The BeachThe Khao San Road, Bangkok--first stop for the hordes of rootless young Westerners traveling in Southeast Asia. On Richard's First night there, in a low-budget guest house, a fellow traveler slashes his wrists, bequeathing to Richard a meticulously drawn map to the Beach. The Beach, as Richard has come to learn, is a subject of legend among young travelers in Asia: a lagoon hidden from the sea, with white sand and coral gardens, freshwater falls surrounded by jungle, plants untouched for a thousand years. There, it is rumored, a carefully selected international few have settled in acommunal Eden. Haunted by the figure of Mr. Duck--the name by which the Thai police have identified the dead man--and by his own obsession with Vietnam movies, Richard sets off with a young French couple to an island hidden away in an archipelago forbidden to tourists. They discover the Beach, and it is as beautiful and idyllic as it is reputed to be. Yet over time it becomes clear that Beach culture, as Richard calls it, has troubling, even deadly, undercurrents |
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Alex Garland arms asked Bangkok beach began boat Bugs camp Cassie Christo cigarette clearing cliffs corals couple Daffy Daffy Duck dope Etienne and Françoise eyes face feel felt finger frowned fucking going Gregorio hand happened heard hour island Jed's Jesse jungle Karl Keaty Keaty's Khyber Pass knew Koh Phangan Koh Samui lagoon laughed leave legs longhouse looked Maglite meters milkfish minutes Mister Duck morning Moshe mouth muttered never night nodded Okay papaya passed paused pissed pulled replied Richard rizlas Sal's sand seemed shark shit shook his head shrugged sighed sitting sleep smiled smoke smoke two joints someone sorry spiv started stay Sten stopped strange sure Swedes swim talking tell tent There's thing thought took trees trying turned Uh-huh Unhygienix voice wait walked watching waterfall worry Yeah Zeph and Sammy