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| Many know Chester (Unc) as the guy who makes us laugh over the years with his numerous hilarious guest-blog's. Unc not only loves to give politicians a hard time, but something most of you may not know, Chester is a naturist, a person who enjoys doing normal everyday things in au natural i way, in his birthday suit. Back in 1996 Unc wrote a beautiful essay about his trip to France and the naturist lifestyle. This blog is a little long, but truly worth the read. How appropriate to have a veteran guest-blog on Independence day about freedom, real freedom of running around naked and free. I guess it's true what they say, "They don't wear pants on the other side of France!" Happy Independence day! ""Unc is a retired cinematographer living on the Hawai'ian island of Oahu. Enjoy! |
Enjoying Heaven While on Earth
"From Paradise to Paradise"
From Hawaii to the Naked City of Cap d'Agde,France
Cap d'Agde pronounce Cap Dark
By Chester Lau-----aka----l'oncle Amusant
In beautiful Hawaii, land of perpetual sunshine, warm breezes , big surfs
and sandy beaches, a paradise in the middle of the Pacific ocean ,a perfect
Setting for nudism...but unless you are rich & famous , have a back yard
patio or own a private ranch...nude recreation out doors is impossible
in urban Honolulu !!!The only thing lacking is land where the nudists can
roam free from the stresses of everyday life ...this is like big kids in a
candy store but can't get any piece of the candy, a paradise wasted, Hawaii,
Are you listening? Back in the early '70' s there was an good attempt to
Establish a Nudist park on the North shores of Oahu, the capital island of
Hawaii, I had a little brush with social nudism at the time & it was
Paradise for a dozen or two lucky weekend nudists for a while until the property
owners terminated the land lease along with social nudism in Hawaii,there
may be some small home nudism practiced, but not much was organized due to
shortage of affordable land, so we say ALOHA(good bye) to outdoor nudism in
Hawaii. Unfortunately,To enjoy a clothes free life in the sun, Hawaii
residents need to escape to other lands to enjoy this nature's elixir of life.
Flipping thru the pages of Nude & Natural magazine... I came upon dozens
of ads advertising nudist parks & resorts included a few bed & breakfast
clothes optional clubs now advertised on the outside islands,but which is the
one ? why do people need to go outside of Hawaii to enjoy this freedom and
nature's elixir of life ? for a closet nudists who lived in urban
Honolulu,there is no outlet for outdoor nude sun bathing except out of this
island paradise,what a shame !!!but nothing attracted me more than the Cap
d'Agde ad by Paul & Claudine or From Paradis to Paradise Travel in
Kissimmee,Florida, most welcome are the words 40,000 nudists a day at Cap
d'Agde and SINGLES WELCOMED ! For obvious reasons,singles have always been
frowned on by nudist resorts ,law abiding singles may harbor the nudist
philosophy for years,but there is no outward signs of welcome & especially in
Hawaii,one doesn't go directly to a woman and ask if she would like to
go to a nudist resort .
I have no intention of traveling half way around the world just to sunbathe
on the Mediterranean sea...Hawaii has just as much sunshine & fresh air as any
place,besides it 's cheaper, much cheaper to stay at home,but the thought of
the French cuisine,the Eiffel tower,the Moulin Rouge ,Les Can Can girls etc
intrigue me to explore why 30 or 40,000 international naturists can get
along happily ever after peacefully sunbathing naked at Cap d'Agde to enjoy a man
made paradise while on earth.If this phenomenon is only at Cap d'Agde ,just
imagine how many other nudist resorts & closet nudists are there in the world , all these
people can't be wrong.
So just for fun, I picked up the phone & dialed the 800 numbers connected
to Paradise to Paradise Travel requesting information for Cap d'Agde , so when
Claudine answered the phone,I was floored by her lovely French accent,there
is something in French I love, it's their cuisine,their carefree life
style,the statue of Liberty,the help we received in the American revolution
of 1776 .
Claudine was gracious,charming,informative & very business like. The
advertising said that you could walk naked amongst 30,000 to 40,000 nudists
a day...shop for groceries or dine at the restaurants unclothed,isn't this
the garden of Eden ?
But with a skeptical eye, I try to pick out ten reasons why I should NOT
go to Cap d'Agde.
While trying to make up my mind about Cap d'Agde .I reread many nudist
publications & wonder what kind of people are those International nudists
at Cap d'Agde ? what motivates them to bring their families there year after
year ? What motivates them to be nudists in the first place ?
To find out for myself about true nudism , I need to personally check it
out,this is easily said & done in printed publications,but how is it in the
real world ? Curiosity about the international nudism phenomenon , I forsaked
my 10 skepticisms about why I should not go to Cap d'Agde to check out social
nudism at it's best.
So I picked up the phone & called Claudine to book my adventure
to Paradise...Cap d'Agde on the French Riviera ,to personally experience the
freedom and thrill of walking naked amongst thousands of international
nudists.
Now the questions come to mind, How am I going to looked upon by other
nudists ? a broken down senior citizen with skin & bones & the loss of half a head of
hair,should I back out now ? is everyone there a movie star ? body perfect ?
how about disabled wheel chaired nudists,are they accepted? how are the
accommodations? do they have modern plumbings, is the food fit to eat ? what
can we do to keep busy ? a million & one questions to follow ,a million
emails & phone calls to Paul & Claudine eased my mind,info from all sources related
not all nudists are body perfect,they came in all ages,shapes & sizes,new
born as well as senior citizens,no one pays any attention to how you look,just
how you behave.So with this in mind ,The travel arrangement was made.Paul and
Claudine will pick me up at the Newark airport for our initial meeting &
connecting flight to France,and in consideration for the long journey that I
must make from Honolulu to the east coast ,Paul suggested that I come a few
days early & rest in their Sky Farm nudist resort in NJ.This way we can
depart together from Newark to Paris,France . Barcelona Spain & bus our way to Cap
d'Agde..this is exactly what the doctor ordered !!! As I loath to hang around
airport hotels waiting to make airline connecting flights .
After a 9 hour flight from Honolulu to Newark,while heading out of the
airport,I am wondering if I can recognize the Paul ,I had told
Claudine that I will be wearing a white hat for ID, hoping no one else will be wear a
white hat for that day,but waiting on the exit corridor were two unmistaken
smiles...Paul & Claudine I presume ? A happy union like long lost relatives.
A 30 minute drive out of Newark airport, nestled near the heart of Newark &
among the tall trees is beautiful Sky Farm Naturist resort,one of the oldest nudist
club in the U.S.,aside from the very primitive nudist park in Hawaii that I
encountered in the early 70s,this is the first honest to goodness nudist club I
ever experienced as a born again nudist,I was impressed. Among the tall trees
were private cottages with individual designs...the wooded area reminded me
of the days of the pioneers ,no parking meters or traffic lights but with hot
showers,a modern heated pool & sauna. and a large grassed area with louge
chairs for sun bathing. After a good night's rest,I tried getting as much
sunshine as possible & meet some of the nicest people around the pool before
our departure for the airport,for a visiting stranger,I was treated like family
by the wonderful people I met at Sky Farm ,I'm still not sure if this is a
dream,but dream on & enjoy the marvelous people & the pool until our
departure for Newark International,where we met our tour group,others went ahead to
enjoy Paris & other parts of Europe ,we will meet them at the Cap.
A seven hours flight from Newark to Paris 's Charles De Gaull airport,and a
connecting two hour flight to Barcelona,Spain . The limousine ride from
Barcelona to the Cap was beautiful, super highways,old castles & farmlands
like picture post cards ,smooth sailing until we hit a bumper to bumper traffic
jam about an hour before the Cap on a Saturday afternoon... Wow ! looks like
the whole world is descending on the Cap ! this must be an ultra popular
place I thought, all those people , Why are they flocking into this place ? After
about an hour or so of traffic ,We finally arrived at the textile side of the
city of d’Agde,a beautiful old city of Greek origin, situated on the banks
of river Herault and at the foot of Mont St.Loup on the Mediterranean sea with
2,500 year history of nudism . The city of Agde vies with Marseille for the
title of the oldest town in France.We breezed through & enjoyed this ancient
city while looking for the office to port Nature, the center to Naturism at
the Cap , we entered this office from the textile side,registered & received
our keys to our apartments and enter the compound through an controlled gate
and... voilà !!! here we are...hundreds of people on the streets going about
their businesses au naturel...what a glorious sight,men,women,children &
senior citizens...PARADISE FOUND!!!
The day was young ,sunny and hot,we were all anxious to get out of
our sticky textiles .Getting into my apartment 217 on the 2nd floor,I
was delighted with a spacious clean apartment with flush toilet,hot water ,a
modern electrical kitchen with full cooking utensils,for a family of four,
it can be quite economical to experience paradise for a reasonable price .From
the balcony ,I could see the Mediterranean sea , nude sunbathers filled the
beach,a man made swimming pool & the shopping center ,all within a minutes
walk ,where one can purchase all the necessities of life plus restaurants where one can
dine or shop for groceries in the nude ,needless to say that I am off with
all textiles in a flash & headed for the beach .It was about 4 pm,the sun was
shinning bright,the water inviting .I am anxious to check out this famous
nude beach full of sunbathers the French called the PLAGE .On the edge of the
beach .There are signs indicating :
INTERDIT AUX CHIENS
(No Dogs)
PLAGE QUARTIER NATURISTE
(Naturist Quarter Beach)
NUDITE OBLIGATOIRE
( nudity mandatory)
Contrary to the US where bathing suits are mandatory on beaches.
(End part I)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Part II)
I start to explore the beach from one end to the other , This is what I
came to investigate,here I am, fearless ,comfortable & naked amongst
thousands of naked strangers I felt completely comfortable for a born again nudist,
body beautiful or imperfection ,who cares ? none of this entered my mind or other
people's mind ,I am clothed only with my own skin & bones & half a head of
hair...No buts about it, I am an instant convert to nudism forever!!! While
enjoying my first encounter with European nudism ,the weather was perfect
,the water inviting, I must test this water ,this is what I came half way around
the world to check out .Waters around the world are the same, even though I am
not a water person , I dip my little pinky into the sea, found it warm &
pleasant & you can see about 2 or 3 feet of the sandy bottom ,people a 100 yards out to
sea are still only knee deep in water, wind surfers, jet skiers, kayakers &
all kinds of water sports around us frolicking in the sun ,surfing in the wind &
sailing on the sea, aah...paradise !!!
I tried shake & baked as long as I could until sunset at about 8:30 pm.,then
headed for the shopping center in my birthday suit for groceries & my love
for the famous fresh French bread .no surprises ,other shoppers are naked ,senior
citizens ,families with children...this is what I came to investigate and it
is all TRUE . I am really in paradise !!!
Early the next morning, I was most curious about the jam-packed camp
sites adjacent to our apartment building loaded with trailers ,tents & mobile
homes from all over Europe as indicated by the little national flags on the
premises...From Germany, Switzerland, Holland & Scandinavia .people are
up, relaxing, having breakfast & preparing for a day in the sun ,a happy
International group they are .
For our tour group, make your own lunch or dine at the Le Galion beach snack
bar. For the remainder of the day ,the sunshine was good to about 8 to 8:30
pm,diehard sunbathers stay put until last rays of sunshine, then headed
home to prepare dinner or visit restaurants.
Days are cool in the morning at d'Adge about 60 % F. People put their
textile on for the parade to the bakeries for fresh French breads, nudists are
no fools, when the weather is cold ,they put on textiles ,but when the sun
appears to be warm about 10 am or noon ,the beaches are instantly packed
with nude sunbathers. Families with babes in arms ,children & adolescents, most
impressive, are the multitude of senior citizens equally divided among
adults & the little ones , no one cares, gawks or criticize your body, so just be
natural, be comfortable and enjoy yourselves...bring a large towel & ice cold
bottled drinking water , snacks, CD player or radio with ear phones ,swim or
play your favorite games, enjoy the sunshine & fresh air & meet the
international nudists with smile & sign languages. I was more interested in
watching the parade of heads, senior citizens, grandparents...captains
of industries, doctors, lawyers, clergies or your friendly
grocery store clerks. some of them came on great expenses just to be free
from the everyday stresses of businesses or work. People tended to mind their own
businesses...but a hearty "Bonjour" lighten up all stranger's faces &
receiving a hearty "Bonjour "in return...an universal language we all
understand.
In conclusion ,why nudism ? It is the inherent craving of all freedom loving
people to be free to participate in freedom alone or with like minded
people to do something different & exciting in life ! some people sky dive ,some people
climb mount Everest , As a born again nudist, I investigated & walked naked
amongst thousands at Cap d 'Agde ,I came ,I saw & I surrendered...unbelievable,
but it is all true . A fulfillment of a life long dream that others can only
dream of...I propose that no one should leave this earth without a pilgrimage
to Cap d'Agde in southern France !!! I had traveled worldwide from China to
Singapore, from Europe to Scandinavia , but nothing can compare to Cap d 'Agde
in France with its unique, carefree and mature philosophy on nudism...a marvelous
experience that we can learn from the Europeans. It can only exist &
prosper with the matured French attitude about the nude human bodies ,for people who
have been bad all their lives like me, Cap d'Agde can be the nearest to
paradise one can encounter while on earth ,my only regret is NOT having done
this sooner . La Fayette ,we are here! I thank you for our fourth of July in
1776 and now I thank you for Cap D'Agde in 1996 , Merci Beaucoup .
To experience everything that I described about Cap d'Agde, Google "Cap D'Agde"
for travel information, they are many travel companies who can help you .
travel to Cap d'Agde and all of France. Or visit their web site at www.cap-d-agde.com
END
Revision@10-15-00/10-20-00-6-30-2013
( Article MAY end here,but if space available,take your pick on the stuff
below)
Some travel tips to Cap d 'Agde ,France
money exchange...
At Newark air port. we exchanged US$ 200 for incidental expenses ,unless
you are a big spender , I found this amount quite sufficient for a weeks
tour, but for big spenders,sky is the limit,I suggest Travelers Checks in
$20 denominations & some US $s in $ 1, 5 & 10s,cash big bills when you
first arrived,do not accumulate too much foreign money near the end of your
trip ,exchange small money as you needed them so you won't be stuck with a
large amount of foreign currency when returning home ,although you can
exchange them for your home currency at a lost .The bank at the shopping
center are opened from 9 am to 2 pm & from 4 pm to 9pm, 7 days a week
from early July to end of August. no need to panic about money exchange
when needed .
Have fun,meet new people .try new things..foods etc.
Try something different while you are in a foreign land , sample local
foods & delicacies...like seafood from the Mediterranean sea ,fresh boiled
shrimps,lobsters & sea snails that tasted like escargots...imported honey
dew mellons from Spain that are super sweet & juicy...ahhh ... the great
French bread they called baguette or petit pain..meet friendly people from
all over the world,make new friends,try learn their languages,sign
languages can be fun,a friendly smile or "Bonjour" can go a long way..
Wardrobe
I packed only two sets of casual wears, T-shirts & pants (long or short) &
rubber beach thongs for this half way around the world travel to Cap d'Agde
, Two large beach towels & wash cloths, toilet articles to include a tooth
brush, battery operated shaving equipments etc.a jacket in case
of cool weather. travel as simply as possible . any other needs can be
purchased at the Cap.
Once at the Cap,no textile or laundry necessary,soiled linens are
exchanged weekly.
Miscelleneous
Bring Bath soap & dish washing detergents with sponges ,radio or CD
player,writing materials or you can purchased them at the Cap.
Bring personal medicines etc. maybe a camera,but you have very little use
for it. don't expect room services , elevators or air conditionings in
Europe, a little exercise will do you good .
Travel info to Cap d'Agde ,see web page : http://www.cap-d-agde.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Google d'Agde for current infos ------------- Claudine & Paul may have retired --------------------------
Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared from Facebook....
