“I will go to my grave claiming that the less you spend, the more you enjoy, the more authentic the experience, the more profound, the more exciting, the more unexpected it Arthur Frommer, publisher and travel writer.
“You open yourself up to a country or to a person and you find in the opening more riches than you ever imagined.
Pico Iyer Best Selling Author
“This is the best night of the New Year.”
“Oh… Why?”
“Everyone is having reunion dinners,” explained the taxi driver. “Reunion dinner is when the whole family gets together for a traditional meal before going to parties on the streets.”
“Are you going to a reunion dinner?” Jud asked.
“Of course, but first I make money.”
“What time will you eat?”
"About eight o’clock!”
The taxi driver dropped Jud off at the edge of Chinatown, and he wandered through the narrow streets, taking in the vibrant sights, sounds, and smells of the tropical night. The air was thick with the aroma of fruit and spices, mingling pleasantly in the heat. People were drinking Tiger Beer and eating New Year cookies, and tailors were selling suits everywhere.
Jud continued walking, leaving Chinatown behind as he headed towards the quay. The waterfront pubs were filled with crowds of people in white shirts, winding down at the end of the trading day. “If it wasn’t for the heat and the smells, I’d swear I was in London or New York,” he thought.
As he strolled by statues of historical figures like Joseph Conrad and Alexander Laurie Johnston, the first chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, Jud paused to watch a group of dancers rehearsing under an overpass. After several hours of exploring and feeling hunger, he finally settled at a Thai restaurant by the Esplanade. He ordered dishes he had never heard of—tom tu talay, a seafood soup, and barbecued chicken with Thai plum sauce.
Although physically tired, Jud felt alive to the sights, sounds, and smells surrounding him. He missed Kathryn but was glad to be where he was. Feeling a mix of contentment and restlessness, Jud decided it was the right time to read the next message from his father. He took a swig of his Tiger Beer and opened the envelope marked “Read this in Singapore.”
"Jud, welcome to Singapore!The first time I came here, I was wide-eyed and struck by the energy and diversity of this crossroads community. Singapore is a city of wonder, not only a natural wonder—its location near the equator is both strategic and spectacular—but also a cultural and historical marvel. Singapore is everywhere and nowhere. It is a microcosm not only of Asia but of the world. This city was built on trade and has become a global marketplace. From Singapore, you can see the world. Take a good look!Love, DadP.S. Easy on the Singapore Slings."
As the sun set, casting a pinkish-orange glow on the Esplanade’s unique architecture, Jud felt as though the world was slowly dimming and coming alive differently. The city’s lights began to twinkle as darkness fell, and a large freighter moved through the harbor, creating barely a ripple in the calm waters. Jud closed his eyes, letting a gentle stream of images pass through his mind—the pub in London, the map room of the Royal Geographical Society, the desolation of northern Kenya, the cold summit of Kilimanjaro, and now the vibrant, bustling streets of Singapore.
It was Jud’s first visit to Asia, and Singapore's tastes, sights, and sounds left him breathless. The city’s diversity, rich history, and dynamic culture impacted him more than he had expected, and he couldn’t get enough.
On his third day, Jud rose early and walked to Orchard Road, eventually finding himself near the Raffles Hotel in the late afternoon. He decided to treat himself to a Singapore Sling in the bar, settling into an oversized rattan chair with the cool, colorful drink in one hand and the contents of Envelope 5 in the other.
"Dear son,The next phase of your journey will take you from Singapore, where wealth and prosperity are visible all around you, to a very different place where people live with much less: the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. I have a friend, a very good friend, who was a porter in the hospital where your mother was treated for cancer: his name is Roberto. He has returned to his home island to help his aging mother and manage the family store and small travel company he started, called Davao Walking Tours. After your mother died, he invited me on a one-week walking tour of Mindanao. The time I spent with him in the hills of Mindanao was a turning point. I returned home determined to lead a healthy and balanced life, chasing the dollar less and reaching for life more. I gained a better perspective of myself and how the other half—or should I say, 90 percent of the world—lives. Just one thing, though. When you walk with him, you are to take nothing with you, only a notebook and your malaria tablets. Roberto will supply everything else, although there will not be much else that you require. I told him that you might show up one day, so hopefully, he will not be too surprised. I wrote his number on the back of this note:
Love Dad
Jud’s journey is about to take him from the luxury of Singapore to the stark realities of life in Mindanao. How will Jud cope with the challenges ahead with only a notebook and malaria tablets? His father’s cryptic instructions suggest that the next leg of this adventure will be as much about inner exploration as it is about traversing new landscapes.
The next installment will delve into the heart of this mysterious journey. Stay tuned.
