Bonny Doon Beach, Santa Cruz, California --- What a great NUDE beach!

WOW!  What a great NUDE beach!  Even though it was very foggy, I didn't feel chilly.  The air was mixed with the cool breeze from Ocean and the hot air from the land.   The landscape of this beach was very unique and interesting.   It's not a big beach.  I bet this is one of the resons this beach has been famious for being a nude beach.

Some natural caves and rock wall are just like the egg chairs.  I saw some people resting inside and they seemed very cozy.  Maybe the weather was still too cold, most people had clothers on.   Even though C and I are not nudists, we enjoyed the freedom and romantic feelings of this beach. 

There was a huge and very wide one-story high rock standing on the beach, It was so much fun to climb up to the top, it was such an excersize. Heehee.

C and I sat on the top of rock and apreciated the ocean view and the sound of wave tremendously.

After the wind got stronger and stronger, C and I

decided to call it a day.  We wanted to come back again soon.  The beach was clean and secluded.  it's great for local getaways.

Carmel-by-the sea, California --- A white sand beach in California

You know I have a huge crush on the white sand beach. If you are not familiar with my blog, please check my old post -- Anna Maria Island, Florida -- White sand beach is invincible and purely divine! 
I feel very lucky; I can see the white sand beach in California.   Also, Carmel beach has been ranked in the top two romantic beaches in the U.S. and nearby -- http://www.hotels-and-discounts.com/Travel_Resources/Guide_
Resource2_7.htm

It was a July 4th long weekend, C and I drove two hours to go to Carmel.   Even though San Jose was in the high nineties that day, the temperature of  Carmel beach was 20 degree cooler.  As I expected (duh..it was the 4th of July), a lot of people there. Ha.ha. Oops, not too romantic or tranquil for me and C at all.
Carmel-by-the-sea had a lot of things to offer... downtown was full of great and high-end stores. I actually like the view and the buildings a lot, they were full of character. The atmosphere reminded me a little of Australia's Manly Beach. No doubt, this was the mecca for tourists, I wished I had been at this beach on a weekday, rather than on national holidays.  

There was a big sign that said "no swimming." However, some people just ignored it and went surfing anyway. C and I enjoyed watching all kinds of dogs running on the beach. Unexpectedly, there were two handsome husky dogs walking slowly with their owner on the beach.  They had won our hearts. Carmel beach is a very vibrant beach. I even saw a family was cooking noodles in a small camping tent. Amazing! ha.ha.

Have to admit that even the quality of the white sand here was good, BUT not nearly as good as white sand at Gulf in Florida. Anyway, after this trip, what I realized is that I think it's time for me to book a flight again.
Thinking out loud, Greece, Thailand or Spain! YEAH! I should plan for another trip and save money from now on! :)

t-shirt $18

Poplar Beach, Half Moon Bay, California --- A popular beach for horseback-riding

If you like horseback-riding on the beach, you should definitely try visiting Polar Beach at Half Moon Bay.  Even just watching the horses slowly peddling on the beach, C and I already felt an immense sense of leisure. This mile-long golden-sand beach is great for all kinds of activities; such as dog walking, kite flying, sun bathing, swimming, sand building, seagulls watching and running,

A little girl was having fun making herself a mermaid tail and later two human legs with sand. It was so cute, I couldn’t help but to take a photo for her.

Usually the weather at Half Moon Bay is chilly, but that day was an exception. I enjoyed sun tanning there so much.
Poplar Beach is also great for viewing seagulls. Thanks to the blue sky, I got some really good photos due to the amazing background.

Half Moon Bay also has the great charm of a little town.  There are plenty of restaurants and shops.The most famous event of this town is Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival. At this event, one can see 1,500-pound pumpkin and enjoy the fun vibe of the festival. I attended once a long time ago, this year, on October 15-16, 2011, C and I will definitely come back again. http://www.miramarevents.com/pumpkinfest/

The slope latitude is great for our beach tent, since the view would not be obstructed by walkers or dogs.
Poplar beach is not a quiet beach at all. It's a very popular beach for local people and tourists.  However, I managed to keep my "Zen" at this beach and I took a lot of good photos as you can see. heehee.

My Dream Beach Clock $35

My Dream Beach T-shirt $17

Anna Maria Island, Florida -- White sand beach is invincible and purely divine!

White sand beach is my dream beach. The most beautiful white sand beaches are along the gulf shore. I was totally stunned and bewitched when I first saw it.   In the HOT sunny100F degree weather in Florida, the white sand made the daylight even more radiant. Trust me, it would just only take a few minutes before you’d find yourself looking like a fully-cooked lobster.  I can proudly say that I got a thorough sun tan! :) ha.ha.

Anna Maria Island has so much to offer. C and I drove around this small island and tried to visit all the nearby beaches. The more we looked around, the longer we wanted to stay.  The water was clear, calm and warm. Yes, I almost felt like this was my SPA day under the sun.  Take a look! Some islanders just park their boat close to their home in the clear gulf water. As much as I enjoyed my vacation there, I wish I actually lived there.

If there is a law of happiness, I would say "visiting the white sand beach" would be my belief.   Not just human, birds know their paradise too.  I also saw a big crab nearby when I walked on the beach and I accidently stepped on a live sand dollar.  I had an amazing time at Anna Maria Island beach. 

White sand beach is invincible and purely divine!

Sand Dollar Beach, California -- a "RICH" beach experience ever!

Before I visited this beach I had only seen a live sand dollar once at the beach in Florida.  Actually, I accidentally stepped on it while it was still moving. Yes! As you can imagine, I was in utter shock when I saw the difference between the dead and living sand dollars.

Sand Dollar Beach is a very friendly beach.  There was a life guard on duty and the people there seemed to be having a good time.  Some fire rings were on the beach as well. This mile-long sand beach was fairly clean and spacious.  

The weather was hot, C and I couldn't wait to touch the water.  There, we saw the first dead half broken sand dollar.  ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v530gquJNS0 )  C and I kept walking along the beach and saw at least forty some broken ones with purple, gray or white colors.

Unexpectedly, a nice couple who was collecting shells gave us five perfect sand dollars.  C and I just couldn't believe what we saw and kept taking pictures! ha..ha. :)  Thanks to the couple who made C and me feel very RICH and special!!! 

There are many sand dollar beaches in the US and other countries.   You may want to try googling it.   However, I feel so lucky to have discovered this place.

Kings Beach -- Not just for Kings and Royalties!

After visiting all the royal places (such as, King's Castle, Queen's
Palace...etc.)  in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, I decided to visit Kings beach in the U.S.  I want to let you all know that I have become a die-hard royal fan! Ha.ha.
Kings Beach is located in California, in the U.S.  It offers one of the best views of Lake Tahoe.   The water is clean, serene, and chilly.   

It was early Spring time, the weather was still quite chilly there, not  a lot of people were at the beach.   C and I enjoyed this view and atmosphere tremendously.

We walked on the golden sand beach and drew pictures in the sand with sticks we found nearby.  The sand was not too soft though, it was instead very pebble-like, rocky, and sandy in texture.  I like some trees on the beach, I bet it gets some shade in the summer.  C and I will definitely come back for the summer view of this beach.

Actually, Kings Beach is also the name of a small town in California.   There are some local shops and quite attractive restaurants in this quaint and charming little town.

Here is the logo of Kings Beach.  Very cute, don't you think?  This place is definitely a great getaway for the people who want to go to the Beach in the early Spring.

The Little Mermaid Beach, Copenhagen, Denmark -- A Fairy Tale Forever

Maybe this is not a big scene but it's a big statement- "A fairy tale forever."
C and I vote this place is one of the most romantic places for lovers.   The little mermaid sitting on the rock, feels like she is telling people her true love is forever.  It's kind of sad and beautiful.
I feel I can spend hours and hours just to sketch this view.
The beautiful story goes on with this sence.  Charming indeed.

A Sand Carving of Flip Flops .--- Siziwan Beach, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Siziwan Beach is an interesting beach.

Technically, this beach is on the campus of Sun Yat-Sen University.  In order to enjoy this beach, people do need to pay  the fee. The fee is around $2.
Even though it was mid November, the weather was still so gorgeous in southern Taiwan. The water was unbelievably warm; it was almost at body temperature.

There were a lot of palm trees and gazebos on the beach. A couple of guys were enjoying the ocean by windsurfing. The atmosphere was full of good vibe and the mood was exotic.  Someone had made a sand carving of flip flops on the beach, it was so fit for the scene. I love it!

Look at the shells I found on the beach. They are big and unique, I had never seen the same kind on any other beaches. Also, I saw a lot of small sized crabs hiding under the sand. I have to say this beach is worth  paying for to enjoy. ;)

Since there were four gazebos on the beach,  I feel there was nothing better than eating and drinking inside the gazebos and enjoying the ocean  as well as the sunset view.

I always have a great time at Siziwan beach and I guarantee no one will be disappointed by it while visiting there. :)

Shell Beach, Sonoma, CA, USA

Shell Beach is an adorable beach. C and I found this beach by seeing the sign when we were driving past Sonoma county.   Who would not want to check this beach out with the name like this?

Tons of shells were delivered to the beach by ocean waves. Shells were everywhere on the beach.

Since a lot of shells had holes, it was easy to make a shell necklace with them.
I saw at least 4 kinds of shells on this beach.

Out of the 4 kinds of shells, I like one of them very much.  

This beach is very cozy and charming.

Bowling Ball Beach, Point Arena, CA, USA

When C and I arrived, it was 11:00 AM in the morning.  We didn't see much -- just a normal Pacific Ocean beach view I would say.  
Only the surface of bowling ball rocks above the sea level were seen.    However, we liked this beach almost right away. There was no crowd and that sense of peace and freedom was wonderful.
C and I enjoyed exploring and appreciating the unique form of stones indeed. Some were round and smooth, some were free form with holes.

It was low tide, around 2:45PM, almost the whole bowling alley had shown up.     I couldn't help but count those bowling ball rocks. --- there were 110!  Amazing!

A local beach goer told me that the bowling ball rocks might move or disappear because of the strong tide. 
The round ball shaped rocks did look like bowling balls, no kidding.

I like the Balling Ball Beach view a lot.    Not to mention the soft fine sand on the beach.   My feet just got so comfy in the hot soft sand.


C and I took time to wait for low tide  in order to see 110 bowling ball rocks appear.  It's totally the way I like enjoying a beach! 

No rush, just relax and enjoy.

I found my "Heart" on Glass Beach, Fort Bragg, Mendocino Coast!

The name of this beach just says it all.

Millions of pieces of tiny sparkling sea glass were all over the beach.  It was so beautiful, especially when the ocean waves kept rushing through all the sea glass just like they were trying to polish all the sea glass to be even more shiny and colorful!   This beach is truly a great gift from Mother Nature.  Who would have known that all the unwanted and broken bottles would have been turned into millions of pieces of sea glass by the ocean waves year after yeas?

It was perfect beach weather.  I saw that all the kids and adults having fun collecting sea glass and heard people saying exclamation words a lot of times.  Ya...I know, I know, I said it at least 10 times too ---"WOW! This is so COOL!"

There, laying on the sand with the rest of the millions of pieces of sea glass, I spotted a heart shaped sea glass.   C and I were so surprised and happy. I couldn't wait to take pictures of it and tell all my friends that I found my "Heart" on the beach.

Not to mention the view of the ocean was magnificent.   The unique form of the coves and rocks would make C and I keep coming back to this beach even if there were no sea glass left on the beach.


What an amazing beach!

Cliff House beach, San Francisco, USA

Even though it's summer, San Francisco is still quite chilly.

While I was studying at SFSU, Cliff House was one of my favorite dating and getaway places. 
This Saturday, C and I came back here again.

Back then, almost every other day, my BFF and I went to Louis'( Louis' diner sits on the cliffs next to the Cliff House overlooking the beautiful Pacific ocean).

Just like the old days, I ordered a hot apple pie with a big scoop of ice cream, and sit in the booth with the best view of the ocean. This place hasn't changed a bit. It was amazing! All the great memories came rushing back to me.  C and I just couldn't stop laughing.

Also, there is a tunnel with a hole in the middle where the ocean waves come crashing in.  It's the tradition that C always carries me through the tunnel.  I hope this tradition goes on 100 years. :)

Do you want to see what the pool looked like 100 years ago or the bathing suit that the women wore 100 years ago?  Click here --  http://www.cliffhouse.com/

Sutro Baths (a huge swimming pool) was built by the ocean way back in year 1894. It was burned down by a fire. )  Even today, you still can see the ruins and the old foundation left on the beach.   C and I climbed up and down to burn the calories.
Cliff house totally is a part of San Francisco history.
No doubt, it was also a part of my San Francisco memory. :)

Maui -- Swimming with 16 dolphins

I have been to Hawaii 3 times and I like Maui the most.  It was a once in a life time experience when sixteen wild dolphins and one sea turtle swam with me at Honolua Bay.  The beach was formed with big round stones.  The corals close to the shore was great for snorkeling.   While I was snorkeling, I heard high pitch sounds.  I was excited to learn that it might have come from the dolphins.  I tried to make the dolphins notice me by snapping my fingers under the water.  I didn't know if the dolphins really can hear me.  However, they swam to me.  I had my snorkeling goggles on and I noticed it was quite a distance between me and them.  I saw the big black group of dolphins moving towards me.  No kidding, there was a moment when I was not sure  if they were sharks or dolphins. 

I was so happy that the dolphins stayed close to me as if I was one of them.

The bottlenose dolphins were not shy to show off their spinning skills in the air. They are very playful.   It was one of the most magical moments of my life.  From that moment onward, I became a big fan of dolphins.  I don't like them living in an aquarium or at "Sea World".  they deserve to live in the wild open ocean.

Another big bonus was to see a sea turtle just 2 feet from me while I swam.  We swam together for a while until I couldn't keep up with the sea turtle any longer.   Till this day, I still remember the thrill I had at the Honolua Bay.

Camping on the New Brighton State Beach

Have you slept with the sea lions roaring?  I just experienced it last night while I camped on the New Brighton State Beach.  The campsite has direct access (stairs) to the beach.   I had a view of the ocean from my campsite.   The ocean wave sound was my background music during my BBQ.  It was amazing! ;) 

At 1:35AM, I was having fun at the bonfire eating marshmallows.  I heard the sound from the sea lions. It confirmed what I had seen earlier on the beach as they were swimming in the ocean.

This is my first time camping by the beach, I am sure I will come back here very soon.

English Bay, Vancouver, Canada

This beach is the most friendly beach I have ever seen. the tree trunks were placed nicely on the beach for people to sit on or to lean against.

Also,  the lifeguard was sitting in the small boat near the water slides in the ocean to oversee people.  It was very considerate of the beach goers safety.   I was very impressed by these arrangements.

People enjoyed the sunset and the beach very much.
What a great beach and a great city. :)

It's one of the most romantic beaches that you have to visit. :)