The harbour at Cabo San Lucas can't accommodate large cruise ships so we anchored off the coast and took tenders into the town. We motored past the famous Arch cut in the rocks of the tip of Baja California, a peninsula of Mexico along its west coast. At the terminal we boarded a bus to take us to Todos Santos. Glen had brought his cane as his knees often 'give-out' on him. When our guide saw him, she insisted he sit in the VIP seats at the front of the bus. We had a great view of the countryside as we drove up the coast to the town made famous by the Eagles song "Hotel California". The hotel was first opened in 1950 and was built by a Chinese immigrant, Mr. Wong. He changed his name to Don Antonio Tabasco but that didn't fool anyone. He was the first person to bring ice from the Sierra de la Laguna (lagoon mountains) to the town so folk could enjoy cold beer. As the hotel aged, it became neglected until 2001 when a Canadian couple, John and Debbie Stewart, bought it and did a complete renovation. It is now the centre of a thriving artist colony and displays wonderful works of art. The hotel denies the Eagle's song was inspired by it but every tour guide will assure you they know the truth.
Todos Santos began as a Roman Catholic mission in 1724 and was called Santa Rosa de Todos Santos. The town prospered during the sugar cane boom with 8 mills in operation, However by the 1950s, many of the colonial-style buildings became neglected. Droughts and low sugar prices forced people to leave. Eventually the farms were re-worked to grow avocados, chilis, and fruit. Then in the 1980s, tourists arrived. and with them came artisans and artists.As we disembarked the bus beside the Hotel California, we heard the mission bell and thought of the song. We did a quick walk around the hotel and its environs before settling down to a wonderful Mexican lunch with lemonade. We had met a couple from Vancouver so had ate with them. They were horrified we drank the lemonade. I guess we just assumed Princess would not let us eat/drink in a place that was unsafe. The irony was two fold. One, Glen had always said the best way to get samples from Mexico for his science was to go there and come back sick. We never did, of course. The second fact was that this couple planned taking the Grand Princess to Hawaii after our cruise ended. They never reached Hawaii as COVID-19 hit the ship and it had to return to the mainland. San Francisco wouldn't let them dock for several weeks so we wondered whether or not our new friends got sick or got home before the border closed.
After lunch, we went to the cultural centre to learn about the region. The inside was covered with murals depicting the history of Todos Santos and at the rear, they had built a replica of a typical house of the mountain people. We then walked to the main street of artisans. Our tour guide, Liddy, pointed to the end of the street where the white mission church stood saying she'd meet us there after we had explored the galleries and shops.
The galleries overflowed with amazing local art but having just downsized, we decided we wouldn't splurge on any new pieces. Our guest room is full of artwork that still needs hanging so we were motivated not to bring anything home. It was tempting, though.
The mission was a lovely church, very simple and very white. The only colour was a single stain-glass window over the altar. It was also cool so refreshing after the heat of the desert-like town. We met up with Liddy and she led us back to our bus. Along the way she showed us a globe-like statute indicating where the Tropic of Cancer passed through the town.
We headed back to Cabo and boarded a tender for our ship. Both of us looking forward to the next five days at sea where we could relax. Tours are exhausting!
To see my photos of Todos Santos, click here.
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