Chintsa

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Chintsa (pronounced sint-za, and also spelled Cintza) is a small town at the beginning of the Wild Coast, an aptly named raw and remote stretch of beaches, mostly untouched and stunningly beautiful. History and circumstance seem to have conspired to save the Wild Coast from development but one must assume it can't be too far off. It is an unfortunate truism that land that looks like this doesn't stay undeveloped for long. Luckily for those who live here, there seem to be many rules and regulations regarding development desinged to protect the natural beauty and ecosystems found in the region, and the indigenous populations that have called it home through the centuries. Chintsa marks the beginning of these miles upon miles upon miles of secluded, hard to reach, empty white beaches on the warm Indian Ocean, framed with 20-30 ft sand dunes.

We stayed at a place called Buccaneer's in Chintsa West. Again, an awesome room with a kitchen and a spectacular view of the ocean, for a low price. The bar also had an amazing view, and as we watched the sun go down we had a few drinks served to us by the bartender, Matt Hamilton, whose new book Through Travel and Error was just released. Make sure to check it out, as it recounts his travels of leaving Canada ten years ago with not much more than a one way ticket. I think we had our first taste of travel envy. I hope to meet many more such nomads along the way anf get out of our own comforts zones when the time comes

The next morning we spent a few hours walking on the beach, checking out the rock pools (Andy has an addiction to rock pools and has promised to find me an octopus), and caught some sunshine. It's interesting how our perception of entertainment has already changed. A guy fishing off the rocks caught a sandshark and watching him bring it in was like watching the Discovery Channel live. Watching the surfers riding waves is like watching ESPN, and I feel as if I'm inside the TV, not in front of it.

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Photos

Our little Cabana
The front of our place. so far the backpacker places have been safe, clean and cheap...the perfect trifecta

Bar with a view
Sitting outside at the Bar waiting for the sunset. The vibe here is amazing, a great place to get away from it all.

Admin
After days on the road, our chariot needed some air

Fishing
Got to throw a line in, not even a bite. I could stand here for hours and not catch a thing and be perfectly content. being surrounded by clean ocean, beach and nothing else is awesome

Chillaxin'
(shhhh-it's the same shirt two days in a row)

Rock Pools
the rock pools here were really cool, like a thousand little fishbowls carved into the rocks over time, each one its own little theatre of life until the tides change the show

Chintsa beach
This one speaks for itself

Sand Dune
Doesn't really capture the height of the dune, but it was a whopper