Taco Stands & Travel TipsGeneral Advice:Traveling in Los Cabos is a fabulous International experience. As many of your already know, Baja is a fascinating country with lot’s of great things to do and see, including tasting the well know Mexican cuisine and Taco Stand’s. A short review of these brief guidelines may make a marked difference for your health and taste buds! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist
when it comes to staying healthy enough to enjoy your Los Cabos
Vacation, it takes common
sense. Many people have radically different eating and drinking
habits while having a good time on vacation. The foods down here
are probably prepared differently and are spicier than your body
is used to. When you combine the Cabo heat that many of you are
not used to with spicy food and the typical overindulgent eating
and drinking habits while on vacation it is not hard to get your
system out of whack. With that said, lets move on to the water. Dehydration goes hand and hand with crankiness and headaches. Many tourists dehydrate themselves right off the bat because they are scared of the local water. Water Tips:The water supply for all of Los Cabos is spring fed ground water. In addition, the tap water is chlorinated. Most of the locals drink the tap water along with some of the well traveled tourists. One should keep in mind that many things can lead to contaminated water, the piped used for distributing the water can be damaged, the wells built might be to shallow and would not allow the soil its natural purifying abilities, there could have been a recent storm that overburdened the water system and more. To be on the safe side, we suggest drinking purified water. You can pick up a 5 gallon water bottle for your hotel or villa and then fill up your smaller water bottles before leaving the house; this will help reduce the costs. You can also use this water to wash your vegetables, fruits, and to brush your teeth with. When dining don’t be afraid to ask the establishments water source, many restaurants have the same 5 gallon water bottles to serve glasses of water from but they will also be more than eager to charge you for a small plastic bottle. Have you been told to avoid the ice? Most establishments buy their ice from the “Auga Purificado” ice plants and you shouldn’t be overly worried about ice in your drinks. If you are unsure, once again just ask! It is worth asking as there is nothing better than an ice cold beverage in the heat of Los Cabos! With that said and done you should no longer have any excuses for not staying properly hydrated. Another bonus to drinking water is it will help your body get rid of any hangover and if you eat anything weird it will help your body flush the bad bacteria’s from your body, before you get sick. Taco Stands:You have probably noticed that Los Cabos has taco stands throughout the streets. Taco stands are the marvel of Mexican cooking and should not be missed! Many tourists avoid them because they are scared of getting sick. When you walk by and get a good whiff of the traditional smells coming from the stands you are sure to feel torn, here are a few tips to feeling confident enjoying the typical taco stand. First, think about what you are eating. Handmade fresh tortillas, made within minutes of eating them. The meat is from local cattle that wander through the dessert eating non-toxic desert plants. The meat tends to be a little tough but when it is chopped up into small little bits (as it will be) it is very flavorful. Other types of tacos would be the local fish which is incredibly fresh, chicken, or pork. The vegetables are mostly local and have a good chance of being organic (organic farming is thriving in the Los Cabos area). How can the food be fresh when I don’t see any refrigeration? The food in taco stands tends to be very fresh. It is cooked and served very fast with a lot of turn over. The food moves in and out of the taco stands very rapidly ensuring freshness. One of the best ways to ensure good food quality and freshness is to go to a taco stand you see several locals eating at. This ensures a high turn over, besides—the locals know where all the tasty taco stands are! Most taco stands serve up the tortillas and meat and they place a huge condiment platter in front of you. You will usually find fresh chopped vegetables: cucumbers (I know it might seem weird but try it!), onions, tomatoes, cabbage, different salsas, guacamole, and limes. You should pile as much of these into you tortilla as you can and enjoy the traditional tastes of Mexico. In addition, have you noticed that lime comes with almost every meal you order? There is a rhyme to the reason folks; many believe that they can ward off even the strongest bacteria’s by applying lime to everything, especially meats and fishes. If you watch the Mexican’s eat they squeeze tons of lime on there foods. Besides, a little vitamin C in your system is bound to help keeping you healthy and enjoying your vacation! Tips:Many folks ask us, “How much should I tip?” To many peoples surprise tips are now expected in Los Cabos. Typically, the average tip is 15%. Your can tip in pesos or dollars, they will be happy with either one as long as they have something in their hot little hands. There are two things to remember when tipping, this is not the United States, Mexico is not as service orientated. It is not so much that the waiter is giving poor service it is just different. For example, have you ever noticed that you are ignored after you meal and it is hard to get your check. It is culturally considered rude to bring the check before being asked! The second thing to remember is that the employees earn very little. If you think the waiters are underpaid in the United States think again, the average waiter earns about $10/day! Transportation:Last but not least we want to give you a little advice about taxi’s. If you have reviewed our dining suggestions there is a likelihood that you will be frequenting some fun spots. From wine specialties, happy hours, and the Los Cabos traditional drinks many people leave these fun spots a little (or a lot) tipsy. The taxi service is known for being the most expensive taxi service in all of Mexico. The taxi drivers jump on taking advantage of tipsy tourists catching a drive home. While taxi’s are still your best bet for getting around while drinking, do yourself a favor and agree to the price before you get in the taxi. If you are unsure of a fair price, ask other tourists, the bartender, whomever! This will save you the frustration on having a driver try to take advantage of you and charge double or sometimes triple the normal fair!
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