Sailing in Thailand

Somsak's story

Except in films and on TV I had never actually seen a foreigner, let alone spoken to one. I was therefore both curious and uncomfortable whenever I passed him in the street and I must have just stood there hopelessly staring at him more than once. Every single thing he did, however trivial, like walking or searching his pocket for small change, seemed wildly exotic to me simply because it was not done by a Thai.

I knew practically nothing about Westerners back then, and I later realized that what I thought I knew for facts was nothing more than a bunch of misconceptions.

All that changed a couple of months later. As I got back home from school one afternoon I was startled to find David in my house chatting with my father. Even more surprising, I could actually understand what he was saying! His Thai was not perfect for sure – it has improved a lot since then – but definitely adequate enough to hold almost any sort of conversation, with the exception of very technical ones that I would not have been able to understand myself anyway, even in my own language.

I was stunned and kept repeating to myself: "He can speak Thai… He can speak Thai…" I could hardly believe it. I had somehow assumed that only Thai people could speak Thai and as far as I was concerned that was the end of the matter. I was suddenly and unexpectedly proved wrong and I vividly recall this moment as one of the most powerful intellectual shocks of my life. He was not from another planet after all and there actually were bridges out there than could span what I had perceived so far as an insurmountable cultural gap.

A big part of my belief system collapsed on that day and I had to rebuild a completely new set of opinions and ideas. This was a very valuable experience and it taught me a few basic things about tolerance and open-mindedness.

From then on, what had so far been mere curiosity for exoticism slowly turned to fascination and a thirst for knowledge about other cultures and ways of thinking. I even believe that moment in my life to have been the starting point that eventually led me to become an anthropologist… but that's irrelevant here.

It turned out David had come to see my father, a wood worker, to inquire about things he wanted done in his house. During the following month my father went to his place almost every day. Pretending I was willing to help him, which I did, I followed him as often as I could and often found a pretext to linger on after he'd gone back home so I could speak with David.

I grew to really like him. He was nice and friendly and always had something interesting to say. Coming from Europe and having travelled in many countries he knew so much more about the world than I did back then. I really enjoyed the fact that he always had time for me, the way he spoke to me like I was an adult, paying attention to what I had to say and never ever passing a judgement on something I had told him about myself. I felt real safe and secure talking to him, knowing I could tell him practically anything. I even liked the way he used to challenge me by asking what I thought or felt about things, when I did not particularly think or feel anything special.

But more than anything what I was getting out of our conversations was attention and affection – more than from my own dad, who was a nice and honest guy but unfortunately uneducated and unable to express his love for me, although I know for a fact that he dearly loved me.

So David soon became a father figure for me. Everything was different around him. The way he did things, the way he reacted to situations, the way he talked to me. His house seemed like a fringe area of the world. Strange things could happen there that could not elsewhere, but they were OK, even if they did not follow commonly accepted patterns.

I should add that, being gay, I was probably attracted to him physically too, but at the time I was totally unaware of the fact…

until my 14th birthday.

David's story

Apart from being pleasant these regular outings had the added advantage of allowing me to indulge in an activity I would otherwise not have been able to practice: nudism. I have always been a nudist but – Thai people being rather prudish in public – there are no nudist beaches in Thailand. At least there were none at the time. When on my boat I would always strip naked as soon as I was out of sight from the shore.

One day, a Thai friend of mine asked if he could some time join me for a fishing excursion. I playfully reminded him that Westerners are an odd lot and that he was welcome on my boat providing he was ready to be naked for the whole duration of the trip.

[scroll down for continuation]

He was inside talking to a friend of his but, as I was sitting on the terrace, I could clearly hear everything they were saying. They obviously did not know I was there otherwise they would have been more careful. I do not remember all the details of their conversation, only the part when David said that if his friend wanted to go fishing with him on his boat he would have to be ready to do so naked, as the rule was that no clothes were allowed onboard. I was so surprised that I thought I had not understood properly, but when David looked a bit embarrassed after noticing I was there I realized that he had actually said that.

They had been talking in Thai but an English word had come up several times. I did not understand what it mean but it sounded like 'new disom' or something. I borrowed the school dictionary the following day and tried to find that word. It took me a while as I could not find any 'disom' or 'deezom'. I eventually thought of the word 'numerous' our teacher had taught us a few days earlier. I then tried my luck with 'nudee…' or 'nudi…' and, of course, I found 'nudism': the practice of being nude as much as possible, especially in a group and for reasons of health. It took me at least 10 minutes to figure out what that meant. The health part of the definition did not mean much to me – David did not seem to be ill – but I was definitely interested in the 'nude as much as possible' aspect of the word.

My imagination freewheeled its way to fantasyland. I started to imagine people nude in their homes, mainly in their bedrooms and bathrooms, but there was nothing special about that. I moved them to their living rooms and it felt a bit strange. I tried the kitchen and that was weird. I took them outside in the garden, in their cars, in the street and it got almost frightening.

From places I switched to activities and I pictured a world where every single person was naked, students at school, footballers during a match, soldiers at war… I even remember being somewhat shocked by a procession of naked monks coming out of a temple.

Eventually, I started to imagine people I knew and I had mixed reactions about that. Some images made me very uncomfortable – like those of people of my family – while others made me laugh, like those of famous politicians or my school teachers.

But out of all that, two people stuck out. First of these was my friend Moo. I had known him since we were kids but it had been ages since I had last seen him naked. It felt strange and somehow forbidden – and yet pleasant, precisely because of that – to imagine him fully undressed. I had no problem picturing his body except for his genitals.

I had to actually think of what they might look like, the colour, the size, everything. I found myself really enjoying doing that and it unsettled me a bit at the time.

Although Moo was my friend, my interest was mainly of a sexual nature.

When it came to David, however, things got much more complex. Sex got intertwined with feelings and psychological needs, and my interest became all the more powerful, both attractive and disturbing. I never thought of making love with David but he would somehow always appear in my masturbation fantasies (I had started to masturbate a couple of years back and from that moment on I did it every day). Either he was there, watching me in a protective and fatherly way, or I had simply set the fantasy in his house. In my mind, the appeasement brought to my body by masturbation was mysteriously connected, like a not-so-distant relative, to the peace and general feeling of well-being I experienced whenever I was with him. Plus, as I said, I probably was attracted to him physically.

His boat too soon became a subject of fantasy for me. I had decided that because nudism could not be openly practised in society it had to be secret (I did not know the difference between discreet and secret).

Little by little, I came to consider this secret activity done by secretive people in secret places as some sort of cult, and David's boat as a temple of this free-masonry-in-the-buff. My imagination ran wild and produced the most ludicrous fantasies it ever generated.

I then noticed that Somsak, the 14-year old son of a neighbour, who had been over my house to pick up a set of tools his father had lent me, had not yet left and was still sitting on the terrace in front of the house, sipping the Coke I had offered him. I was not sure whether he had over-heard anything but the intrigued look on his face made me think he had.

[scroll down for continuation]

Without thinking I impulsively offered to go with him in his friend's stead and immediately regretted not only having said that but having said it so hastily. I thought my father was going to tell me off for intruding upon somebody's life. I was wrong. It turned out my parents had some family business to attend in another city on that Saturday and they seemed more than happy to entrust me to David for the day rather than taking me along with them. David accepted too and I was happy that he seemed pleased about being in my company.

I still remember the following week as one of great excitement for me.

I was going on his boat – where everyone had to be naked – in full view of everybody else – I would have to be naked – and David too – on his boat – where everyone had to be naked… and so on and so on. That week really dragged on.

Eventually, Thursday gave way to Friday which turned into Saturday… which happened to be my birthday. Birthdays are not very important in Thailand and David did not know mine was on that day. I might thus be the only one to know, but I will never forget the day I turned 14.

I was so nervous as we boarded the boat that I almost fell over three times, and I was so desperate to appear relax and natural that I probably made a real fool of myself. Whether he noticed anything or not David did not say anything. He manoeuvred the boat and we where soon away from the shore.

I had thought of a hundred possible scenarios and I had even rehearsed a few spontaneous reactions but I had not planned for what happened, i.e. nothing. David did not strip naked and he did not ask me to do so either. He spoke in a normal way about the sea, the fishing, the weather and what have you, but not a word about nudism.

I was both confused and disappointed. I never doubted having correctly understood his discussion with his friend but I did not know what had happened to make things change. I could not figure it out either. I got lost in my thoughts for a while, and finally decided it was safe to ask David. He hopefully wouldn't mind.

He didn't. He casually replied that the boat rules would not apply on that day because of my age. I now understand why he said that, but I had made up my mind that I was going to discover everything about nudism on that particular day and I did not care whether I was 14 or 40.

I asked him what the rules were and why they would not apply to me.

His answer startled me.

I do not remember the exact wording of the rules – David knew them by heart – but I sure remember their content. You had to be totally naked, in full view of whoever was present, and you were required to display your genitals… even if you had an erection. I could hardly believe it.

The novelty of all this – despite my recent fantasies – and the solemn way with which David had declaimed the rules made my impression of a secret, quasi-religious society even stronger. I tried to picture myself in the various situations he had mentioned and it all gave me a feeling of secret initiation rites. In a flash I decided I just HAD to be part of that brotherhood of sorts and if anybody could co-opt me and reveal the secret handshake that person had to be David.

[scroll down for continuation]

"I'll go with you, if you want," said Somsak.

"Good idea!" added his father quite hastily. "We have to attend a cremation in Surat Thani on Saturday. Your mother and I would rather know you're gone fishing with David than alone in the house." It seemed I did not have much choice left. Besides, I did like Somsak who was a nice, gentle and well-behaved kid. Spending a day fishing with him would be much more pleasant than doing so alone. I agreed.

I was wondering, however, whether he had forgotten about that discussion he had over-heard a few weeks before. I was to find out he had not.

Saturday eventually arrived and off we went on the boat. I soon noticed that Somsak was a bit more nervous and lively than usual. Although it is common for Thai people to smile as a sign of composure when in an embarrassing situation he was flashing his own deadly cute smile far too often and in a rather tense way. He also showed other signs of agitation: restlessness, inappropriate bursts of laughter, a certain clumsiness, and the like.

I did not say anything and went on with the business of piloting the boat and getting the fishing gear ready.

After about an hour, Somsak, who had been surprisingly silent and absorbed in his thoughts for the last ten minutes, finally mustered his courage, took a deep breath and said: "I thought that, on your boat, everybody had to be naked…"

I had seen it coming and I had my answer ready: "Yes, but I thought I would make an exception for you today. As you are only 14 you might not be ready to comply with the rules."

"What are they?"

"Well, you might not know much about nudism but people do it for pleasure because it is enjoyable – if a bit strange at first – to go about one's business completely naked. It is also a pleasure for the eye as the human body is something beautiful about which I believe people are too shy. Obviously, having people all dressed up or shy and embarrassed around is definitely not the best environment to enjoy being naked. This is why the rules are very strict and apply to all on board." Then, deliberately over-acting the whole thing, I raised my finger and started to recite as if quoting from a law book:

• Rule no 1: Everybody must be completely naked at all times.

• Rule no 2: At all times, anybody must be able to enjoy the vision of the body of anybody else.

• Rule no 3: It is therefore not only forbidden for anybody to hide their genitals with their hands, a towel, a cushion or anything else, but it is even encouraged to be proud of them and to always hold one's legs slightly apart or even wide open."

• "Rule no 4: This applies to all situations, including when someone develops an erection."

Trying to put him off with very strict rules he was too young to abide by, I had only aroused his interest and challenged his maturity. The whole thing backfired on me when, after pondering my words for a while, Somsak finally said: "These are strict rules indeed. But if they are the rules of the boat then I must follow them. I can do it."

Strangely enough, I had been up to then so focused on putting him off that I had not even considered the other alternative. Reality was suddenly catching up with me and my heart started to pound. The idea of seeing this beautiful creature completely naked was a lovely thought indeed, and the fact that he was pushing for it was even more arousing.

I do not remember getting undressed so slowly in my whole life, and it is difficult to explain all the conflicting feelings that inhabited me at that particular moment in time. I desperately wanted David to come up again to make the whole thing real. What if I had been dreaming? What would he say if he came back up and found me undressed for no reason? What would he think? What would he tell my parents? I eventually managed to calm down and to get fully undressed. But what was he doing downstairs that was taking him so long? I tried to sit down but it felt real strange being naked. I tried other positions but could not really find one that was comfortable. I was still trying when David came back.

[scroll down for continuation]

"Huh… OK."

I left and went to my cabin downstairs. There, in a corner was some kind of store room. It was very small but cleverly designed. Once inside you could not move (except backward to leave) but every stored thing was within easy reach. What Somsak did not know was that there was a slit in the partition through which one could see on the other side: right where he was.

He had already taken his T-shirt off and was undoing his belt. He was moving very slowly, frequently glancing towards the staircase. He pulled his shorts down and folded them. He was now standing in his white underwear that seemed even brighter on his rather dark complexion. His backside was round and firm and a nice little bulge could be seen in the front. He looked towards the stairs again, took a deep breath, slid his two thumbs on either side of his briefs and slowly pulled them down. He was the image of grace itself as he bent down and lifted his feet one by one to get his underwear off.

His uncut penis was absolutely gorgeous. Not that big but already that of a young man in the making. Not a child's organ any more. A little patch of pubic hair decorated the top part of it and his compact and absolutely hairless testicles looked as smooth as the rest of his body.

He sat down and, checking the staircase every five seconds, tried to adopt a casual, relax attitude, crossing his legs, uncrossing them, opening them a bit, a bit more, a bit less again, keeping his back straight, leaning backwards, resting his arm on a cushion… He was obviously feeling uncomfortable and could not find a satisfactory position. It was so cute.

Strangely enough, novelty wore off pretty soon and after only a short while I simply forgot I was naked. I went below to urinate. I could have done it overboard, but there were limits to what I was (and still am) ready to do in public. While downstairs I took some time to look around. The boat was a part of David's life that was unknown to me and I felt I would somehow get closer to him with a thorough look at things. I did not actually snoop around but I did 'inspect' everywhere.

I had also never been on a boat like that and I really enjoyed exploring the equipment and the various appliances. I did not discover anything special but I did find a pack of cards. I asked David whether I could play with it and he shouted yes. I went back up with it.

He tried not to look too conspicuously but I saw him frequently glancing in that direction. I did not say anything and started preparing our fishing lines and hooks.

Little by little he got used to the situation and began to move around and to behave normally. He was soon his usual cheerful self, apparently totally at ease by now.

[scroll down for continuation]

Still focusing on the cards, I picked up a bottle of water we had brought with us and started to drink. A light breeze then blew on my genitals and suddenly reminded me that I was naked. I glanced towards David. He had lowered his newspaper onto his lap and was looking at me.

No, not at me… at my genitals! That gave me a big start but, in a fraction of a second, I understood that that was 'it', the moment of truth, the real test, the challenge, the trial, the decider of my admission to the society. If I failed, not only would I lose my self-esteem but I might also lose David's.

There was no way I wanted him to be disappointed in me. So there I was.

This was the crucial moment I could not miss. I had to deliver. There was no going back.

I took a deep breath and slowly got my legs slightly apart. David did not move but kept on watching. I opened a bit more, and a bit more, and a bit more still, until the outside part of my thighs got blocked by the bench on both sides and I could not possibly be more exposed without lying on my back. I looked at him. He was smiling and still watching. I got the weird feeling he was proud of me, and that made the next part much easier because, inexplicably, and to my utter dismay, I started to get hard.

To this day I still do not know how I managed it, but I was somehow able not to panic while my erection developed and my penis appeared in all its glory. I could never have done that with anybody else but David. He was not a relative but, as I said, a father figure. In other words, he was both distant and close enough for me to let go. I was nervous, for sure, but never felt any shame or guilt. Everything was new, but at the same time it seemed so natural.

After a while he leaned forward, reached for a bottle of water and started to drink. I stopped reading and looked at him. His head was tilted backward and I could see his throat moving up and down as he slowly gulped the water. His profile was lovely and his black hair was shining in the sun. I lowered my eyes to his smooth, tanned chest then to his stomach where a bit of leftover baby fat added to the general softness and sweetness of his body. Lowering my eyes a bit further I admired his limp penis nicely sitting on the cushion of his testicles.

Putting the bottle down he noticed me gazing in his direction and had no problem understanding where I was looking. For a fraction of a second his body tensed but he immediately remembered his pledge to abide by the rules of the boat (or so I assume) and instead of trying to hide his nudity he opened his legs a bit more. As I kept looking, he opened them a bit wider still, and a bit more, until they finally were wide open and his genitals openly exposed.

I looked at him and gave him a big smile then lowered my eyes again to enjoy the vision. As he was looking at me looking at him I noticed a gentle movement in what I was contemplating and I saw his penis slowly develop and rise until he had a complete erection. His organ was now standing upright and straight, towering over the almost perfect sphere of his testicles that seemed to have swollen a little too. He was not huge of course, but the shape was flawless, the gland not too voluminous and the general proportion ideal. Michelangelo would have had wet dreams over such a masterpiece.

[scroll down for continuation]

This, plus the soothing strength of his body holding me, made all the tension that had built up in me disappear so quickly that I actually felt it drain away as if some plug had been opened around my feet. I snuggled up in David's arms and smiled at him. He sweetly spoke to me.

I was so happy. I had done it. I had won the gold medal of nudism, nothing would be the same again.

[scroll down for continuation]

I sat up and pushed as far back as I could against the bench so he could sit between my legs. I wrapped my arms around him and said something soft that I don't really remember. He tilted his head backward, rested his right cheek against my left shoulder and looking up into my eyes gave me the most wonderful smile I had ever seen. I smiled back and kissed him softly on his forehead. The scent of his hair was exhilarating and I could feel on my lips the taste of his warm skin.

His smooth body against mine I could feel his heart beating and I vividly recall a sensation of happiness as I noticed that his pulse was absolutely normal. I had expected his heart to be pounding with apprehension but he was totally relaxed and obviously trusted me enough not to fear anything. Very softly, I told him that I was impressed with how well he had adapted to the rules and that I was somewhat relieved he did not seem to be too embarrassed about the situation. I complimented him on his maturity and told him how much I was happy not to be alone on my boat but in his company.

I meant to stop but David explained that there was no problem with doing that. I decided that he was probably right and that anything was acceptable now that we were brethren in nudism. Indeed, I could feel his penis crawling its way up the small of my back. All my inhibitions fell and I resumed my fondling, slowly turning it into stroking.

[scroll down for continuation]

Looking up to ask me a question he saw where I was looking and suddenly realized what he was doing. With a jerk he tried to stop but I hugged him more strongly, imprisoning his arms so he could not withdraw his hand from where it was.

I kissed him softly on the temple and whispered in his ear: "No need to stop. You're enjoying it, you're not doing anything wrong. There is no reason why you should feel ashamed or embarrassed." I slowly loosened my hug and this time he did not try to take his hand off his penis. He clumsily tried to resume his stroking but he was now too aware of the situation to do it as naturally as he had so far.

His initial gentle stroking had become slow masturbation and his penis had grown slightly bigger.

I could not believe that this 14 year old god was snuggled up in my arms, naked and masturbating himself. By now my own penis was – almost painfully – erect against his back. For no particular reason other than wanting to somehow accompany him on his way to sexual pleasure I started to whisper things in his ear. I kept repeating things like "That's it…", "Take your time…", "Enjoy it…", etc. At one stage I even said "Good boy…" and was surprised to see that he reacted very strongly to this by rubbing his cheek against my shoulder and moaning softly. I then repeated "Good boy…" over and over and his moan actually turned into a purr. If what I felt for him at that time was not true love then I have no idea what true love is.

He looked at me and smiled ; I hugged him a bit more strongly and gently kissed his hair. He closed his eyes and within a few minutes he had fallen asleep.