I didn’t go to the beach for the crowd. I went for this exact spot. Right behind the thick trunk of a coconut tree, where the sun only peeks through the leaves. Where the sand is cool in the shade, but the sea is still loud enough to hear.

In the distance, people were swimming, laughing, chasing waves. But here? Just me. A yellow bag on the sand. And the sound of palm fronds swaying like they were keeping time.