Cabo? I'll Go.

by Cathy

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a simple step."  -- Confucius

I have a very good reason for being M.I.A. on the blog this past week... I was off on a "work" trip to one of the places I've been wanting to visit most - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I heard it was a haven for jetsetters and celebs alike (evident from the fact that I counted no less than 28 learjets on the tarmac when I landed) and that it was probably one of the most picturesque places in Mexico.  So when the opportunity came for me to be whisked away by these fancy hotel chains and corporate resort companies for the sake of wedding research to follow through on my editorial obligations to inform the local wedding demographic of what Cabo has to offer, I was all in. Well, all except for my conscience, whose guilty side kept rearing its ugly ass head. Guilt, for being the only one in my family able to experience such a beautiful place and take some much deserved time off.

First off, I have never gone on a vacation solo; I have visited my friend Sue in London once when Bella was two years old but this is the first trip I was taking completely alone. Sure I would meet others in my group while I was there and I have no problems with my social skill set, but not only was I going "alone" but without my family. Here I would be in these beautiful, beach town resorts, watching other families enjoy their time together, smooching their spouses while doting after their flotation-deviced kids in the infinity pool overlooking the Sea of Cortez. And I?  I would be...with a bunch of strangers, (some of whom DID bring their significant other) and the latest issue of Glamour. This was going to be quite the test for me on many levels.

Once I got there, checked in, explored, had some goodies laid out for me in my room and took in the scene, I relaxed - I felt more at ease. I was starting to slowly let go - of the need to constantly be with someone, of the stress, of the guilt and most importantly, of the boundaries I set upon myself in many ways.

Notice the TWO wine glasses and TWO coffee mugs.

As I met new people (I discovered that even those traveling with someone felt the need to chat people up, and that it wasn't just me wandering aimlessly around the pool trying to mask my 'I'm starved for conversation' look) I discovered that there are pluses and minuses to traveling without your family - traveling alone.

The pluses:

- No one is snoring/farting/coughing/tossing/turning you awake at night or crawling into your bed and pounding you with their little fists and feet. I slept like a champ for the first time in a long time my first night there.

- You don't have to be on anyone else's schedule except your own; well in my case, we did have an itinerary that we had to adhere by but all the activities were spaced out perfectly that allowed for a nice amount of free time.

- I was never late to anything because I didn't have to wait for anyone else to get ready or help anyone else get ready except myself. 

- Because of that last point, I looked fresh and fashioney every evening for dinner and tequila tastings. No accessories were missing, no outfit was stained or mismatched and hair and makeup was perfectly in place.

- You get to be alone - truly alone - in a place other than your day-to-day environment, which gives you a whole different perspective on life and everything outside your "little world." I wrote some thoughts down. I allowed myself to take things in and feel. My five senses were alive. Because of this, I found myself being moved to tears on more than one occasion: when I slid open that giant balcony door and took in the ocean view from my room for the first time; 

when I went for my first walk on the beach and admired the overwhelming awesomeness of the sea while the frothy waves crashed at my feet; when I looked up at night from my balcony and saw the night sky lit up like a Christmas tree with seemingly all the astronomical formations in the cosmos; and when I awoke one morning to find this expression of love for someone in the sand below:

 Now, the minuses:

- Until I got used to being alone, and even then, it was hard to not want to share such a beautiful place with someone I loved. Like I emailed to Patti on my first day there - torn between feeling sad because I was alone, guilty because my family couldn't join me and tingling with curiosity as to what the upcoming experiences would bring - "even the most beautiful place in the world can be lonely if you have no one to share it with." But the goal was to feel comfortable with being alone and enjoying the freedom of that - and that's what I tried to focus on.

- You have no one to rub suntan lotion on your back. I blindly sprayed back there and prayed it took in all the right places. Then I relied on my long hair to do the rest.

- I don't mean to be ungrateful that I get to sleep in an ocean view room right on the beach, but those waves crashing haphazardly in no rhythmic fashion whatsoever (isn't that what they're supposed to do?), actually kept me awake at night rather than lulling me to sleep. This is not my life; it needs getting used to. I know, I know, I'll cry you a river.

- All of your pictures are of scenery. Except for the ones you try to take by turning the camera on  yourself (thank you iPhone for making this super easy to do now with the reverse camera angle feature!) Here, the results:

Me, posing for me, on the Sea of Cortez. 'Am I doing this right?'

or

Me, posing for me, on the (romantic) sunset cruise at Land's End Arc

Of course once I got to know the people in my group and realized that they were interesting, fun and funny, things got even better. We went shopping, had gourmet four-star dinners every night, went on tours, and even karaoked. We had drinks at the hotel swim-up bars, exchanged industry stories and gossip and had some great laughs. We saw whales spouting and flicking their tails in the shimmering sea as we had sushi and cucumber margaritas during a sunset cocktail hour. We saw iguanas, sea lions that swam up to our catamaran in the Pacific, turkey vultures hovering overhead, dolphins, fly fish and even sea urchins. 

Even though I technically wasn't "alone" I felt as though for me, I was. I used this trip as a challenge for myself - to push my boundaries, to go outside my comfort zone, to "Do It Anyway" like Patti and I say. And I am so glad I did.

Stay tuned for my next post about how I pushed my physical boundaries while in Cabo!