Beach

It is fitting that I write about Bolinas Beach right before the 4th of July. After all, throughout high school I spent every 4th of July there at the beach, drinking beer during the day and dodging bottle rockets at night. Perhaps best known for its residents who supposedly tear down road signs along Highway 1 so that outsiders cannot find their way* toward the town affectionately called Bo Bo, Bolinas is not for the faint of beach lovers.

Bo Bo surfer. http://www.flickr.com/photos/cproppe/3184005582/

Legend has it that a woman rides her horse along the shorebreak, naked a la Lady Godiva. I have never seen it myself, but believe it nonetheless. One time a man at the beach asked me to take his picture, so I did. Before I could snap away he had taken off his pants (but not his shirt). I have seen fights in Bolinas, parades, festivals, drinking, surfing, swimming, beautiful artwork, I have heard poetry and music; I have taken a bottle rocket to the eye in Bolinas.

Artwork on the beach. http://www.flickr.com/photos/localleaflover/520883765/

I could describe the sand (white, sugary), the water (friendly but cold). I could describe the beach, the flora, the fauna, but who are we kidding? Bolinas is a beautiful beach but it is the people that make it what it is. Bolinas is artists, musicians, freaks, surfers, nudists, dogs running after waves and kids running after balls. Bolinas is a wonderful place to go. Special. If you can find it.

Possibly part of a parade, possibly not. http://www.flickr.com/photos/11114469@N00/223712234/

*Please note: the map on the link is incorrect. Like, incredibly incorrect. It will lead you to a beach between two tony towns. This is not Bolinas, but this is indicative of the humor of the town.

As a writer it is very hard to admit this, but here goes: I am running out of ways to say that a beach is beautiful. Because lush palm trees? Check. Bright blue water as warm as a bath? Check. Miles of white sand stretched and yawning under jagged cliffs and across wild volcanic rock? Check, check and check-mate.

Mal Pais is a funny little town, although it has been a few years since I’ve been there and by the time you read this it might not be so little anymore. Located on the Southern Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, Mal Pais has yet to experience the explosion of development of its neighboring town just to the north–Santa Theresa. Although increasingly popular with surfers and travelers, Mal Pais has managed to retain some of its quiet and wide expanses of unspoiled nature.

The coast of Mal Pais is in many places rocky, craggy with coral and volcanic formations which make for stunning scenery set as it is against a backdrop of turquoise water. Where there is not rock, however, the sand is white and clean, sometimes scattered with miniature seashells perfect for beachcombers.

Yawning stretch at El Carmen. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24059087@N03/2285752062/

Playa El Carmen is perhaps the most popular beach. Bordering Mal Pais and Santa Theresa, this beach features softer rip tides and currents, making it more friendly for swimmers and beginning surfers. The beach is bordered by sand bars, though you should watch out for the odd rock outdropping at low tide.

Punta Barrigona is another breathtaking local beach, though this is a well-known reef break for surfers and inherently more dangerous. The same goes for Los Suecos located at the end of the road just above the Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve. The beach itself is tropical paradise at its finest, but do watch the rip tide and the surrounding reef.  

Where volcanic rock meets the reef. http://www.flickr.com/photos/henecarm/87205932/

Known as the “Hawaii of Latin America,” Mal Pais has much to offer a traveler with its sub-tropical scenery, a laid-back atmosphere and beaches that are nothing short of beautiful, even if the word “beautiful” doesn’t begin to describe this funny little town dotted with sand.

I’m not going to lie: Ocean Beach is not the prettiest beach in the world. Perhaps that’s not really a fair assessment. Because it is pretty, beautiful even. It’s just that Ocean Beach is not the beachiest beach. It is rarely warm. The wind fairly howls across the dunes. The sky often lies low and heavy with fog, the water is cold, the waves large, the riptide treacherous. And yet there is something about Ocean Beach that keeps people coming back, both San Francisco locals and visitors alike.

Running adjacent to Golden Gate Park, Ocean Beach is rich in early San Francisco history. Due to its sometimes inhospitable weather, the area was largely undeveloped until the late-19th century. The beach and surrounding miles of sand dunes were known then as the “Outside Lands.” Development came in the form of a steam railroad, and later as the city’s first amusement park aptly named Playland. The fun lasted until 1972 at which time the sand dunes had long been developed into urban sprawl and the roller coaster shut down to make way for cafes, surf shops, apartment buildings and restaurants.

Arcade, Playland at the Beach, 1970. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lvsutton/2536429426/

From spring until late summer Ocean Beach is almost always shrouded in fog. Average temperatures hover around 50°F, scaring away many tourists and beach goers but welcoming joggers, kite-aficionados, beach-combers, bonfire parties, kite-surfers and regular surfers alike. The water is famous for its strong currents and fierce, thick waves. Swimming is not recommended; even wading in the cold water can be dangerous.

Surfers at Ocean Beach. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonstarbuck/2132418816/

In late summer and early fall, the fog miraculously dissipates, and on the few warm–even hot–days at Ocean Beach it seems as if the entire city flocks west to the coast. Here the people-watching is perfection as the denizens of San Francisco bare their fog-kissed skin to soak up the sun. No matter the weather, do bring layers, however, as the fog comes in fast and it comes in cold.

And so it would seem that despite the blanket of thick fog, despite the roiling gray waves, despite the wind and the salt-mist air, the draw of those 4 miles of Ocean Beach brings people back, time and again. Playland may be gone, but Ocean Beach remains a place to go for fun, for wild beauty, and for a little slice of peace in the concrete jungle of San Francisco.

I am married to a surfer. Which means, among other things, that every vacation we take is spent on the coast. And not just any coast, mind you. No tranquil waters of the Caribbean or gently lapping waves of bay waters for this family. No, every vacation we take must incorporate large waves and early morning calls to check out said large waves. And then at night? A few beers with other surfers to discuss where the surf might be best the next day, i.e. more talk of large waves.

For the first few years I railed against the surfocracy of my free time. But what if I want to visit the clear calm bath water of the Caribbean? What if I want sand the consistency of sugar, regardless of surf report? What if I’m afraid of swimming against ten foot faces, of rip tides and sneaker waves that would surely steal my bikini top and whisk me far out to sea? What if, Neptune forbid, I want to vacation somewhere inland??

Luckily for me (and my marriage) we discovered Pavones. Located at the Southern tip of Costa Rica just above the border of Panama, Pavones is the perfect destination for those who want to catch what is known as one of the longest left surf breaks in the world. The South swells that roll in to Bahia Pavon hollow out perfectly, creating a wave so long that you literally have to get out of the water and walk up the beach to paddle back out to the line up.

Black sand of Pavones.

There is much to do in Pavones for the non-surfer, as well. Sport fishing, scuba diving, bird watching, horseback riding and canopy tours of the surrounding jungle are all popular activities, as well as my personal fave: relaxing at the beach. The small town of Pavones is surrounded by beautiful black sand beaches, each hugged closely by verdant jungle growth. (While it is preferable to find a spot in the shade, beware of sitting under palm trees as coconuts do fall often!) Go at low-tide and treat yourself to wallowing in a sandy tide pool, a free spa treatment courtesy of nature.

Wild horses of Pavones.

Accomodations in Pavones have come a long way since the first time we visited ten years ago. If you play your cards right, you could feasibly find a place very reasonably priced complete with swimming pool, kitchen, hot water and a/c (trust me–after a day spent on a black sand beach you’ll want the a/c). Hang out at the local Cantina to get the low-down on the town’s latest happenings, or travel a mile north or south to one of the more remote beaches for some quiet beach-time surrounded by scarlet macaws and the round trill of nearby toucans. Pavones has it all: world class surf and stunningly beautiful beaches.

Photos courtesy of Susannah Murdock.