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This is how I find myself drifting in a kayak, with a picnic basket strapped to the back seat and my best friend nearby, letting the gentle waves take us to the piece of paradise known as Lover’s Beach (Playa del Amor). Tucked behind the famed Cabo San Lucas arch, “El Arco,” this two-sided beach straddles the calmer waters of the Sea of Cortés and the wild Pacific Ocean.
Squeezing our beach bags inside the kayaks to keep them dry, and then launching from El Médano––Cabo’s most popular beach––we paddle lazily towards our destination. Amid blissful salty breezes and the sparkling, brilliant aquamarine waters of Cabo San Lucas Bay, we feel mesmerized by the untamed beauty of Baja’s craggy grand finale standing proudly before us. With the wind in our favor, we glide smoothly over the waves, laughing at unexpected splashes along the way. Three quarters through the kilometer-long journey, I begin to feel soreness in my arms, and wish I had spent more time exercising those biceps and triceps––but it’s too late to be crying now. Half an hour later, we finally reach our get-away-from-it-all haven. The foamy wave gives us a push, while a couple of local kids help out by dragging our kayaks further onto the beach.
Finding shade under a large rock, we feel the ocean breeze welcoming us with its cool embrace. It’s then I realize that the best way to fully enjoy Lover’s Beach is to experience it with all of your five senses. Watch it––as it uncovers its idyllic dual beauty, with the crystal-clear, sapphire waters, starring schools of colorful, spunky fish frolicking around you on one side, and the wide-open brashness of rocks and ocean on the other. Hear it––as it the ocean howls, powerfully crushing the Pacific waves against the sand. Touch it––feel hot sand between your toes, and then caress the gentle, cool waves as you wade in the bay. Smell it––when hot air becomes filled with the fruity fragrance of your sunscreen blending with the scent of the sea, which, long after your vacation, still tickles your nostrils. As far as tasting goes, a romantic gourmet picnic is what makes this picture-perfect setting complete. Not everybody may be blessed with having a chef for a best friend, like I do, so if cream cheese and avocado salmon rolls with a tropical fruit salad and wine feel like a bit too much, a bag of potato chips, cookies and a couple of Corona beers or bottled water will do too.
After the picnic, it’s siesta time. I let the soft, balmy air take me to the land of Nod, thinking of nothing at all—no work, no worries—just basking in the sun, and watching the curious backdrop of the primordial rock formations that seem to be the only tangible proof of passing time. Carved during centuries, by the merciless forces of nature here at the southernmost tip of the Baja California Peninsula, they hide countless mysterious shapes to challenge your imagination.
Awakened by the thumping waves of the Pacific, which by mid-afternoon soar with more force and determination, we decide to take a long walk along the broader and wilder side—Divorce Beach. I admit things do get rough here at times, with waves knocking you off your feet, but then, what could you expect from a place with that name? So we proceed, attracted by its overwhelming and magnificent glamour, yet well aware of its force.
Later, returning to the safety and calmness of Lover’s Beach, I am ready to test the bay’s pale azure waters. Ahh, it’s warm, so I forge ahead with confidence, then cautiously dip my face beneath the water’s surface and whoa, there they are: schools of furtive-looking triggerfish, angelfish, parrotfish, and many others, whose images I vaguely recall from my biology classroom posters. And then, for a few bizarre seconds, I find myself one-on-one with a clown anemone fish staring at me with glossy eyes, and I smile thinking that I have found my very own Nemo. Wading out of this pool, packed with slippery wildlife, I find the beach nearly deserted, as water taxis go back and forth taking people to Médano Beach. Gerardo and I clamber into our kayaks and head the same way, happy to have had this day of bliss. The increased late afternoon boat traffic makes it more difficult to stay on course as the waves keep crashing against us. Nearly soaked, we paddle on laughing, watching sunset cruise catamarans and party boats glide by heading for El Arco. As we come ashore, I gaze across the bay, and think to myself that I should spend a day in paradise more often.
By Anna Urbanik
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