Photos and notes from around the world.
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Playa del Carmen has one of the best beaches I’ve ever had the privilege of walking on (and this is coming from an Australian). The soft white sand is composed of coral, which means that the sand remains cool even when it is baking hot, which was every day when I was there. Usually on a hot day you would have to walk briskly across burning sand. Here though, the sand is cool under foot.
Sitting with a brown pelican on the beach at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Trees along Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
[Lonely Beach at Koh Chang, Thailand.]
Like Koh Samet, I heard mixed reviews about Koh Chang, particularly about the overdevelopment of the island. Travel is a relative experience though, and I found Chang not as developed as Samui and Phuket, thus not as developed as I thought it would be.
Lonely Beach is the backpacker enclave on the island and one the furthest beaches south on the island, away from the more developed beaches of the north.
Hat Sai Kaew (Sai Kaew Beach). Koh Samet is close enough to Bangkok to make it an easy weekend trip, but it wasn’t as overrun as I thought it would be. Maybe it was because it was the first beach I had seen in a while but I liked it here. The sand is soft and white and it is not as developed compared to the bigger islands.
The village of Teluk Gedong on Pangkor Island, Malaysia.
Pulau Pangkor (Pangkor Island) is on the West Coast of Peninsula Malaysia. It’s close enough to Kuala Lumpur to make it an accessable stopover destination. This was how I ended up here. I had a week in KL enroute to China. The beaches of the East Coast would have left me rushing to get there and back, so Pangkor was the best option.
- Pasir Bogak Beach: Pulau Pangkor -
Beaches
When people talk about the beaches of Malaysia, it’s the islands of the Peninsula East Coast that rate the highest. If that is the case then I have got to get over there one day. I mean have a look at this “average” West Coast beach.
- Teluk Nipah Beach -
Pangkor is half a day from KL, so it can get busy on weekends and public holidays. This was a public holiday crowd.
- Pasir Bogak Beach Crowd -
Wildlife
Pangkor’s most famous wildlife residents are the Hornbill Birds. It’s quite common to see them swooshing around, they they make a great squawk, which is what I want to hear in a tropical paradise. Some of the guesthouse owners feed them so it is not uncommon to see them sitting around populated areas.
- Hornbills -
Monitor Lizards are common as well.
- Monitor Lizard -
The island interior is a jungle, and no jungle in Asia is complete without monkeys. Fortunately you don’t have to go into the jungle to find them.
- Monkeys -
The island also has beach goats. Of course.
- Beach Goats -
Accommodation
Most of the budget/backpacker style places are around Teluk Nipah, which happens to have the best beach. It’s not a big scene at Teluk Nipah, as most backpackers head to the Perhentian Islands or Thailand before coming here.
There is a good range of accommodation options in Pangkor – from budget guesthouses to resort style hotels. As I was just passing through the region I wanted to stay in an honest-to-goodness Southeast Asian guesthouse. One with an outside bathroom and cold water shower, and Geckos on the ceiling. I found what I was looking for at Nazri Nipah.
- A-Frame Accommodation -
Stopover
If you have already been to the islands and beaches of Thailand then you aren’t going to see anything new here. Most visitors here are day tripping locals. I met some British travellers here who were holed up on Pangkor for a week while their Visa to India was being processed in KL. If you only have a few days in Malaysia or you waiting around KL and you want to rest your heels in some sand, then Pangkor is a ideal option.
The beach at Sozopol is accessable from the historic old town.
The Black sea Coast of Bulgaria has been a budget holiday favourite for decades. First with the countries behind the Iron Curtain, and now with the countries from the cold north. Along this stretch of coast is a good cross section of Europe with styling urban cities, cheapo package holiday resorts, old fishing villages and ancient ruins.
Varna
I arrived in Varna with the intention of moving on after a day and ended up spending a few days here. It is a good sized city with stately old buildings that are a bit run down. Varna is a port city that is close to the beach, so it has a part work,part play feel to it. Varna is a candidate city for the European Capital of Culture in 2019, so you may hear more about it in the future.
Varna’s Drama Theatre
Market – Varna
Most people who fly to Varna are coming for the beach resorts. There are two popular resorts nearby called Golden Sands and Sunny Beach. I have seen those names many times in British travel agent windows, so I knew that they were going to be package holiday beaches, but I wanted to check it out for myself.
I was intending to go to Golden Sands but it was a cold and drizzly day – not a good beach day – so I opted to spend my day hiding from the rain in cafes instead.
Espresso Time – Varna.
Sunny Beach
With a name like Sunny Beach it has to be dodgy, but I kind of liked it actually. Sunny Beach is all resort hotels and seaside tackiness, but it doesn’t pretend to be anything else. As an Australian I find European beach resorts fascinating. I mean look at this beach!
Sunny Beach – Bulgaria
There is not a spare piece of beach for all the umbrellas. The sand itself is very good quality, but I don’t come to Europe for the beaches. I come for the old towns.
Nessebar
Next to Sunny Beach is Nessebar. You can walk right along Sunny Beach until you get to a peninsula where Nessebar is situated. This old fishing town is a World Heritage listed site and is filled with old ruins and lovely cobbled side streets. The crowds are quite scary when you first arrive, but as you wander deeper into the town the crowds thin out.
Christ Pantocrator Church – Nessebar
Burgas
South of Sunny Beach and Nessebar is the port city of Burgas. There is another airport here with low cost flights around Europe, and it is also a handy place to base yourself for visiting villages along the coast.
Along the main shopping street of Burgas.
Sozopol
South of Burgas is the ancient town of Sozopol, which like Nessebar is filled with old ruins and winding little streets. It is also surrounded by some decent beaches that aren’t as crowded as the resort towns.
Looking to the beach at Sozopol.
Getting to the Black Sea Coast
Low cost airlines and European charter flights fly to Varna and Burgas. Trains are also a good option, with both cities being connected to Sofia.
Fort Lauderdale Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami – USA
We have a huge range of hotels in Egypt, from cheap hotels to 5 star luxury to choose from. |
