Mexico 2016

 We greatly enjoyed our trip to Mexico. Here are some photos.

The first place we visited was Yelapa

Yelapa is a small village accessible by boat. Nice beach! 

Yelapa sunset from our hotel patio. Cool swimming pool! 

We went snorkeling off the Marietas Islands

We saw dolphins. Nice spin-jump!

 The next place we stayed was Nuevo Vallarta

It was an all-inclusive hotel on the beach

With swimming pools and movie stars  

Then we went to Guadalajara and stayed in Tlaquepaque

There were plazas and walking malls. With Mariachi! 

We saw colorful fruit markets

Next stop was Guanajuato

We visited Papila

We saw the Theater

And the Basilica

We saw the whole city!

We met Francisco's host family, Hi Roberto!

Francisco stayed in Guanajuato

Mariana and I went to Mexico City

We explored the city

We visited the Art Museum

We learned albout Anthropology

We found lots of parks and statues

An artist drew a picture of  Mariana with a big HEAD

The city is too big to walk but there are good subways

The Street Food Vendors loved us!

One day we went to Teotihuacan

We got there early and had the whole place to ourselves

And explored all around Teotihuacan - it's a big place!

Pyramids are steeper than you'd think!

We climbed the Pyramid of the Sun

We stood on the Pyramid of the Moon

1800 years ago this was the biggest city in the Americas

Details

Yelapa is a small community on the pacific coast 15-20 miles south of Puerto Vallarta. It is known for its beach and waterfalls.  It's not an island, but it's only accessible by boat. There are no cars or roads. The 30-40 minute boat ride is fun. You see the whole coastline. Yelapa is in a cove with a beautiful beach; super soft brown sand and the warmest water anywhere. July is the low season; extra hot and humid. Our hotel, Lagunita, was right on the beach. An unusually beautiful pool was steps form our room. The view of the beach and the cove was magnificent. We could hear waves crashing on the beach all night long. But since this place is on the side of the jungle (Arnod Shwarzenegger's Predator was filmed here) we needed to sleep under mosquito nets. Yelapa gets boatloads of day visitors from the Puerto Vallarta hotels and cruise ships. There are several restaurants along the beach and more in the village, but since there were so few visitors staying overnight in July not many stayed open in the evening. There is a small river separating the main beach from the village. There's no bridge so you need to wade across the river. It may reach from below your knees to your upper thighs depending on the tide.

We took a snorkeling trip to the Marietas Islands. The Marietas are misplaced islands far out in the Bay of Banderas. They served as target paractice for the Mexican navy until it was realized that they were valuable bird breeding grounds and were surrounded by coral reefs. You can see where artillery shells broke some of the rock formations. Playa Escondida was closed when we visited (out of control tourism destroying the reef). We went to another beach instead. We were lucky to have an escort on our trip out to the islands. A pod of perhaps 100 dolphin accompanied us and played all around the boat. It was amazing how high out of the water they could get. Our guide was another Francisco. He has a nice boat and makes a great ceviche. Francisco can also take you to Los Arcos for snorkeling, to other pristine beaches and on fishing trips. We were joined by a family from Mexico City, which kept the prices low for all of us. Each visitor to the Marietas is required to have a wrist band indicating they are taken by a licensed guide and have paid the appropriate fee. There was an environmental police boat checking all visitors.

We didn't spend much time in Puerto Vallarta, but we passed through it a few times. It's pretty big and it's incredibly hot in July. So humid. Puerto Vallarta is the hottest place I've ever been. There is a sizeable tourist area with lots of bars and restaurants. They are centered around the Malecon, which looked great. There are beautiful beaches all around. We drove by an old church. We took the boat to and from Yelapa from the Los Muertos pier, which is fairly awesome. We saw a kid fishing catch a spiny puffer fish. Puerto Vallarta airport is clean and efficient. The town is probably much nicer to visit when it's not so hot out.

Nuevo Vallarta is 9 miles north of the center of Puerto Vallarta. Not only is it a different town than Puerto Vallarta, it's in a different state (Nayarit/Jalisco). The hotel we stayed in was Riu Vallarta. It's a nice all-inclusive. The beach is awesome. Deep soft brown sand. Balmy water. No seaweed. Medium surf. The swimming pools are nice; maybe a little too small. One is for kids and families; the other more for adults. It has a big swim up bar. The buffets are very good. The service is excellent. The specialty restaurants are ok. We liked the french one the best. The hotel is in very good condition, The room's are comfortable, maybe a little small, but with a large balcony. There's nothing walkable outside the hotel.

Bus 1: We took a Vallarta Plus bus from Nuevo Vallarta to Tlaquepaque. It was extremely comfortable. The service was outstanding. Each seat back has a small entertainment system, just like on an international flight. There was wifi too. They have buses leaving to Guadalajara every 30 minutes. There's a stop, but no delay in Zapopan. The trip takes 5 hours.

Tlaquepaque is one of the townships that makes up Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest city. It's a fun place to be with many plazas and walking malls. Lots of coffee shops, street vendors, restaurants and bars. There are artisans galore. Guadalajara is known for tequila and mariachi. We didn't go on the well advertised Jose Cuervo Tequila Train. But we did see mariachi bands playing in the square and at restaurants. We found Tlaquepaque a fun place to stay. The climate was far more pleasant than Puerto Vallarta. The temperature was in the mid 80's but there was low humidity. We stayed at the bed and breakfast Hotel Media Luna. It was a comfortable place run by a nice lady. It's an excellent location right next to El Parian (Guadalajara's Quincy Market).

Bus 2: We took a Primera Plus bus from Tlaquepaque to Guanajuato. The bus was fine. They had small movie screens every three or four rows. After purchasing our tickets I screwed up the time the bus left and we missed it. They just put us on the next bus leaving 30 or 40 minutes later. Great service. There was a stop and 15 minute delay in Leon. The whole trip took maybe 5 hours.

Guanajuato is an old silver mining town high up in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. It's a really cool place known for it's walkable streets, artisans and .. mummy museum (not kidding). Guanajuato is very hilly and colorful. Somewhere in its history they diverted their rivers into tunnels beneath the city. Then later they re-diverted the rivers someplace else and converted the tunnels into roadways (these guys had lots of mining expertise). Now the above-ground streets are for walking and the traffic flows underneath and around the city. It works. We visited Pipila, a legendary strongman who overlooks the city. We saw the theater, some churches, the university and the mummy museum (awful). We spent two evenings with Francisco's host family, the Saucedos. Extremely nice people. I couldn't have hoped for a better family to care for my son. We even climbed up a mountain with them! Guanajuato's a great place to visit. It sure did feel strange leaving my son there though. We stayed at the Hotel Mansion del Cantador.  It's a nice hotel across from a beautiful park. The downtown area was 2 blocks away. Everything we wanted to see was an easy walk. The hotel had some funny nuances, but the included breakfasts were very good.

Bus 3: We took a Primera Plus bus from Guanajuato to Mexico City. It was fine, similar to Greyhound. The trip took around 4 hours and 15 minutes. Autobuses del Norte station is the largest bus station I've ever been to. It's like an airport.

Mexico City is really really big (over 20 million people). It's a busy place and there's lots to see. But it's comfortable. The people seem relaxed. The weather is about perfect. We got around by subways and buses; people were extremely helpful giving us directions. We went to the the city center, Zocalo, and saw Templo Mayor, the Palacio Nacional and the Catederal Nacional. The Cathedral is awesome. It's enormous; like six churches in one. And it's ornate. We couldn't even count the number of statues. The organs weren't like anything I've seen. There was some kind of computer exposition going on in the Zocalo main square making it hard to appreciate the size of the place. We enjoyed the nearby walking malls. We saw the mix of old and modern. There was an impressive police presence around each significant building, 20-30 police in riot gear ready to go. We saw the Palacio de Bellas Artes, an impressive building with a lot of space inside. We saw some large murals, but weren't overly impressed. Bosque de Chapultapec is a vast park on the west side of the city (largest city park in the western hemisphere). It's pretty too, with lakes and walking paths lined with vendors. Mariana was happy with a caricature she posed for. Castillo de Chapultapec is a fancy european stye castle with a great view of the city and a long history. It's important that you proceed in the correct direction through the rooms. There are museum police enforcing this rule! We found the Museo Nacional de Antropologia fun and educational. It's a one-stop shop to learn about the different cultures that lived in Mexico. We were impressed by the great statues and monuments at each roundabout along Paseo de la Reforma and all throughout the city. Cuauhtemoc, Diana Cazadora, Angel de la Indepedencia, Cristobal Colon, Why can't we have statues like these? We enjoyed the food too. Everything was available at cheap prices. We stayed in the centrally located Hotel Astor. It was every bit as modern and comfortable as a Holiday Inn. It's in a convenient if not especially attractive part of the city. We felt safe at all times on the streets, at the attractions and on the subways and buses. The airport was large but easy to navigate. They push the duty free stuff hard. Mexico City is a great place to visit.

Bus 4: We took a Teotihuacan bus from Mexico City to Teotihuacan and back. (Here's how you do it). These were older buses, but they were fine. The trip took around 45-50 minutes leaving from Autobuses del Norte station, We took the subway (yellow line) to the bus station (gate 8). There were no other tourists on our early morning bus out to the pyramids and only two others on the afternoon trip back. The bus was about half full. The other passengers were locals coming and going from the city.

Teotihuacan is cool. Really cool. It's big. They say over 100,000 people lived here in it's heyday 1,800 years ago making it the largest city in the Americas. Only a small portion of the original city is preserved today, but it's still a big area. We got here early, just after 7AM. We were the only ones waiting for the gate to open at Gate 1, where our bus left us. And when we got in we pretty much had the place all to ourselves. There were several hot air balloons photographing the pyramids with the sun rising in the background. It was so quiet we could hear the air burners. There weren't even any vendors yet. The Temple of the Sun is ridiculously big. Enormous. We got winded walking up the super steep steps (there is a rail). A couple of people beat us to the top (they must have entered from Gate 3) but it still felt really cool being on top of this enormous pyramid overlooking the great ancient city before the crowds arrived. The Temple of the Moon is a better place to take pictures from because you can get the Avenue of the Dead and the Temple of the Sun in the background. We spent more time there and met a friendly stray dog that followed us around until we left for lunch. Mariana's favorite was the Temple of the Feathered Serpant, which has intricate carvings of snakes. There are dozens of other temples and structures spread about. We climbed up some of them and just looked at others. There's a museum too. They are still uncovering more ruins, but what you can see is impressive. You can walk through what they think may have been people's homes. But they don't know much about the people who built the city and lived here - only what the Aztecs told the Conquistadors a thousand years later. We spent five or six hours at Teotihuacan and took about 100 pictures. Mariana bought a jaguar souvenir that survived the trip home. If you blow into it, it sounds like a jaguar's growl. Teotihuacan is awesome.

Flights: We flew into Puerto Vallarta and got there around mid-day. Immigration took about 45 minutes. We flew out of Mexico City, leaving around 9AM. We flew United Airlines each way, changing planes in Houston both times. All four flights were full, departed and arrived on schedule.

Impressions: We liked Mexico a lot. It's a big place with a lot to see and do. The weather away from the coast is wonderful. The food is great and the people are friendly and helpful. A lot of the people we talked to had been to the US or had an immediate relative currently living in the US. So they are very familiar with the US. They're not in awe of Americans like some people in other countries, but they're generally pro American and very easy to talk to. Whenever we had a question about directions or where to find a restaurant whoever we asked went way out of their way to help us. Nice people. The beaches are great. The sand is a little darker and not quite as powdery as in the Caribbean. There are nice waves, but absolutely zero seaweed. And the water is ridiculously warm (85 degrees). The pacific coast is unpleasantly hot in July. It was fine when we were swimming, but too hot for anything else. Guadalajara, Guanajuato and Mexico City are very pleasant. I think they must have nice weather year round. We enjoyed the food very much. But we were surprised that the dishes were so similar to what we find at our favorite Mexican restaurants in Framingham. Of course in Yelapa there was fresh fish and ceviche. We don't find that here. But we saw tacos, burritos and fajitas on the menus everywhere and they were basically the same. In Guanajuato the Saucedos treated us to pozole, a traditional corn stew with lots of meat. It was very good; the best thing I ate on the trip. We found that in general things cost about one-third to one-half what they might cost in the US. But that could change a lot depending on where you were and what you were buying. Some things were more negotiable than in the US (like a taxi ride or snorkeling trip or tourist trinkets), but not quite so many things as in some other countries. The places we went felt very safe. We were told there there are other parts of the country where safety is an issue. Mexico is a terrific place to visit. And I think it would be a great place to live.

What things cost: July 2018 Exchange rate was 18 Mexican Pesos to 1 US Dollar.

• Round trip plane, 1 person, from Boston to Puerto Vallarta, returning from Mexico City ($500) 
• Round trip boat, 1 person, from Puerto Vallarta to Yelapa ($15.50)
• One-way bus, 1 person, from Nuevo Vallarta to Tlaquepaque ($25)
• One-way bus, 1 person, from Tlaquepaque to Guanajauto ($20)
• One-way bus, 1 person, from Guanajuato to Mexico City ($27)
• Round trip bus, 1 person, from Mexico City to Teotihuacan ($6.50)
• Taxi, 3 people, from Puerto Vallarta airport to Los Muertos pier ($20)
• Taxi,3 people, from Los Muertos pier to Nuevo Vallarta ($14)
• Taxi, 2 people, from Reforma to Mexico City airport ($12)
• Yelapa waterfront hotel, 1 adult, 2 teens, 1 night ($75)
• Nuevo Vallarta all-inclusive hotel, 1 adult, 2 teens, 1 night ($190)
• Tlaquepaque hotel, 1 adult, 2 teens, 1 night, breakfast ($40)
• Guanajuato hotel, 1 adult, 1 teen, 1 night, breakfast ($40)
• Mexico City hotel, 1 adult, 1 teen, 1 night ($35)
• Mexico City Metro, 1 person, 1 trip (30¢)
• Mexico City bus, 1 person, 1 trip, peak hours (50¢)
• Dinner, modest restaurant, 1 entree ($6)
• Beer, 1 bottle, domestic, in a restaurant ($1.80)
• Coke, 1 bottle, in a bodega (60¢)
• Charter snorkeling trip, 1 adult, 2 teens, 5 hours, lunch and drinks ($140)
• Laundry, 1 bag assorted, washed/dried/ironed/folded, hotel service ($5.50)

Distances: one-way in miles

• Boston to Puerto Vallarta via Houston 2488 (by air)
• Puerto Vallarta to Yelapa 17 (by boat)
• Yelapa to Islas Marietas 21 (by boat)
• Yelapa to Nuevo Vallarta 26 (by boat and car)\
• Nuevo Vallarta to Tlaquepaque 214 (by car)
• Tlaquepaque to Guanajuato 175 (by car)
• Guanajuato to Mexico City 227 (by car) 
• Mexico City to Teohihuacan 30 (by car)

• Total Distance Traveled by air 4976
• Total Distance Traveled by boat 76
• Total Distance Traveled by bus 676
• Total Distance Traveled by taxi 80
• Total Distance Traveled by train 40
• Total Distance Traveled by foot 132
• Altogether Distance Traveled 6000

     6000 Miles !!

Ender Dog

Here he comes to save the day - Ender Dog is on the way

On Veterans' Day we stopped by Buddy Dog and we found our new dog. He's a one year old male who looks to be at least part black lab. His name was supposed to be Biggly (Big & Wiggly) but he didn't respond to it, so Mariana re-named him Ender, after the main character in her favorite book.

Ender Biggley

 Ender is a super playful and fun guy. We are going to have great times together. But right now he's a bit of a handful. He was brought up from South Carolina as a rescue dog. So we'll need to be patient as he gets used to living with us. Already he's doing very well getting house trained. He's making slower progress in other areas - like jumping up on people and eating shoes (and backpacks and chairs and phones). But he'll be ok. It will just take time. The main thing is he's a happy guy and he's super friendly to everybody.

Ender Biggley

If anyone's interested, I can tell you all I learned before deciding to adopt a rescue dog instead of buying a pup from a breeder. There are pros and cons to each.

What I Really Think -- The Second 50

51. Body surfing is awesome
52. Easier to stay in shape than to get back into shape
53. Deflate-gate was a farce
54. Pope Frances is alright
55. Donald Trump loves attention
56. Drive In movies are fun
57. Baseball is boring
58. Wait. Is pain really weakness leaving the body?

59. Whitney had the best voice ever
60. Xenophobes are dopes
61. Gravy fries should be popular
62. Winning as a team beats winning as an individual
63. Drones make killing too easy
64. Long commutes waste a lot of time
65. Got to separate the crazies from the guns
66. Life is better with a big yellow dog
67. Budweiser owning Miller seems wrong
68. Seltzer water - that's the ticket

69. Killer whales are just big dolphins
70. Winning is better than losing; but losing is better than quitting
71. Better to look ahead than behind
72. Can't imagine donating to a political campaign
73. You learn how things work when they stop working
74. Addiction is not a disease
75. The best age to be is 24
76. Video piracy may not be a victimless crime, but I'm ok with it
77. McDonald's smoothies are pretty good
78. Being ignored is worse than being rejected
79. I wish I was at the beach on a hot day

80. Jack Reacher is the coolest character ever

81. I agree with Paul Simon - I too would rather be a hammer than a nail

82. Donuts aren't as good as your brain thinks they are

83. Fall smells good
84. Outside is better than inside
85. Filling up on appetizers is a rookie mistake
86. Hesitating is wimpy
87. Never answer the phone while eating dinner
88. Listening beats talking

89. Alarm clocks wake you before you've had enough sleep
90. I want to go on a victimless crime spree
91. No one ever dislikes hearing from an old friend
92. First instincts are always right
93. You never wish you'd watched TV
94. No one is as busy as they say they are
95. Comfortable clothes are the way to go
96. Got to keep the kitchen and bathrooms clean
97. 'Jurassic Park' and 'Avatar' are top Sci-Fi movies of all time

98. Bob the Builder is a cool guy
99. Cats are amazing athletes
100. Tennis is underrated

Heel Blister

I got knocked out of running a while back by combined cases of achilles tendinitis and plantar fasciitis. Had two 'itises' working against me. Rest, stretching and the wonders of cortisone allowed me to get running again. But I want to avoid these problems again. I like running. So I'm stretching my calves, running in good shoes (Asics GT-2000s), using cushioned heel inserts in all my shoes, avoiding walking barefoot, and avoiding running on roads and sidewalks - just soft trails and treadmills for me. And I'm being careful not to increase my mileage too fast.

I'm being a big baby. I know. So what could possibly be the problem now?  Well, I've developed an extra-nasty giant-sized blister on the back of my right heel. No biggie, but I've never had blister issues before and I'm pissed off that something's preventing me from trail running during the best part of the year. What to do? First I tried putting band aids over it. But they fell off pretty much right away; too much sweat and movement. The blister only got bigger. After that I tried smearing gobs of Vaseline all over it. But that didn't work well either. It hurt to wear shoes.

I didn't know enough to fix the problem. So I did a little research and asked around. Runners, hikers and ladies who wear high-heel shoes seemed to know the most about blisters. Here's what I learned.

First, the blister is caused by the friction of my heel rubbing against the back of my shoe. The friction heats the skin and that causes the blister. Second, my heels are being pulled up harder than usual because my calves are tight. The extra force is contributing to the blistering. Third, the heel cushions are elevating my feet inside the shoes. This is causing my heel to strike the back of the shoe in a higher position. That's part of the problem too. Fourth, my old school tube socks are no longer the best athletic footwear undergarment available. They hold the moisture from the sweat too close to the skin.

Ok, so now I understand the problem better.  What am I going to do about it?

 

10 things I could try

1. Wear two pair of socks - So the friction will occur between the socks.
2. Wear nylon stockings under socks - Chick idea but it might work.
3. Wear synthetic socks - To wick the moisture away from the skin.
4. Moleskin or duct tape around blister - Hiker solution. Temporary fix.
5. Lace shoes more tightly, especially high up - Reduces heel movement in shoe.
6. Engo patch - Cushioned patch that sticks to inside of shoe, reducing friction.
7. Body glide / Friction Block - Better versions of Vaseline.
8. Stetch calves - Reduces need to lift heel so much.
9. Antiperspirant - Less moisture reduces blistering. 
10. Skin moisturizer - Overdry skin blisters more easily.  

Let's see what works.

Day 1.  Wore two pair of socks and laced shoes high and tight. Shoes felt too tight with heel cushion and extra socks. Relaced after jamming my toes as far forward as possible and adding a gob of Vaseline over the heel. Not bad. Able to go hard on the elliptical. But when I tried to run on the treadmill I felt irritation on the blister.  
Day 2.  Looked in Walgreens and CVS. The only product listed above that I could find was Band-Aid Friction Block. $10 for a thimble full. Only see the other products sold online. I took the day off and went apple picking. I wore an old pair of sneakers and my feet felt great.
Day 3.  Thinking the blister problem is caused by the heel cushions. I took them out, doubled up on the socks, lubed up the blister with Vaseline and laced up tight. Ran for 3 miles. No issues.
Day 4.  Ditto Day 3.  All good.
Day 5.  Ditto Day 3.  All good.  The blister is drying up.  The heel cushions were the problem, 

Very Fine Beaches

My favs

Macao Now

Macao Then

Coco's Cabanas

 1. Macao. La Altagracia. Dom Rep. -- This is my favorite beach. During my Peace Corps days I found El Macao and used to stay at Coco's Cabanas' simple huts or just pitch a tent on the beach and enjoy the spectacular sunrise. Either way I'd enjoy fresh fish and ice cold beer at Coco's. It's on the east coast, aka the 'Gold Coast'. It's a wide open beach with powdery white sand and it's lined with coconut palms and wild surf. The beach goes on as far as you can see to the north and rises into cliffs on the south. The water is balmy and turquoise. There's a constant breeze and I've seen the waves vary from 4 to 10 feet. The slope of the beach makes for perfect body surfing. It's in a nature reserve so there are no hotels or significant development, unlike nearby Bavaro and much of Punta Cana. I had a chance to revisit this summer and was ecstatic that Macao hadn't changed. There's a surf camp down the road and a few vendors who set up shop during the day but the beach is the same. Coco's Cabanas was washed away by a hurricane years ago. Playa Macao is the best.

Playa Rincon

2. Rincón. Samaná . Dom Rep. -- Playa Rincón is listed in the travel brochures as a top beach, It's the prettiest beach I've seen. It's postcard perfect. The beach lies in a two mile cove on the beautiful Samaná peninsula. The sand is bright white and as fine and powdery as can be. The surf is gentle and a perfect turquoise color. There's a deep green palm forest the length of the beach and beyond, with high cliffs on the opposite side of the cove. The water is as warm as bath water, which makes a dip in the cool spring fed river at the end of the beach all the more refreshing. Luckily, on top of being a bit difficult to reach, the beach sits in a nature reserve and remains undeveloped. 

Las Terrenas

3. Bonita, Las Terrenas. Samaná, Dom Rep. -- Las Terrenas has it all. The beaches are exactly as everyone imagines vacation beaches are supposed to be. And the town is a cool mix of foreigners and Dominicans. There's lots to do and now with the new roads it's easy to get to. The beaches have perfect sand, they're lined with deep green coconut palms and the water is tropical turquoise. There aren't many vendors and it's easy to find restaurants and bars.

Yelapa

4. Yelapa, Jalisco. Mexico. -- Cool place. Yelapa is a community of 150 or so families on Mexico's Pacific coast. It's on the edge of the jungle and is accessible only by boat. Mostly it's a day trip destination for cruise ships and tourist hotels from Puerto Vallarta. The beach is very nice. Fine brown sand and the warmest water I've ever swam in. You can have a cold drink at one of the beachside restaurants, take a snorkeling trip to the Marietas Islands or take a walk to one of the waterfalls not far away. The jungle has it's own fame. It was the setting for Arnold Shwarzenegger's Predator movie. We greatly enjoyed this beach. The only hitch was a reported sea snake sharing the surf with us. That happens when you're swimming at a jungle beach!

5. Wishing Well, Aguadilla. Puerto Rico. -- Years ago I spent some time in Puerto Rico. I loved it. It has the infrastructure of the US with the carefree lifestyle of Latin America. My rental car tour took me to Aguadilla and I happened to stop for an afternoon at this small undeveloped beach. It was just me and a few local teens that day. And it was a great beach. The sand and water are as nice as anywhere and there are excellent waves for bodysurfing. I later learned that there are top surfing competitions held at neighboring Rincón beach.

Bavaro

6. Bávaro, Punta Cana, Dom Rep. -- Bávaro is a truly beautiful natural beach. I remember it as an isolated spot back in the old days. It has deep pure white sand and it's lined with palm trees. The water is bright turquoise. Though there is a near constant breeze on this eastern facing beach, the surf is limited by a reef half a mile out. Nowadays a zillion all-inclusive hotels line the beach uninterrupted for miles. There are casinos and many tourist activities available. And it's all relatively new. All these hotels were built since 1990.

Playa Grande

7. Playa Grande. Cabrera. Dom Rep. -- This is the best beach on the north coast hands down. As it's name suggests it's a long wide beach. The sand and surf are great. The waves form far out and you can body surf them quite a distance. On shore there are a bunch of truly excellent fish shacks and beer places. A day at Playa Grande is the perfect day at the beach.

8. Bahia Honda, Big Pince Key, Fla -- The Florida Keys are known for bridges and beaches and Bahia Honda has the best of both. The sand is fine as can be and the water feels like it's body temperature. The water is a sort of light green I haven't seen anywhere else. Lucky for us this beautiful beach is in a state park right off the main drag thru the Keys. The ranger warned us of Portuguese Man-of War jellyfish the day we were there, but I skillfully evaded their venomous tentacles.  

Calangute  

9. Baga. Calangute, Goa, India. -- Hundreds of miles south of Mumbai on India's southwest coast, Goa is a former Portuguese colony. The Portuguese influence is still visible in the churches, the food and the people. I even rented a room and a moped from a family named Rodrigues. The Calangute area has been a hangout place for hipster westerners for a long time. Way back they even made a movie about it. But it also draws the Indian vacation crowd. All these elements make it a fascinating place to visit. I watched Indian women wade into the sea fully clothed while nearby Australian women sunbathed topless, And then a cow walked down the beach. Guessing she was local. Very warm water. Arabian Sea sunsets. Heavy rep. Hip. Cool place.

10. Egypt, Scituate, Mass -- The beach of my childhood has to be in my top ten. Instead of building a sea wall they dumped piles and piles of smooth river stones creating a barrier 30 feet high and 90 feet wide. As kids we ran and played on the super heated rocks and in the frigid water. We must have had tough feet. These days I try to take my own kids back to Egypt beach once every summer. They think I'm crazy for liking this beach so much, but I think they enjoy my exaggerated stories. At low tide there are clams and starfish out on the point and there's even traces of a sandy beach. In August the water warms up a bit and there are waves large enough to draw surfers. No place like it.

Head of Meadows, Truro, Cape Cod

11. Head of Meadows, Truro, Mass -- Dunes, dunes and more dunes. I remembered this one from when I was a kid and I revisited it this summer with my own kids. Back then I remember climbing the high dunes and sliding down on a flattened cardboard box. Nowadays the dunes are protected and more beautiful than ever. There is a modest surf, uninterrupted soft, coarse sand and 50'-60'dunes. The beach seems to go on forever. There are lots of seagulls and many seals enjoying the icy water which ranges from the mid fifty to mid sixty degree range during the summer months.

12. Great Flamingos, Nuevo Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico -- Very nice natural beach on the north side of Bahia de Banderas. Home to many resorts, the beach is lined with palm trees. The water temperature while we were there was a balmy 85 degrees. The sand is a light brown, the water is clear without a spec of seaweed and there's a respectable surf. It's a great beach!

Coast Guard

Nauset

13. Coast Guard / Nauset Light, Eastham, Mass -- This is the National Seashore; the best part of Cape Cod. The beach seems to extend forever. The sand is light brown and coarse but it's soft underfoot and perfect for building sand castles. The beach is natural and wild. The surf is the biggest and coldest in the northeast, with waves from 6'to 10' and summer water temps from the mid fifties to mid sixties. I can remember one particularly big wave face planting me on the beach in my college days. The beach attracts seagulls and seals in numbers. I take the kids each summer while we camp at Nickerson and it's always the highlight of the weekend. We've biked and kayaked to the beach from the Salt Pond Visitor Center. A full beach lot can't keep us from the surf.

14. San Rafael. Barahona. Dom Rep. San Rafael is a beautiful beach on the southwest coast lying smack between the Caribbean and the base of a small mountain. I remember a sharply sloped beach with large waves crashing down hard on the shore. Once upon a time I found myself in one of those waves being bodyslammed to the fine sand. The rip tide that day at San Rafael was fierce. I counted myself lucky to escape its grasp. There's a spring near the beach with a cement pool that's very popular. And there's the right amount of vendors to make for a fun day. The ride from Barahona along the coast is especially beautiful.

15. Chichiriviche, Falcón, Venezuela. Travelling with a buddy, we found this small out of the way place to be a sort of oasis between Caracas, Valencia and Maracaibo. Along the way I saw about a million pink flamingos hanging out in their winter digs. Here and in Tucacis the people were super laid back and way friendly. The beach was Caribbean beautiful. Not much surf, but plenty of scenery.

16. Tucacas. Venezuela. See Chichiriviche. Believe we ate BBQ horsemeat at a parador here. Washed it down with little beers.

17. Playa Arriba, Miches, El Seibo,Dom Rep. -- This was my local beach for the two years I lived in the DR. The road to get here through the hills of El Seibo was long, rough and scenic. And the small town of Miches was known as the departure center for yolas  (small boats taking illegal immigrants) headed for Puerto Rico, But the beach outside of town was beautiful and unspoiled. I remember riding my motorcycle miles down the beach and not seeing a soul. Though another time I fell asleep on the beach and had my back pack stolen. Stories..... With the new carretera and the Punta Cana area saturated with all-inclusives this Gold Coast beach will certainly be targeted for major development. Only my memories of the place will never change.

18. Cabarete. Cabarete. Dom Rep. -- This is a really nice beach on the north coast. It's known for it's steady breezes and reliable 5' - 7' surf. Cabarete has found a niche with the windsurfing crowd. They regularly host competitions here. The beach is a couple of miles long with nice sand and an excellent assortment of shops, bars and restaurants right on the beach.

19. East Beach, Chappaquiddick, Mass -- Very cool island beach. You take a car to get to the Cape, a ferry to get to the Vineyard, and a bike to get to Chappaquiddick. Then you take the mini Chappy ferry from where you can continue biking to the beach. The beach is nice, All-Natural. Not crowded. Good sand plus a little surf. Vineyard waters are warm. Didn't somebody lose control of a car here?

20. Playa Dorada, Puerto Plata, Dom Rep. --  Puerto Plata was chosen for tourist development years ago because of its beautiful gold sand beaches and warm calm waters. Lush green mountains are the background behind the beach. There are a million all-inclusive hotels lining this north coast beach; most with casinos, bars and restaurants - even golf courses. Every tourist activity imaginable is available. The city offers everything you could ever need.

Gopalpur-On-Sea

21. Gopalpur-on-Sea. Gopalpur-On-Sea, Orissa, India. Journeyed here by train and bus from Calcutta. Found it to be a relaxing and friendly place. A college kid I met on the train told me this was a big resort back in the day but that it had been out-competed by another place called Pure. I enjoyed swimming in the Indian Ocean, saw a lot of fishermen at work and played cricket on the beach with local kids. I could always hit! A walk a couple of miles down the beach led me to a restricted nuclear facility protected by armed guards and what looked to be gun turrets. Hmm. After that I turned my walk back around and I stopped thinking about how nice and warm the water was.

22. Playa Norte -- Peniscola  ñí , Spain - Playa del Sol. Close to a popular boardwalk. The clear water and well-raked sand had us wondering if the Mediterranean had any seaweed at all. There's a castle on a high hill overlooking the beach and lots of activity all around. The beach reportedly gets crowded with the local, hotel and cruise ship crowds, but it wasn't too bad while we were there. Water temp was 75, not much surf. Some topless ladies.

22. Playa del Postiguet. -- Alicante, Spain - Playa del Sol. Close to a popular boardwalk. The clear water and well-raked sand had us wondering if the Mediterranean had any seaweed at all. There's a castle on a high hill overlooking the beach and lots of activity all around. The beach reportedly gets crowded with the local, hotel and cruise ship crowds, but it wasn't too bad while we were there. Water temp was 75, not much surf. Some topless ladies.

22. El Capitán, -- Santa Barbara, Cali -- Went for an early swim. I had the beach all to myself. Southern California. Wide Pacific Ocean expanse with oil rigs in front of me, dried out brown hills rising behind me. I was in about 8 feet of water. Relaxed. Then I saw a big fin coming toward me. Fast. I reached a moderate level of panic and scrambled toward shore. When I gained my footing I turned to see four dolphins swimming past. Hah. I tripped over myself and fell backwards in relief. Santa Barbara's a nice town. The beach is pretty nice too.   

La Playita

 23. La Playita. Las Galeras,. Samaná , Dom Rep, -- This is the place the locals go to enjoy a swim while the tourists take boats, 4x4's and ATV's out to Playa Rincón, 7 miles up the coast. The sand here is just as fine, the water just as warm, the palms just as green. Granted, you can't take as long a walk on La Playita, 'The Little Beach'. but it's almost as nice as it's famous cousin. And it's a lot easier to get to.

24. Bayahibe, La Romana, Dom Rep, -- Bayahibe was once a little village outside of La Romana. It had more fishing boats that hotel rooms. The beach only drew crowds on weekends. More than once I slept on the beach, swam in the ocean and rinsed off in the nearby fresh water spring. All within a few hundred yards of the town. It was a really cool place. Nowadays a couple of all-inclusive resorts dominate the landscape and the fishing boats have been mostly replaced by a fleet of catamarans that take the tourists bused in from Punta Cana out to Isla Saona. Bayahibe faces south (Caribbean).

Naples

25. Vanderbuilt, Naples, Fla -- I enjoyed Naples beaches for many years while visiting my parents at their retirement community. Gulf beaches have warm calm water and this one had more shells than I've ever seen. The beach extends a long ways and there is a super high, super long pier that's enjoyed by many fisherman and walkers. Pelicans and dolphins are on the sight menu with beautiful sunsets for dessert.

26. Lovers Key, Estero, Fla -- This one is at the south end of Fort Myers beach. Where Fort Myers is developed, crowded and more suited to the Spring Break crowd, Lovers Key is a relaxed, giant sand bar in a state park. It's a great place to take a long walk and swim in the warm gulf water. No surfing here. The waves are measured in inches not feet, which befits it's mellowness.

27. Causeway Beach, Sanibel, Fla - There's a causeway that connects super wealthy Sanibel Island with the rest of Florida. And beneath the causeway lies a pretty nice beach. I came here with a buddy once when a hurricane was out in the Gulf. The waves were outstanding. Deep sand. Lots of shells.

Horseneck

28. Horseneck, Westport, Mass -- Horseneck features a long sandy beach, moderate dunes and an easy 2'-6' surf. When shallow Buzzard's Bay heats up in the summer months the waters here can get into the low to mid seventies, easily the warmest in the region. For us it's an easy day trip and parking is easy because it's a state park. It's always a lot of fun.

29. Playa Juan Dolio, San Pedro de Macorís, Dom Rep. -- Juan Dolio is a small town with a good beach close to Las Americas airport and not too far from Santo Domingo. There is a cluster of small hotels and a few bars and restaurants. The beach faces south (the Caribbean) and features nice sand and surprisingly good waves. The area is surpassed in popularity by Boca Chica, and doesn't rival Puerto Plata or Punta Cana in size.

30. Misquamicut, Westerly, RI -- Misquanmicut is a really nice beach towards the Rhode Island Connecticut state line, just off the Long Island Sound. The sand is deep and soft. The water is warm. The beach gets very crowded summer weekends but the atmosphere is pure fun. I always enjoyed coming here when I lived in Conn.

Hampton Beach

31. Hampton Beach, Hampton, NH -- This is a long, wide treeless beach that's very popular in summer. The water is cold, there's not much surf and there's a parking lot instead of trees, but the ocean view is nice and there's 100% sand covering the beach. Shops, arcades and restaurants line the mile long boardwalk. By day it's a nice family place, but at night the atmosphere changes it's a bar scene. Hampton Beach a fun place to be all summer long.

32. Guayacanes, San Pedro de Macorís, Dom Rep. -- Guayacanes is a nice beach close to San Pedro. I stopped here several times on my way from El Seibo to the capital. We had a memorable Close of Service celebration here as well. The beach has nice sand and the water is calm and Caribbean warm. There are mid-range hotels. bars and restaurants along the south facing beach and it's popular with Dominican and foreign tourists though it has not kept up with the larger developments on the north and east coasts. Guayacanes is accessible from Santo Domingo and an easy ride to or from the airport.

33. MacKerricher, Fort Bragg, Cali -- Once upon a time I drove cross country, mostly camping in state parks, and enjoying the views. A swing through northern California led me to my first Pacific Ocean beach. It had super coarse dark sand like I'd never seen before, ice cold water and significant surf, I camped nearby under pine trees. It was different kind of place. A world of it's own,

34. Fort Lauderdale Beach, Fort Lauderdale  Fla -- Came here with college friends for Spring Break back in the day. Oh man we had some fun!  Drove all the way down from northern Vermont in a Dodge Colt. Lost ourselves in the throngs of party-goers. I think the beach was pretty nice too.

35. Second (Saquest), Newport, RI -- Very nice beach in Newport and/or Middletown. Good sand, small surf, More of a college crowd. Good times here when 20 of us shared a summer house rental toward the town center.

36. Good Harbor, Gloucester, MA -- This is one of the better beaches on the North Shore, Parking's impossible, but I had the good fortune to have a friend who lived nearby. The beach is long and sandy. There are rocks offshore to make the view more interesting. There' s a fun crowd at this beach with volleyball the preferred activity.

37. Crane, Ipswich, Mass -- This is a scenic beach on the north shore. It's a nice long cold water beach with beautiful dunes. Parking lots fill early on summer weekends. Be prepared to battle large and abundant greenheads. Their ravenous bites drive people right off beach!

38. Humarock, Scituate, Mass -- Great high school memories with good friends. Every year on July 3rd they'd have bonfires on the beach at every road entrance. Party-goers would migrate between the fires in a fun social atmosphere. The beach is long and wide but has lost a lot of the sand it used to have.

39. Mile Road, Wells, Maine -- Nicest beach I've been to in Maine, Well, Maine's not really known for beaches. Still this is a nice one. Wide beach with good sand and moderate surf. Good crowd. Fun atmosphere. Water's just a little cold.

40. Daytona Beach, Daytona, Florida -- Came here as a kid. My dad drove the family truckster right down onto the beach. Remember a wide wide beach with super hard packed sand. I've heard this is a great place for bars but I didn't see much of that as a 9 year old.

41. Minot, Scituate, Mass -- The popular beach for Scituate high schoolers. It's a narrow sandy beach with a giant rock at one end for kids to explore. It has a 15 foot seawall where my friends and I invented Wall Ball. Two players compete on a marked sand court. The first player throws a tennis ball off the wall. It needs to rebound back onto the court. The second player has to catch the ball before it lands. Then he throws it. You score if your throw rebounds onto the marked court without being caught. You play to 21. Blocking is not discouraged. The curved wall allows for long and short rebounds. So much fun. Last time I checked the kids were still playing Wall Ball on Minot Beach.

42. York Beach, York, Maine -- Nice wide sand beach in Maine. Perfect for any activity. Good summer crowd.

43. Devereux, Marblehead, MA --  Deep sand. Clean,  Snack bar. Came here a few times when staying with my bro back in the day. RIP BK.

44. Nantasket, Hull, Mass -- Nanatasket is a popular state beach south of the city. As a kid we lived about 10 miles away and visited Paragon Park and rode the wooden roller coaster. Paragon is gone but the beach is nice, especially at low tide. At high tide the beach is underwater and visitors scramble up on the rocks and seawall competing for space. Assortment of restaurants and shops. Great old carousel.

45. Salisbury, Salisbury, MA -- Long wide beach on the NH border. Nice sand. Cold water. There's a state park with plenty of parking and a touristy town center with bars, sandwich places and ice cream shops. Salisbury once rivaled nearby Hampton.

46. Craigville, Centerville, Mass -- Prototypical Cape beach. Sand, Warmish water, Crowds. Route 28 motels, Clam shacks, Ice cream and miniature golf places nearby. Summer on the Cape is fun.

47. Coco Beach, Coco Beach, Fla -- Atlantic facing Florida beach. I remember jogging a long ways on this long natural beach. Many hotels. Piers. Good surf. Water was colder than I expected.

48. Sand, Bar Harbor, Maine -- Pretty little beach in Acadia National Park. Sand here is made from pummeled sea shells. There's a sign warning you not to swim if you have any heart condition -- 'cuz it's ice cold. The only way to enter is to run and dive. And when you go under you feel like you've been punched in the head. And then you get out quick. They say the water temp never gets above 55. I believe it. Coldest water I've swum in.

49. Sosua, Dom Rep. -- Sosua is a beautiful strip of perfect sand beach on the north shore not far from Puerto Plata. The beach is very nice, with warm calm turquoise water. Vendors are plentiful and aggressive. Small, tight bathing suits are popular among older overweight European men. There are lots of hotels, bars and restaurants. Sadly sex tourism overran the place many years ago. The one time I visited I hated the place.         

50. First (Easton), Newport, RI -- Beach closer to the town right near the Cliff Walk, Calm waters. More of a family beach.

51. Onset, Wareham, MA -- Nice sandy beach on Buzzard's Bay. Cape feel. Heck you're pretty close to the Cape.  Warm water. No surf. Canal is nearby.

52. Scusset Beach, Sandwich, MA -- Cool beach on the Bay side of the Canal. There's a breakwater and the start of the Canal Bike Trail. You can see the curve of the whole inside of the Cape and up along Plymouth too. Sand. Cold water. Not much surf. But watching the boats enter and exit the canal is good. If you're up for it you can ride the Canal Trail for 8 miles each way.

53. Revere Beach, Revere, MA --  Popular spot north of the city. It's a long hard-packed sand beach with the Boulevard running the length of it. Local teens to twenty somethings find endless pleasure cruising the strip and standing around parked vehicles. The beach is actually pretty nice and it's accessible by the T.  

54. Pennecamp Coral Reef  Key Largo, Florida Keys -- Supposed to be a nice snorkeling beach but we were only swimming. Mangrove trees. Warm super salty water.

55. Bend-in-the-Road, Oak Bluffs, Mass -- Ok beach along along the Oak Bluffs - Edgartown bike trail. State Beach goes on for two miles. Clean. Families. Warm water. No trees, No dunes, No surf.

56. Luquillo, Fajardo, Puerto Rico. -- Beach on the Northwest Coast known to families.

57. Landing, Brewster, Mass --  On the bay side of Cape Code. Pretty. Nice sand. No waves. Easy bike ride from Nickerson on the Cape Code Rail Trail. The tide goes out about a mile at low tide leaving tidal pools for the kids to play in. Pretty cool. They warned us not to get stranded on a sand bar too far out when the tide came back in. Nice place for families with young kids.

58. Sand Hills, Scituate, MA  -- Sandy beach towards the lighthouse. No place to park so it's never crowded. Lot of summer people and we know what they're like....

59. Sandy, Cohasset, Mass -- This is a small town beach in a pretty area. As a high school kid the parking lot was a gathering spot on summer nights. Fun times just hanging out. 

60. Los Cocos, Puerto la Cruz. Venezuela. -- This is a developed area of Venezuela's nicest coastal city. A buddy and I planned our trip so we'd be in a nice hotel with a balcony over the malecon for New Year's. But Venezuelans aren't Dominicans and this wasn't Santo Domingo. It was deadsville.

61. Wollaston, Quincy, Mass -- Once part of my North Quincy jogging route. It's an MDC beach. The beach-goers here tend to stay close to their muscle cars on the strip, drinking beverages and looking down at the beach scene below. It's not such a great beach. Kind of dirty. But it has nice views of Boston. Popular for jogging and babe watching.

62. Pegotty, Scituate, MA -- Less than average beach close to the harbor draws the cliff people. Some sand. Mostly rocky. No surf.

63. Winslow, Feeport, Maine -- Beautiful park overlooking Casco Bay featuring a small sandy beach. Cold water. No surf. Impressivc tides. At high tide we were diving from the swimming dock. At low tide we were tripping over it.

64. Carson, South Boston, MA -- Very much a city beach. Good for walking, jogging and people watching.