Silke, your comments are appreciated - it would be great to hear more of your thoughts. As you can probably tell from the messages between WOA and me I was a bit concerned that our experiences were perhaps not deep enough into BDSM for group members.
If I've learned one thing through my journey into the lifestyle it's that there are no fixed categories in this. Every couple plays differently and enjoys different forms of any combination of the letters BDS&M. So, no - I'm not worried at all whether or not your photos, thoughts and experiences fit with people here or not - I simply sit back in awe and enjoy.

What makes this thread so fascinating to me personally? The meeting of cultures and how both of you found your challenge and love in this, the amazing beauty of Mariko and how well it's captured in the photos...so much emotion there, it blows my mind! And it's amazing to be able to read your story and be taken along by the pictures - the fact that you share what happened at the time and what feelings were involved makes this thread a gem to me. There are not that many people here who share as freely as you have done so far. Thank you.

I don't usually check the picture threads daily and don't know whether I can comment regularly here, but please know that I'll always come back and hope for new posts, even if I don't comment every time.

Silke