I can hear the sky grumbling with muffled sounds of thunder. Even as I travel on a motorcycle in the middle of the road into rural remoteness, I do not panic. I actually am excited about the dark clouds starting to form above me.
"You are one kilometer away from your destination," says the GPS device in front of me. It makes me more excited.
I finally reach my destination. It is a gated rainforest resort.
I alight from my motorcycle and press on the button near the large gate. From the speaker, I hear a deep male voice. "Hello! Who is it?"
"This is Miller, I have a week long reservation at this resort," I respond.
"Oh yes. I have been expecting you. Please hold on, I'm coming."
I wait for five minutes. I hear footsteps coming closer. The pedestrian opening for the gate opens. A man peeps out, "Hi Miller. Do you have a car?"
"I have a motorcycle."
"Alright let me just open the gate so you can come in."
He then pulls the gate until it's half open.
I climb back on my motorcycle and drive in. He leads me to a small parking area. I go there, position my motorcycle, secure it and turn it off. I remove my helmet. Aside from my large backpack which is already hanging on my shoulders, I take out another bag from the compartment and walk to the man, who I assume is the concierge of the place.
He looks at me with concern, "where's my cousin?"
I scratch my head, "oh. Gia. Uhm... My girlfriend said she couldn't leave work this week. She suddenly got assigned on a high stakes project. I really wanted her to come here and maybe work on it remotely, but she said she needs to be at the office. I didn't want to waste this reservation we made, so I came by myself."
"Aw. That's too bad," he mutters. Then he extends his arm, "by the way, I'm Carlson."
I shake his hand, "Miller." I smile while I look at him more intently. Carlson appears like he's in his late twenties. He has jet black hair, deep set eyes, fair skin and a nice set of teeth. Basing on the white dri-fit shirt he was wearing, it seems like he has an athletic built.
He then instructs me to walk to the small house that serves as the concierge of the private resort. I marvel at the environment around me. The place is well landscaped. The surroundings is filled with lush and healthy greens. I can smell that distinct fragrance that the fertile grounds make when made wet by the rain. There were around ten huts that can be found in the property. There are other caretakers working in the resort. Directly ahead is the beach.
We enter the house and he brings me to the front desk. He instructs me about the services and features of my stay. He also gives me a small map of the place, and the keys to my hut.
"Do you have any questions?" he asks me after the orientation.
I shake my head, "none. You have a real nice voice. You ever tried working as a voice over artist? I know youtubers who need that kind of service."
He shrugs, "I don't know. Working as the main manager for this resort is already heavy for me, except for this period of the year where we have lesser than normal guests."
Then he leads me to my hut. While the exterior of the abode looks very rural and provincial, the interior of the hut compares to a high class hotel. There is a nicely landscape pond near my hut. A few meters away is a half-lap sized pool.
He helps me settle in my unit. Afterwards, he bids me with, "I also wrote my mobile number on the map, bro. So, if you need me for anything, just call me."
"Alright, thanks!"
Carlson then leaves my hut.
I take some pictures of my unit, then I throw myself on the queen-sized bed. I instantly feel relaxed after the long motorcycle ride. "Ahhh... I'm going to enjoy it here. I deserve this rest."
I contemplate whether I should call Gia and tell her I'm already here. But we got into a fight before I left. She wanted me to not push through with this vacation on my own. I insisted, and reasoned that this trip had been planned six months ago. I already made arrangements at work for this. So, it's not my fault that she can't escape her own work to be with me.
Anyways, this might me good for the two of us-- some time apart. We have been a couple for a decade already-- we have been dating since college. She is the only girl I have been with in my life. And soon, we'll be settling down and getting married. So, maybe moments of lonely would be something that we can have while waiting for us to tie the knot.
I hear the rain grow louder and heavier. I get up and remember another reason why I wanted to push this vacation despite the rainy season.
I rush to my bag and get my camera and other paraphernalia. I go out into the hut's yard and set-up my camera to face the nice, clean pond. I start recording. After I am sure that the shot and the camera is already stable, I return to my room.
"Ohhh yeaaahhh... This video is gonna get views," I whisper to myself as I lay on top of the bed once more.
Aside from my regular job as a creative in an advertising company, I am also a youtuber. I specialize in white noise ASMR videos. I cater to viewers who use looping nature sounds for them to have ambient sounds while studying, working, relaxing or sleeping. It's a simple, wholesome concept for youtube content that can generate a good enough amount of income for me to save for my future house, projects or for my wedding with Gia.
The sound of the rain also calms me. I fall asleep, leaving my camera on as it records the rain.
----------------------------------------------------
Knocks on the door wake me up. When I open my eyes, I notice that my surroundings are already darker. It's already nighttime. There is still soft rain outside.
I get out of bed and walk to the door. I open it and see Carlson standing with a tray of food.
"Good evening, seems like you had a nice sleep," he greets me with a smile.
I scratch my head, "yeah. The drive getting here was long and rough. And the place is just so comfortable."
He hands me the tray, "well, here's your complementary dinner and champagne. On the house."
"Wow, thanks so much!"
"So what amenities have you used so far?" he checks.
I shake my head, "oh, I slept immediately after I set up my camera to record a scenery for my ASMR youtube video."
Carlson's forehead crumpled, "camera? What camera?"
I pointed the camera that is still standing and facing the pond in my hut's yard, "there. I put that there after you left me earlier."
"And it has been rolling the whole time you were sleeping?" he asks.
"Yeah. You have a real nice landscape. It would really be great for my ASMR account," I compliment.
"Oh... uhm. Okay. Well, I'm glad you like it..." he muttered, "anyways, I'm heading back to the concierge hut. Enjoy your dinner and the rest of your evening."
After he left, I got the camera and turned it off. I took it inside with me. I ate the delicious dinner and drank the champagne. I will make most of my rest tonight so I will be fully charged to go around the amenities of the resort starting tomorrow.
After I finish my meal and my drink, I get my laptop, transfer my camera video files to it, connect my headphones and start watching the video I recently recorded.