The Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean meet with a bunch of North Americans
Tortas, Timeshares and Tequila
Ola. Beverley and I just got back from Los Cabos -southern tip of the Baha- and I have to say, if you've never been, you gotta go! Los Cabos is a beautiful little gem sitting at the tip of the Baha Peninsula where the Sea of Cortez meets the mighty Pacific, and though the ocean was cold (and rip tides dangerous) the locals are very inviting, hospitible and downright ... nice. The weather was fabulous (no clouds), the sites remarkable, the 5.5 hour flight was worth it, and the all inclusive resort (Riu Santa Fe) was every bit of the 4.5 stars posted.
A wide assortment at the buffets allowed us to try something uniquely different with every pass and there was no shortage of good old Mexican culinary delights. The fruit is always fresh and the grill always hot, and the XX Dos Equis' cold! In addition, with 4 a la carte selections the Italian Restaurant at the Santa Fe is by far the most popular, however don't underestimate the Asian Restaurant as this proved to be our favourite.
Now we can't come back from Mexico without bringing you a recipe or two. By the way, when attempting to speak Spanish while in Mexico do not confuse Buenos Noches (Good Night) with Buenos Nachos, which means ... Good Nachos.
Talking about 'Nachos', I bet you'll like this Mexican Torta recipe. Takes about 10 minutes to put it together (not including grilling time for chicken) and serves up for four.
The Tortas (this is the digesting theme)
A torta is a Mexican sandwich, served on an oblong 6-8 inch firm, crusty white sandwich roll, called a bolillo, telera or birote. "Telera" is soft, round bread; also commonly used is the Bolillo, a torpedo-shaped French roll with a thick and crunchy crust. Tortas can be served hot or cold.
1 cup (light) mayonnaise
4 soft sub rolls
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo
4 plum tomatoes, cut into thin slices
8-10 ounces thinly sliced monterey jack pepper cheese
1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into very thin slices
4 boneless, skinless grilled chicken breasts
Marinade Ingredients
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp crushed garlic
pinch salt
1 tspn paprika
1/2 cup olive oil
Here's what you do ...with what you need.
Combine marinade ingredients add chicken breasts 2 to 24 hours.
Remove chicken breasts from the marinade and grill.
Preheat oven to 360 degrees.
Blend the mayonnaise and chipotle chiles until smooth.
Spread (generously) the cut sides of the rolls with the chipotle mayonnaise.
Cover the bottom half of each roll with 1 thinly sliced chicken breast, overlapping the slices.
Top each portion of chicken with 5 slices of tomato and 4 slices of avocado.
Cover each sandwich with 2 slices of cheese.
Place assembled sandwiches open faced on a sheet pan and bake until cheese is melted, about 8 minutes.
Remove from oven, fold over tops, slice in half and serve immediately.
'Buen provecho !chao!'
The Timeshares (this is the investing theme)
As with many of these southern destinations there is that age old (worn out) sales pitch on the advantages of 'Timeshares'. Personally, I have never understood that benefit of committing several thousand dollars a year to a Timeshare for the next 20-30-50-99 years! You still have to purchase your airfare, groceries, entertainment AND you may not always get to go where you want , when you want. Before committing to a Timeshare in Mexico or anywhere else in the world, be sure to weigh out the benefits very, very carefully and NEVER buy on impulse and NEVER accept the free cocktails during the sales pitch.
HERE IS WHY!
A few days after our return I was talking to a friend of mine and the topic of Timeshares came up. He informed me that his brother and his wife were in Los Cabos in January, met a couple from New Jersey who were trying to sell their $50,000 Timeshare investment for ... $5,000! You see, many owners of these units are now realizing that they are locked in to the monthly service fees, maintenance fees, repair/upgrade fees etcetc and they just want out!
When my friend's brother advised this other couple that they were not interested the other party advised that if they took over the ongoing financial obligations they could have the Timeshare ... for free! Now they are considering.
If you are keen on the Timeshare story I strongly encourage you to first look at eBay and/or Craigslist/Kijiji and investigate the Timeshares for sale. You will save yourself a tonne of dough and you could be helping someone out at the same time. Need more info on this topic? Google 'timeshare for sale' .
And finally ...
Tequila is a type of mezcal; specifically, a Blue Agave-based spirit made primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, northwest of Guadalajara, and in the highlands (Los Altos) of the western Mexican state of Jalisco.
When in Los Cabos it is worth your while to walk around town visiting the various tequila (tekillya) bars. The shots are free (as long as you keep tipping) and the brands are limitless. Or at least a few hundred times more than you ever safely consume. Be sure to visit at least one (but not more than two) and be sure to go with a few friends.
Bartenders (Entertainers) at Riu Santa Fe: Mike Tyson, Tony Montana and Francisco Lopez
If you happen to visit the Riu Santa Fe and you happen to be out at the bar in the main theatre section, you have to elbow up and ask Mike Tyson for a good old 'Prairie Fire'! Now Mike, Tony and Francisco are the Titans of Entertainment and I am sure that before we showed up they thought they had heard of everything, but you should have seen the look of shock on their faces when I advised them that a Prairie Fire was a shot of Tequila with a healthy dose of Tabasco!
Ask for a Prairie Fire and one of these three amigos will probably ask if you know a guy named Jeff?
Thanks a tonne for stopping by! Until next time...
Ciao!
Jeff and Beverley
