I am a Thailand Naturist

Little did I know in December 2011, when I chose the Naturist Association of Thailand as my Real Naturist of the Year 2011, that the organization would take such a flight and that I would join it.
According to its website http://thailandnaturist.com, it now has more than 1,400 members, not just in Thailand, but worldwide. And from now on, that also includes me.
No, I do not live in Thailand, but only four hours flying away, and that's why I joined.
Most Asian countries ban public nudity in all its forms, including the non-sexual social nudity of naturism, which is so popular in other parts of the world, with free nude beaches, resorts, hotels and campings. None of those exist in the Asian country I live in, so my only naturist periods so far have been at home or during short visits to Europe, where I managed to fit in a day at a beach, if the weather happened to cooperate.
Thanks to the NAT, that should now change, because not only is it an organization, it also has succeeded in letting naturist resorts get off the ground in Thailand.
I haven't visited any of them yet, but I have been taking a look at their websites.
There is the Oriental Village in North Thailand's Chiang Mai (www.orientalvillage-chiangmai.com) which looks like paradise, in the middle of rice fields, with a sunny pool and beautiful villas. Speaking on a personal note, its location might be the downside for me. Being remote from the town, it would be difficult to find outside restaurants, while the fact that it also caters to non-naturists might be positive for my non-naturist wife, but not for me.
On the opposite side of the scale, there is the Chan Resort (www.chanresort.com) in busy Pattaya. No problems finding restaurants, shops and nightlife there, I'm sure. The only drawback - and it's a small one - is that it feels a bit locked in. Since there are no naturist beaches, it's not possible to walk along in the sand to the edge of the sea, there's only the swimming pool, which you can see in the picture above.
What sounds great is that the Chan Resort is also the site of an annual international naturist conference, this year on June 4-11. I have not decided yet whether to go. The only such event I attended before, was the International Naturist Federation congress in 2004 at the Croatian resort of Valalta. My biggest disappointment there was that because there was a rule that you had to wear clothes inside the buildings, the whole naturist congress was ... textile! I do hope and expect that will not be the case at the Chan Resort.
The third resort that caught my attention was the Sala Villas (www.salavillas.com), also in Pattaya close to the Chan Resort, which does not have real pictures on its site yet. It has the same advantages as the other Pattaya place, though one practical drawback is that for some reason it does not accept credit cards. In contrast to the Oriental Village, it is very strict about being nude inside the resort, which is good for me, bad for my non-naturist wife.
Having made those remarks, I must praise all of those resorts for doing a great job in launching naturism in one of Asia's most beautiful countries.
With a lessening of political tension on the horizon, I am hopeful that I might soon be able to stay at one of them. The Chan Resort might be my first choice, during the conference or not, but I want to give the others a try too.
Thailand was already a frequent destination for my travels around 2006, and the NAT is likely to put it back near the top from 2014 on.

Real Naturist of the Year 2010: Naturist Association Thailand

Naturism has long been seen as a mostly European phenomenon, with outposts in most of the "Western" world. Germany, France, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Croatia are the countries where naturism is the most popular among the locals and where the number of free beaches and naturist resorts are the highest. Outside of Europe, only the most Westernized countries such as the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand have strong naturist movements, while the rest of the world is seen as a dark area.

Not so anymore. If you frequent naturist Internet forums, you'll soon come to the conclusion that naturism is growing into a universal value. People in countries as varied as India, Malaysia, China, Mexico, Costa Rica and Egypt want to find naturist resorts closer to home. Globalization, closer international interaction through frequent travel, foreign studies, and not to forget the power of the Internet and its social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Last year, we recognized the power of the Internet by giving our Real Naturist of the Year Award to the web-based ClothesFree International.

This year, we recognize the growing potential of naturism across the world by awarding the Naturist Association Thailand Co., Ltd. While known for its beaches and sometimes as a sex tourism destination, the prominent Southeast Asian country has been culturally closed to public nudity and its non-sexual expression in the form of naturist beaches and naturist hotels. The Naturist Association Thailand can be proud that it is working to change the country's image and make it a welcome destination for naturists from around the world while promoting the good sides of the practice with the local population.

As you can read at its web site http://www.thailandnaturist.com, the Naturist Association Thailand has more than 450 members and has awarded naturist-friendly status to four resorts in Pattaya close to Bangkok, in Cha Am and on the island of Phuket. In order to brave the ban on naturism in Thailand, the association has been set up as a private company, meaning its activities count as shareholders' meetings and can take place in the nude.

Support the expansion of naturism by getting in touch with naturist associations in overseas destinations where otherwise the practice of healthy non-sexual social nudity is not known. The next time you plan a trip to Thailand, contact the association and at least investigate the possibility of a naturist holiday in that beautiful country.