Hey there! I’m a Clemson grad that travels quite a lot for work, and am the help of my lady working on traveling more for pleasure both solo as well as with my lady. This is a place for me to jot my thoughts… adventures… misadventures… fun products and the such.Before we get started, just a brief disclaimer: all thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are my own and not those of my employer. I will clearly identify all affiliate links as well. You don't have to use them, of course, but I certainly won't object if you do! :)If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me by email at... hari [at] traveling-tiger.comThanks for visiting!
The earliest memory I have of this, in recent history, is a flight I took in 2012 to India (DTW-AMS-BOM) where a gentleman in Schiphol actually asked me to leave the business class boarding queue because he thought I didn’t belong there. The icing on the cake was the look on his face when I showed him my boarding pass, clearly identifying the seat and class.
More recently, I have been asked a couple of times if I was in the right line when flying from Atlanta to Raleigh-Durham. I responded in the affirmative each time and the subject was dropped, but there was always an incredulous look returned.
While I can understand the frustration of hunting after overhead bin space and the desire to want to be seated in a timely manner, civility won’t hurt anyone.
Let’s face it… this is the important bit. While a buffet is offered, you are always able to order à la carte. Though the buffet looked amazing, I opted for a Reuben. Though there was quite a lot of corned beef, it was still easy to eat (easier than those from some restaurants that get seriously carried away with sandwich construction).
My coworkers opted for the prime-rib French Dip, and they couldn’t stop raving about it. The creamed horseradish was particularly tasty, apparently!
If you are even in the area, you should make it a point to give it a shot – I know I’ll be coming back!
Delta has really been stepping up their catering game of late, and my recent flight from San Diego to Detroit is proof that they are taking it seriously. Since I was on an odd numbered flight (DL 833), meal orders were taken from the back to the front, so I didn’t have a choice in options. While I was a little worried when I heard what was available, I was completely (and very pleasantly) surprised!
The lunch entree on the flight that day was described as “tandoori chicken with quinoa salad”, so I didn’t quite know what to expect. Tandoori chicken is dry by definition, and meats on flights tend to be drier still given the combination of cooking method, pressurization, and air. I was pretty worried… and not just because I was getting Indian food on an American airline! 😉
Surprise Number One
Once the meal was served, I was impressed by how Delta opted for a chilled presentation of tandoori chicken. This allowed the chicken to remain more moist than it would have been after re-heating in a convection oven. The addition of almond slices was a nice touch, and between the almonds and the quinoa there was a nice balance of texture.
Tandoori chicken with quinoa
Surprise Number Two
Raita.
Raita!
It’s hard to explain how important raita is to Indian cuisine… much like Greek cuisine’s relationship with tzatziki. It is found with most preparations of dry meats (or particularly spicy food) to reintroduce some moisture and also tame spicier foods. The texture of the thin cuts of cucumber also helps with the dining experience. Delta did their homework on how to properly serve Indian food!
Surprise Number Three
Accompanying the chicken and quinoa was a chilled salad composed of orange, onion, and feta cheese. The acidity was just what the meal needed.
Cubed orange salad with onions and feta
Finally, dessert. A nice selection of fruit accompanied by a mini apple pie!
Mini apple pie and fruit
Closing Thoughts
I can’t say enough positive things about how far Delta has come with their domestic First Class meal offerings. They are putting a great deal of thought into meal composition and my stomach definitely appreciates it! Kudos, Delta!
Since we listened to the timeshare pitch, our concierge gave us a coupon for just over 20% off any activity we wanted to participate in. After some investigation, we decided on the “Explore Los Cabos” package offered by Rancho Tours. Check it out for a full list of activities included.
There was a huge scheduling issue where our names were not present on the initial excursion, but with a great deal of effort on the behalf of our concierge, we were picked up by another group that was just about to start their event.
Sea of Cortez and The Arch
The tour itself began with a ride to the marina in Cabo San Lucas to take a ride on a glass-bottom boat. The fish were ridiculously friendly! I left my 18-55mm lens at the room, thinking the 27mm lens should work nicely for general shooting throughout the day.
Pirate ships – firework shows!
“Pelican Island”
A window to the Pacific
The Baja peninsula (upside down)
Scooby!?
The Arch!
Sea dogs!
A very lazy sea dog
The other side of the window
Yeah… waves hit that high regularly
Halfway through the boat ride, our captain let us know we were approaching The Arch. This is the southernmost point of the West coast, and where the Sea of Cortez joins with the Pacific Ocean. My girlfriend got a few really nice shots on her S8:
Blown Glass
The next stop in our excursion was a local glass blowing factory. We had the opportunity to watch a family make a fish-shaped vase in just over 15 minutes. The final step is to cool it down in a second oven, which takes roughly a day.
Recycle those tequila bottles!
Freshly added impurities
Reshaping and adding more impurities
Adding to the vase
Hot enough to light paper on contact!
Tequila!
We had the opportunity to learn the basics of tequila distillation, as well as the history behind the alcohol. Be sure to only buy tequila made with 100% agave to minimize hangovers! Just as other alcohols are finished in barrels of various types, tequila is aged in charred (to remove older flavors) barrels to create reposado and añejo from blanco. Definitely picked some up to take home with me!
Explaining the roasting process of the agave
Old-school pulping
Close-up of the drain to the initial vat (before the actual distillation)
The Mission
After lunch at “El Herradero”, we about wandered downtown starting with the Mission itself. Though we saw various artistic venues after the Mission, there were signs asking we not take photographs. Gorgeous artwork, though!
First, an apology: the lighting in many of these shots are terrible – but as we had been awake for roughly 20 hours I was far too lazy to retake them. The room itself was amazing; we were upgraded from a studio to a two-bedroom suite (a nice surprise!) and had a hot-tub on the balcony. Talk about relaxing!
The Room
Kitchen and Dining Area
Living Room
“Human Sized Dog Bed”
Hot tub!
Guest Bathroom
Guest Bathroom
Guest Bedroom
Guest Bedroom
Master Bedroom
Master Bathroom
In-Unit Washer/Dryer
In case you forget something…
So many products!
Thankfully, my girlfriend managed to snag some shots in the morning.
Hot tub
The “Dog Bed”
Check out that view!
Living room area
Dining room and kitchen
Guest bedroom
More of the guest bedroom
More of the guest bedroom
The Property
Exploring the property took a fair amount of time given how spread out things were, but we were given a map which helped. The views were spectacular. Though a timeshare was not in my immediate future, I could definitely see myself coming back. Multiple pools, a small convenience store, and some excellent restaurant options makes this an excellent choice.
Property Map
Lobby Artwork
Open-Air Lobby
Concierge
Morning View
Breakfast View
Walking around the property
Concierge/Front Desk from below
The rooms
One of the restaurants on the property has a pool-side bar and will bring food to your lounge chair! I opted for the Acapulco style ceviche (with huge chunks of octopus, shrimp, and fish), while my girlfriend had the fried calamari. Thoroughly delicious.
Fried calamariAcapulco style ceviche
El Ciruelo
For our last night in Cabo, we opted to have dinner at El Ciruelo – a restaurant at the top of a neighboring hill. Though technically part of the “Baja Point” property, it is becoming a part of the Westin resort in the very near future. Since the start of the incline is rather steep and it was already dark, we caught a ride in a golf-cart on both the way up and down. I won’t bore you with the details, and leave you to drool over our dinner. Enjoy!
Yucca and sunflower seed paste with yucca and sweet potato chips
Wheat roll with herbed butter
Sea bass amuse-bouche
Guava sorbet!
Sea bass with mushroom risotto
Creamy spinach
Green beans, asparagus, and “flap meat”
Churros!
Closing Thoughts
Though I didn’t take advantage of the timeshare offer, I can definitely see myself returning in the future. Between the weather, location, and the options for activities and dining, it’s a spectacular option for staying in Cabo.
Some miscellaneous shots while wandering with my camera:
Before we knew it, it was time for us to return home – vacations are never long enough! We had arranged for round-trip shuttle service between the airport and our hotel, so we were promptly picked up and deposited at the airport. Though our driver insisted that we needed to leave the hotel by 4:30 AM, we found that the airport counters and security are not open until 5:00 AM. Adding to the fun: most stores and restaurants are closed until 6 or later, depending on the store.
Our initial flight from SJD to MEX was fairly uneventful. We were once again on a regional jet operated by Aeromexico Connect, and we were asked to not use headphones until we reached 10,000 feet. Another interesting quirk: Aeromexico doesn’t serve alcohol before 11:00 AM local time, but all alcohol is complimentary after 11:00 AM.
While taxiing, my girlfriend was able to snap a few gorgeous shots of planes, including a Boeing 727 used by the Polícia Federal! We quite a few Dreamliners, as well as a plane with livery I couldn’t recognize in the least… it almost looks like a funky Alitalia color scheme. If you can figure out who’s flying this plane, let me know!
Boeing 727
Dreamliners!
Mystery plane!
Military craft
Aeromexico Salon Premier
Instead of the Heineken sponsored lounge that we visited during our first time through MEX, we opted to grab some caffeine and libations at one of the larger Salon Premier lounges.
This lounge is one of three that are located in the mezzanine – to reach it you have to either take the elevator or climb the stairs near security. The lounge itself was quite spacious with two circular bars that served alcohol as well as coffee and tea. There was plenty of seating available with easy access to power outlets. Tucked away in the furthest corner were coolers for self-serve beer, water, and juice as well as a few snacks.
Lounge entry
Bars – one of two
Self-serve juice and beer
Light snacks and ice
MEX-ATL
Probably the most frustrating part of the return was the experience while waiting to board the flight from Mexico City to Atlanta. A Delta representative let us know that we would need to get freshly printed boarding passes from Delta (our Aeromexico boarding passes would not allow us to board). Getting new boarding passes took nearly 15 minutes even though there was nobody in line before me, simply because the gate agents were talking to each other instead of paying attention to passengers – thoroughly disappointing.
Once we had received our new boarding passes, we got to experience the new TSA security measures for US-bound flights. While I understand the premise of asking the same question multiple times to ensure that you get the same answer, I tend to find this works best when the question isn’t immediately repeated. For example, I was asked how long I had stayed in Mexico three times… one right after another.
The remaining of the boarding process was fairly uneventful, but shortly after approaching the runway, we were turning back to the gate. There it was: the dreaded maintenance delay. Thankfully, we had planned for a 3 hour layover in Atlanta, so we made it to our connection with 10 minutes to spare (sans dinner).
Finally on our way, we were given physical menus to select our lunches from. I opted for the arroz con pollo while my girlfriend opted for the pasta. The chicken was slightly drier than the flight to Mexico, but the rice (really a pearl couscous) was quite good. The charcuterie plate was probably my favorite part of the meal, though.
A few months ago, I received an invitation to visit Westin’s newly renovated resort property in Los Cabos. Given the price of the stay, I had a hard time saying no! I knew that this was going to be a timeshare pitch, given my experience at the Westin Lagunamar, so I had mentally prepared myself for the whole spiel prior to arrival.
The routing was a little wonky since the direct flight from Atlanta was not available on the days I was considering, so we had a second layover in Mexico City. Though I wasn’t able to fly on a Dreamliner as I had hoped, I was still able to give Aeromexico a shot.
The Club at ATL
Entrance to The Club
Cookies and fruit
Fruit infused water and chips
Popcorn and pretzels
Pasta and Pita
Salad Bar
With some time to kill upon arrival at Atlanta, we headed to Concourse F for our flight to Mexico City. Though there is a SkyClub, I opted instead to visit The Club (a member of PriorityPass). Unfortunately, since we were flying on a Sunday and it was before 12:30 PM we were not served any alcohol due to Georgia state law.
There were various cookies, chips, and breakfast items when I initially arrived, but they were in the process of setting out the lunch items.
ATL-MEX
Since the flight from Atlanta to Mexico City is a short three and a half hours, Delta opted for a 737. Unfortunately since it was using ground-based WiFi, it was only available while we were flying over the US.
Our Ride – B737
Upon boarding, we were offered orange juice, champagne, or mimosas as our pre-departure beverages. Since we were heading out on vacation, our choice was clear. 😉
Champagne!
Shortly after reaching cruising altitude, we were given our option for meals – chicken or vegetable lasagna. I wasn’t really feeling pasta, so I opted for the chicken. Expecting a single tray of food, I was quite surprised when we were given a multi-course meal instead!
Our lunch started with olive-oil crostini with what I think was cheese and candied sweet potato. Also present was a Caesar salad and Tiramisu.
Crostini with cheese and sweet potato
Caesar Salad
Grilled chicken entree
Tiramisu
Once our appetizers were done, the small plates were cleared and replaced with our entree. The sweet potatoes with our entree weren’t nearly as sweet as those with our appetizer (thankfully!), and the chicken wasn’t as dry as most airline meals.
Mexico City
Since this was my first time visiting the Mexico City airport I planned for a longer layover than normal – just over five hours. While it might have been a little unnecessary, I prefer to err on the side of caution for international connections when Customs are involved. Thankfully, it went fairly smoothly and we had some time to explore.
MEX-SJD
Our last flight of the day was on an Embraer ERJ-190 operated by Aeromexico Connect. Though the first row had substantial legroom, which we were quite grateful for, the presence of oxygen tanks in the overhead bins meant that we had to stow our bags a few rows back. Something to keep in mind!
Excellent legroom… terrible storageSecond Row for Comparison
The only snack available for this short flight was a nut medley (cashews, peanuts, sunflower seeds and so on).
Mixed Nuts
Overall, the flight was a smooth one. I was very surprised that we were asked to not have headphones on or use electronic equipment below 10,000 feet. I’m not sure if that is something that is unique to Aeromexico or Aeromexico Connect, but I can’t remember the last time I was asked to remove my headphones on a plane.
