The “carnaval” crowds are gone and the beach is basically empty, especially in the early afternoon when the heat persuades so many to retreat indoors to air conditioning and afternoon siestas. For some reason, I tolerate heat very well. I left our place at noon and walked just over one kilometre to a place that has the least amount of beach traffic. It’s the place where I skinny dip most days.
Once there, the Kiniki mini brief tan through swim suit came off. A ground sheet was placed and I got to spend a glorious hour doing absolutely nothing other than basking in the sunshine.
Then, it was time to go to the water. Since the beach site I chose was about 70 metres from the water’s edge, I was a long walk to get to the water to cool off. With no one in site, I made that journey carrying my swim suit “just in case.” No one showed up in either direction for hundreds of metres in both directions. I had about 250 metres to the north where a few people were in the sea. To the south, it was about 500 metres to reach a few more who wandered the water’s edge.
Once in the water, I had another long walk to reach deep enough water to submerse myself. It is more than another 100 metres from the water’s edge to waist deep water between between surf swells. It is sand all the way to point where the surf begins, that place where surfers head out to in order to wait for a big wave to ride.
Finally, after being pummelled by the waves, the equivalent to a deep-tissue massage, I returned to my blanket to begin packing up and making my way back to the apartment. Carrying my stuff in a draw-string bag, I walked almost 400 metres before finally deciding to put my swimming briefs back on. This is Ecuador, a non-naturist country. But as I am learning, there is always somewhere and sometime for the freedom to be nude in a nature setting.