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They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so please go to
Slice of Paradise to get a true understanding of the place I have come
to love so much. The place is called Tankah Cove, and it is about three
miles north of the ruins of Tulum. Tankah Cove is a magical place that I
first discovered in 1987.
Find me a person who loves going to nude beaches.
June and her husband, Arturo (another California retiree), have built a
wonderful home and two Robinson Crusoe style palapas on their beachfront
lot. The house sleeps six, one of the palapas sleeps four and, the other
palapa sleeps two.
June and Arturo cater to all different kinds of vacationers: straight, gay,
Americans, Europeans, hippies, stockbrokers and best of all - clothing
optional! Being the not-so-grown-up-California-hippies that they are, they
have opened their doors to many clothing optional groups in the last few
years. They love it since there is less laundry to do!
The property is at the very end of a private little cove and as a result
they have few neighbors. Most of the houses that have been built along this
stretch of beach are vacation homes that are not lived in year round.
Directly to the north of them is a stretch of beach that is a private
reserve and is completely undeveloped.
I was there in October of last year and am happy to report that for ten
days, I only got dressed to visit the local restaurant that is about five
"blocks" away. I sunbathed on the beach, built sand castles, frolicked in
the water, hunted for shells, took a few nature hikes - and best of all came
back with no tan lines!
Find me a person who loves going to nude beaches.
Occasionally a tourist would stroll by (all the beaches in Mexico are
public), but no one blinked an eye. As a matter of fact several people took
my nudity as a sign that it was ok for them to free themselves of their
swimsuits. I particularly remember what looked like a honeymooning couple
who walked by and asked, "Is this the nude beach?" and I replied, "Oh yes.
People have been running around here naked for years!" The young man then
said, "Well, we don't want to offend anyone." He then removed his swimsuit,
as did his slightly more timid bride. They then strolled down the beach
about fifty yards, and spent the rest of the day soaking up the sun and
playing in the cove.
What I discovered is that nudity is contagious! Others walked by followed
our example. There was even an elderly woman who came by in tennis shoes and
Bermuda shorts. She removed her bikini top and waved it over her head in a
liberating move.
On another day I was building a sandcastle out on the beach in front of the
palapa when three military men came marching by in full uniform complete
with rifles. I knew this was a normally event, as the military often patrols
the beach in groups of three. I had witnessed this for over a decade, so I
was not alarmed. I was a little concerned though that my bathing suit was
out of reach, and attempting to retrieve it would have only drawn more
attention to myself. Well, they just walked on by as if I was just one of
many nude tourists they had seen that day.
In addition to hanging around the fabulous turquoise waters of the cove, I
also visited a few other beaches known for their free spirits. One such
place is called Maya Tulum. It is a laid-back resort about two miles south
of the ruins of Tulum (maybe four miles from Tankah), and made up of several
of the palapa style huts. There is a really wonderful beach in front of this
place, and many people play in the surf naked. The days that I visited,
there were probably ten to fifteen people from all walks of life frolicking
in the waves. The little cove in front of this resort is perfect for
funneling the surf. The result is nice big body surfing waves. I think it is
one of the most beautiful places on earth.
One day I took a walk down this stretch of beach for miles wearing my
swimsuit as a bracelet. (I had no way of knowing if I might need to don my
suit for some reason.) I discovered that this part of the world attracts
beach lovers from all over the world. They all seemed to appreciate the
un-resistible call of the beach. After all most of them had come half way
around the world just like me to play in this paradise. Some were topless,
some were nude and some were in swimsuits. The ones in swimsuits seemed to
admire my apparent freedom. And as I have said before, nudity is contagious!
After having walked to the ends of the known universe, I turned around and
walked back to the resort. I noticed that several of people I had passed
(with swimsuits) had released themselves from the burden of their clothing
and were playing in the surf au natural. What a wonderful thing to know that
my presence had inspired someone to experience the freedom that can only
come from the combination of skin, water, sand and sun.
Send me an e-mail if you like:
Tirey B. Counts
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