OCTOPUS IF YOU'RE LUCKY

Cabo San Lucas, Baja, Mexico: We are back in the city with its push and shove, everybody grubbing for a dollar. I do like the energy-buzz in a healthy city but if it’s all strange and you don’t know nothin’ - it’s not much fun, yet. The drive from Todos Santos was early and easy. We agreed to a trade off, two nights stay at half price, free breakfast, discounts on car rental and whale watch if we listen to a sales pitch on time shares. We did that, it was interesting and educational but that’s fuel for another day. The whale watch is in the morning, plan on last minute shopping in the afternoon. I will turn the car in early the next day, fly out at noon, back in New Orleans at 7:00 p.m. Then we have about 10 days to observe Mardi Gras, a few days to reboot and take off for Florida. 

There were only 40 or so turtles last night but 50 or 60 people on hand to see them trek down the wet sand. My part in the ritual was to caution the good folks about waves that push little turtles back up the beach. Tide was coming in and every so often the surge made it farther and farther up the slope. “If that happens,” I said, “and your feed disappear under the foam, stop, freeze, don’t move your feet. We have to find the little buggers and put them back out front in the smooth sand.” We don’t want to have little turtles beat the odds of a cold nest and predators only to be stepped on by otherwise friendly spectators. There were lots of push-backs without any casualties. In the last minute of glow on the sand we gave 4 or 5 sluggish Ridleys a gentle boost, into the undertow. Closure; nice way to walk away. 

Closing up the beach, a last minute decision to celebrate our farewell took us to a restaurant, if you want to call it that, one that we drove by twice every day and never knew was there. Back on a deeply rutted dirt road, in a cluster of palm trees and brush was an outdoor kitchen set up in a clearing. Around that was a network of tables, light bulbs stretched on extension cords between trees and Christmas lights on the tree trunks. Past the dinner hour on Sunday night: 10 of us show up. The cook came out and explained, “All I have left is paella with sea food, salad and sangria. I’ve eaten Paella but not like this; shrimp, clams, fish and even a little octopus if you were lucky. Diced apples, oranges, pineapple in the sangria with ice cubes to keep it cold; It’s easy too feel special when you get dealt all aces. I’m looking forward to a shower tonight. For the last two weeks the shower consisted of 4 or 5 trickles through a shower head the size of a dinner plate. Not complaining, as a matter of fact I really enjoyed the slow motion hygiene. But a hot blast on head and shoulders will be a great welcome back to civilization. I don’t think I’m ready for television yet.