Bintan

I am walking on a beach, the sand in soft and the tide is low. It is almost sundown, the beach is quiet. Behind me just 500 meters away is the resort that I have booked into seeking a weekend's respite from the unrelenting frenetic city state of Singapore. As such a trip last year at Belum, I was initially upset by the number of people when I checked in. It seemed that half the island of Singapore had followed me here on the ferry. After a session of yoga in my seaward facing room, I decided to see if I could find some solitude by foot. The temperature had begun to cool and the air was redolent with the fragrance of plants. I cherish this time of day for this reason. It seems that Nature relinquishes her essence as the sun goes down.

When I am far enough away from the resort, I begin Taichi. I feel grateful for the infinite sky and ocean before me. Such a wonderfully liberating expanse, the residual weight of the city slips from my shoulders which each flowing posture. When I am done I sit on the beach and Ascend for a bit until I am distracted by the arrival of 5 European girls walking by the water's edge. I wonder how I must seem sitting here.

Eventually the sun slips beneath the horizon and I am still sitting. I stand up and write on the sand, then look at the water. It beckons to play. I consider stepping into the sea and as I do excuses begin to form. I dismiss them and find myself discarding my shorts, I step naked into the sea. For the first time in my life I am skinny dipping. I float on my back and let the eddying bounce of the water take me as I gaze at the moon, it feels almost like an embryonic state. Complete surrender.