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Lost in Italy

It was the last day of tour in Italy.  After the evening dinner, our tour group was left to roam on the streets, though most of the group headed back to the hotel. The tour guide was especially relaxed today and unlike the earlier days of the tour, he did not ask the tour group to assemble after dinner. I ate my dinner alone and then left the restaurant.


I did not return to hotel or joined the rest of the tour group. I wandered alone on the street, trying to collect the images of Italy before heading back to Singapore. I enjoyed the scenery and continued to walk and walk along the street till suddenly I found myself near a large expressway with lots of traffic. I started to try to find my way back to the hotel, after finding myself tired. This was when I find myself LOST!

Oh no, where am I? I became frantic, here I am in a non-English-speaking city alone, trying to find myself back to the hotel. The worst thing was that I have only my credit card with me with all other belongings including handphone in the hotel. As a result of hotel-hopping throughout the vacation, I did not even remember the name of the hotel or any other prominent features of the hotel.

I walked till I reached a shop manned by a middle-aged Chinese lady and her son. I was elated, thinking help is on the way. I asked where the lady came from and her answer was “China”. I told her I come from Singapore and was lost.  She took out a local map with 3 small photos of a hotel in the inserts of the map. She asked me which hotel I stayed. I looked at the 3 hotel photos but could not even make out which hotel I stayed from the photos. Randomly, I picked one hotel with a Roman general on top of the hotel.

Then to my disbelief, the lady told me that this map I was staring at right now was the exact map a young man, who was also lost, used to navigate his way back to his hotel and reached his hotel only after 2 days!
Before I could seek further advice from the lady and her son, it was party time for the Italian crowds and being shop-owners, the duo had to entertain their guests.
I was left to my own devices.. it was then I woke up, heaved a sign of relief to find that it was just a dream.
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