We Travel
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Apr 4, 2023
- 2 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. CHINESE RESTAURANT - 20:00
PETER, his WIFE and their elder SON are seated.
PETER (V.O.): It's my wife's choice.
They do the orders.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): For the past fortnight, we had lots of Japanese cuisine.
SON: How was the trip?
PETER: Marvelous! I've seen dozens of cherry trees in full blossom just motoring along a section of a road to Shimanto in Shikuko.
Peter shows his son video clips on his phone screen.
PETER (Cont'd): Mom drove very well the narrow and twisting roads of Japanese Route 439.
WIFE: It was an unforgettable adventure!
Act 2
FLASHBACK
INT. STUDIO - YESTERDAY MORNING
Smart phone in hand. Peter is surfing hotel booking platforms.
PETER (V.O.): Upon our return to Hong Kong yesterday night, I suggested to my wife that we'd visit Hong Kong's outlying islands during the Easter holidays.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It'd be nice if I can find a pet-friendly hotel and we stay there overnight.
Surfing.
PETER (V.O.): But the hotels I've in mind, whether they're pet-friendly or not, are full. It's too late to plan that now.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Am I suffering from travel fever? My wife and I were in Seoul in Jan. And my younger son and I were in Hokkaido in Feb.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My younger daughter visited Tokyo in mid-March.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And while my wife and I were in Kyoto last weekend, our elder daughter and her boyfriend were also seeing Sakura blossoms in Gangwon-do in South Korea.
INT. RECEPTION, HKUST - YESTERDAY AFTERNOON
Peter is chatting with COLLEAGUE#1.
COLLEAGUE#1: After our last travel to Tokyo, my wife has begun learning Japanese but she finds it difficult.
PETER: I'm taking NHK World's online Japanese lessons to make my Japanese travels more fun.
COLLEAGUES#2 joins them.
COLLEAGUE#2: Peter, I didn't see you in the university function on March 31. Were you out of town?
PETER: Yes, I was visiting Japan. I returned to Hong Kong yesterday.
COLLEAGUE#2: My wife and I are flying out to Fukuoka tomorrow with another couple.
INT. STUDIO - EARLIER TODAY
Peter is engaging in a telephone conversation.
WIFE (from phone): Can you make the trip if we fly away to Osaka again from Sept 15...
END FLASHBACK
PETER (to Son): You're flying out to Tokyo on good Friday, right?
SON: Yes, I've also had a business meeting later that day...
PETER: Be prepared for hours-long waiting for quarantine, immigration and custom clearance.
While food is being served on the table, Peter's wife checks her phone messages and discovers something.
WIFE: Last week, our younger son said he was planning to travel to Queenstown in New Zealand during term break.
PETER: Yes?
WIFE: He's actually there now!
Peter smiles.
PETER (V.O.): Immediately after his travel to Tokyo, he accepted my invitation to travel with me see the Sapporo Snow festival.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I don't mind visiting Queenstown too...
Act 3
INT. CHINESE RESTAURANT - CONTINUOUS
Peter, his wife and their elder son continue to chat over dinner.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We travel because money returns, time doesn't.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We want to fill our lives with adventures and stories to tell. My wife is delighted that she has fixed our trip to Osaka again.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Meanwhile, I've reminded her our Macau trip in mid April... Why don't we travel there monthly?
FADE OUT
THE END
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