Nightglow Window

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Back To Cabo

Holy smokes, the surf is flat. The few teensy swells break close to shore as I walk up the hot, empty beach towards Old Man's and the Cabo Surf hotel. It's Saturday and the tenth annual SIMA Surf Summit is nearly done. I fly home tonight.

This morning, with most of the attendees gone, the hotel feels sleepy, spent. I decided to get some exercise with this walk, but have forgotten my sunscreen and money. I have no water and I'm thirsty. It's sunny and about 90˚ in the shade. Stupid me.

I've been walking for 30 minutes now and still have a ways to go. The people where I'm heading are still only the smallest specks. In between iPod songs I listen for that "Slap!" that says so much about Cabo to me. It's the sound of skates (like stingrays) breaking through the surface of the water and landing with a splash. The water remains clear and green and alive.

Let's see. The slide show of photos from past events went well on the first night. I'm glad I could help. That whole dinner was a tad awkward, though, in that I wasn't telling people that I had taken a job with Surf Expo, wanting the announcement to come from Roy during his presentation the following day.

The dinner the following night was special. Quiksilver invited the few retailers in attendance to dinner. I tagged along through an invitation from Roxy's Michelle L. Cocktails were at a 10-bedroom, 9,000-square-foot mansion overlooking the one and only Palmilla Hotel. Dinner was at Cabo Surf's Seven Seas and was muy delicioso.

After that I was ready for bed, but got shanghaied instead; ended up in that mess of smiling faces and jostling bodies at Squid Roe, sweating and doing my version of dancing. Many short conversations spent yelling into the ears of others, with many words still missed.

It's all a fun time, but whether I stay for seven days or only three, I'm always glad to make it home safe.

current music: little motel, modest mouse