For our December cruise along the Mexican coast with
Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL), we decided to explore the first port--Cabo San
Lucas--on our own.
Cabo San Lucas is the southernmost town on Baja California. It sits on the very tip of Baja, where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean. The iconic view of Cabo is “El Arco,” a natural arch carved out of the cliffs at Lands End.
Cabo San Lucas is the southernmost town on Baja California. It sits on the very tip of Baja, where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean. The iconic view of Cabo is “El Arco,” a natural arch carved out of the cliffs at Lands End.
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| The Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean. Photo by Amy Gaiennie. |
I’d already read reviews on NCL’s website about several
locations that might be visited: Lands End and Playa del Amor (Lover’s Beach) could be reached by water taxi, and reviewers provided brief but helpful descriptions of the beaches and how best to get there.
But my husband and I wanted to see El Cabo itself.
My husband chose a visit to Cabo’s Natural History Museum
--Museo de Historia
Natural. I wanted to see the Cultural Center (La Casa
de la Cultura) that I’d read about in a travel book. The book
described a “mirador surrounded by landscaped gardens” that offered “a
beautiful view of all of Cabo.”
La
Casa de la Cultura
Nothing prepared us for what we actually saw when we arrived
at what we expected to be one of the town’s most important landmarks. We
climbed multiple steps to reach the top of the hill that held La Casa and the
mirador (Spanish for tower). From the front side, the building looked friendly
and colorful enough.
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| From the front of the building, La Casa de la Cultura is inviting. Photo by Amy Gaiennie. |
But when we got to the top of the hill, we saw a different view. We looked down on what once must have been a lovely garden, but which had not been tended for some time. As we walked the paths that led through the gardens, we saw trash and litter everywhere.
La Casa from the back was also startling. It looked "bombed out," with missing doors and windows. The outer walls were covered with graffiti.
Back at home, I looked at sites on the Internet that described the Cultural Center. All of them recommended La Casa for the same reason provided in the first book I'd read. What had happened?
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| Photo from Google Images shows a friendly, active La Casa. |
Things to Do in Cabo San Lucas
It is very possible that Hurricane Odile, the devastating storm that struck Cabo San Lucas in September, had something to do with the fate of La Casa. The Category 3 hurricane caused major damage to neighborhoods, the international airport, and resorts. We saw very little evidence left of its devastation in most of the places we visited.
On our next trip, we will probably take a water taxi to Lands End—there were numerous vendors at the Marina eager to give the tourists a ride. Or perhaps we will return to La Casa, hoping that it, too, will have recovered.
It is very possible that Hurricane Odile, the devastating storm that struck Cabo San Lucas in September, had something to do with the fate of La Casa. The Category 3 hurricane caused major damage to neighborhoods, the international airport, and resorts. We saw very little evidence left of its devastation in most of the places we visited.
On our next trip, we will probably take a water taxi to Lands End—there were numerous vendors at the Marina eager to give the tourists a ride. Or perhaps we will return to La Casa, hoping that it, too, will have recovered.
Whale Watching By Zodiac
We might also repeat the Whale Watching Excursion we took in February 2011—we thoroughly enjoyed seeing humpbacked whales
close-up from on board our boat.
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| Photo by Amy Gaiennie. |
How disappointing to find La Casa in such disrepair. But you're probably right: the recent hurricane may have finally sealed its fate as a tourist landmark. The rest of your trip was the adventure you'd hoped for. I love the ocean and whale photos. I was there with you! :-)
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