Judi Lees
Van. Courier

Along the Cabo San Lucas coast en route to El Arco, kayakers explore a natural archway that separates the Sea of Cortez from the Pacific Ocean. Photograph by : Photo-Judi Lees/Meridian Writer’s Group

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico—Cabo San Lucas just about has it all when it comes to sun-filled holiday destinations. Perched on a narrow isthmus at the southern edge of Mexico‘s Baja California peninsula, Cabo is a jumble of resorts that, on the east side, face the brilliant blue Sea of Cortez and, to the west, the Pacific Ocean. In between is the town, burgeoning with tourist shops, restaurants and bars.

Some of us, when we’ve lazed sufficiently on the beach or done all the shopping and dining, start to twitch. It’s time to move our bodies. And here, as in those other categories, Cabo doesn’t stint. There are plenty of activities to get the blood pumping, including parasailing, surfing, diving, snorkelling and kayaking. Since getting into the Baja’s warm, clear water is always appealling, I chose to snorkel and kayak. It’s a bonus if you see whales or dolphins.

With two guides from Baja Wild, a Cabo-based ecotourism company, our group of 11 departed from busy town harbour. This was hardly a pristine wilderness paddle as we cruised among fishing boats, extravagant pleasure yachts, glass-bottomed taxis and lighters that ferried passengers into town from the two huge ships anchored in the bay. (If you can avoid the days when the cruise ships are in port, do it.)

Our guides, Edgar, the comedian, and Juan Carlos, the strong, silent type, led us close to the shoreline of rusty granite boulders. I was pleasantly surprised when we caught a good view of an osprey perched nearby and had chances to take photos of huge-beaked pelicans.

Another surprise was the snorkelling. We stopped on a rocky outcrop–not an easy place to disembark, but the guides did all the work–to have a dip. Through the clear turquoise waters we gazed upon a parade of marine life that included dazzling angel fish, cute damsel fish and the unusual trumpet fish, which looks like a stick.

Back in the kayak, Cabo’s piece de resistance was just around the corner: El Arco. At the southern tip of the peninsula this natural archway framed the Pacific Ocean as we bobbed towards it from the Sea of Cortez. Since the arch is a protected site you can’t paddle through it. But as we swept past the guides instructed us how to play in the waves at Land’s End and everyone whooped it up. Edgar pointed out where the 1968 movie Planet of the Apes was filmed and, much more recently (2004), Troy, with Brad Pitt. (I can easily visualize Pitt at one of the many party bars in Cabo.)

On our return trip we stopped at Playa del Amor. This golden-sand beach stretches across the peninsula, letting you dip your toes in two oceans while admiring the silky-smooth rock formations. It’s special enough that it warrants another visit–at the end of the day, when the cruise ships have departed and happy hour has lured the crowds back to the plentiful Cabo San Lucas bars.

For more information on Mexico go to the Mexico Tourism Board website at www.visitmexico.com.

For information on kayaking trips offered by Baja Wild visit its website at www.bajawild.com.

Judi Lees is a member of the Meridian Writers’ Group.

© Vancouver Courier 2008

Glut of grocery stores prompt dire prediction

Sandra Thomas
Van. Courier

According to Dig360’s David Ian Gray, the Capers outlet on Cambie and 16th could shut down. Photograph by : Photo-Dan Toulgoet

A local retail marketing specialist doubts the new Capers Community Market will remain on Cambie Street for long, despite denials about closures from its corporate head office.

Last August Whole Foods Markets bought Wild Oats Market Inc., the corporate head office for Capers, for $565 million US and the assumption of debt. Two months later, Whole Foods closed the 22-year-old flagship Capers store on Marine Drive in West Vancouver, citing limited parking and poor traffic access. In July 2006 a new 20,000-square-foot Capers opened on Cambie Street at West 16th Avenue. But now a 51,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market is under construction just blocks away at the corner of Cambie Street and Broadway. For months residents and some Capers workers have speculated about the future of the store.

A Vancouver-based publicist for Whole Foods denies the Cambie Capers is at risk.

the Cambie store,” said Danielle Jang in an email to the Courier. “It’s a very strong store, and the company doesn’t see any reason why both stores can’t operate in the neighbourhood.”

David Ian Gray, owner of Dig360, suspects there’s more to the story. Dig360, formerly known as Sixth Line Solutions, is a marketing research and information consulting company operating in Vancouver since 1994. “My guess is they probably have a pretty committed lease,” said Gray. “And that probably comes with a fair penalty to get out of that lease. My feeling is they’re waiting a while and trying to figure out an exit strategy.”

Gray said Whole Foods differs from Capers in that it’s slightly more up-market, similar to the Urban Fare gourmet foods chain. He said Capers and Whole Foods are very similar in that they both specialize is organic products and promote healthy lifestyles.

Gray notes the area around Cambie and Broadway will soon be saturated with grocery stores. Besides the Capers store on Cambie at 16th, a Choices Market on Cambie at 18th and the Safeway store in City Square at Cambie and West 12th, a Whole Foods Market is under construction at Cambie and Broadway. A Save-On Foods store is also under construction on Cambie near the Whole Foods location.

“I realize Safeway and Save-On aren’t organic stores, but people just aren’t that compartmentalized,” he said. “They often shop for convenience.”

He notes while residential development is taking place in the neighbourhood, it doesn’t compare to the number of towers popping up in Coal Harbour and Yaletown.

But Gray said the exact fate of Capers is hard to predict. When Best Buy bought out the Future Shop chain in Canada in 2001, it planned to convert or close the Future Shop stores.

“But the Canadian people convinced them the stores were sufficiently different, that there was a market for both,” said Gray. “You never know. If they do their homework and offer distinct products, it might work and they may be able to continue to profitably run both. But that’s a lot of grocery in one area.”

© Vancouver Courier 2008