Wednesday 21 December 2011

River no 2 beach ...

Let me start by pointing out that the old bounty bar advert " a taste of paradise " was filmed here .... from what I remember - it was actually on the sand bank I have in this photo !

It's a stunning setting of a river (no 2) that runs into a shallow wide sea opening ... The sand is soft and pure white - the sea is very clean and clear ... Waves permitting .... But always crystal clear and clean turquoise in the river .. And 15 mins further south from franco's - you find yourself in another 2-3 miles of even more soft, even more brilliant clean and clear sandy beaches, with few people anywhere to be seen other than outside of the beach huts area you stay in.

Also river no2 beach is run as a closed area cooperative ... Run to provide schools, health care, jobs, and other community services to the area... So another big tick on my Eco status !!!!

Another area ravaged by war - this is a place of extreme beauty somewhat struggling to go beyond the 70's ...  actually I should stop saying this as it is exactly the same for the entire country ....In terms of decor - design - and well you get the drift from the franco's description, (except has a few less luxury items compared to the Franco's list,) ... But does have good staff ( it's a community driven thing) - very basic ... And when I say basic .. Well let me explain ..

You are given the option of 3 dishes - chicken fish lobster ...(they lie about the chicken as mostly not available).  When asked how they are cooked ( expecting some menu driven options such as various sauces or combined dishes) you are told with chips or rice ... Sometimes salad is around (but not really, they lie about this also) so when requesting it you feel somewhat better in yourself that you have attempted to eat healthily ... And that's it ... Lunch and dinner .... Breakfast is a vast selection of options .. You can eggs cooked 3 ways - bread and jam ... And a pot of hot water to make tea and coffee !!!!

Lets be clear then ... you are not at river no 2 beach for the decor or the culinary delights ... But as I sit on the beach right next to the sea - in 30 degree sun and heat at 9 am ... Looking at 3 miles of deserted pure White sands rolling jungle hills as the back drop ... And 5 or so deserted islands breaking up a clean and clear Atlantic ocean... Perhaps I should not be fishing for sympathy .....

River no 2 beach has a trip up the river no 2 to see the secret waterfall -crocodiles, and fishing monkeys using their tails to catch crabs .... A lot like a night out in a dodgy bar in Luton ... Where crab fishing is often a consequence, not a choice !!

Power is on for a couple of hours in the morning - and then not until about 7 at night .... There is only cold water ... And last night (2nd night at the beach) there was no water at all - and they had sold out of bottle water !!! So the tide was truly out for us until about 9.30pm .... and being right on the beach I found sand in areas of my body that I didn't even know existed !!! ( note to self ... begin to wash new found areas !!! )


Decision made - Day 2 chill , dip in the river, come back, have a beer, contemplate navel, wander up and down the beach- come back again, have another beer ... etc ... Day 3 is going to be the trip to the waterfall. For now ... Its business as usual - sitting on the beach ... With a drink - listening to the waves crash against the shore about 10 steps away from me, and behind me, about 10 steps away from my beach-side hut ...

It's a hard life being a bareguitarist ....


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2 comments:

  1. Hey John. Sounds cool.
    err, the original Bounty Ad was filmed at Vai beach on the island of Crete. It was done with trick photography because if you visit (as I did) its a massive disappointment. Your place sounds like the real deal :-) P

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think you are correct Paul - the very first original one was - but this was the girl in bikini doing her slow walk out of the sea (river) onto the sandy beach (sand bank)... the one that is mostly commented on because of the small bikini bottoms .. but hey its a blog - and I think most people will give me artistic licence on this point ... :) or maybe not :) :)

    ReplyDelete