Our current time zone: GMT +8 (We're home in Singapore!)
My sister is notoriously bad at getting her geographical and scientific facts correct. To recap, this is the girl who peered over NYC from the viewing deck of the Empire State Building and asked where the Pentagon was, got Lima and llama mixed up, then claimed that coffee was laced with nicotine and cigarettes contained caffeine.
She left a comment on our blog entry about our electronic equipment going awry and insightfully pointed out that we were within the confines of the Bermuda Triangle when it started happening. And boy did she get the Triangle area spot on i.e. the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean, with Miami, Bermuda and San Juan forming the points of the triangle encapsulating the Bahamas. 
Known as the Devils Triangle, the region is famous for the mysterious disappearance of a number of aircraft (including an entire flight squadron) and vessels, which were alleged to have vanished in circumstances beyond the boundary of human error, piracy, technical equipment failure or natural disasters. Stories have it that strong magnetic forces in the region can cause compasses and electronic equipment in machines to go quite bonkers. There are also tales of these disappearances being attributed to paranormal activity or extraterrestrial beings aka aliens. Which could explain why my sister got her facts straight this time - I have always suspected that she was from Mars...But yes, it is all rather creepy isnt it?
Most of our friends know Dan and me as beach bunnies, sun worshippers and scuba lovers. Most of our holidays during our time together have been either scuba trips with dive buddies or to beach resorts. Getting to know each other on a beautiful beach in Galle, Sri Lanka (with 10 other journalists and travel agents) in February 2004 must have really set the tone for our future vacations together.Back home on a Saturday afternoon, you can find us gazing at Sentosa (Fort Siloso, to be accurate) and Labrador Park while lazing on our favourite deckchairs, placed right smack between the Keppel Club pool and the sea. On Sunday, we'll be at Carpark F at East Coast Park at 4pm, snapping on our blades, all ready to glide from the Fort Road end to Changi and back. All for the love of the sun.On this trip, we've experienced a wide range of travel destinations - cityscapes, wintry mountain regions, lush green countryside, red deserts, quaint towns, placid lakes. But there's nothing quite like a warm sunny sandy beach to make us feel right at home.We had a few opportunities to experience beaches in the USA. For fellow beach-lovers out there, here are some valuable tips from your soon-to-be-broke friends here (but we're still dishing out travel advice FOC! I used to get paid for doing this....)Evaluation Criteria (this term reminds me of drafting tenders for work... ugh)1) We actually set foot on the beach. Driving past a beach or looking at it from an elevated viewpoint does not count.2) The maximum amount of body cover comprises a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Wearing sweats and a jacket to the coast does not qualify as 'going to the beach'. It's called 'freezing while staring at seawater'.3) It has sand. I've never met a rocky beach that's comfortable for lounging on.Coming in at No. 5: Golden Gate Recreational Area (San Francisco)
This patch of sand offers a great view of the famous Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands beyond. It was buzzing with activity when we got there - families with kids, and pet owners with their pooches, and is a great place for busybodying. It's really cute to watch the dogs bounding into the waves to fetch a tossed twig. As long as you don't reach out for any random bobbing twig and realise instead that it's a cute doggy turd swimming towards you.
Trekking all the way from the Rockies to find a warm sunny beach? 
Welcoming the first beach on our itinerary
You don't have to pay US$10 to rent a beach umbrella here. Not that there's a rental stand anyway. 
It's nice to share the beach with other non-human visitors. If we could see them. 
Lots of fun in splashing the seabirds which fly so low to the waves
That's all the sand there is
Blue is a cool favourite here
A hammock big enough for two
Art doesn't come just in the form of toned bodies here. Even the buildings look good. 
You can roll all you want in the plentiful white sands here. But that would probably be considered uncool on this hip planet. 
Crowded on a weekday!
You NEED a beach umbie here on this shadeless beach
The most beautiful aquamarine water ever
It's really important to read the signs here.
We cleared off another item on our checklist (as mentioned in this post) while we were in Miami. Miami... such a nice name. Split it up and it becomes 'mi ami', or 'my friend'. Cool, huh?Anyway, there is this place in Miami called Haulover Beach (such a nice name! I would split it up into something that describes me... 'hau [good] lover') where clothing is optional.We decided to make a trip to this beach just to take a look. Just a look. If it was full of old, fat fugly people, we were out of there, right? But no... we were pleasantly surprised that there was a huge variety of people and body types there. I mean, it really sucks to have the best bodies on this beach, because everyone would be looking at you. So I'm kinda glad that there were better bodies around. 
Interestingly, being on a nude beach is not exactly an erotic experience. You luxuriate in the freedom of not having a stitch on. You worry a bit about getting your privates sunburnt because they are so not used to seeing the sun. You apply sunblock as per normal. You sit up and look around and amaze at all the people just sunning themselves, mostly as couples, but sometimes in groups. There was even a group of students! It boggles the mind, but the Florida International University is pretty much right next door to the beach! So, as I was saying, there are no problems with errant flagstaffs. After awhile, it's actually possible to just settle back, tune out all the nudity around you and just read... until 3 naked youths approach you to join in their Young Nudist Party the very next night...
As the sun got hotter, we started to really get worried about sunburn, so we rented an umbrella for USD 10. It turned out to be a wise choice, as we later realised that the guy renting out the umbrellas was doing a sellout business, and within an hour, no longer had any other umbrellas for rent. Everyone else just had to burn!We really enjoyed the experience, so we decided to make another trip down the next day. But not before we scoured all the department stores in the area and purchased an umbrella from K-Mart for USD 16! 
This trip is all about new experiences. And frankly, I'd rather sun my ass than freeze it. I just hope that all that lying around was sanitary. After all, we don't want to get crabs, eh?
We know they're around somewhere... they autographed the sign.
