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Paradise beyond the dune



"Gran Canaria Island, in the Canary Islands, Spain. The dunes of Maspalomas is massive. Once a sand storm occurs, the nudist could get lost ..... " When I was reading a magazine, I found the article. "Massive dune" "Nudist" Either words sounded so exiting to me. Since then, I had long waited the chance for visiting the island.


The chance has come. On the day, I was standing at the entrance of the dunes. On the edge of the residential area, the yard of hotel is the entrance. 1.5 km from there to the sea, 4 km in width extensive dunes stretched. It was much bigger than I had expected. And the fact that all the sand was blown from the Sahara gave me a massive fantasy.


I was walking on the dune. As written in the article, I lost the sight when I'm in the bottom of the dunes. Even when I stand on the top of the dune, the land marks were only the light house, the hotel buildings and the sea far away in the sight. In the night without the moon light, I could get lost.
However, it's dunes, not desert. The people whom I met from time to time was neither a camel caravan, The Touareg tribe nor the Berber people. It's a tourist enjoying a trekking.
But, they put clothes. What's going on the other theme "Nudist"? I was almost forgetting about it, and photographed beautiful dunes.
Suddenly, the naked old man's buttocks were coming into the frame. He was jogging. I was frightened. Then naked hip of the old woman framed in. When I looked back, I saw many naked elder people were running up to me. In shortly after, I was sounded by the group of naked runners. And they passed over me as if I didn't even exist there.


"This is the nudists" The nudist beach exist indeed. However, "nudist = naked girl" the happy going formula which had been in my mind was completely smashed by the naked old runners. "But where did they come from?" When I looked over the dunes, I saw the young woman was let the clothes fluttering in the wind. The ocean breeze looked comfortable for her. I started walking toward her. She was also walking up to me. We met in the middle of the distance. When I saw her, I was so frighten. Because the beautiful woman were naked. The cloth which I had thought clothes was a transparent lace. Now the naked woman held it in her hand. I pretended remaining calm and saluted her with eyes. However to be honest, I really didn't know which way to look.
When I climb up the dune where the woman had used to be, I saw the paradise of nudist below my eyes. From the young to the old, the naked men and women were chatting, bathing on the beach, reading the book and flirting each other. I didn't have the brave to get into the paradise with a camera and ,of course, with clothes although I didn't know what kind of brave it was.


This French born strange culture. In the pious catholic country and in the Canary Islands where was far away from European mainland, how did the residents think about the naked tourists? Of course, it's free world. Going naked in a certain place is the freedom of an individual. Unless I had yearned for the word "Nudist" once, the actual scene seemed quite strange to me. I must be an old type person. Or my nudity would wake up when I get into the paradise and take off my all clothes.


Feb. 2006



Today's piece
"Dune" Gran Canaria Island, Spain 1993


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