We had truly only experienced one day at the beach so far in Thailand, and even that had been cut short by rock climbing. We were eager to find the beach and spend the day doing nothing. I didn’t know what to expect as we walked down the pathways of the nineties resort. There were pools everywhere, but there was no one in them. This place really shut down during the rainy season.
As soon as we emerged from the resort grounds, we were immediately ashamed of ourselves for being unhappy last night. The beach looked like a postcard. The white sand was untouched, and the water was just calm enough to be gentle yet had enough waves to avoid looking like a lake. There were even beach chairs and umbrellas set up for the guests. We were the only guests, so we picked the chairs in the very front. That way, even if anyone came later, we would still be staring at the sea.
We spread out towels on the chairs and got situated. Once we were comfortable, I turned to Ash and said, “Now what?” But she had rolled over to take a nap.
I decided to get in the water and dove into the warm sea. It felt amazing, and I can honestly say the water was warmer than shower water. I think it just felt that way because the clouds had covered the sky, and there was a light drizzle every ten minutes or so.
Eventually I retreated to the chairs to lie out. I was only doing this so I didn’t have to write. It is amazing what humans will find joy in doing while procrastinating.
The struggle I was having with writing this book was timing. When I had time to write, I wasn’t in the mood. I was usually drinking at a bar with Ash when the creative juices started flowing. This was why I’d decided to write this book in handwritten journals. I brought my journal with me everywhere, and found myself writing at bars and restaurants, and in massage chairs. I have a newfound respect for people who write for a living. Deadlines don’t give a shit what mood you’re in.
With not much motivation to write, we headed back to the Chaweng Beach downtown area. Our first stop was, of course, our local food shack. When the two guys standing at the front saw us, they immediately gave a wai and shook our hands with both hands. The looks on their faces when they realized they had loyal customers who were coming on back-to-back nights were priceless.
After our second night in Ko Samui, our outlook on the island had completely changed. It just goes to show how much your view on something can change when you get to know it. We had arrived in the darkness last night and had chosen to let our moods be ruined by our first impression. The light of the morning had brought us a bright new view on Ko Samui.