We spent a lot of time on that balcony.  Sort of  “Under the boardwalk, Out by the sea, On a blanket with my Baby, that’s where I’ll be.”  We made forays to the market, caught a minor league baseball game, hit the fancy bars on the strip, and noticed that every afternoon this boat sailed out of the harbor heading west towards Baja California and Cabo San Lucas.  We asked the locals and found out this time of the year many middle-class Mexicans take their Christmas vacation starting with the all night ferry crossing the Gulf of California.  Of course we couldn’t resist and were rewarded with an elegant meal served on white linen tablecloths, a sleeping compartment all for ourselves, and a great Mexican band that played all night.

And, oh man, Cabo is the Best Beach in the World.  The biggest waves.  The best high-up bars with seven mile views of Lands End.  Cozy apartments one block from the beach.  We took the water taxi to Lands End.  The real Lands End, an arc of land, making a bridge, with rushing waters underneath, the Gulf and the Ocean colliding, truly the tip of the world.  It is my favorite Natural Wonder.  I went for a swim and the only way to describe what happened next is to say it was exactly like being in a clothes dryer and spun, somersaulted a half dozen times inside a wave, before being deposited back on the beach.

Gushing hearts and rushing waters at Land’s End

But I’ve forgotten to tell you the punch line to the Mazatlan story, and all that was so magnificent about that ferry ride.  We saw dolphins.  We saw whales.  We saw porpoises.  We saw sharks.  On the dance floor, which was literally glistening & spark[l]ing, we were having so much fun we almost never made it to our sleeping compartment.  Remember we’re the only Gringos, so I didn’t mind when some of the Mexican gentlemen tapped on my shoulder to ask my RoseEllen for a dance.  But after too many drinks, one guy wanted to keep her.  “No,” I said, “she’s mine.”  And we retired to our cabin to watch the sunrise among other things without further incident.  I guess that answers the question I raised about my chivalry in  “Can I take your girl for a spin?”  Eventually we planed to LA, Greyhounded it back to Las Vegas, and found we were falling in love.

Tomorrow:  Hot Springs