Last year, I got my hands on a copy of a recent Lonely Planet guide to Thailand. Every morning during breakfast, I read about that fascinating country. Of late, during my trips to the Central Library downtown, I have also borrowed guides to Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Sri Lanka, and Laos. Tomorrow, I plan to see if they have any guides available to Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cambodia. I am particularly interested in Indonesia.

If I had the money, I think I would love to fly to Singapore, take the train through Malaysia, stopping in Penang, and continue on to Bangkok, Ayuthaya, and Chiang Mai. I rather doubt I could get Martine interested in such a trip, but there is a possibility that she would accept Singapore as a destination.

It might be in the tropics, but it’s small, rich, and largely air-conditioned. And there are numerous museums, a world-class zoo and botanical garden, and a fascinating mixture of cultures and cuisines—particularly Malayan, Straits Chinese (Peranakan), South Chinese, and Indian.