Through a Naturist Lens

We got lucky and now have air tickets for the repatriation flight on Sunday. Tomorrow morning, Friday, we travel to Quito where Air Canada will pick us up on Sunday morning. We are making the travel to Quito early as we don’t like leaving things to chance at the last minute. We have booked two nights at the modern airport hotel which is within walking distance. Leave nothing to chance. As a result, this post will be the last from the casa here in Olon.

The day has been hectic beyond measure, totally an anxiety filled day for both of us. It will be a relief to be able to return home even though it is still winter on the prairies and we will be confined to our house for another round of quarantine.  Family are doing their part in Canada to make our return as problem free as possible. Gas in our vehicle which will be waiting for us at the airport. Vehicle filled with groceries which the missus has listed for a certain nephew who has kept our vehicle in his yard over the winter to date.  Our friends have been doing their part as well.

One particular bit of help was from our next door neighbour who emailed me this morning to tell me she had a dream last night about our returning home. Every bit helps. And you, my readers, have been part of that positive support group that have kept my spirits up while in quarantine here in Ecuador. Thank you.

As this post’s title says, we are alive and well here in our casa in Ecuador. This is not something we take for granted. We are diligent in doing our part to keep out health as good as it can be. The most important part, is how we safeguard our psychological health, how we keep up positive spirits. Once one descends into anxiety and depression, the physical health becomes even more compromised. So, how are we doing that?

We have created routines. Most of our pre-social isolation are kept in place, such as morning coffee on the patio, connections with our children and grandchildren using social media, playing competitive card and dice games, daily exercise, and working together to prepare meals are some of those routines.

A new family group was created using Messenger, with the express purpose of cheering each other and bridging distances. Our adult children need this as much as we do. As well, we have been practising using a new message translator for our WhatsApp application so that there are no misunderstandings when talking to Ecuadorian transportation companies.

Now, for me, the added bonus is that I get to do all of this basically clothing free. I have a pair of shorts and top ready if needed. Of course, if I leave the property to get a few groceries [I know, it’s not allowed for seniors – I am a rebel], the clothing is obligatory. Life has definitely shifted to a more hopeful attitude.

I got an email late, yesterday evening, telling me that a repatriation flight is going to leave early tomorrow morning from the Quito airport. There was a problem that quickly reared its ugly head. How do we get to Quito as the provincial borders are all closed, and there is a curfew in place to restrict movement. A quick call to a trusted source told us that two days earlier, a person we both know, had taken a taxi from here to there. Because of the curfews, it took two travel days to reach Quito. A quick juggling of numbers and we knew that the plane would likely have been ready to land in Toronto before we could get to the airport, if there were no complications en route. We didn’t buy the air tickets. An hour after the announcement, all seat tickets were sold.

This morning, many who aren’t in Quito are realising they bought tickets but can’t get to the airport in time. A number of them are stranded in unknown towns along the way, with no way to return to their rentals or homes, nor any way to go further in hopes of catching a different plane. Naturally, this made for a poor night of sleep. Now, we have come to the realisation that we will likely be in Ecuador until the borders reopen, something that could take months. We accept that reality. I mean, if one has to be in social isolation, as if one is already in quarantine, what better place could we choose?

This leaves me with a lot of time for writing new material and working on the needed editing of my previous efforts. I was working well on my projects up until almost two weeks ago. Then, COVID19 shoved its nose into my life.

We are both healthy, though we are in the target demographic for being annihilated by the virus.  To keep it that way, we have been rigorously exercising and being extra careful with our eating and drinking habits. My sorties to go out for groceries as needed, are severely limited. And when I do go out, I wear a face mask. It helps that most I encounter on the streets [and there aren’t many on the streets] are also wearing masks – it’s mandated. Everyone is keeping a healthy distance from each other. Well, almost everyone. There are the young adults who somehow believe they are exempt from all rules that impinge on the sense of entitlement. However, that is a different story which I won’t go into at this time.

Now, we are having a few people deciding that they will do their part to take care of us. Water jug delivery, grocery runs, printing needs – they are offering and are there to make sure that this Abuelo and Abuela are kept safe. This involves both young adults and the not-so-young. It helps when you are visible and friendly in a small fishing village in the middle of nowhere along the Pacific Ocean. Now, all we have to do is stay sane until we can finally return home. And yes, most of the time, I do get to live clothing free.

I know, it looks like it is beautiful. And, it is very, very beautiful to be honest. Three buildings surround this green space. We are the only residents in this compound. The grounds are open to view by any passersby, but at this time, those numbers are very low – just the occasional foreign surfer, or dog walker, or cyclists who feel the rules of social distancing doesn’t apply to them.

Like all foreigners here in Ecuador, my wife and I spend much of our time combing through governmental info from both Canada and Ecuador [yes, I can read Spanish] to make sure we know the official news. Many foreigners are not so discerning and some are being “taken to the cleaners” so-to-speak as they book and pay for plane tickets for flights that don’t exist. There are no short cuts nor guarantees that we will get a flight before Ecuador says “No!” to incoming flights. If that happens, we will remain in Ecuador until regular flights return, likely some time in June if we are lucky.

I don’t dare complain as we are safe here. The weather is perfect. We have more space than many who find themselves in our situation. And we have each other. The bonus, because of our location, the opportunity live more of my life outdoors while nude is possible. Naturally, I take advantage of that opportunity.

This morning, the Prime Minister of Canada addressed Canadians with a crystal clear statement: “Enough is enough. Go home and stay home.” The threat of invoking the War Measures Act to enforce his words was implied, an act that his father had invoked during the time of the FLQ crisis in Canada in the early 1970s when he was Prime Minister of Canada. The last thing PM Justin Trudeau wants for Canada is to become another Italy.  Here is a link to some recent responses to personal freedoms in Italy.

It appears that the president of Ecuador is not going to be far behind in doing what is necessary to enforce social distancing and social isolation.

This is really what it is here in Ecuador for me at this point in time. Our community is getting even stricter. Curfew has been lengthened, now beginning at 4pm until 5am. Too many foreigners in the community are still carrying surfboards to the beach, and wandering around as though COVID19 has nothing to do with them. As a result, tensions are spreading thin with regards to foreigners and the local people. Of course, a number of local people are also ignoring the increasing number of rules that are intended to keep the community safe for both locals and foreigners.

Since I am an “older” person, I now am restricted from going to the grocery stores. Social-distancing had been replaced with social-isolation. I “must” arrange for younger people to do my grocery shopping for me, and to bring prepared meals from a few restaurants now offering such meals. At least, I can go outdoors on this property. I am luckier than most of the foreigners in our community with this beautiful courtyard. With no neighbours sharing the yard – the other two houses are empty – we have the place to ourselves.

Since we are on the edge of the community, near the end of a dead-end road, there is not much traffic. There should be even less, but that is not my concern. Because of our “natural” distance from others, I get to spend more of my time outdoors without the need for clothing. Of course, I have to keep a pair of shorts nearby as our caretaker appears a few times during the day to check up on us, and a few passersby like to stop and talk for a bit. No, they shouldn’t be out and about, but that is irrelevant. They are the ones who believe rules are for other people and that they have the god-given right to do as they damn-well please. I guess you can see my anger showing up a bit here.

I get to sunbathe, meditate, read, write, do social media – all without the need to wear clothing and outside. Now, it is time to get busy with more editing. Ciao until the next time. Remember, “we are all in this together!”

I slept well, for the most part. We both seem to snuggle closer during the night, both somehow attuned to the other. With the first hint of the night beginning to shift into day, it was time to declare that it was morning, time to get up. It’s not like we have to rush off to work or anything. We just have had enough sleep. Of course, going to bed a bit earlier might be partially responsible for this as well.

On today’s agenda, is basically a repeat of yesterday’s agenda. Morning exercise routines out of doors with nine stations for a variety of exercises included. Losing access to the 12 kilometre long beach and our daily walks between eight and ten kilometres had to be replaced with something. Naturally, we are finding that we are now working muscles that hadn’t been used much while walking. Who knows, perhaps we will be in better physical shape when all this is done.

With exercises done, we take the time for connecting with family and friends using a variety of social media. A special family Messenger group has been vital to all of us for the past few days. The only requirement is that we keep the focus positive. We don’t need to rehash the gloomy news that is flooding the world of social media and mass media. Of course, we do check out the daily news, and the now daily messages from our Prime Minister and government officials. The New York Times lists three government news sources as credible in the world – New York, Canada, and Germany. It’s assuring to know that the rest of the world tells us our leader is doing it right.

Next, it then is time for me to write and to edit. I have a daily journal, this blog site, and book three of my autobiography to rework. I have no shortage of things to write.

Somewhere along the way today, I will make a number of books available for free and others for “price determined by reader” on Smashwords. Once that has been put into place, I will post the links here, on Twitter, and on Facebook. With the going out to bookstores now cancelled in most places of the world, it will be my contribution so that those who are self-isolating have something good to read without having to pay too much as money becomes more and more of an issue. I encourage others in the Naturist Writing Community to do the same. I see that my writing buddy, Paul Z. Walker has already done this. Well done, Paul.

Well, I knew it was coming, but I really wasn’t ready for it. The Ecuadorian military has shut down all the beaches, parks, and recreational areas in the country. Everyone is to stay at home. And, they mean business. Break curfew, drive when you aren’t supposed to, be where you aren’t supposed to be – potential for three years in jail. Yesterday, a man broke curfew, plead guilty and was given 4 months in prison rather than the otherwise minimum of 1 year. There is also a fine option of US$6,000 for breaking curfew. Needless to say, this all makes me feel safer here in Ecuador that I would feel in the USA, Europe, and even Canada.

With no beach walking, my routines have changed. We created an exercise routine setting up outdoor stations in our yard and patio. At the end of our morning rotation through the stations, I sat for twenty minutes of mediation. This will now become a two-meditation sessions per day, both morning meditation in the shade, and as pictured above, afternoon meditation in the sun.

Sunbathing shifts from somewhere down the beach to a corner near the patio which is hidden from potential passersby. This is the same location as where I meditate.  This is how a naturist self-isolates in Ecuador when there is a bit of outdoor private space. We are lucky as the three-house compound is empty with the exception of the two of us.

I went grocery shopping, one of the few things allowed, this morning. I bought a few face masks so that I don’t cause the local shop owners or passing locals to worry about the foreigner they see passing them. Small shops don’t let you in the store, they get what you need and bring it to the front of the store for you. Knowing some Spanish is very, very helpful. The store workers are wearing face masks and use hand sanitizers before serving a customer. And in two stores, they squirt sanitizer on your hands before  you enter their store. In another store, they even offered sanitizer after payment has been made. Once at home, I went through the washing up using soap and water. I’m doing my part for helping control and contain the COVID19 pandemic. As our Canadian Health Minister has said, we don’t want to just want to flatten the curve, we want to “plank” it.

Yes, I am feeling frazzled. Blame it on the pandemic. Here I am in what many would call paradise, with an endless beach to walk that is almost denuded of people – sun, surf, sand – and I still find myself at odds with myself. I am healthy and where I am will likely allow me to remain healthy. So what is with this feeling?

It might have something to do with being out-of-country and not at home. All the “what ifs” come to mind with regards to my children, their mates, and my grandchildren. It might have more to do with the “not knowing” anything about when a flight will appear that would transport my wife and me to our home on the Canadian prairies. But mostly, it is likely about not being in control of almost anything with the exception of how I will spend the hours of my day. It’s not as if I am a victim of anything or anyone. What I feel is being felt by most people around the world at this time.

Like most people, social distancing is a must. In Ecuador, in this particular fishing village, it is relatively easy because of the endless and wide beach. But even here, the constant parade of public transportation buses that takes us to a neighbouring town, or to a number of cities, are not running. Local grocery stores have remained open, but you can’t enter them. You tell the people working in the store what you need, and they bring it out to you. In some stores, metal barriers are kept closed so that the products are passed through openings. Of course, restaurants can only deliver meals, or provide pickup service. That is, until their supplies run out.

A friend of mine operates one of these restaurants. He usually makes runs to a city, an hour and a half away, twice a week in order to stock his restaurant. These trips can’t happen anymore. Road blockades are up to make sure that all non-essential travel doesn’t happen. There is a curfew which adds to the complications.

Walking around the town is discouraged. People are afraid, and rightly so. And, it is only day two of our community shutdown.

Yet, there still is the beach. And with few using the beach, especially during the heat of the afternoon, I get to be skyclad almost as much as I want.

I am one of the lucky ones. Tell me, how it is going for you during this Covid-19 crisis? Reach out. Connect. Breach the distance and isolation using the gift of Computer Mediated Communication and social media. You aren’t alone. We are all in this together

It’s warm, and the sunshine is abundant this morning, the first day of road blockades, curfews, and enforced social distancing. We aren’t confined to our casa though we have restricted access to essential services such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and health centres.

We do still have access to the beach where we had coffee this morning while watching a pod of dolphins not too distant from the shore. Surfers were already in the water as soon it will be high tide, the perfect time to catch a hoped-for big wave. Joggers were taking advantage of the cooler morning air, and a few others were slowly wandering the beach at the edge of the fishing village. One wouldn’t even realise that there was a pandemic ravaging the world, if one saw only this scene – well, with the exception of drastically reduced numbers of people on the beach.

Less people on the beach means that I will be likely spending time at a favourite location for sunbathing and wading in the surf without fear that someone will see me and report me. An old, naked man out of view of the village, is not all that threatening at this point in time. Strangely, I miss the occasional passerby wandering past me. I know that I am seen, almost every time that I have risked sunbathing.

Despite that, I am given my space without protest. Now, I know that physical distancing is becoming more of a factor. And, I am not alone in missing the contact with others. Back home, my naturist organisation has cancelled their monthly swim in the city. Other groups and locations are experiencing the same thing. Social naturism is taking a big hit from the Corona Virus pandemic.

So, is there anything we can do to add a “social” dimension with social distancing and social isolation now in place in much of the world? The simple answer is yes. Since we are in the age of social media, a face of computer-mediated communication [CMC], breaching the barrier of isolation is readily available to us. I cut my teeth with CMC in the 1990s, before the worldwide web launched. Taking part in various social experiments for education and mental-health purposes, taught me and others involved, that authentic communication was [and is] possible when that is the intent. Today, social media gives us so much more than was possible back in the day of limited email, server discussion lists.

We need to connect with each other via Twitter, MeWe, Blog sites, and other social media. Even Facebook is important because of Messenger connections. Though we are prevented from physically gathering together, we are not proscribed from being there virtually for each other. You will find me here and on Twitter. where the hashtags, #NormalisingNaturism and #NaturistCommunity are used along with #covid19 and #SocialDistancing. Join me in building a virtual naturist community. We are not really all alone through this pandemic, unless we choose to be alone.

As of midnight tonight, all travel out of country is restricted, and all international arrivals are to be cancelled here in Ecuador. CoVid19 is the reason. My scheduled flight home on April 3, may or may not happen at that time. I might be required to board a ghost plane to be repatriated back to Canada, or I might have to wait for normal flights to resume further down the road in the future. Since I am 70 years old, I am in the demographic of “at serious risk.” My adult children are understandably worried. However, I am not.

I have a place to live here. My landlady has confirmed that we can stay as long as is needed. The stores here are not showing any shortages here in our little fishing town. Yes, even the toilet paper is in abundant supply. There is abundant sunshine and warmth, two things that mitigate the spread of the virus. The government of Ecuador is stepping up and enacting all sorts of measures to keep Ecuadorians safe, which in turn keeps us safe.

Keeping social distance is relatively easy for the most part. The exceptions are when we make the decision to go out to eat with others we know who are in the same position as us. The beach is long, about eleven kilometres from one end to the other end. On our daily walks, when the beach is busy, we often go about 100 to 250 metres between small groups using the beach. Where I sunbathe, I have about 400 metres in either direction with very little passersby strolling on the beach. I am about 50 metres away from the water’s edge where these beach strollers pass by.

Of course, there is always a risk of becoming infected, but perhaps the risk here is significantly less than if I was back home in Canada which is still in the grips of winter. Back home, fear is rampant. Here, it is very laid back. Yet, for all of that keeping it cool, the beach crowd in front of the cabana restaurants and bars is drastically smaller than normal. People from the cities several hours distant are staying away. Fear of crowded bus travel for three hours is one of the factors.

With smaller crowds, I get to be clothing free along the beach a bit more. I risk it knowing that only a few might see me [and they do]. So far, no one stops to stare or to express their being offended. And that, is perhaps helping to normalise naturism. Just a thought.

How are you doing during these difficult times?