La Playa

Most of my vacation memories as a child are on a beach.  I do not classify myself as a surfer, boater or sailor but whenever I taste the salt water and feel the sand beneath my toes, I feel right at home.  I also find myself in constant pursuit of the perfect beach and part of me wonders if it really exists. A great blog post during some down time might be the my top beaches I have visited and one that will certainly be on there is Nicaragua's La Playa Octotal.

The desolate beach at Morgan's Rock.

The strip of beach at Morgan's Rock must not be more than a half mile long.  Normally this would be a problem at place like the Jersey shore or the French Riviera.  Yet, when your fighting for (or not fighting for) beach spots with only ten other people, there is plenty of beach real estate to go around.  The tranquility is by far the best part as this must be the most desolate beach I have ever been on.  At some points throughout the day we have been on the only people on the beach.

The wave break and far in the distance is a cave we explored.

One thing we noticed here are the grains of black sand due to Nicaragua's volcanic activity.  I don't know for sure, but my guess is that the volcanoes are the reason the water is not crystal clear blue like in the Caribbean.  However, from afar you still have that Pacific blue and when taking a dip the sea is crystal clear.   

All the kids on the beach.

Hammocks hang from palm trees providing shade to all beach goers from the hot tropical sun.  Lizards roam the outskirts of the jungle where howler monkeys yelp in the distance.  Hundreds of crabs scurry the coastline diving into their holes when our shadows dominate in their presence.  Wildlife is abundant at La playa Ocotal and it makes anyone's time at the beach that much more enjoyable.  

Relaxing in the shade.

La playa at Morgan's Rock is truly a paradise as any vacationer so easily forgets their worries from the real world as phrases such as "I could do this every day" are uttered over and over.  Oh and have I mentioned the sunsets.