I did bring a swimsuit, but by the midpoint of the trip, I had started just going into the ocean & pool in whatever cotton dress or wrap that I happened to be wearing.
It’s hot in Kaua’i in early August, and if you come out of the ocean in a wet cotton dress, it’ll keep you cool for a while longer, so you can work more before you need to take a dip again. (I’m sure some people would have sensory issues with sitting around in wet fabric, but it doesn’t bother me at all — it’s far preferable for me to getting overheated!)
But I also was thinking about my ancestors. All those women in Sri Lanka, who mostly didn’t know how to swim (many island people don’t), but who would wade into the river or the ocean in their cotton saris, to work, or for pleasure. I don’t think I could swim in a fully wrapped sari, which has a lot of fabric around the legs, and even a long cotton dress would be a little bit tricky.
But it turns out that a sarong, a single piece of cotton fabric, perhaps tied above the breasts, gives complete freedom of movement for swimming (especially if you’re not TOO worried about modesty). And there are a lot of other ways to drape a sari, some of which involve tying it up so your legs are more free (good for riding bicycles too). I don’t know how to do those drapes myself, but I could learn…
Maybe one of my ancestors was a little more adventurous, and ventured into deeper waters. It’s nice to think that on a hot day, after plenty of hard work, she could indulge in such pleasures.
Kaua’i.
