It is hard to believe we have spent 365 days around the sun living in Cabo San Lucas. We arrived on October 1, 2019 after our epic 8-day road trip. We had prepared to give you an update at our six month mark, but when the pandemic hit back in March, needless to say we got a little distracted. While the year has flown by, and certainly did not pan out as anyone would have expected, we have tried to make the most of the last year.

This October 1st, it’s safe to say we were a lot less exhausted. To celebrate our one year in Cabo, we went out to dinner at Edith’s downtown.

A Look Back

Not a weekend goes by that we don’t debate whether we should chill on the couch and binge our new favorite show on Netflix… or get out and explore.

While new experiences are our top priority, sometimes we stop and remind ourselves that it’s okay to do nothing every once in awhile.

Now, if you had told us that back in May… we’d have given anything to not chill on the couch because we were “bored in the house“ and out of our minds. But seeing things now back in (almost) full swing, we are stoked to get back to experiencing everything Baja Sur has waiting for us.

People often ask us, “Wow, you live here!? What’s life like living in Mexico?”. We usually look at each other, laugh a little and think to ourselves, “Should we start with the highs or the lows?”.

So as we thought about how to summarize and share this past year with that question in mind, we found a few common themes: Things we have learned, things we have loved, things we have longed for and things we are looking forward to.

Learned

*Yachting in the Sea of Cortez, September 2020*

We have learned life in Cabo has many pros and cons… or as we like to call them “high highs and low lows”. Why? You truly never know what you’re going to wake up to each day. We’ve had a lot of highs which we list out soon, however the things we have learned have been just as important, and many relate to the learning curve and adjustments needed for life in a foreign country.

Let’s just say “patience is a virtue” should probably be tattooed on both of our arms at this point… especially after the 3rd time we lost internet from rats chewing our fiber-optic lines or the 5th time we ran out of water.

We have learned that consistency is taken for granted. Spoiled is the word that comes to mind to describe our lives in the U.S. Easy things you do on a daily basis back home aren’t a luxury here or even available.

The pace of life is slower here (except when driving on the highway) which has caused us to also slow down and soak in our surroundings a bit more. This is all well & good EXCEPT when you’re getting something fixed, and they say “be right back” but never return.

You don’t need that random thing you see online. You get charged a 28% import tax on any online shopping that comes in from the US, so it’s safe to say we’ve saved a lot of money not “adding things to cart” this past year. In Mexico, “Prime” shipping just means your package will eventually arrive at your doorstep. Also, if you’re thinking about mailing something to us, just don’t. We’ve received one Christmas card 4 months later and that’s about it.

*Shipwrecks Beach at Sheraton, February 2020*

Utilities are hard. Need your propane tank refilled? Get your Spanish ready before calling, English isn’t an option. Electricity? You pay 2 months at a time at a kiosk in the “electricity store”. Water? You pay cash only and in-person at the local convenience store, of course! Kyle gets the gold star of 2020 for leading these efforts for us.

Utilities are hard, but Internet is really hard. Internet is the one bill we actually get and pay online (ironic, right?). Who would have thought that would be the only “easy” part. When your internet goes out in the States, you can chat or call customer service and instantly be back online. In Cabo, there’s no easy way to find out whats wrong, report a problem or request an appointment. We’ve never gotten through on the 1-800 number (featuring many failed attempts to dial out of Mexico and a few featuring the operator who doesn’t understand your Spanglish and hangs up on you).

*“Let’s go grocery shopping” & ending up at the Marina, November 2019*

Grocery shopping can be challenging. You often have to go to multiple stores to get everything you need. Or you may not find that special something you’re looking for. Why? Everything is in Spanish, you’re likely juggling a translator app, converting pesos to dollars, lbs to kgs, and can easily miss things wandering up and down the aisles. Or maybe, because it’s Sunday after church, and the Mexican family has their seven kids, four grandparents, and dog in tow standing in the middle of the aisle. Or maybe, and often the case, you cannot find it because it just doesn’t exist here. Our first few discoveries of this led to tears of frustration.

Dishwasher detergent? Only one option and hard to find, as most family’s don’t have dishwashers. Chocolate chips? They’re called chispas and a hot commodity at Costco if you find a bag. Coffee milk? Pickles? Forget about it!… or pay 4x the price at the “gringo” store, Santa Carmella (a small box of Cheez-Its will run ya $8).

*Our first time at Cachet Beach Club, October 2019*

*Quarantinin’ in the new rooftop pool, April 2020*

Most importantly, we have learned to be more compassionate and aware of our impact and effect in this world. Witnessing Cabo come together after the hurricane was a moving experience, seeing all of the plastic and waste flooding into the ocean that could easily be avoided with smarter consumer purchases. We spent three hours cleaning the beach full of trash and made the smallest dent. We want to do better for our planet and also for the people in our lives. We have realized locals who have “waited” on us for years at resorts are living paycheck to paycheck and after COVID, now have less hours and income but as always, still have a smile on their face. We believe in paying it forward and have found ways to donate and give back to this awesome community who have brought us so much joy over the years.

*Sunrise from our rooftop (taken by Kyle, the only one in this house who is up for sunrise).*

Loved

This category is hard for us to narrow down, and could be endless for all the little things we have found to love about our lives in Baja. Here’s just a few that stood out:

Living by the ocean makes us smile. Waking up every morning to the blue water and closing out each day with a colorful sunset is priceless… a calming feeling you cannot get from living in the city.

We love being a short drive to so many different beaches, each with something unique to offer: rock formations, sea creatures, swimmable water, tide pools, waves to surf, palapas, a cool beach restaurant on site.

Local gastronomy is top notch. Our new found diet consists of coconut shrimp (or really any kind of shrimp!), fresh sushi rolls, curricanes, catch-of-the-day fish tacos, and warm, fresh chocolate-filed churros (don’t worry, we still go to the gym here). Our favorite cocktails consist of tequila or smoky mezcal and fresh fruit (passionfruit, pineapple, watermelon, guava). The photo of our fish tacos below was taken at Barricuda Cantina in Cerritos, currently featured in the ‘Best Pescado Taco’ episode of Netflix show, The Taco Chronicles.

Remote work days. Grabbing our laptops and setting up shop at a hotel or coffee shop during the week for a change of scenery is a recurring, loved activity. It keeps the week fun and checks our ‘explore’ box while still having to get work done. You’d be surprised how hard it is to find out if there is WiFi and air conditioning at a place, so it often requires a bit of research. However, a delicious bite to eat while crafting up a few emails/lines of code and soaking in the scenic ocean views is hard to beat. This is something we’ll definitely look back on as a favorite memory.

Whale season! Seeing these gigantic creatures breach out of the ocean for four months of the year is truly a magical experience. If you end up visiting us between December and March, bring a pair of binoculars because it’s an amazing site to see. We enjoyed a few whale watching tours by boat but the real shows we’ve caught have been from our beach chairs.

Boat days. Getting out on the water is always special, and although we don’t get to go out often, when we do, we are smiling ear to ear soaking up the warm rays and cool, salty breeze from the ocean together.

Spa days. There are so many great options in town for massages, facials, mani/pedis... and all for a fourth of the price vs. the states. They even came to our house once during quarantine to give us an at-home service! It’s nice to pamper yourself without breaking the bank, a nice treat we love to indulge in (often).

Exploring the local culture & making friends. We’ve attended local farmers markets, visited art walks, pop up events, street vendors, and many other places that give Cabo it’s special charm. We have met a lot of people, some we can now call our friends. It’s been really cool to hang out with like-minded people who sought out a similar lifestyle.

The stars. It is pretty dark around in Cabo, especially in our neighborhood, so if you look up at night, you’ll see tons and tons of twinkly stars. We even got to experience the Perseids meteor shower back in August, laying on our roof and watching them soar across the sky.

Acting like we’re on vacation. We’re really good at this one. And we try not to feel bad about it, after all, it is one of the main reasons we moved here. It’s easy pretending we’re on vacation any given weekend — acting like tourists at well-known spots we’ve never tried, trying day passes at the resorts. But we really love finding the smaller, tucked away hidden gems that only locals know about.

Documenting our entire ride. Starting this blog, not only to share out our experiences with all of you, but also having it as a long-term life journal to look back on (along with our Instagram account, @HolaCabo) has been something we have both really had fun doing together. Taking the photos, writing and proofreading, perfecting — it’s all part of the fun and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Longed For

What have we missed the most? Consistency and ease definitely come to mind. Based on the things we mentioned we have learned, its not always sunrises and sunsets. But there a few other things too.

Family and friends would easily be number one. No one anticipated the inability to travel this year and it’s made it hard to be away from everyone for so long. Thankfully, the end of 2020 looks like it will be bringing both our way and we could not be more excited.

Seasons! Sweating through our clothes every time we take the dog for a walk gets old. Kyle misses time on the mountains and Leigh wishes she could teleport a cool breeze, fall colors and pumpkin spice everything, please. But we are very excited for mid-October to arrive where the switch flips and the weather is beautiful here for 8 more months.

Easy, aimless shopping. Walking around Trader Joes, Target & HomeGoods for things we don’t need… or even things we do need. At least everything is in English!

Deli sandwich shops. We don’t know of one in Cabo, and would kill for a stacked Italian sandy. Curtis Park Deli, Snarfs, Wawa (Kyle doesn’t agree, but like he’s wrong), heck even Jimmy Johns would be delicious right about now.

A month where nothing breaks. You’d be surprised how exhausting it is to go back and forth in Spanglish with a maintenance man, while your dog is barking at them, and you’re trying to still have a normal work day.

Kennedy wanted us to note that she longs for frolicking through a park full of green grass and chasing all the squirrels up all the trees. She also misses her best bud, Koda. But don’t worry, she is doing just fine down here, living her best life and continuing to feud with the neighborhood cats. She is also still trying to eat the sand like she used to eat the snow, which is an ongoing learning experience.

Looking Forward To

2021 …anyone else?! As we mentioned above, family and friends are always top of mind, so we’re very excited that we have a few visitors coming the next few months to enjoy our slice of paradise with.

The annual Turner/Daly/Ismert vacation in late October with a guest appearance by Pam.

Our second staycation at LeBlanc (we were gifted a bonus week from a COVID offer they were running) in November.

Rounding out 2020 in the Pedregal hills with friends over New Years Eve, toasting this duzi of a year adios!

Random fun and experiences! Taking a Mexican cooking class, going parasailing, checking out new day pass spots and hopefully starting out Spanish lessons soon (#procrastinators)!

Planning out a few weekend road trips to continue exploring Mexico’s beautiful Baja coastline. Trips to La Paz, Todos Santos, Cabo Pulmo & more are on our line up!

While there is a lot we have to look forward to, there is also a ton we have checked off our Mexico bucket-list this last year too.

Stay tuned for our next blog, a Timeline Of Events of sorts, capturing our favorite memories over this past year in Cabo!