Please bear with me, as it will take a few short paragraphs for me to get to the point of the post's title. It's important to know the backstory, to understand the importance of the trip that I'm going to describe. The trip itself is not the point - it's what will be required to complete it, and a contrast between the two countries that represent its terminal points.
March 1, 2021 will mark the 25th anniversary of the day I married the most amazing woman in the world. It will be a momentous occasion - all the more so for me. You see, I'm 62 years old. It's unlikely that I'll see my 50th anniversary with this incredible person, and if I do, I probably won't be able to do much to celebrate it. (Don't get me wrong; we've packed 50 years of living in these past 25 years. And I hope I'm wrong.) So as we approached this milestone, we wanted to make it memorable.
We've been blessed to travel the world, and travel is a central part of our life together. Italy had always been on our bucket list, so we planned a trip there. We booked three amazing vacation rentals, each for a few days: an apartment directly on Lake Como, an villa in Tuscany, and a house perched on a mountainside overlooking the Amalfi Coast.
Unfortunately, the viru$ reared its ugly head. Last fall, we assumed that travel to Europe would continue to be nigh impossible through May and June of 2021, when we had planned our trip. We also didn't want the owners of the rentals to have to try and re-book their properties at the last minute. So we canceled, knowing that Italy will be there for the rest of our lives, and we'll always have the opportunity to go there and stay in those amazing places.
Still, we wanted to take a trip for our 25th, as travel has been such an important part of our time together.
Mexico has been among the most welcoming places to U.S. visitors over the past year, and we've been to Los Cabos on two previous occasions. It's a beautiful place, where the mountains meet the desert on the way to the ocean. The people are warm and friendly, it's safe, and the weather - at least in the U.S. winter and spring months - is amazing. Bonus: thar be whales.
Our previous Cabo trips have been to the Hilton resort there. It's a fantastic location. However, for our 25th anniversary, we wanted to stay someplace even more special. We found a rental property that fit the bill - a private villa in a gated community near San Jose del Cabo. A private pool, a hot tub, and amazing ocean views. Without hesitation, we booked it.
On January 15, I received an email from Southwest Airlines, the carrier that will take us to Cabo, and back home. The email notified me that the CDC had issued new rules, effective January 26, requiring anyone flying into the U.S. to provide proof of a negative covid test at boarding. The test has to be administered no more than three days prior to the flight.
Our first instinct was to cancel the trip. The villa will still be there after all this nonsense ends. Just like the three properties in Italy. Heck, the whole world will still be there later. Neither of us is crazy about having a swab shoved up our nose - "the brain-scraper test," as my wife calls it. And I really want to resist this latest overreach from the CDC, even though we're past our deadline to cancel, and our trip insurance doesn't cover this contingency.
And yet, at the same time, I don't want to let the CDC do what it wants to do: prevent us from having any semblance of a life until it tells us we can. We didn't let the CDC stop us from going to Florida in June, and again in November, despite their ominous warnings of impending death. We didn't let the CDC - nor the state of New Mexico - stop us from going to Taos in July. So I didn't want this special occasion trip disrupted a second time by a bunch of unelected health officials, who should have no jurisdiction over any of us without legislative action by those that we did elect. Yes, Mexico and Italy and the rest of the world will still be there after this is over. But we're only going to have one 25th anniversary.
So, I did what I do best: I began to research. First, I went to the link provided by Southwest Airlines to see if I could get more detail. It indicated that we would have to be tested prior to our flight to Mexico, and our return flight home. I did a google search for "rapid covid test near me." All of the hits were erroneous; when I went to the linked sites (for the CVS near my home, for example), those locations only offered the PCR test, which takes up to 72 hours to get a result. That won't cut it when the test has to be performed within 72 hours of the flight, but you need documentation of the results prior to boarding.
My wife then told me that she had found out from a friend who had been tested that there's a location that offers the rapid antigen test within about 20 minutes of our home. More on that later.
Next, I went to Mexico's tourism page, and found the information on the Southwest site to be incorrect: Mexico does not require a negative test to enter the country. I don't blame Southwest for the error; they were simply parroting what the CDC recommends. However, the CDC's overreach doesn't extend to Mexico, fortunately, so they can't impose requirements to travel there. But this just shows that a multi-billion dollar US company struggles to provide clear communication regarding covid testing and travel, in what is supposed to be the most advanced country in the world. Although when they get their information from the CDC, we should hardly be surprised.
A quick word on the CDC's position on travel to Mexico in general: a few months ago, they put Mexico on their list of countries that Americans shouldn't travel to. Why? Because "Mexico's numbers are bad!!" Well, guess what, folks? If you look at total cases, cases per capita, total deaths, and deaths per capita, the US numbers are worse. By some measures, far, far worse. Example: the US is #7 in cases per 1M population at over 75,000; Mexico is 96th, at less than 13,000. Canada's number is higher than Mexico's. So why isn't the CDC screaming warnings about travel to Canada?
The reason is simple, and twofold: first, Canada imposes travel restrictions on foreign visitors, including a 14-day quarantine requirement. The CDC likes that, because it will discourage US citizens from travel to Canada.
Second, compared to Mexico - especially in the winter - nobody wants to go to Canada anyway.
So the CDC sees Americans traveling to Mexico, enjoying themselves, and coming home perfectly healthy - and they don't like that. Not one bit. Thus, they impose a restriction that they hope will keep people cowering in their houses.
And they probably thought, "Let's see Mexico come up with an answer to this! Mexico, which has administered only 4 million tests, vs. our nearly 300 million!"
And Mexico said: "Hold my cerveza."
I googled "covid testing cabo," and found a website that would put any US resource to shame (especially that of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment). The information was clear, and the response was impressive. Every hotel and timeshare will have both PCR and rapid antigen tests, medical personnel to administer them, and all forms required by the CDC. Testing kiosks are being set up in the tourist areas. They're implementing antigen testing at the airport for last-minute tests. (The antigen test results are back in an hour or less.)
The website also has a link to a printable pdf with a list of area hospitals and clinics, the type(s) of tests they offer, the turnaround time for results, and the website and phone number of each facility.
But don't take my word for it; here's the link: https://www.visitloscabos.travel/covid-test/us/
Mind you, this information was up the evening of January 15, just three days after the CDC issued its edict, which doesn't take effect until January 26. (Apparently the CDC didn't care how many travelers die or infect other people between January 12 and 26. Or maybe travelers can't spread covid until January 26. Who knows?)
So off to Cabo we go! Given the numbers relative to the US, we're actually safer there. Since we're renting a private villa, and the hotels are only testing their own guests, we'll probably have to go to a hospital or clinic to get tested for our flight back to the US. (Some clinics will actually come to your rental villa to administer the test.) Or maybe a kiosk in the tourist zone. Or maybe even the airport. (We did get a tip that one timeshare might test non-guests. As long as I don't have to sit through a sales presentation, I'm good with that.)
If it weren't for family here in the US, we might consider just staying in Mexico. I even jokingly suggested to my wife that we slip over to the Mexican mainland and join the caravan. I'm sure they'll get into the country without a covid test.
Back to my wife's anecdotal tip on where to get a rapid antigen test near us. She commented that apparently word-of-mouth communication was a better way to get information in the US than trying to find it online. My reply? "Yes, that's the way primitive societies used to have to communicate."
Isn't it ironic, that covid testing and information has been such a poop-show from the CDC and in so many US states, and yet Los Cabos - in a matter of days - has this thing down cold. Of course, as a friend of mine said, they don't want to see the goose that lays the golden eggs harmed.
In that vein, I'll leave you with these words from the website of a Cabo vacation villa rental company (emphasis added):
"Los Cabos is On Your Side: All the tourist related businesses in Los Cabos are working on a plan to provide cost and time efficient ways to administer the new CDC testing requirement.
Per Rodrigo Esponda, President of FITURCA, (Fideicomiso de Turismo de Los Cabos), the US will now accept the fast antigen test. Kiosks will be put up around all the tourist areas and also there will be one at the airport for last minute tests. They only take about an hour. Documents will be in English, and the cost will be somewhere between $30 and $50 US. This is preliminary info – Press release coming soon and more info in next couple of days. FITURCA is comprised of the hotel association, timeshare association, local government and financing. They aren’t going to lose millions and millions of dollars of tourist income. Trust private enterprise.”
Indeed. Trust private enterprise, not governments and their agencies. And thank God Los Cabos is on our side.
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