Tuesday, January 25

Turtle on the Beach, 14:41
The temple festival began, as promised, at 5 am with an hour of fireworks, some sounding like mortar fire. Drumming, chanting, singing, and amplified music accompanied the fireworks until suddenly it all stopped.
The music came and went during the morning; sometimes hovering in the background and sometimes loud enough to make both conversation and thought impossible.
We packed the things we needed for work, phoned for a rickshaw, and put Plan B into operation.
We arrive at the Turtle on the Beach hotel where we have quickly booked a room. The experience has a peculiar edge to it. Usually arriving at a hotel like this follows a long journey of some kind that lets “where we were” fade into the distance. To jump into a rickshaw, drive for ten minutes along roads we know well, and then walk into this, makes my insides rattle.
While the check–in procedures take place I photograph the view from the lobby. The light coming in softens everything.
Later we will see just how odd the sculptures scattered around the hotel and grounds actually appear, when taken together.
We will also discover that we can hear only two sounds from Room 304: birds in the trees and the sea in the distance.