Tanning

I have posted below a photo of my tanning bed, which I call my 'Tropical Luxury Lifestyle Tanning Bed' (#livingthedream), with tongue firmly in cheek, of course. But hey, the sun is the same sun, no matter how you lay yourself out beneath it, and it even does its tanning for free, no need to rent a beach chair, which go for 50,000 Rupiah down in Sanur. 

Back in the day, during those Oregon summers, we would lie out on a warm rock at Head Lake. The rock was one of many boulders in a rock slide that tumbled down to the lake, and this particular rock was flat, just slightly curved, and provided room enough for three boys, my brother in the middle, Steve (the Resort owners' son) on the side nearest the lake, and I on the other. We swam in the afternoon, and so the sun had warmed the surface of the rock, and, coming out from the chilly, spring-fed lake, we would rush to our rock and press our shivering bodies against the surface. My mother reclined on two rocks shaped together like a lounge chair, and Susie, Steve's sister, was always at her feet. Three of four times we would swim and then return to the rock, and we would always have lunch there at Head Lake, which my mother had packed along with her. Once we got a tan, we didn't feel we needed sunscreen any longer, for the tan just got tanner without burning, and nobody really knew much about skin cancer back in those days. 

Now, here in Bali, there is no Head Lake, and no rock slide, but there is my back yard, at least part of which is in the sun all year 'round. The sun here is a different matter, too, than in Oregon, for here we are on the equator and the afternoon sun is incredibly intense. One cannot bear it for very long, but I find that, for as long as I can bear it, the heat is quite helpful for the pain in my neck and shoulders. If you're at the beach, you can make regular trips for a dip in the surf, although even the ocean water here is pretty darn warm. At home, I just dash in the house for a cold shower, which feels wonderful and doesn't leave you feeling sticky with saltwater.

Moreover, my backyard is perfectly private. No one can see into it, unless they climb one of the walls--although the big fat brown dog might barge in the front door at any time, you never know. So, you can be as naked as you like without worry (although, based on past experience, I certainly don't advise it, given the sun's searing effect on the more tender, untanned parts of the body).