Hippy Camp II
We took our time heading up on Friday night. Stopped in St. Helena for dinner. I wanted a burrito and a beer. Entered what K used to know to be a Mexican place only to find that, by night, it was just a bar. The stunning south pacific heritage bartender told us of a Mexican place around the corner. We found it, and I had the best Chimichanga of my entire life. Deep fried burrito with cheese inside. Mmmmm. And a beer. Then we went back to check out the cute bartender.
We arrived at Harbin, checked in, got to our room, and got ready to get in the water.
I admit, it did take a second or two to recalibrate the brain from "naked in public is bad" to "naked in public is fine". But only a second or two. By the end of the weekend I was comfortably strolling about in nothing in broad daylight, along with all the other people strolling around in nothing in broad daylight. No big deal. Just watch out for sunburn.
The last time K and I went, it was winter and raining. This time it was summer and lovely. So it was, if not different, a certainly expanded crowd. Same variety of bodies and ages. But there were kids this time. Some naked, some not. What a great way to grow up. One person whose gender was rather challenging to interpret in the standard male and female categorical framework. Body of a fertility goddess, beard and sideburns and face like a man. After puzzling it over with K, I decided that it was a person, and to leave it at that. Some folks are born ambiguous.
Upon realizing the other lean young men looked rather fierce going shirtless with pareo/ sarong, I opted to take K up on her offer to borrow one of hers for the stroll to the pools. Easy on, easy off. I look good in a skirt.
She and I had a good honest chat about where we're really at. Seems she's actually fine with my polyamorous ways, she just really wants to know about it. She doesn't want to feel cordoned off from the rest of my life. So we discussed my various loves and lovers. She eagerly wants to meet many, since to her they seem like cool people. She wasn't thrilled with HGC, mostly since she knows that's all about the sex and not so much about the connection. But she gets it: hey, she's cute, it's fun. And she really doesn't judge me for it.
We came out of the weekend with a fresh understanding. I feel much better, though part of me wonders how many new connections one can make while one is living closely connected to another. The more "taken" I look, the less "available" I seem. And I like to seem available.
I spent a lot of time in the warm pool with K, though, being the polar bear that I am, I would over heat after a while and need to spend time fully immersed in the cold pool. Which is gasping cold. But just what I needed. The hot spring fed warm pool, at 110-115F is too much for me. I waded in, once, and waded right on out. Don't need to poach my gonads, thank you.
We noted some groups of friends up there, hanging on the sun deck, in the pools, at dinner. We decided next time we should bring friends, too. K's been with her circle of girlfriends before. I'm not sure who among my friends would do it.
We noted some interesting couples, too. And some weren't couples. Triples and quads. Who's with whom? Everyone's with everybody. One couple was practicing what we can only conclude was some form of Tantric chant/moaning in the warm pool. Gave me & K the giggles to hear it, which we shared with another amused couple, via eye contact and smiles. I can be tolerant and accepting and all, but that shit was funny. Like a cross between a growl and a moan of ecstasy. "Uhhhhhhnnnnnhhhhhhhgh...."
We had a lot of quality naked time. In and out of the pool. Folks aren't supposed to get it on in public up there, and don't. Not that we were going to, but we were admonished by security one night to "keep it mellow". In the spirit of the weekend, on the trip home, K enquired as to whether a woman had ever gone down on me while I drove...
We arrived at Harbin, checked in, got to our room, and got ready to get in the water.
I admit, it did take a second or two to recalibrate the brain from "naked in public is bad" to "naked in public is fine". But only a second or two. By the end of the weekend I was comfortably strolling about in nothing in broad daylight, along with all the other people strolling around in nothing in broad daylight. No big deal. Just watch out for sunburn.
The last time K and I went, it was winter and raining. This time it was summer and lovely. So it was, if not different, a certainly expanded crowd. Same variety of bodies and ages. But there were kids this time. Some naked, some not. What a great way to grow up. One person whose gender was rather challenging to interpret in the standard male and female categorical framework. Body of a fertility goddess, beard and sideburns and face like a man. After puzzling it over with K, I decided that it was a person, and to leave it at that. Some folks are born ambiguous.
Upon realizing the other lean young men looked rather fierce going shirtless with pareo/ sarong, I opted to take K up on her offer to borrow one of hers for the stroll to the pools. Easy on, easy off. I look good in a skirt.
She and I had a good honest chat about where we're really at. Seems she's actually fine with my polyamorous ways, she just really wants to know about it. She doesn't want to feel cordoned off from the rest of my life. So we discussed my various loves and lovers. She eagerly wants to meet many, since to her they seem like cool people. She wasn't thrilled with HGC, mostly since she knows that's all about the sex and not so much about the connection. But she gets it: hey, she's cute, it's fun. And she really doesn't judge me for it.
We came out of the weekend with a fresh understanding. I feel much better, though part of me wonders how many new connections one can make while one is living closely connected to another. The more "taken" I look, the less "available" I seem. And I like to seem available.
I spent a lot of time in the warm pool with K, though, being the polar bear that I am, I would over heat after a while and need to spend time fully immersed in the cold pool. Which is gasping cold. But just what I needed. The hot spring fed warm pool, at 110-115F is too much for me. I waded in, once, and waded right on out. Don't need to poach my gonads, thank you.
We noted some groups of friends up there, hanging on the sun deck, in the pools, at dinner. We decided next time we should bring friends, too. K's been with her circle of girlfriends before. I'm not sure who among my friends would do it.
We noted some interesting couples, too. And some weren't couples. Triples and quads. Who's with whom? Everyone's with everybody. One couple was practicing what we can only conclude was some form of Tantric chant/moaning in the warm pool. Gave me & K the giggles to hear it, which we shared with another amused couple, via eye contact and smiles. I can be tolerant and accepting and all, but that shit was funny. Like a cross between a growl and a moan of ecstasy. "Uhhhhhhnnnnnhhhhhhhgh...."
We had a lot of quality naked time. In and out of the pool. Folks aren't supposed to get it on in public up there, and don't. Not that we were going to, but we were admonished by security one night to "keep it mellow". In the spirit of the weekend, on the trip home, K enquired as to whether a woman had ever gone down on me while I drove...
posted by Kenneth at 10:24 AM
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