Chapter 1: And i said, what about dinner at Breko's?

Date to the best of Kingkong's memory: 25/05/2006
Time: 2100 hrs

The circle of nine had convened in a last ditch effort to organise things. Particulars were taken down, money was exchanged, names were shouted, positions appointed, travel insurances purchased for loss of luggage, loss of appendage, etc. If anyone who reads this finds the time and place familiar, yes the rowdy bunch of people occupying quite some space, laughing, talking, making jokes, were the circle of nine, plus some of the extended family(aka other friends and loved ones) of course, i.e. Tinman's girlfriend Lala who shares the same name as a teletubby , and a cool dude named Lion (remember, names are not to be laughed at, no matter how funny they sound, what more a fictitious name, right?).

No doubt, in everyone's minds, fantasies were beginning to form, of an ideal holiday. massage, shopping, eating, the sand the sun and the sea, and some trekking and adventuring up waterfalls and river rafting. All within the exciting ten days.
Kingkong had just finished watching on television The Amazing Race, the episode where the hippies won. He turned to look at Tinman, who was seated a distance away, and suddenly realised Tinman bore a faint resemblance to one of those hippies. He then turned to the main conversation and said "Hey, it's like Amazing Race, man!" Everyone looked up at him, smiled, and it was quiet for a while, after which the whole table resumed its droning until Kingkong felt like he was drowning in the droning, could take it no further and detached his attention from the conversation to his daydreams. Of a faraway land nicknamed the Land of Smiles, which to him was still the Land of Fantasies, at least for now.