosures, tons of birds. All in all, it was a great zoo. We enjoyed it more than the Brookfield Zoo outside of Chicago! It will definitely be on the itinerary whenever we have guests!

Something to note, if you plan on visiting Zoologico de Chapultepec...it costs 4.00 pesos to use the restroom. They only take coins. So bring change! AND...toilet paper is NOT kept in the individual bathroom stalls. There is one large roll by the sinks. An interesting setup!

Here are some photos from the day at the zoo!

Air Shipment...Delivered and Unpacked!

Our air shipment has finally arrived!!

After complaining about the lack of shipment to my friends at the park on Wednesday morning, I got back to my house and had three emails from my husband...telling me that our shipment would be arriving the next morning!

I was excited, needless to say! However, I was also in a bit of a predicament as my parents were arriving Wednesday afternoon... and had no bedding to sleep on.

So, I weighed my options and decided to save $200 USD and improvise on bedding.

I kept the fitted sheet on the master bed. Put the flat sheet on the guest bed. Split the four pillows between the two beds. Then, gave the guest room three blankets.

My parents were very agreeable...but were definitely happy to have more bedding to use on Thursday night!

The shipment was delivered and unpacked Thursday at 9 am. Little Annabelle was completely overwhelmed with the arrival of so many of her toys! She happily loaded up her little shopping cart and dunked the ball in her basketball hoop! She lined up her many Minnie Mouse's and friends on her crib mattress!

Meanwhile, my mom and I spent the rest of the morning loading and unloading the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer!

And...our cable is being hooked up tomorrow! So, we'll have tv for the first time in two months! It looks like we will be fully settled in Mexico City soon!

Villa Maria - Restaurant in Polanco

If you are ever in Mexico City, especially Polanco, go to Villa Maria!

It is an EXCELLENT Mexican restaurant! Annabelle is partial to the birds that are caged out front! I am partial to the Tacos de Arrachera, as well as their chips and salsa!

It is our most frequented restaurant!

Chapultepec Park and Castle

Above is a view of Mexico City from the South end of Chapultepec Castle!

Here is a mural that is inside Chapultepec Castle. In the center, at the very top, is an image of Chapultepec Castle.

Here is Annabelle outside at Chapultepec Castle.

Annabelle and myself at Chapultepec Castle.

Annabelle and her Grandpa playing with sticks in Chapultepec Park.

Annabelle in Chapultepec Park.

Overlooking Mexico City, from the gardens at Chapultepec Castle.

Annabelle and her maternal grandparents halfway up the walk to Chapultepec Castle.

Here are a few photos from today's trip to Chapultepec Park and Castle.

We probably only covered a small amount of the park and will be going back for more in a few days! Chapultepec Castle is a must see, if nothing else than for the fantastic views of the city!

Walking around Chapultepec Park is free. There is a fee for entering the castle. If I remember correctly, it is only about $40 pesos, which is about $3.50 USD. Very economical and well worth it!

Another Banamex Experience

I went to Banamex this morning to get money out of my checking account, as well as to pay my internet & phone bill and my gas bill.

I took a number, waited to be called and went to the cashier upon my turn. The cashier spoke English! Hooray! But, then he told me that my debit card can only be used at the ATM OR at a different Banamex three blocks away. WHAT? Why can one Banamex location pull money out, using my debit card and ID...but another one cannot?

So, Annabelle and I went outside and tried the ATM out there. Low and behold, we were able to take money out! Super! Then, we went back inside, got a new number and waited again...so that we could pay the bills.

In a few weeks we are going to Cabo for a long weekend. We will be leaving Molly at Villa Mascotas (www.villamascotas.com). To reserve Molly's spot, I need to deposit 50% of the cost into the owner's Banamex checking account. Then, give the driver the other 50% when he picks her up.

I am just going to have to go back to Banamex to do this! I only have so much patience each day!

Read in 11 Countries!!

Readership continues to grow!! I am so excited every time I log into my blog and see more hits...especially when additional countries are added!

My blog has been viewed in eleven countries thus far!

The majority of views (by a landslide) are from the U.S. Gracias mis amigos de facebook!

Second are views from inside Mexico!

I hope my blog continues to attract more readers all over the world!

In the meantime, if you are checking in from overseas, please leave a comment on the blog! Are you an expat? Expat wife? Potential expat? I would love to know how and why people are stumbling across my blog!!

First Visitors Arrive Tomorrow!

We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our first visitors!

My parents arrive tomorrow afternoon!

In preparation for their arrival, I had walked to Dormimundo last week. The mattress was scheduled to arrive this morning. By 1 pm, it had not arrived yet. So, I took my receipt to my security guard and tried to ask him to call Dormimundo for me, to find out when it would arrive.

My main reason for doing this was that when our rental furniture was delivered, I was told Polanco does not allow big truck deliveries after 10 am. Which then made sense, because our master bedroom mattress was delivered at 9 am.

So, when the guest mattress didn't arrive...I was a little nervous.

Thus, I went to the doorman. He had NO CLUE what I was talking about! So, he called one of the other tenants, who is bilingual. I was very pleased to meet her! She called Dormimundo and informed me that the delivery would occur before 5 pm.

At about 2 pm, Dormimundo arrived! So, Annabelle and I were then free to leave the house...except for it being nap time!

Anyways, we now have a guest mattress. Do we have bedding??? NO!!! Our air shipment has been in Mexico City for the past week. But, it apparently has not been released yet. So, I will be frantically looking/purchasing guest bedding tomorrow. I really hate to do this as my bedding will surely be here soon (along with our t.v.'s, cutlery, main dishes, and a plethora of toddler toys).

Perhaps my parents will enjoy shopping for bedding with me tomorrow! It'll be an experience for them to go bargain shopping in Polanco! (A bit of a joke as I have yet to find a single bargain in Polanco! The deals to be had are not near me!).

Annabelle is going to school!

Last month I looked at three schools for Annabelle in Polanco.

My favorite school did not have an opening at the time. However, they just called to let me know they have a spot for her!

So, Annabelle is starting school on May 23.

She'll be going to school from 9 am to 1 pm Monday-Friday. The teacher's will speak Spanish. Annabelle only knows five or six words in Spanish, but I am confident she will not have any problems communicating with the teachers or kids.

I asked her today if she wanted to go to school. She said "I play with balls. I see kids. I go to school." Clearly she remembered our trip to visit the schools last month, at which time she did play with various balls and saw kids!

Mike and I think this is a great opportunity for Annabelle to start learning Spanish, increase her social skills, be mentally challenged, and have a little separation from mom!

Allergies in Mexico City

In March and early April, I had zero allergy issues.

Late April, my allergies have become an issue.

Late April...it has been raining a little bit almost every night.

Polanco is a very dusty town. Due to the all the building construction and the lack of grass (mostly dirt), before you walk into your house, you must always take your shoes off, leave them outside, clean your feet...and the dog's paws. Even then, there is no escaping all the dirt.

I am hopeful the rain goes away, until July/August, when I am told rainy season will be upon us.

It is summer here now, so July/August/September is "winter". Rather than snow, we get rain. Mind you, it doesn't rain all day every day. I am told you can almost set your watch by the afternoon rain shower. It will rain for just an hour or two.

My allergies and I are not looking forward to that...but in comparison to winter's in Chicago, I'll take a little rain and stock up on my allergy meds!