The Amazing Cabo Colorado Connection

"John (00:06)
Hey everybody, my name is John Wilkinson on the Living Colorado team, and this is Getting Real Estate. My partner Kenda and I are happy to be here. We are new transplants-ish,

to Colorado, and we figured why not do a podcast about what it's like to really live in Colorado.

there's so many things

to discover, and we're excited to share, you know, today we're gonna be talking about Cabo and there is a Cabo connection.

Kenda (00:34)
Yeah, we're

gonna be talking about one of the things that I think is so great about

Having lived in Cabo and now living in Colorado is this strong connection between the two places. So we're gonna unpack that a little bit. We're just gonna talk today very basically about life in Cabo and how it relates to life in Colorado. But for sure, if you would like more information about Cabo, reach out to us and we'll be happy to provide that to you.

I think maybe like once a month out of you know, every fourth episode, we'll talk more.

John (01:03)
Yeah.

Kenda (01:05)
about life in Cabo because it is such a big part of our lives.

John (01:10)
It is,

and

also we've

found so many people here in Colorado or in Cabo from Colorado. So they're definitely be beyond us, I know that there is a connection between the two cities. obviously this is mountain, people want to escape that to get to you know oceanside. you know, that's that is a big difference.

Kenda (01:29)
Yeah,

one of the things that actually brought me to Colorado, interestingly enough, was when I lived in Cabo and I lived there for seven years, I would

just in general like find a really cool person that I thought was like so cool. I really like this person. And I was a real estate agent in Cabo as well. And I would be showing property to people and one of the normal questions I would ask would be like, hey, where are from? And the ones that I just connected with, the ones who really just I thought were incredible people that I would like to get to know better. They were all from Colorado.

So I started noticing this connection between the ratio of people in Cabo. For sure, mostly it's Canadians, but when it was Americans, it was all the time Colorado.

couple of years.

Years ago,

I decided that I needed to come check out Colorado. I had never been to Colorado before.

So

two years ago, I came to Colorado.

To visit some of my cool friends who lived here, and I went from place to place and stayed with them for three or four days in their little town all over Colorado. John, I just I fell in love with it, and I could really see why there is that strong connection because people here love the outdoors. We've talked about that in the past. They love adventure, they have this adventurous spirit, and the same thing is

is true for Cabo. So I fell in love with it right away.

and now that I actually have been here and I bought a house here, going back to Cabo this winter, I met people all the time from Colorado. And it was just fascinating. Yeah. It was

John (03:24)
It's so crazy. It is fascinating.

Yeah, it's it's it's you know, and you we talk about cabo a lot, right?

So

what makes up Los Cabos?

Kenda (03:35)
That's a great question.

Los Cabos means the cabos.

Los Cabos is a a combination of several different areas. And just like here in Denver, where we have these strong personality or strong identity microcommunities, Los Cabos has the same thing. And so if you picture

Los Cabos. It is at the bottom of California. So it's California Baja Sur So it's all the way down

to the very bottom of that long peninsula that comes off

of California. So on the Pacific side, you have you have the Pacific side. So that's where you're gonna get bigger waves, you're gonna get cooler temperatures, more wind, just more of a pacifist.

Pacific Ocean feel. And then you kind of go around the bottom and that's where Cabo San Lucas is. That is where all the cruise ships come in. There are lots of tourists, lots of partying, lots of tourist gifts and lots of bars. That's where kind of the the scene is if you want to become

John (04:44)
Squid Row

and all of that. Yeah.

Kenda (04:45)
That's right, like the yeah,

Squid Row,

Cabo Wabo, all of those kind of crazy places. so if you want to go on a spring break that's a lot of fun and full of activity, if you want to go on a bachelor party or a bachelorette party, that's where you want to go. And then as you drive up towards the next town, we have the corridor.

John (04:50)
Yeah.

Kenda (05:08)
And when I first moved there, the corridor between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo was just ocean. Like you drive down and there is the ocean. Now you can't see the ocean anymore because there are so many resorts on the corridor and they are beautiful properties right on the corridor. Not a lot of

single family homes there, but more resorts there. But they are adding homes on the other side of the highway. Then you get into San Jose del Cabo, which is where I lived. San Jose del Cabo is a little bit more

upscale. It has higher priced

stores, higher priced homes,

a lot of golf

Courses and golf communities in San Jose del Cabo

and it's a little quieter. And then if you go further around the peninsula, that's when you're gonna hit the East Cape. That's where people like to live off-grid. They're driving their trucks, the roads are not paved, and they have their own wells. I mean, it's like kind of out there in in the boonies. So donkeys access. Yes, absolutely.

John (06:06)
There's donkeys on the roadways. Or burros,

as you say in Mexico. Yeah. That's funny. Yeah, I I found the same. Like it in terms of, you know, the corridor, beautiful resorts. And it's interesting, you say they're gonna be building houses on the I guess the desert side of the Transpeninsular. Okay, nice.

Kenda (06:12)
Borussia

They're gonna start putting some communities back there. You know, it's there's never a p a a patch of land that's beautiful where they're not gonna, you know

John (06:41)
Yeah,

Kenda (06:41)
you know, put up develop it

John (06:42)
development.

Kenda (06:42)
and put up homes. It's just where can we put more homes? And that's been one of the issues in Cabo.

and we will talk about this more in future weeks, but the infrastructure is struggling a bit to keep up with the growth in Cabo. And especially in Cabo San Lucas, sometimes they have some pretty significant water shortages. Water's always an issue and it's an issue in in Colorado as

Well. San Jose doesn't seem to have as many water issues because there's a very big desal plant north of San Jose. And so the water, if you picture the water coming from the desalination plant coming through, it goes through San Jose first and then it gets down to

Cabo San Lucas. And so when buying a property in Cabo San Lucas, one of the things you need to really think about and ask your realtor is what what's the water situation? Some of the larger neighborhoods now are building their own like mini DSO plants to kind of help with the water problem. And then

electricity is also a bit of a hot topic, if you will.

In Cabo right now because the grid is unable to kind of keep up with some of the fast development that's happened over the past few years. And so, especially in the summer when it's warm and people are running the air conditioning. So, we're starting to see over the past year or two rolling brownouts. So they'll turn power off to a certain like to an area for an hour every

John (07:56)
Mm-hmm.

Kenda (08:26)
day and then they'll roll it to the next area and they'll turn power off for an hour a day and and it kind of rotates around just to take some of the pressure off of the the electricity grid.

John (08:39)
Wow, that's interesting.

one, you know, I'd lived there

for about four years and I didn't know there was a D Sile plant, you know, near San Jose 'cause that's where we were Yeah, wow, that's interesting. I did not did not know that. Yeah, and then the people

Kenda (08:47)
Good one.

John (08:52)
off the grid on the East Cape,

driving past these homes and they're not just small

Residential homes. Some of them are huge mansions, oceanside mansions, and they're all off grid.

Kenda (09:04)
Yep.

They're all off grid. The power is not available out there. They have to use solar panels. They have to dig their own wells, or some of the little communities will get together and and make a desal, but they are all off grid. It's crazy. And even with

John (09:19)
Wow.

Kenda (09:20)
propane. So people buy these large propane tanks and the these trucks come out and fill the propane. And it's the same with water when they're off off.

grid they if they don't have a desal they or well they will

get a cistern and usually the cistern or is underground and water trucks will come out and fill your cistern for you and that's happening a lot on in Cabo San Lucas also especially in the El tazal area where you get a little bit uphill they really struggle with water and so they have water trucks running constantly in the El Tazal

area because everybody has a cistern and they just come fill the cistern every couple of days.

John (10:05)
I have so many questions

for you regarding you know, a home appreciation, resale value due to all of these things, but we'll talk about that in another episode. I know as a broker, an agent in Cabo, many of the people that are buying property are either Canadians or Americans, you know, obviously English speaking folks, right? So

Do you feel like you have to speak Spanish? It's a it's a it's a sensitive top topic for me and I'll and I'll tell you why I have to answer, but do you feel like you have to speak Spanish in Cabo? Is that is that necessary?

Kenda (10:42)
You know, most people speak English in Cabo. And I I think I know your thoughts on the matter because I think I align with that, even though I'm kind of a hypocrite, I don't speak fluent Spanish. but I I tried and I learned and I always was trying and I would try to communicate with people in Spanish because

I was in Mexico and it's my responsibility to try to speak

to the Mexican people in Spanish. It's their language, it's their home.

But I will tell you, almost everybody speaks English in Cabo. And I think even with the resorts, it's kind of a prerequisite for them to be hired is they have to speak English. And many times I would try to speak to somebody in Spanish and they would answer me back in English. And it could be because my Spanish was so bad.

I tried. I tried. And it was it was out of a place of respect and also love for the Spanish language. I think it's a beautiful language, but you're fluent in Spanish. So what did what how did you experience that?

John (11:40)
But you try. Yeah. Yeah.

You know, that it so when we first I think the first experience I had was

during the inspection process, the inspector had lived in Cabo for twenty-four years and refused to speak Spanish. And he came across kind of with this elitist, you know, attitude. And in speaking to the developer and, you know, my agent, you know, it was all in English. And it just rubbed me the wrong way that this guy's been only he's been in there in the country for twenty five years and still doesn't even try, you know, to speak Spanish.

I feel like

Those are the outliers, right? People that move down there who try, I've they have complete respect for. And it's difficult to learn, you know, a new language. you know, especially when there's so many people speaking English or they'll respond to you in English, you're not fully immersed. And I think that's one thing maybe to take away if people are considering moving there, is like you're right. It there because it is a resort destination, a vacation destination, everyone, the Mexican citizens, for the most

All speak English and fairly well. So they will make it easier for you. And I think it's just their hospitality, right? That they're trying to just make it an easier experience for those that are visiting or that live there. So yeah, that was that was, I agree with you. I think you can get away with speaking English. Most of my, you know, obviously my mom speaks Spanish. She's from Mexico. My dad does not speak any Spanish after 53 years with my mom. So, you know, there's that.

and my my sister my oldest sister understands it but you know they they're able to to try and and and and communicate but for the most part I agree I think Spanish is good if you want to learn I think you you could there are immersion classes you can go to and I know people who have volunteered to do those classes but for the most part I think English is is also a hundred percent doable

Kenda (13:57)
I, you know, like you said in the beginning of this conversation, this is controversial, but if there's one thing that I could say to people who are going planning to go visit Mexico, especially Cabo

I would often hear people going into stores to shop owners and and talking like loud because you know, I need a you know, they're not deaf. Yeah, they can hear you. and you're the one who needs to work harder.

John (14:25)
'Cause that'll make it understand that. Yeah. Right. Yeah.

Kenda (14:34)
to get your message across. And and I I saw so many people who would kind of maybe maybe talk down to people who didn't speak as fluent enough English that made them feel comfortable, right? And they would be a little bit degrading. And I I'm not a confrontational person, but sometimes I would say, you know,

You are in Mexico. So let's not

John (14:58)
Yeah. Yeah.

Kenda (14:59)
talk down to people who don't speak English because you're not in an English speaking country. You're in Mexico. And so try to, when you're there, try to be patient and understand I am the minority here. I am the one who needs to go over and above to try to communicate with these people in their.

beautiful land and I'm coming here because it's different and I'm coming here because it's a foreign country and let's not try to make it America. Let's not try to make it Canada.

John (15:37)
Right. Well and and speaking of that, right, there's there's also the the currency, which I also found interesting is is you don't have to use pesos necessarily. Yeah.

Kenda (15:47)
Isn't that bizarre? I mean, can

you imagine going into like King Supers here in in Denver and saying, okay, can I pay with pesos? Can you imagine? But that's what people do. Can I give you US dollars? And they always say yes. but I have one little tip.

John (15:57)
Right, exactly. No, yeah.

Kenda (16:06)
If you can get pesos, it's better to use pesos, but especially if you're using your credit card in a restaurant, always have them bill you in pesos. Because sometimes restaurants

kind of take advantage of the fact that maybe tourists don't understand the conversion rate or they don't really care. They don't know. So they'll charge this crazy like bad

John (16:28)
Know what it is. Yeah.

Kenda (16:35)
exchange rate and they'll have it posted so it's le I mean you know it's it's but it's you're gonna pay you know a lot more for your meal if you have it charged in in US dollars

I always suggest that you get pesos how do you get pesos here do you go to your bank

John (16:53)
Great question. So we have an account in Mexico and we usually just put money there and and just get pesos out of the ATMs down in in Cabo when when we need But to your point, we use our credit card almost all the time. Really, I I'd say ninety five percent of the time we use the credit card and we do that is just have them charge in pesos. Yeah.

Kenda (17:17)
Yeah. And even if

your

credit card company charges a little bit of

an exchange fee or

international transaction fee, it's still it's still you're gonna come out better than if you pay in US dollars

John (17:32)
they do that.

Kenda (17:32)
interest.

John (17:33)
I know they had those post if it's nineteen, you know, pesos to the dollar, they'll say sixteen pesos to the dollar and it'll say it right in the thing. So that adds up pretty quickly.

Kenda (17:38)
Right and wow. It makes a difference.

John (17:42)
I was listening I listened to a radio show slash podcast, Jeff Lewis Live on Sirius XM, and he has gone down to Cabo several times over the past you know, five years. This last

January they were gonna go down f after Christmas and and the whole, you know, Puerto Vallarta uprising, you know, with the

gangs

kind of deterred a lot of people from going down there.

I think you were down there when when that was happening. Did you feel unsafe? Have you ever felt unsafe in in Cabo?

Kenda (18:13)
What's

you know, it's interesting. I was there when that happened and I actually had been in

Guadalajara, which also had a little bit of an uprising. I was there like five days before this happened. And a lot of I I didn't even know anything was going on, and people started like messaging me. Are you safe? Are you okay? Go inside, don't go out, you know. And I was like, what is going on? It's beautiful here. What's going on? And

I to be honest, it did make me feel a little nervous. It did make me feel a little scared. But then I would go outside and nothing was happening. we didn't have any issues i in San Jose at all. And then I started seeing people all around Mexico who were expats like myself posting videos saying there's nothing happening here, it's fine. And then I started seeing people in Puerto Vallarta

Posting text like that was a very isolated incident. There's nothing happening here. We're fine. And I think it I think it's it is scary when to use the the cartel word. It is scary. but I think it's important that we that we understand a couple of key points. Number one.

The president and the government

are trying to crack down on the cartels and trying to minimize that drug trade. So when the cartels have a leader taken out or have a disruption in their industry, they retaliate with a show of force.

John (20:09)
Mm.

Kenda (20:09)
It's important to know that yes, they did burn buses. Yes, they did burn cars, but they made everybody get off the bus. They made everybody get out of the cars and before they started their disruption. They aren't trying to harm random people. They aren't trying to take out citizens. They are trying to have a show of force and but they want to make sure people are safe. So they took everybody off, which is

It's little different than what happens in violence in the United States, which let's be honest, it's a lot more random and they are trying to take out random people. So that's the first thing that I think we all need to remember. And it's good that we're trying to fight the cartels. The second thing is that news in the states, they want to they want to sensationalize. Yes.

John (20:45)
Right.

Yeah.

Sensationalized. Yes.

Kenda (21:09)
And they want to make you afraid because that's what keeps you plugged to your television. And they want to make you afraid to leave the country. They want to make you afraid of Mexico. They want to make you afraid. And the reality from somebody who lived there seven and a half years full-time, as a American woman realtor who drove around in a Mercedes in Mexico all the time by myself.

I never was threatened in any way. I never felt uncomfortable. I never fought felt like I was in danger. I never felt like people were out to get me or hated me or were watching me or never, never did I feel that way.

John (21:56)
Yeah, that's great. I and I I agree. I've never felt unsafe in Cabo, really anywhere that we've visited in Mexico. And you know, it's there's definitely, you know, I know that the stories that that can be sent and and get sensationalized that scare people, but I agree. I think it's when I heard, you know, Jeff talking about really wasn't him his family just kind of canceling because of this and they were just scared and they're gonna stay, you know, they were gonna go somewhere else.

else, you know, even if you go and you stay in your resort, it's fine. There's plenty to do on many of the resorts, but there's so much to experience, you know, outside of the resorts. one of the things we used to like to do, you know, they there's this

Not I shouldn't say hoax or whatever, but it it is because it is true about swimming in the oceans around Cabo. but there are pockets, right? So we went for the first time to Santa Maria, which is a a bay, and it's so beautiful right in front of

Montage.

Yeah, it's the montage resort. So it and it's a great area to swim and snorkel, you know, and going out in public again, not feeling unsafe at all and you're at a public beach. but are there swimming areas or or or ocean sides, beaches that you kind of have found that you can actually get into the water relatively safely?

Kenda (23:01)
Yeah, Montague.

that's beautiful.

Yeah,

I think it's really important to know that because a lot of people think, hey, I'm going to the beach. I want to like go swimming. And I do not recommend

in general

going into the ocean. there are, like you said, little bays and little pockets of areas where you can swim and it's very evident because there are people in the water. But if you don't see Mexicans in the water, don't get in because they know where not to go. But that Santa Maria is is beautiful. That's a beautiful little bay. There's one in Palmilla that is in San Jose and it's kind of

John (23:47)
That's a great point.

Kenda (23:58)
Interesting because Palmilla is a is a very high-end neighborhood in San Jose

and you have to kind of drive in through the neighborhood to get into the beach at Palmilla, the the cove there. but

All beaches anywhere in Mexico are fully accessible. And it's part of the law that just because you live in a nice neighborhood, you can't block off access to the beach. So they have to have open access to the beach. And that's a beautiful place to go and swim. And the water's amazing and it's clear. And then also there are some places on the East Cape where you can get in.

John (24:30)
It is.

Yeah, I found

the East Cape a little bit. I don't know if it's because Cabo is so close to the Pacific, 'cause you know, going to Nobu or Hard Rock or even up to Todos Santos, you know, like all of the hotels on the beach across the Pacific, I would never get in the water on the Pacific side. Cause it is like you said earlier, it's windy and the waves are incr insane. but I've seen people

even in I think outside of in San Jose, outside of

Viceroy, where they had to get people had to get rescued, you know, and the security guards are stripping down to their underwear to get out there, risking their lives, right? To go and save, you know, these teenagers or whatever, which thank God they were able to do that. But you know, I've I talked to some of the workers and and and there have been drownings.

but it is very dangerous to get into there. So like I I love your I love your

your

point about if there if you don't see locals in the water, do not get in. The red flags are there for a reason.

Kenda (25:33)
So do not get in

What happens is there is a steep drop-off shelf. So it's not very far in that you get, you know, you get into a certain point and it's gonna drop off really quickly, and then it creates this washing machine rip tie that you it doesn't matter how good of a swimmer you are, you can't get out of it, and and then you get tired and the waves keep coming, and that we see videos all the time of people.

And they're trying to rescue them, but there's only so much they can do to get to them when the rip tide keeps pulling them out and pulling them under, and they're getting more and more tired. And there's it's a horrible thing to watch, but it is a cautionary tale. Don't

go to this country and think I can get in the ocean because I want to get in the ocean.

listen to the rules, listen to what people tell you.

John (26:30)
One hundred percent. I think the best way to enjoy the ocean is from a nice restaurant patio, you know, or next to the pool with a margarita, you know, some some ceviche or tacos, you know, nachos, you know, something like that. will be great.

Kenda (26:39)
With the margarita.

I like your style,

John. I like your style.

John (26:50)
Yeah, I think that's

great. So speaking so speaking of, what are some of your favorite restaurants or places to go eat? I mean, obviously you're gonna know you know some of the hidden gems having been there for so long. What what are your favorites?

Kenda (27:05)
You know, there are different types of restaurants. One of the ones that we used to always go to the minute we would land

get ready to go to our home was we'd always go to Zippers because Zippers is this little like local

Well it used to be now it's you know it's out the word is out but it's this little restaurant, bar restaurant. They always have live music and it's always locals playing music and it's a it's a bar. I mean it has you know french fries and tacos and things like that, but you're right on the ocean. And so you sit there and you can just feel the ocean water

And the smell of the ocean and the feeling of grounding you. So that would always be the first. That was our tradition. We would immediately go to zippers, and that helps you kind of downshift

There's also a really cute Italian restaurant that we loved, and it's called Come a Casa.

It's

this brother and sister, and they were like 20 when they started the restaurant. Their dad is a well-known Italian chef in one of the restaurants in Caba San Lucas, and they started making homemade pasta when they were little kids. They would, you know, to sit there every day and make homemade pasta for the restaurant. And they decided they wanted to open this restaurant in San Jose. So their parents helped them

And now that the kids are, I don't know, they're 23, 24. And I love this story. I love that it started off in this little tiny space and then it expanded to the back. Now it's expanded to the side. And it's just growing so fast. And it's growing organically by word of mouth. And the food is amazing too.

But that's those are those are two of my really favorite places. What about you? Where do you guys like to go?

John (28:57)
Well.

That no, so Hayden, our son, loves Pescadito Break, which is right next to Zippers. and it's it's a similar vibe. Yeah, it's a little more kind of like hip, you know, but you're still feet in the sand, you know, as you're eating, and the food is really good, the drinks are great, and like you said, the view. I mean, that's where all the surfing, you know, in Cabo you know happens. I know people prefer Pacific or down East Cape, it's better for surfing, but in Cabo, that's kind of the surf area.

Kenda (29:05)
Yeah. It's a hipper hip, yeah.

John (29:29)
Yeah. so Pescadito break for sure. You know, Billy used to love

a place called Flor de Noche, which is the pool bar in Cabo Azul, which is so weird. But it had a great club sandwich that Billy loves. And so we would go there and then margaritas because Javier's is a Mexican restaurant that is also in yeah, they have one in Aria and Vegas and also in in in Los Angeles and Orange County. Anyway, their margaritas are

Kenda (29:44)
Ha ha ha.

John (29:55)
Amazing. those are I think the two favorite, and then come y casa for sure is a go-to. My favorite lunch spot is Sur in Cabo San Lucas, and it's kind of near the office, you know, that people go to, but Sur is a little quieter, more kind of a Miami kind of feel, but the food's incredible. You have sushi, really everything, and it's just a great atmosphere, and you're looking at the art.

You're looking at the cruise ships, you know, people you know doing their stuff on the ocean, the jet skis and everything. so those are our are kind of our favorites.

Kenda (30:31)
incredible

and you're right there like you said right there by the arch

which is the iconic

structure. It's a rock structure that everybody associates with Cabo. And we when we first started going to Cabo when we took the kids there, we had lunch at the office or breakfast I think at the office. And then the office has this little boat dinghy that will take you out to the arch.

John (31:01)
Well, this has been so fun talking about Cabo and and I know a lot of people who watch this, you know, maybe watching because they're look thinking about going to Cabo, go, it's a great place. we'll be talking in the future, I know about you know, investing in Cabo, moving to Cabo, what it takes to do that. There's so many things to talk about in upcoming episodes. I think we're gonna do this about once a month, right?

Kenda (31:26)
Yeah, I think so. I think once a month is good. And I think we we're also we've also talked about doing maybe a little webinar about

diving deep into the specifics of purchasing property in Cabo if that's something that you're interested in. So if you want to be added to that mailing list and you want to be notified and kept up to date about this webinar that we're going to be doing, just drop the word webinar in the comments and we'll add you to the list and let you know when we do our webinar about purchasing property in Cabo. And as always.

Any questions that you have about Colorado or about Cabo, just drop them in the comment. We check all of our messages and we're happy to help.

John (32:05)
So next week I think we're gonna be talking about specific neighborhoods in Denver, which I think is gonna be really interesting. We mentioned before, like just like in Cabo, there's you know, little personalities for e for every neighborhood and different draws for every neighborhood. So subscribe and you'll be notified of upcoming episodes that yeah, that we have.

Kenda (32:28)
Yeah, it's going to be a lot of fun. We have a lot of fun things planned. So thanks so much for watching and we'll see you in the next one.

John (32:35)
Thanks

everybody.
"