BANGKOK, 1997 – I was in the large swimming pool of the Amari Hotel in Bangkok in the late afternoon of my last day in Asia, having arrived earlier that day from Kuala Lumpur. I was happy to have found a large swimming pool, with very few people.
I began my exercise routine, while the sun light was still strong. But as I continued my swimming, I could see dusk progressing rapidly. The colors around me were changing. Indeed, sunsets are fast in the tropics. While there was still some light, I could see little clouds in the sky, as I turned my head up to breathe.
Then, the ensuing darkness. And I saw the stars of the south glimmering. The few other people were gone. I was alone in the swimming pool.
When I finished my swim and had come out of the water, I felt a slightly cold breeze. I shivered for a few seconds until I retrieved my bathrobe.
Nobody there. Silence and dim lights around the pool, under the southern sky. Happy and relaxed after an hour of swimming, I sat down in one of the lounge chairs.
The breeze caressed me as it moved the branches of the trees. I looked around, and again up to the sky.
Now the darkness was complete and the stars were truly shining.
Thinking about tomorrow and the long journey hone, I relaxed in my lounge chair and said my good-bye to Asia.