Top Five Swimming Experiences

While we're on the topic of unnecessary bodily exposure, here are my top five most unique swimming experiences.

1. Vesturbæjarlaug Public Pool, Reykjavik, Iceland (November 2002)
Despite its chilly, sub-arctic climate, Iceland has a proliferation of outdoor swimming pools. Geothermal heating allows these pools to operate year-round. When I visited during the month of November, the walk between the changing room and the pool in 38º weather wearing only a swimsuit was an adventure. However, the hot water left me with the most incredible adrenaline rush when I departed back into the frigid late autumn morning.

2. Onsen, Kyoto, Japan (March 2006)
Okay, so this technically wasn't a swimming experience, seeing as how the water only comes up to your chest while sitting down. However, the incredibly hot water and humid air inside the bathing area just zaps away any tension you might have at the end of a day. It literally takes complete concentration to remain conscious while sitting in the bath. I was able to handle it for about fifteen minutes, at which time I returned to my hotel room completely relaxed and so ready to head to sleep.

3. Dead Sea, Ein Bokek, Israel (January 2001)
When you step into the Dead Sea, you expect to feel water, but instead, you feel a viscous, almost gelatinous goo. As you are surely aware, the Dead Sea is nearly saturated with minerals, making it much more salty than the ocean. It is virtually impossible to submerge your head underwater and it takes incredible effort to even swim on your stomach, since natural buoyancy flips you onto your back. When you leave the water, make sure you take a nice long shower, since you feel disgusting if the water evaporates, leaving the salt on your body. The theraputic effects are world-reknowned, however.

4. Marble Quarry, Dorset, Vermont (July 1997)
Here in Massachusetts, we declare abandoned rock quarries safety hazards and proceed to drain them. In Vermont, where people are just a wee bit less neurotic, they turn quarries into public swimming holes. In addition to an opportunity to frolic with the locals, the Dorset Marble Quarry is the only place where I've ever jumped into water from thirty feet up. As long as you're not stupid about it, it's safe.

5. Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (March 2002) and Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (August 2005)
Yeah, it was a beach, and I've gone swimming in the ocean many times before. But Copacabana and Ipanema are two of the most well-known beaches in the world. It's quite the experience, thanks to absolutely gorgeous scenery, be it natural or human. The vendors incessantly plying sunscreen (which you should use liberally) or cashews or soft drinks or shrimp on a stick can get annoying. The undertow and longshore current can be very strong. But beautiful women in tiny two-piece swimsuits (and, perhaps even more impressively, unattractive women in tiny two-piece swimsuits, blissfully devoid of any self-consciousness) cover the beach, and beyond the row of attractive beach-lining hotels, towering hills rise almost straight out of the ocean..