In the Swim

I liked the magazine Traveling in Style, Oct. 20, and especially the piece “Swimming Near Cambodia,” by Deborah Fallows. She made you want to go to that Siam Water Park and try those slides. It reminded me of some of the swims we’ve had.

In Bangkok we didn’t go to the Water Park. I don’t think it was there in 1963, but we did swim the klong (canal) off the Oriental Hotel and almost joined the water market traffic. The boatmen laughed to see such crazy people and handed us rice cookies.

Another swim ashore happened off the Aritika atoll in the Tuamotus. In the lagoon of Aritika we kicked away from (land). We wore fins, masks, snorkels and I carried a homemade Hawaiian sling spear. On the way in I speared a parrot fish. When we landed with our fish we were greeted by three laughing girls who had started a small fire using dry coconut husks. They laid the fish on the fire. We ate with our fingers, tearing at the sweet white flesh.

BEN MASSELINK

Pacific Palisades