Can you resist the tide?

After breakfast we set off on a long stroll down the beach. For the most part of our walk, there were no other people in sight. All there was were the four of us. We were flanked by the scenic, grassy countryside and the sea. Before and behind us lay a vast expanse of pristine, white sand. Waves carried by the tide lapped at our feet.

The sun was obscured by the clouds. The beach was silent, save for the plod of our footsteps and the unending thump of the tide. The waves crashed against the shore. They caressed our feet. The tranquility put me in an introspective mood.

On occasion, we would come across a small group of local youths playing on the sand. Once or twice, a motorbike roared past on the sand. The rider and his pillion seemed to revel in the space they had and the freedom it gave them. I couldn’t help but envy them somewhat. Despite their relative poverty, they are blessed with gifts of nature.

As we walked, the waves washed away our footprints. Flotsam, sand, shells and stones were washed ashore. And yet the shore did not seem greatly changed, for the same were swept back into the sea, claimed by the irresistable pull of the tide. I found a pretty shell and picked it up.

I walked higher up the beach, that I could look at the footprints I left behind. I suppose that they too have, by now, been wiped away by high tide. I wondered how the little crabs I saw feel when the tide rises high enough to cover up the holes they burrow. Perhaps, they, like the other tiny shell-like creatures on the beach, engage in their own small rebellion against the sea. Everytime the small shells were dislodged by the water, they would burrow furiously back into the sand. I guess it is in their nature to do so, however frustrated they might feel. I hope that their payoff will come.

The sun came out after lunch. We went to frolic in the surf. As the waves came in, we hurled ourselves repeatedly against the walls of water. The water crashed against our faces and bodies with relentless force. It rushed up our noses, into our ears, and through clenched teeth. We had tremendous fun, shouting with exhilaration and unadulterated joy everytime a wave came. For the first time in a while, I felt young.

The beach was more crowded than it had been the day before. There were noticeably more locals. It is, after all, the weekend. While a good number of them played in the surf like us, many of them chose to float in the sea, or sit on the beach to enjoy the afternoon with their families and friends.

From my time in the navy, I gained a respect for the sea. It is vast and powerful and gives us much. We can no more resist the inexorable rhythm of the tide than we can stop the rise and set of the sun.

It was interesting to see how people had fun from attempting to resist the waves, flinging themselves at them. Or simply accepting the sea as it was and moving with its flow.

The stars came out at night. They were beautiful.

I guess we came to Sihanoukville because we couldn’t resist the lure of its beach. I had a great day, strolling down the beach, climbing rocks and playing in the sea. The most fun I have had in a long, long while. For a moment, all was right.

May things back home be the same.