The first quarter of 2026 has come and gone and our promise to get back into blogging on a more regular basis somehow ended up on the back burner again.
To be honest, we’re not mad about it…. We spent those first few months making time to really enjoy ourselves while the weather here in Cabo is usually the most enjoyable weather we get all year.
Now that the weather is warming up again, it’s time to sit down and write a little wrap-up of what we have been up to so far in 2026.
Lorne’s Broken Finger
Around 10pm on January 14, Lorne broke his pinky finger on his left hand. After watching his fingers swell up, we realized it was time to get to the nearest ER.
He was seen right away at the hospital. They gave him pain killers and arranged for x-rays. He was then seen by an Orthopedic Specialist, who set the finger and sent him for a follow-up x-ray. Everything looked like it was back in the right place, so they attached his splint and sent him home with additional pain killers. He was there and back in less than two hours – so fast! On the flip side, this hospital visit ended up costing just over $500CAD ($360USD).
He then had a follow-up appointment a week later to confirm that the bone was set correctly, and that the healing process had started. On this visit he had another x-ray and another consultation with the Orthopedic Specialist. This visit was an additional $220CAD ($160USD).
A third and final appointment was scheduled three weeks later, to confirm the bone was healing and to see if he had any complications. On this visit he again had another x-ray and another consultation with the Orthopedic Specialist and was advised to continue wearing the splint for an additional two to three more weeks. This visit was also $220CAD ($160USD).
Total cost of Lorne’s broken finger – $980CAD ($700USD).
Photo on left – Lorne keeping his finger on ice at the hospital while waiting for his x-ray
Photo on right – damage to the bottom of the door when his finger hit it
It’s a bit strange for us as Canadians to pay out of pocket for medical treatment, as we are so used to being under a provincial health care plan. Full health care plans for expats living abroad are usually quite expensive, and now that we are getting older, both age and pre-existing conditions have become major factors in the cost of that expat health care.
Instead we, like many others, take out an annual insurance plan for “Accidental and Catastrophic Events”, so we are covered if we are ever in a major accident or are injured due to a catastrophe. Outside of that, we simply pay out of pocket for any medical treatment we need. Doctor appointments typically run approximately $60CAD ($43USD).
Lorne’s broken finger would be considered “accidental” and would be covered under our plan, however our deductible is set at $1,000USD, so this is why we unfortunately ended up having to pay for it.
Staycation
Lorne took the last week of January off work so we could enjoy a little vacation at home. We usually like to travel up to La Paz during this week, but with all the unexpected expenses we had from all our water issues and Lorne’s broken finger, we felt it would be a little more affordable to stay local instead.
We really can’t complain… we are so lucky to already live in a vacation destination, that just having the time to sit out on our patio and enjoy our view feels like we are on a tropical vacation.
Our week off was quite low key. We spent a lot of time out on the patio reading and went on a few local road trips to explore some neighbourhoods we had not been to yet.
We did try one “new to us” restaurant in downtown Cabo (the tourist area) called “Salvador G’s“, a nice little Italian restaurant that gets really good reviews. We were so glad we made a reservation as this place was packed by 7pm.
The food was amazing! We shared the Stuffed Mushroom appetizer (top right photo) described as “a jumbo portabella mushroom stuffed with scallops, sea bass, and shrimp with tarragon-infused crostini served over a ladle of lemon-sherry sauce and topped with a demi-glace sauce”. One single ginormous stuffed mushroom and, even sharing it, we couldn’t finish it!
Then came our main course pasta dishes…
Lorne’s choice: “Mama’s Sunday Gravy” (homemade meatballs, Italian sausage, herb roasted pork and braised beef bolognese sauce over spaghetti. Just like grandma made!)
Shari’s choice: Baked Rigatoni (sliced chicken breast and Italian sausage tossed rigatoni with ricotta and marinara, topped with mozzarella and parmigiano).
We barely made a dent in our main courses as we were already so full of the stuffed mushroom! Needless to say, we had a lot of leftovers to take home!
Cartel Violence
On February 22, 2026, a surge of violence spread throughout numerous Mexican states after the death of Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cevantes, known as “El Mencho”, who was killed in an operation led by Mexican Security Forces.
“El Mencho” led the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the most powerful and violet criminal organizations in Mexico. He was known for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, as well as launching attacks against Mexican government officials and Mexican Security Forces.
The CJNG reacted violently to his death by setting up roadblocks, torching cars and buses, burning down stores and gas stations, all in retaliation for his killing.
Government officials called on the public to shelter in place, take necessary measures to ensure their safety and well-being, and stay informed through the official channels of their municipal government.
The retaliation of the CJNG was certainly scary for those around the Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara areas, but what was even scarier was the amount of false information, particularly the spectacular violence, that swept across social media. Online everything looked insane. It showed the Guadalajara airport taken over by assassins, the plane on the runway was on fire, smoke billowing from churches, and multiple tourist attractions burned to the ground. It also showed the public was being hunted door-to-door or being shot by helicopters. These images were reviewed and obviously found to be false but had already been shared tens of thousands of times.
Misinformation routinely pops up now after major news events, particularly with the ease of access to artificial intelligence. And not surprisingly, the cartels made use of this fake news to spread fear throughout Mexico. It was chaos. It was intimidation. It felt real.
But the vast majority of what was being reported wasn’t real and that distinction matters.
What was real were the hotel workers who stayed on hotel property to help calm frightened tourists, neighbours who brought random strangers into their homes because they couldn’t make it back to their own place, and communities that housed and fed people for two days.
In the middle of fear, people showed up for each other. Strangers became family. And that’s exactly the Mexico we have come to know and love.
Lorne and I live at the end of the very long Baja Peninsula, and being so far from the mainland of Mexico, cartel violence here is quite low, but unfortunately still does exist. Last year (April 24, 2025) multiple buses were set on fire in the Los Cabos area that were linked to cartel-related activity. The next day a shootout occurred and arrests were made. The whole incident was over almost before we knew it.
Does this make us scared to live in Mexico? Nope! It’s no scarier than the gang violence you hear about in major US and Canadian cities. Cartels generally do not target the public, but violence can affect bystanders if you get in the way. This is where common sense is important.
As simplistic as this flowchart is, it does reinforce exactly how common sense can keep you out of trouble in and around places with a large cartel or gang presence.
Where we share some of the little things we’ve been up to…
So excited to find Canadian Beef showing up in our local grocery stores here in Cabo! One store had a whole display of different cuts, and another store had two-packs of petit filets as well as a bin full of porterhouse steaks.
- The petit filets ran $4.38CAD/100g so the two-pack was $29.06CAD for 0.664kg.
- The porterhouse ran $3.98CAD/100g so total cost was $48.17CAD for 1.210kg.
Being an import, Canadian beef is naturally a little pricier than Mexican beef, but it’s been so long since we’ve had Canadian beef, we simply had to try it. We bought the two-pack of petit filets. We seared them in the cast iron pan, then finished them in the oven. Served them up with some roasted asparagus and a nice glass of wine. Soooo good!
EXIT: The Game is a series of escape room games for the home. Players must solve riddles and puzzles and crack codes to escape from an imaginary room or environment.
Back in December we bought “EXIT: The Game – Advent Calendar” to enjoy playing during the month leading up to Christmas. We had so much fun solving the puzzles and riddles that we decided to try some of the single games. In January we played “The Abandoned Cabin” and in February, we completed “The Pharoah’s Tomb”. Both were great fun. The games are for 1-4 players, ages 12 & up. Game time is noted on the box as 1-2 hours, but some of the puzzles are so tricky it took us a couple of weekends to finish each one! We highly recommend these games for people who love solving puzzles.
Meet Indy ❤️
Indy is our adorable neighbour who lives below us on the first floor.
Indy is supposed to be attached to her lead and remain in her yard, but more often than not, she somehow manages to escape and will head out for walk by herself throughout our complex. When we are out on our patio, we can often see her wandering around, and Lorne will then head downstairs to call her back. On one of her more recent outings, she managed to jump in the open ditch (full of water from the water treatment plant), get all wet and then she laid in the sand. Lorne was finally able to catch up with her near the entrance gate. He brought her home, tethered her and messaged her mom to let her know Indy was going to need a bath!
Where we give you a glimpse into what we are doing currently….
TV Shows
New shows, new to us, and old favourites that we’ve enjoyed watching this month…
- Modern Family
- Young Sheldon
- Downton Abbey
- Death in Paradise
- Pluribus
Books
What we’ve been reading on the weekends….
Can You Keep A Secret by Sophie Kinsella (Shari)
Emma spills all her embarrassing secrets to a stranger on the plane, only to discover he’s her company’s CEO. Workplace chaos and romance ensue.
Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella (Shari)
A woman wakes up in a hospital with no memory of the past three years and discovers she’s a successful corporate big shot with a rich husband.
The Dead Zone by Stephen King (Lorne)
A high school teacher wakes from a five-year coma after a car accident with the ability to see the past and future of anyone he touches.
Food
New to us recipes we tried this month…
We decided to try our hand at making the viral “Blanket Dumplings” that I saw the father/son duo known as “Saltnpiipa” create on Instagram.
The dumplings were so delicious! We have made them twice now, as they are so easy to prepare.
We also tried our hand at making Char Siu Pork (Chinese BBQ Pork). We used the recipe from “Recipetineats” and after the first bite, we knew we had a winner.
Combining the Char Siu Pork with the Blanket Dumplings made us feel like we were back in Richmond BC where Asian food is in abundance.
