whales | Our Adventures

Sand, water, sunshine and good company are sometimes all you really need. – Anonymous

A year ago, in the midst of a cold, dreary day in February, we thought how nice it might be to spend a month somewhere warm. We envisioned ourselves in Hawaii, going to beaches and eating tropical fruit, sipping Mai Tais. We contemplated places like Palm Springs or spots in Arizona where the sun seems to shine all the time. Florida, the Caribbean, Costa Rica or Belize. All nice warm spots….but we settled on Todos Santos, our favortie spot in Mexico and somewhere we know so well.

Now to decide on a place to call home. We looked at apartments, hotels, and private homes. And by chance, we came across a beautiful home a short distance from the beach, killer views from the top balcony, a heated pool, and available for rent the entire month of February. We read the reviews, all sterling. We debated the pros and cons….we couldn’t find many cons. We talked to the owners, asked a lot of questions, and ultimately decided to rent the house. We booked our flights, reserved a car, and started up a packing list. Now all we had to do was wait for February!!!

February 1 we get a ride to the Wenatchee airport, and for the first time in a long, long time, we actually checked a bag….we were staying a month so we thought we might need a few more items. Quick flight to Seattle, grab a bite to eat and then board the plane to Cabo. Normally in Cabo we zip through customs with our carryon bags, but we had that checked bag to collect. The conveyor starts up after about 20 minutes and bag after bag come rolling by….but not ours. Conveyor stops. Another 15 minutes or so and more bag begin appearing. And second to last ours arrives!!!!! Yeah!!! Next stop to collect our rental car and the 90 minute drive to Todos Santos and our “home” for the next 28 days.

Casa Mila was the perfect home for us. Two bedrooms inside, each with their own bathroom, the larger with an outdoor shower. A fully stocked kitchen and a little bodega off the side with an extra refrigerator and a washer and dryer. The dining room and living room occupied the same large space and all along the front was a covered deck looking out to the ocean. At one end of the indoor courtyard stood the spiral staircase that leads you to the rooftop sitting area. Down below was a heated pool and a separate, private casita with a kitchen, bathroom and a king bed. The parking was inside the gate, across the road from us was a boutique hotel and restaurant located right on the fresh water lagoon. (We had access to the kayaks)

We pretty much had the place to ourselves. One week we had our daughter come and stay….she loved having the casita all to herself. We had invited some friends down, but sometimes life gets in the way and they all had to cancel. So there we were with all that room and mostly just the two of us….it was heaven. Every night, and I mean every night, we made out way up the spiral staircase to the rooftop siting area…usually with a glass each of red wine, and we watched the sun set and the sky turn color. With binoculars we gazed at whales surfacing just off shore. And although by the end of February, the whale sightings began to wane, when Jamie was there we were entertained one night by some juvenile whales surfacing and slapping their fins at the surface of the ocean….just offshore and it went on for close to thirty minutes. Remarkable!!!!

We had only one goal for ourselves this trip…and that was to just relax. And that is pretty much all we did. We went into town every now and then to eat out, to grocery shop, to grab a drink, or to shop at the many shops. We had to go to the Todos Santos Brewery to watch the Seahawks Super Bowl game against New England. That was fun…hanging out with a raucous pro-Seahawk crowd, and I do believe the Bad Bunny Fan Club was in attendance. One evening we went for dinner at the Todos Santos Caffe and were entertained by a local musician, Chris Paulson. We found the Tropic of Cancer Monument and ate at all our favorite spots. Almost everyday we made our way to the beach and took long, long walks.

At breakfast I suddenly felt a warm weight on my leg…looked down and saw this cutie looking up at me….yep, he got some bacon!!!!

We had so much fun that we have already reserved the home for next year!!! We cannot wait!!!!

“There is nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it gets sent away”

Growing up I had friends who every year, every summer, went on the same vacation, to the very same spot they went the year before, and the year before that, and the year before that. And I naively thought, “How silly….this big, wide world and you return again and again to the same spot….Don’t you get tired of that? What is the allure?”

Well now I know. For the last six years we have been coming to Todos Santos, every December, to escape the dreariness of our Wenatchee winter. And over the past six years, I have learned to appreciate coming to the same spot. You find it’s familiar, it feels like home. You know every road, the location of each and every speed bump. where to find the most delicious chiliquiles, the most aromatic coffee, the secluded beach. People recognize you, treat you like friends, welcome you. Even though you have been here a ton, you learn to find the new in the familiar….the boutique you always walked past, the brass doorknob shaped like a gecko, the saguaro cactus that looks exactly like it is waving hello. There is no question as to what to pack…we know the weather and what to expect, we can consolidate down to one carry on, we know to bring the binoculars for whale spotting and salt for the rims of the margarita glasses. We are open to uncovering new adventures and experiences, undiscovered corners, new restaurants, new beaches. Anxiety is reduced for you know all the ins-and-outs of immigration and custom control, how to avoid the rash of requests for taxis and time-shares, where to pick up your car rental, how many pesos you need at the toll booth, what stores are open on Christmas Day….you have it all locked down!!!! There is a lot of comfort in coming to the same spot year after year.

This year we were not going for adventure, or dancing or drinking….we came to Todos Santos for one thing only, to relax!!! And that we did. Everyday to the beach, to lie upon the golden sand shaded only by our little umbrella, marvel at the whales spouting and breaching, and reading all the novels we haven’t had the time to read until now.

And when you are in Todos Santos, there is never a lack of good food everywhere. We actually tried a few new places. Miguels, in Todos Santos for the past 24 years. We had their world famous chile rellenos stuffed with lobster and had a chance to talk with Miguel about all the changes he has seen. And we went to a little hole-in-the-wall spot, Tacos El Poblano, where they make the tortillas by hand and the tacos el pastor and tacos asada were out-of-this-world. We ordered chips and guac and I swear there was close to a gallon of guacamole!!!! So good. And this year we had to try a new pizza spot, Buone Pizza, take out only cooked in a brick oven….we had the pepperoni and the Italiana. Brought them home and ate them on the deck with homemade margaritas. And of course, we had to go to some of our favorites…The Green Room, La Esquina, Docecuarenta, Na Há at La Poza and Heirbabuena in El Pescadero.

Coffee at Docecuarenta….our favorite morning spot

Lobster filled Chile Rellenos at Miguels

Something new this year was the meeting up with some friends, totally unplanned. First we met up with Elke and her fiance Rob. We met Elke at Burrowing Owl Winery in Oliver, BC. She was our server in the tasting room and we just hit it off and during our conversation we both found out we were going to be in Todos Santos at the same time (they in El Pescadero) So we met up for dinner at Heirbabuena and had a wonderful dinner. But there is more….Heidi has been working with Janel Keating Hambly at work. Janel is a nationally known speaker and author for Solution Tree….a real expert on Professional Learning Communities. Janel, and her husband Jay, had planned a trip to Cabo and then a few days in Todos Santos. They wanted to stay at the same spot that Heidi and I stay at, Villas La Mar, but unfortunately it was full, so they booked a room a La Poza, the sister property just down the road. Turns out Janel was the principal at my son’s elementary school, and Jay was the Superintendent at the district. Such a small world. We had dinner with them twice…once at Na Há (La Poza) and then again on New Year’s Day at the Todos Santos Brewery (the Rose Bowl was playing…let’s not mention the score) Such fun meeting with them and learning about all the connections we have. Such amazing people.

Visiting with Elke and Rob from Oliver BC

Dinner at Todos Santos Brewery with Janel and Jay

We definitely completed our goal of relaxation. (It did help that we had a 90 minute couple massage) We returned as usual with deep, dark tans and relaxed body and mind….until we got to the airport in Seattle. Our evening flight to Wenatchee was cancelled, of course only after we flew to Wenatchee and couldn’t land. Spent one uncomfortable night in the airport as we couldn’t find a hotel at 2:30 am in the morning. We were booked for the 12:30 pm flight only to find it was delayed 2 hours. Coming into Wenatchee it appeared we were landing only to have the pilot abort the landing at the last minute saying the runway just wasn’t visible. But he was going to try another approach, from the other end. Nail biting time as we descended, nothing but thick fog out the windows and then, with only seconds before touchdown, we see land below and a huge cheer erupts as the wheels touched down in Wenatchee!!!! An exciting ending to a most wonderful trip. Until next year….yes, we are one of those people now!!!