The spa

Femme and I look forward to our spa appointment at 1 p.m. We are asked to have lunch at least a couple of hours before the appointment, so we have a light lunch.

The oil massage takes an hour and I am am lulled into sleep as the masseuse works her magic on me. After I am done, I head back to the room while they work on femme. I find out it'll take a couple of more hours for her to finish, so I head out to the beach and walk aimlessly just enjoying the place.

For dinner we head to the Thai restaurant in the hotel premises. We are the first guests to arrive and the place is empty. There is a thai dance recital slated for later, so we jockey for a table that will give us the best view. The waitresses are dressed in traditional Thai dress and I can count at least ten. Our arrival has triggered a frenzy of action and our table is surrounded by six waitresses all eager to cater to us.

The food when it arrives is less than delectable. There is a strong hint of oyster sauce and lemon grass in every dish. The vegetarian selection is non-existant. We are eager for some hot Indian food, but we'll have to wait until we get to India.

At the other table, I can hear another male guest admonish a waitress for bad service. The guest is accompanied by a woman who speaks Thai and the waitress and she engage in a vigorous conversation.

After dinner we head to the bar. A local band consisting of three girls is playing old time hits from ABBA and BoneyM. Next to us is a man who sits alone with a glass of beer that he has not touched for a while. He stares intently at one of the girls singing up on the stage. We think he is from India and my friend has the urge to go talk to him, but we dissuade him.

After a while, I am ready to call it a night. Femme wants to hang out longer. I leave her and head to the room. In the morning she tells me that one of the girls in the band came down later and sat with the man.