Translation of gewiss

In the beginning it looked brutal but it worked. He brought my wallet back to me and asked me to count the bills in it. I was stunned and could not believe what just happened. He repeated his order.
You may know that most young students fly South on spring break. You can imagine how the parties look like down there, and how many drugs are consumed during this vacation. I prefer the quietness.
I chose a room in the center of town. I went to the northern beach of the island which was supposedly the most beautiful one. There were many young tourist lying in the sand but I still felt foreign.