Halong Bay, Viet Nam-- Tinacattita Beach
I have to confess--I'm an addict..anyone who loves collecting will understand what I'm talking about. When people walk into our house they always exclaim "It's like a museum"..unfortunately it's true..I have no space for anything new, unless it's very very small. So I want to introduce you to one of my collections..It takes up no room in my house..I collect beaches..I grew up in South Florida before it was overbuilt and ruined..I lived on the beach all through high school..home from school at 4 pm. and on the beach by 4:15--either surfing, snorkling, or doing homework. Friday afternoon after school I was on the beach until Sunday evening, sometimes even sleeping there. I won't go into detail about the parties, suffice to say they started Friday night and lasted til Sunday morning..the rest of the day was spent fighting a hangover. In those days, the early 60's, the beaches were mostly deserted. So I guess this started my love affair with beaches.
I've posted a few pictures of some favorite beaches I've visited in the past few years. My favorite beach of all is Tinacatitta..I discovered it on a 3 month sailing trip of the Pacific coast of Mexico. Actually there are two Tinacatitta's, the first is a bay with a river flowing into it..this is a favorite place for cruisers to anchor and spend the winter. Amazingly enough the winter we anchored there, there was a French restaurant on the beach..It seems the sequel to McHales Navy was filmed there and some buildings that were erected were left behind..A few French Canadians moved in and ran a restaurant. Since the refrigerator on the boat didn't work we got to know them through ice block runs in their van. The bay is filled with fish and diving pelicans, sailboats and an occasional power boat, which are scorned by cruisers. We did see a retired general's huge yacht with a helicopter landing to drop him off.
If you take the dingy up the river, through the jungle you come out on a lagoon, go across and then you walk across a small road and come out on the beach I've pictured here. The picture above is looking south..a long crescent of sand, there are two small hotels, and plenty of parking for RV's. There are about 6 palapas selling seafood so going there for lunch was great..a cold brew, fresh clams, and a freshly caught red snapper, grilled--this must be heaven on earth. Taking the dingy in to shore or up the river was a different story. Where the river met the bay it created big waves. We dumped several times--once we both fell out leaving the dog standing proudly on the prow heading to shore. I did learn one important lesson here..One day I went ashore to body surf..about noon I decided I had enough..The captain was supposed to pick me up at two so I decided to swim out to the boat..the lesson--never swim from shallow to deep waters..I was so exhausted half way there I had to float on my back and barely kick..When I reached the ladder I was too tired to climb and just clung for a half hour. What looked like a 30 minute swim was almost 2 hours.
Cruisers are very interesting people--they have chucked civilization and taken off into the great unknown..many had their kids with them and home schooled them..others were retired and living out their dreams. I met plumbers, carpenters, business execs--the main requirement is to be a general handyman..you have to make repairs where there is no phone, no parts store--though they are happy to pitch in and help each other.
Now my 2nd picture is La Manzanilla beach..imagine you are anchored in Tinacatitta #1..If you go straight across the bay you hit the little fishing village of La Manzanilla..it was discovered by some people who live here in SMA. At the time they bought bay front land for a few thousand dollars and built a house..through the years others from here and other places have bought and built there so now there is a winter gringo crowd living there. We rented a house on the bay and that is where I took the picture..from my front porch. After not being able to part with the ashes of my beloved dog, Paris, for several years, I buried her here--she had run on this beach a few years earlier and loved it. There were two good restaurants here, one French and one seafood with the best shrimp dishes--When I was anchored in Tincatitta we took the dingy over one calm morning to visit some friends of mine who had built there.--the bay had so many fish you could have walked on top..however when we were ready to return the wind had kicked up..just launching the dingy through the surf was dangerous..the bottom was all rocks of many sizes and trying to walk, push the dingy through 6 foot waves, and not break an ankle on the rocks was a real challenge..then we putt putted across the bay, every wave smashing the dingy and sending cold spray on us. A very unpleasant journey, we were both suffering from hypothermia by the time we reached the boat. Update-some friends of mine here in SMA decided to rent there for 2 months this winter. I ran into him just before they left..he was nervous because he had made the arrangements.and wasn't even sure they had a kitchen.I heard from them a month later..they had a kitchen but their place was in the jungle above the town and had no walls, just an open palapa. They had to tie the fridge every night to keep the wild animals out of their food. They finally found a house on the bay and moved down..I laughed when I read their email.
My third picture is of Boca del Rio, Cuba--we hired a car and driver in Havana and drove out there, not knowing what to expect. We found a lovely beach with a fresh water river flowing into the ocean. The swimming was great with the warm ocean water mixing with the cold mountain stream. On the beach was a seafood restaurant so we ordered a whole baked fish..It took them several hours to cook it..it must have weighed 30 pounds. One look and we invited the entire village to join us and eat. About 20 of us gathered around a large table and chowed down..beer and freshly baked fish. A memorable feast on a beautiful beach..I took this photo near sunset-
4th is Halong Bay, Viet Nam--a world heritage site and so beautiful with the limestone rocks jutting up out of the bay. We hired a car and driver to take us from Hanoi to Halong Bay, a drive of 3 hours or so. They set up a private boat tour of the bay for the next day. Since we arrived in the early afternoon we decided to hire a boat and head up the bay--the next day my partner decided he had enough boat rides so I ended up going alone..just me on a 40 foot tour boat with 4 in help. Our first stop was a floating fishing village..you walk on crosswalks and pick your live seafood from cages in the water--the cook on the boat then prepares it for you. We anchored in a quiet place away from the boat traffic and the feast began. I had picked out shrimp, small lobster, fish still swimming, crabs, plus they made and served rice and vegetables, and a pasta dish with seafood..since there was supposed to be two of us they had double the food they needed..I finally gave the rest to the crew to eat. They also served two bottles of wine..I had a very good nap!
Though I don't have a picture posted yet I have to mention Harbor Island in the Bahamas--Pink sand, that special blue you find in the Caribbean waters..5 of us lived on the beach in a great house for a week. Tuna sushi on the dock right off the boat, fresh fish cooked Cordon Blu. Also the bay was filled with bonefish, and I do mean filled..I'm sorry I didn't go catch a few--
I see one common theme to all my beaches--not only the beauty but the food I've eaten there. Of course it makes sense..ocean nearby, fresh fish and seafood.
I've posted a few pictures of some favorite beaches I've visited in the past few years. My favorite beach of all is Tinacatitta..I discovered it on a 3 month sailing trip of the Pacific coast of Mexico. Actually there are two Tinacatitta's, the first is a bay with a river flowing into it..this is a favorite place for cruisers to anchor and spend the winter. Amazingly enough the winter we anchored there, there was a French restaurant on the beach..It seems the sequel to McHales Navy was filmed there and some buildings that were erected were left behind..A few French Canadians moved in and ran a restaurant. Since the refrigerator on the boat didn't work we got to know them through ice block runs in their van. The bay is filled with fish and diving pelicans, sailboats and an occasional power boat, which are scorned by cruisers. We did see a retired general's huge yacht with a helicopter landing to drop him off.
If you take the dingy up the river, through the jungle you come out on a lagoon, go across and then you walk across a small road and come out on the beach I've pictured here. The picture above is looking south..a long crescent of sand, there are two small hotels, and plenty of parking for RV's. There are about 6 palapas selling seafood so going there for lunch was great..a cold brew, fresh clams, and a freshly caught red snapper, grilled--this must be heaven on earth. Taking the dingy in to shore or up the river was a different story. Where the river met the bay it created big waves. We dumped several times--once we both fell out leaving the dog standing proudly on the prow heading to shore. I did learn one important lesson here..One day I went ashore to body surf..about noon I decided I had enough..The captain was supposed to pick me up at two so I decided to swim out to the boat..the lesson--never swim from shallow to deep waters..I was so exhausted half way there I had to float on my back and barely kick..When I reached the ladder I was too tired to climb and just clung for a half hour. What looked like a 30 minute swim was almost 2 hours.
Cruisers are very interesting people--they have chucked civilization and taken off into the great unknown..many had their kids with them and home schooled them..others were retired and living out their dreams. I met plumbers, carpenters, business execs--the main requirement is to be a general handyman..you have to make repairs where there is no phone, no parts store--though they are happy to pitch in and help each other.
Now my 2nd picture is La Manzanilla beach..imagine you are anchored in Tinacatitta #1..If you go straight across the bay you hit the little fishing village of La Manzanilla..it was discovered by some people who live here in SMA. At the time they bought bay front land for a few thousand dollars and built a house..through the years others from here and other places have bought and built there so now there is a winter gringo crowd living there. We rented a house on the bay and that is where I took the picture..from my front porch. After not being able to part with the ashes of my beloved dog, Paris, for several years, I buried her here--she had run on this beach a few years earlier and loved it. There were two good restaurants here, one French and one seafood with the best shrimp dishes--When I was anchored in Tincatitta we took the dingy over one calm morning to visit some friends of mine who had built there.--the bay had so many fish you could have walked on top..however when we were ready to return the wind had kicked up..just launching the dingy through the surf was dangerous..the bottom was all rocks of many sizes and trying to walk, push the dingy through 6 foot waves, and not break an ankle on the rocks was a real challenge..then we putt putted across the bay, every wave smashing the dingy and sending cold spray on us. A very unpleasant journey, we were both suffering from hypothermia by the time we reached the boat. Update-some friends of mine here in SMA decided to rent there for 2 months this winter. I ran into him just before they left..he was nervous because he had made the arrangements.and wasn't even sure they had a kitchen.I heard from them a month later..they had a kitchen but their place was in the jungle above the town and had no walls, just an open palapa. They had to tie the fridge every night to keep the wild animals out of their food. They finally found a house on the bay and moved down..I laughed when I read their email.
My third picture is of Boca del Rio, Cuba--we hired a car and driver in Havana and drove out there, not knowing what to expect. We found a lovely beach with a fresh water river flowing into the ocean. The swimming was great with the warm ocean water mixing with the cold mountain stream. On the beach was a seafood restaurant so we ordered a whole baked fish..It took them several hours to cook it..it must have weighed 30 pounds. One look and we invited the entire village to join us and eat. About 20 of us gathered around a large table and chowed down..beer and freshly baked fish. A memorable feast on a beautiful beach..I took this photo near sunset-
4th is Halong Bay, Viet Nam--a world heritage site and so beautiful with the limestone rocks jutting up out of the bay. We hired a car and driver to take us from Hanoi to Halong Bay, a drive of 3 hours or so. They set up a private boat tour of the bay for the next day. Since we arrived in the early afternoon we decided to hire a boat and head up the bay--the next day my partner decided he had enough boat rides so I ended up going alone..just me on a 40 foot tour boat with 4 in help. Our first stop was a floating fishing village..you walk on crosswalks and pick your live seafood from cages in the water--the cook on the boat then prepares it for you. We anchored in a quiet place away from the boat traffic and the feast began. I had picked out shrimp, small lobster, fish still swimming, crabs, plus they made and served rice and vegetables, and a pasta dish with seafood..since there was supposed to be two of us they had double the food they needed..I finally gave the rest to the crew to eat. They also served two bottles of wine..I had a very good nap!
Though I don't have a picture posted yet I have to mention Harbor Island in the Bahamas--Pink sand, that special blue you find in the Caribbean waters..5 of us lived on the beach in a great house for a week. Tuna sushi on the dock right off the boat, fresh fish cooked Cordon Blu. Also the bay was filled with bonefish, and I do mean filled..I'm sorry I didn't go catch a few--
I see one common theme to all my beaches--not only the beauty but the food I've eaten there. Of course it makes sense..ocean nearby, fresh fish and seafood.
0 comments:
Post a Comment