Left in the rain today, and it rained on and off for the entire four hour drive. Dropped the car and caught the shuttle to SFO where we waited in line for half an hour to greet our TSA friends. Hands above our heads, a quick scan and someone is enjoying our naked photos.
We had an hour and a half before takeoff, so we stopped at the Napa Marketplace for lunch. It was just like being in Napa... well, if you ignored all the people, planes, public service announcements and so on. Still, the food was OK; pulled pork sandwich with glazed green bean, walnuts and caramelized onions for me, thick pea soup for Gail. We washed it down with a glass of the non-descript house red. It was fun to sit and people watch, to be somewhere else. As we boarded, the gate sign noted the temperature in Cabo is 79 F. Outside the window, the jet sits in the pouring rain.
We are flying Virgin America. I think it is a new route for them. The plane must be brand new, an Airbus 320 it is wide and spacious. I always like these Airbus jets when we have those long, 10 or 12 hour flights. Generous seats and leg room. The seat backs and entertainment systems are white plastic, the seats are comfy black vinyl (kind of like a Lazy Boy) and the plane interior is lit pink and purple. It is like a flying night club!
The captain never did turn on the disco ball.
Dark out, it feels like evening as we take off, the pretty green and blue lights streaking by. Up through the fog and rain until we finally find the sun.
Like most US airlines, you have to purchase "food and drink options" which are really nothing more than snacks. We stuck with the free water. Yum. Last trip to Mexico we flew Mexicali, and had meals and drinks (even a celebratory shot of Tequila when we crossed the border) included.
After an enjoyable half hour with my water (free ice!!), I watched as Crayola scribbled a fire-apricot mango-orange slash across the sky.
Soon the coast and islands of Mexico glittered below; isolated pearls strung in a desert of black. The bright lights of Cabo came into view; right as we landed fireworks we going off behind the airport.
We landed in Cabo right at 7:40 and after clearing customs and passport control, we hustled over to pick up our car rental.
Ha. Funny thing, that.
No Hertz-Advantage counter... all the other car counters are closed...
Can you just hear the " impending doom" music now?
So pushing our way through the crowd of taxi drivers, we discover that all the car rental shuttles are outside. Yep. Avis, National, Budget... no Hertz. One of the Budget people comes up and asks, "You looking for Hertz?"
Yes.
"They are closed. Ran out of cars."
Blank stare.
"Those people are looking too."
I look at this lady, at the group of people and back. Huh. Well, a little wandering around, a little talking here and there, and it is confirmed: no car, no Hertz.
We could rent a car from another company... For four times the price.
So here we are, at the rapidly emptying airport, with no pesos and our guesthouse two hours north.
Think...
First, get money. Money fixes things. A nice guard actually walks us over to the next terminal, which is empty, dark and spooky. 3900 Pesos (about $300 USD) so now I have lots of green, 200P bills with a nun on them.
We head back to the other terminal, and all the car rental guys are gone, along with all the shuttle busses.
There is a Best Western hotel just over from the airport, so we head there. We get a plain, but clean and comfortable room for 900P and call La Paz.
The hotel restaurant is closed, but the nice guy at the counter offers to have the shuttle take us over to the nearest OXXO (like 7-11) for some food. Yum.
I am glad to see they have Sol beer, and I get some queso Ruffles and a banana. Gail gets a Sol and banana and some mini donuts.
We are back at the hotel before we notice the beer is not regular Sol beer... It is this weird Mexican flavored "CLAMATO" beer!!! YUCK!
So, here it is, 22:01 in San Jose del Cabo. I am having water and Ruffles for Christmas dinner as I fire off a letter of complaint to Hertz (by god I am going to get reimbursed for this screw up), trying to google the bus times to La Paz, and writing this.
This is what is so great about traveling: think what a great story this will be in a month!
Feliz Navidad.