Speaking of exploring, I went for a walk with one of the other owner-residents on the trail and along the beach to the west of the resort. One of the first posts on this blog was from a walk I took along this same route. When the tide is out, often, villagers go to this area to find seafood (octopus, squid, lobster etc.) on the extensive reefs. There are a couple of nice places to swim with a sandy beach and clear water. The reef keeps these areas calm, when the tide is out, and this walk is much easier when the tide is out (low).
A Big Surprise at Trail's End
When this trek was originally done, you came to a spot where mangroves prevent further progress and a small river empties into the bay. On the other side, dense jungle and mangroves made a beautiful site. Now, the land on the west side of this bay has been prepared for a large scale resort development. "Prepared" is a nice way of saying stripped clean of most all vegetation. Palms have been left or planted, and it looks like sand was brought in for a swimming beach.
As an owner here at the resort, I have mixed feelings about these new neighbors. It will be years before anything is actually constructed, and, while I would welcome the possible upside effect on the value of my investment here at Bala, the loss of that beautiful wild coastline is a real loss for the environment. In the meantime the natural coastline and beaches between Bala and the mega development can continue to provide many hours of enjoyment.
I hope you enjoy these pictures from the recent hike on the west trail.
The trail is visible below the restaurant just above the waterline. Look back after you have started down the path and you will see Bala Beach Resort.
It is a nice walk and easy to see where to go. You will always be on the beach or very close to it.
Beach walk looking back toward Maria Chiquita
Many interesting things to see.
Clear water. Perfect for a swim or snorkel.
When you can't go much further you are looking across a bay to the next big development.
There is a white sand beach just visible at the right side of this image. When I first saw this area it was mangroves. It was beautiful. More about our new neighbors later. This walk on the west trail is not overly difficult and it doesn't take long to get to the point where you can not easily go further. It is most easily done at low tide and very low tides make the walk even more interesting. Take your swim suit and enjoy one of the nice swimming spots along the way. Bring a plastic bag to bring back some trash that has washed up on the beach to make it even more beautiful for the next explorer.
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