A Little Cabo Wabo

For the past four years, Jeremy and I have taken at least one pretty killer vacation per year. There was of course, the three-week road trip of jamon throughout Spain in 2008.  Then in 2009, two weeks backpacking Peru to conquer Machu Picchu and the Cordillera Blancas. In 2010, after getting married, we spent over three weeks following Le Tour de France throughout France, also stopping off for a day or two in Switzerland, Italy, and the Netherlands. And last but not least, after quitting our jobs in San Francisco last May, we trekked to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, safari throughout the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, and relax on the island of Zanzibar. In between such moments of luxury, we volunteered for nearly two months as community health workers in Arusha and then again on the other side of Africa, in Ghana.

So what adventure travel would we embark upon in 2012? Well, I think it is safe to say that the biggest adventure of 2012 will be the birth of our first child. And although I definitely classify pregnancy as a pretty intense journey, I’m not sure it constitutes travel. At least not in the globe trotting sense that travel has meant for us these past years. But we have a rule in this family, and that rule stipulates that we must get outside of the United States at least once per year. So at 22 weeks pregnant, with my belly growing and my esophagus on fire with near constant heartburn, we packed our bags and crossed the border to Mexico for a few days of relaxation.

Well, I must admit. I’m not very good at relaxing. And it’s hard to lounge by a pool in Mexico without a margarita or cerveza! I did my best, though. Read a book, took a few naps, and got reasonably tan despite religiously applying SPF 50 sunscreen. I swam laps and did some walking every day. And we even spent a morning kayaking and doing a little snorkeling. We feasted on tortilla chips, tacos, and empanadas. Jeremy guzzled down a variety of delicious drinks, while I sipped the occasional “Pregnant Pina Colada.” No Cabo Wabo for me!

It was a great, albeit brief, way to celebrate the end of my first year at UCLA, nearly a year for Jeremy at Amgen, and the halfway point of our journey together through pregnancy. It is hard to imagine that the next time we go through customs to get our passports stamped, we’ll have a third crew member in tow. We are quite eager to share our passion for global adventure with Peanut. So although this year’s international trip was tame by our typical standards, we’re just saving our energy for an impressive comeback trip next year for all three of us. I'm thinking Portugal... Let the research begin!