Speech? What Speech?
… “By the way, could you do a small briefing on the status of naturism in Singapore?“ Came the email from Gregers, after we had made arrangements for my lodging the night before NATCON 2016.
“What, with Powerpoint slides and everything?” I was still in work mode, you understand.
“No. Just your voice.”
I agreed, though a bit reluctantly. Public speaking was not my forte, and now I had to address a roomful of people, many of whom I had never met. Well, if my nerves fail me, I could always try to picture my audience naked. Oh wait…
The Night Before
As I bid my taxi driver farewell and stepped into the resort for the night, I could sense that this trip would be different from previous ones. The mosquito nets draped on the second floor corridor gave the place a festive air, and there were more revellers in the courtyard than usual. Apparently, the resort was fully booked, but many conference attendees chose to stay together with makeshift beds, rather than put up separately at nearby lodgings. The resulting atmosphere was one of a high school camp-out (but with more beer. Then again, maybe not) This, my friends, is the naturist spirit!
Getting There
In the morning, we set off for our destination in a neighbouring province. It would be a 4-hour drive in several minivans and private cars, an excellent opportunity to get to know our multinational congregation. Several cha payoms and one lunch break later, we finally arrive at the lake shore. The attendees eagerly boarded our three assigned house-rafts, while a tug-raft towed us out into the lake towards our secret spot.
Continental Drift
There was some concern expressed in the Meet Up group that accommodation would be segregated by nationality. In reality, once the house-rafts were secured together any fears of naked apartheid quickly disappeared. People flowed to one raft for its second storey view, another for the yoga session or cha-cha party, and gathered in the middle raft for meals and presentations. While people sometimes retreated to the comfort of their own communities, any sense of separation was shed as quickly as our clothes.
Getting Down To Business
Well this was a conference after all, and on the second day everyone got down to the more serious stuff. Gregers gave a review of Naturist Association of Thailand(NAT)’s past performance and future plans. This was followed by presentations on the status of naturism in the various participating countries: namely India, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand. Chew, the sole Malaysian representative gave the most impassioned account of the ordeal of naturists caught in the internet video incident. She recounted how they were subject to monetary fines and job losses, while some who chose not to contest the charges were even given prison sentences.
After we broke for lunch, the floor was given to the member resorts of NAT. There were presentations from Chan Resort, Barefoot Naturist Resort, Lemon Tree Resort and BR Naturist Camp, whose owner made a dramatic entrance that morning by arriving in a motorboat naked!
Barely Concealed Fun
What goes better with nudity than warm, calm water surrounded by lush greenery? With two floating mats, several surfboards and plenty of life vests, this conference was clearly designed for wet and wild fun. As soon as the house-rafts were moored and the boatmen departed, naked bodies were quickly splashing into the lake left and right. Except for Nick, one half of the New Zealand delegation who couldn’t wait to ride on the floating mat while we were still being towed. Is he always this enthusiastic?
When attendees were not in the water, they occupied themselves with all kinds of amusement. As soon as the generators were started up, people started hitting the dance floor to the beat of thai dance numbers. At other times, there were yoga classes, quiz games and an impromptu cha-cha session, and participants gravitated to whatever caught their fancy.
Happy Ending
On the final morning of the conference, a few participants took it upon themselves to pick up litter on the shores of the surrounding area. A trash bag full of abandoned food packaging, beer cans and assorted rubbish was collected. This was a small gesture by naturists that we can enjoy our playgrounds and yet leave in a better state than we found them. After a breakfast of spicy Thai rice porridge, we wound down our activities and waited for the boatmen to collect us for our homeward journey.
On the trip back to Bangkok, the convoy stopped for lunch at the River Kwai Bridge, before posing for our last group photos and bidding a final farewell to everyone. See you all again next year!
