October 28th - travel day

Flying over the Western US, I can recognize Salt Lake City and the Wasatch Range as I continue to attempt to figure out where we are. There is no snow on the mountains below, though I can see leaves have changed.

Because beer makes being in a tropical place better.

In Cabo, it's mild chaos at the airport. I haven't been able to replace my forgotten phrasebook, but I cleared customs and immigration (despite my pharmaceuticals and natural health products) and could have caught an earlier shuttle to La Paz, but wouldn't have had time to enjoy my $10 beer.

Once we cleared the USA and started over the Sea of Cortez, I was amazing at the coast. The start of the coast was a crescent, and I guess the Magrathean designing this coast really loved that design feature, as spits led to crescent beaches extending down the coast, creating a magical sight.

That contrasts greatly with the press of people like myself, with fair skin, clamouring at the airpot.

I had expected the land to look sparse - sand or rocks and cactus. These are here, but so are trees, vines, flowers and grasses.

On the outskirts of a city are the dramatic contrasts - rough shacks, some with small satellite dishes attached.

We've pulled into a bus depot in Cabo proper and it took me a couple of minutes to realize what was odd - 2 payphones on a wall that look like they work! As cell phones because more common in Canada, the pay phones have all but disappeared. There are cell phones all over here as well, but apparently the pay phones have found a way to survive. I wonder if it's due to tourism or poverty...

Tonight, I feasted on fishn, fresh caught, and prepared deliciously. There was a Mexican Cevice on a toasted tortilla, and fillet con Varacruze (in a delightful tomato sauce). There were margaritas that were fabulous, along with great company and crude attempts to understand and speak Spanish.

After dinner I lay in the hammock on the top of the hotel, drinking in the night around me. On the way back to my room I watched three geckos by a light, hunting moths.

One of them caught a moth, holding it in its mouth and I thought it had killed it and was eating it. One of the others then attacked, also biting the moth. After a brief struggle, I was surprised to see the moth fly off. These two then disappeared over the top of the wall as the third hid in the shadow beneath the light, only its tail visible.