There was a war at home. I was standing on one side of the frontline, Piam and Apple were on the other. I asked, I threatened, I forced and I begged. Nothing helped. Apple was still a screaming, spoilt brat and I was a bad boyfriend, because it bothered me. Despite this, my girlfriend was unable to understand that I needed a break, a rest and to be alone for a while.
Link to the previous part: This is Thailand. Chapter 12: Cheating. Part 1.
I slept on the 12-hour journey from Bangkok to Phuket, waking occasionally to a barrage of messages from Piam. They contained love declarations, missing me statements and remorse over me leaving her for a few days and not taking her with me and not wanting to spend time with them. She was accusing me of having a horde of lovers waiting for me when I arrived in Phuket, or that I was going to spend my entire time bouncing from brothel to brothel. The need of finding a lover, or frequenting a brothel, increased proportionally to the amount of messages I was receiving. If in her eyes I was so bad and cruel, then what was the difference?
I got off the bus on the island around Thalang, where Ploy – my first Thai lover – came from. Of course, I’d sent her an e-mail telling her that I was in Phuket, but she had told me to fuck off because she had found herself a great new love. Fair enough. Maybe someone had finally paid for her university. I wrote to Aing as well, but she never replied. I took a motortaxi to Laguna Phuket, Light rain quickly changed into a powerful storm that was characteristic of the rainy season, which should have been finished by now. I arrived at the hotel completely wet.
Laguna Phuket was more than a hotel. It as a whole resort, that included seven well-known hotels like Banyan Tree, Angsana Laguna Phuket and of course mine, Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket. It contained luxury massage saloons, restaurants, bars and exclusive boutiques. Everything was placed in a big tropical park along a clean, white 8 kilometre long beach that lead straight to the clear blue waters of the Andaman Sea. Can you imagine a better place to rest from a toxic relationship?
Upon checking in, I realized with satisfaction that my hotel was directly on the beach. I spent the rest of the day swimming in the sea, relaxing in the grand swimming pool located in the shadow of coconut trees, and napping in the luxury room. All of these were mine for less than 30 dollars a day. Perhaps teaching in Thailand wasn’t so bad after all?
-Where are you? - Piam asked in a message.
-In a hotel.
-Alone?
-Alone.
-I don’t believe you.
-That’s your problem.
-You don’t love me. I don’t trust you anymore. I think we should break up.
-Ok, if that’s what you want.
-You see? You completely don’t care.
-Let’s talk when I come back.
-We have nothing to talk about.
-Ok.
I’d had enough. There was only one method to fully relax and switch-off from everything. I turned off the phone and left. A motorized gondola waiting at the jetty near a traditional Thai restaurant, took me towards the main gate of the resort. I had a teachers’ discount for the room, but not for the restaurants on the resort. I didn’t intend to spend a week’s budget in Bangkok on one meal. We sailed for about 15 minutes on the calm waters of the laguna, admiring a sunset over tall green trees. Laguna Phuket was one of the few places on earth where the influence of humans was not bad for the environment. On the contrary, the whole resort was built on grounds devastated by the tin mines, which were the main source of income for locals before the tourist era. The person who conceptualized the whole thing, covered old mines with sand, planted hundreds of trees and built the resort. Of course profit was in mind of the investors, but I believe that it’s better now to have a beautiful park than a moon-like desert.
On the way to the restaurant, I got myself a two-hour massage in one of the local street spas. I took a one hour traditional massage, and one hour oil. This time I chose the option without the happy ending. From all the restaurants, I chose the one with a nice Thai girl outside, in traditional costume looking like a princess from some Asian fairytale. I gave her five minutes to convince me to eat dinner there and used that time to flirt with her mercilessly. The chick didn’t stop to blush, smile or laugh. It was good to remind myself how it feels to be a man again.
The English menu and the pries showed that it was a restaurant orientated for tourists. I didn’t believe that they were really able to prepare food in a Thai way. In most places like this, I stressed very clearly that I liked spicy food, but on sight of a farang the chefs always seemed to forget where they put the chilli. I went for a pizza – my first European food in months. I flirted for a bit with Nok – the princess on the front – who looked equally as good on the way out and handed her my phone number. After I turned on my mobile phone, I found out from Piam that she hated me because I had switched my phone off to fuck sluts in the brothels. I didn’t reply. After an hour hesitation, I invited Nok for lunch the next day...
TO BE CONTINUED...