Healthy and safety are taken very seriously on any archaeological site. Nevertheless, mishaps happen. Towards the end of my first dig session, a minor misadventure resulted in a badly sprained wrist and a nasty gash above my right eye.
To record each day's progress we take photographs of the trenches from a rather high, normally stable stepladder. What happened was nobody's fault, just a freak accident. One foot of the ladder rested on a rock which somehow became dislodged. I took a dive into the dirt. Our first aid officer Alice patched me up on-site, but insisted on a more thorough examination for a possible concussion. While the island's main hospital is in Grandin, I was taken to a medical centre in Régate, and despite my protests was kept there overnight for observation.
As I've mentioned previously, the nude law is not enforced in health care institutions. Indeed all medical personnel, both sexes, are clothed, more or less. But Palmirene traditions are not ignored. Tribute must still be paid to
la différence
. Female staff -- doctors, nurses, orderlies, administrators, technical personnel and so on -- wear short, wrap-around dresses (designed for quick and easy removal, I presume) with nothing underneath.
As for female patients, the nurse told me that it's up to each whether to remain naked. I couldn't see the point of putting anything on for my short stay. My attending physician was a handsome young gent from Grenada. I'd been half-naked in front of male doctors before Palmira, but it felt just a little bit creepy to be lying on the bed, my entire body uncovered while he inspected my head and wrist and clinically ignored the rest. That night I slept with a sheet on top of me. It was an open ward, and in the bed next to mine was Richard, a tourist who had fallen off his quad bike. We chatted and he happily admitted that his misfortune occurred because he wasn't paying attention to the traffic but rather to the roadside scenery (of the human female variety, of course). In the morning I dispensed with my covering, and he was rather taken aback because I was the only naked woman in the place. But shortly afterwards his wife arrived.
I was a little surprised that the woman was about six months pregnant; but I really shouldn't have been. The awesome natural beauty of the pregnant form is no more gloriously displayed than in the nude, like a fertility goddess. And what better place than Palmira to showcase a woman at the peak of her feminine power, unhampered by clothing which disguises the wonderful transformation taking place in her body? Nevertheless, the wife came into the ward wearing a short chemise. She must have assumed that this was the protocol, because as soon as she saw me sitting up in bed with nothing on she grinned and removed it.
The director of the hospital is a woman, and each day she visits the clinic and performs patient rounds. After she had stopped by Richard's and my beds, she conferred with the young doctor and they continued talking as they walked out onto the verandah which connects the ward with the administration offices. As soon as they stepped into the sunlight, without missing a beat the woman took off her smock and continued her conversation naked.
This experience was, for me, a reminder that one of the ways you get seduced by the nude law is, ironically, through how, when and where it doesn't apply. For example, it is not illegal to cover your body out of public sight -- as in your private quarters. Back home I sometimes slept in the nude, usually when sharing the bed with Matthew. In the Cimarrón "barracks", on my first night I waited to see Alice's bedtime practice. I didn't want to infringe on her comfort zone. It wasn't a problem; she slept naked. We didn't even bother with a sheet or blanket because the place is warm even in what counts on Palmira as winter.
The Régate boarding house where I stay is owned and run by a middle-aged couple. Francesca has not worn a stitch of clothing on her body for almost her entire life, and like most of her compatriots doesn't understand why a woman would want or need to cover up. So the rule for residents is that women must be nude at all times; and though that's impossible to enforce in the private rooms, I am anyway. In other words, even in circumstances when you're permitted to cover yourself, you don't. It's not just about how you appear to other people; it's about your own feelings.
I shall go back to a statement I made earlier and amend it slightly. We dress or undress to influence perceptions of us; but that includes our own perceptions, even when no one is looking. Your state affects the way you think, feel and behave in private as well as in public. And I have discovered that the confidence, the empowerment and the sheer joy of being naked don't fade when I'm alone. It's still me and my body. I want to hold onto those feelings. Anyway, it would be a bizarre inversion of outside-world norms to be nude in public and clothed in private.
***
I have probably gone on long enough about Palmira, but there are still some observations to make about this extraordinary place.
One of the driving forces here behind modern attitudes to women's nudity has been tourism. Vacationing females easily outstrip males in numbers (weak pun intended) which is partly a result of government policy to limit arrivals and maintain a "wholesome" image. Only visitors with pre-booked accommodation are allowed overnight stays onshore; and since the demand is high and the number of hotel rooms limited, preference is given to certain categories, in particular couples. Single females are more likely to gain entry than single males, and all-female or mixed-sex groups than all-male parties. Until a couple of years ago, a cruise ship company ran tours from neighboring islands which were heavily patronized by men and became known as "voyeurges" (a clumsy but accurate term). Similar operations still exist, but on a much smaller scale and subject to severe restrictions. University students on spring or summer break are discouraged, though not banned. Graduates celebrating the completion of their studies, like the party of seven I met on the hike to Cimarrón Bay, tend to be less boisterous and more acceptable.
Palmira has also become a major player in wedding tourism, a lucrative and rapidly growing sector of the international travel market. Its appeal is the combination of wedding and honeymoon. In a very competitive industry worldwide, tourist destinations are hard to differentiate, so they must focus on something that makes them notable. In the Caribbean region, there are so many commonalities that it's hard for any place to stand out. But Palmira has a ready-made distinction. The island adds a special, indeed unique flavor to the wedding experience.
Among the first people I met on my original flight to Palmira were the honeymooning couple. About one in ten of all visitors are newlyweds, and an equal number are spouses renewing their vows. Couples coming to get married are still a small minority. Not all family and friends can travel so far or are willing to abide by Palmira's rules; and for this reason partners on their second or subsequent marriage outnumber the first-timers. The exceptions are lesbian couples. (Palmira is a progressive society. Weddings can be religious or secular. Same-sex marriage is legal. Commitment ceremonies are treated with the same respect as traditional marriages.)
One Saturday afternoon I and two of my colleagues, Sophie and Oscar, witnessed a wedding in a Régate park. The couple were accompanied by about two dozen guests. The groom wore an outfit appropriate for the tropics, an open-neck shirt and blazer, cream slacks and brogues. The bride's full ensemble consisted of a silver tiara, a silk tulle veil and ivory heeled sandals. Her complexion was fair, but she must have prepared for her big day. She had made sure that no tan lines spoiled the seamless sheen of her body.
It was a civil ceremony and the officiant was a woman. Needless to say, she, the bridesmaid and the female guests were also nude. (The perennial dilemma of choosing bridal gowns and bridesmaids' dresses -- and fitting into them -- is avoided on Palmira.) The couple's vows included the declaration, "I offer to you all that I have, I give to you all that I am." This had symbolic resonance when, just before they exchanged rings, they performed a little ritual. As they stood facing each other, he removed her tiara and veil, and she took off her shoes, so that she entered married life completely bare, even more so than when the nuptials began. She was both opening up and offering herself completely to her man. As they were pronounced husband and wife, all that she wore, from head to foot, was the ring he'd placed on her finger.
