Floating Above the Metropolis

One of my favorite things to do when in Hong Kong is to go to the top of tall buildings and look down. A lot of the buildings have rooftop terraces where you can enjoy a drink while floating on top of the city. During my last trip, I packed my high powered zoom lens and focused in on a few interesting scenes. It's nice that many of the rooftops are open air with no glass walls... provides a much clearer view (just have to be careful after having a few drinks).

Ventana a las Olas

Reminiscing on villa I stayed at while in Nicaragua. Miss the view, sunsets, and food! (and the warm water)

Hideaway Beach Resort - Dominican Republic

Hideaway Beach Resort - the grounds

When I first started looking for a place to go during the Thanksgiving Holiday, I did a google search for "best place to surf November". A lot of the options were far away (Fiji, Morocco, Indonesia) or during the midst of their cold season (France, Northern California, Ireland). However, one search result I kept coming across was Puerto Rico. I had already been there and had a good time... but many of the breaks were rather crowded. Therefore, I wanted to try something different and I knew that the Dominican Republic picked up the same swell as Puerto Rico. I did a bit of research on the various surf spots on the north side of the island and found a little condo resort on the beach that looked nice: Hideaway Beach Resort. I wasn't too sure where it was (google maps had it in the wrong location), but I thought it was relatively close to one of the surf spots: Playa Encuentro.

I arrived at the resort very late at night (took about 20 hours of total travel time to get there from Santa Barbara) and could hear the surf pounding in the background. After getting the luggage in the room, I almost immediately passed out... and when I woke up the next morning, this is what I saw!! (see 2nd picture) I really couldn't have gotten more lucky... the resort was literally right in front of one of the best waves on the Dominican coast.

The resort itself was very nice... beautiful surroundings, good food, and friendly people. However, the only issue is that the power would occasionally go out and the sink in my bathroom kind of exploded and almost flooded the condo... but these are the kind of things you expect when traveling in the Dominican. You just have to accept them and think of it as part of the adventure!

View from the condo... looking at one of the best waves on the Dominican Coast.

Careful for the coconuts!

I loved the texture on that tree

The resort pool and the bar/restaurant. Serving ice cold Presidentes all day! (and they had some decent wines as well).

My Fijian Adventure - "Last Light"

Enjoying the last few moments of light as I lounge poolside at Musket Cove Resort. 

Peruvian Gold - "Beer O'Clock"

Every night around 6:o0PM, the guests at Chicama Resort would gather on the deck area for "Beer O'Clock". The second (or third) surf session will have just finished, the sun is about to set, everyone is in a good mood (but exhausted), and beers/stories start flowing. It was one of my favorite times of the day because you could relax and reflect on a day of surfing amazing waves with new friends. Also, you just happened to have an amazing view overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

These are a few sunset photos I took... I don't have anything else to say other than "ENJOY!" & "VISIT PERU!"

(recommend to click on the photos to view in full size)

Peru - "The Surf" - Chicama

View from Chicama Surf patio. This was the view I had every afternoon after 3 hours of surfing in the morning.

Had feet torn up by reef, gave myself 2 black eyes when surfboard hit me on separate occasions (same eye), got stung in the face by a jellyfish, body is exhausted, face is sunburn, missed flight connection in Lima (was stuck there for 10 hours)... if I stopped there, it might seem like my holiday to Peru was a disaster. However, it was actually one of the best surf trips I've ever been on. I stayed at a resort on Peru's Northwest coast called Chicama Surf. This resort is situated right above the longest left hand point break in the world- Chicama. The general rule of thumb for Chicama is that the bigger the wave, the longer the ride. When I was there, you could get rides over a half mile long on the sets (with an occasional barrel on the takeoff or on the inside)... locals claim to have ridden waves over 1.5 miles long.

It's funny how great waves, great food, and a friendly atmosphere can make you forget any problems you might have had.

The resort at Chicama was very nice... friendly service, good food, and comfortable lodging. Since the wave was so long, they actually had a boat in the water that would pick you up after each ride (and take you back to the point). The first day I was there, I was anti-boat (thought it was cheating). However, the current was very strong and the walk was very long... therefore, I succumb to temptations after the first day and started using the boat. This might be one of the first trips where my legs got as much of a workout as my arms.

Another thing you'll notice from the photos is an absence of people in the water. Regardless of how famous Chicama is (within the surfing community), not many people make the journey down there. On the smallest day of the trip, it got a little crowded (happened to be a Brazilian holiday)... but nothing too bad. The wave is so long that it helps spread the crowd out.

(recommend clicking on the photos to view in full size)

Looking at Chicama from one of the 2nd floor balconies at Chicama Surf.

The guy walking below didn't use the boat... over a half mile walk to the point.

As you can see by the lines of white water, the wave peeled forever.

June 2, 2011

A little photo collage I put together from an image I took at my villa in Bali. Beautiful flowers and a nice wading pool beneath! (had to be careful of the snakes)