Table of Contents

Some people find themselves by sitting still. Ren found himself by leaving.

Hong Kong street scene neons from historical travel memoir Rubies and Rucksacks.

Ren left three times and each time was with a distinct pattern of travel…

I. First Flight (Dec 1987-Jan 1989)

一. Hong Kong, a Love Story
สอง. Rubies and Rucksacks
Tatlo. Life in Paradise Part 1
Apat. Life in Paradise Part 2
Lima. Life in Paradise Part 3
Bonus. The Dance of the Moonlight Swordsman
Enam. Escape to Singapore
Tujuh. The Boat and the Brothel
แปด. Our Selfish War Part 1
เก้า. Our Selfish War Part 2
ဆယ်. Reporting from Rangoon Part 1
ဆယ့်တစ်. Reporting from Rangoon Part 2
བཅུ་གཉིས. No Limits
Bonus. The Mao Cap
Тринадцать. The Mule

II. Lost and Found (Dec 1990-Aug 1993)

じゅうよん. One Night in Shibuya
Bonus. Girlfriends and Sisters
Fifteen. The Language Divides

III. Where the Heart Resides (Dec 1993-May 1995)

สิบหก. A Blossom in the House
Mười bảy. The Good, the Bad, and the Blind
十八. Handover

Epilogue (Aug 1995)

Hong Kong, a Love Story first appeared in the Volume 26 Issue 1 of the University of Chicago affiliated Euphony Journal. It was a semifinalist in Action, Spectacle Editors’ 2026 Poetry & Prose contest. The second (titular) story Rubies and Rucksacks first appeared in the December 2025 issue of Five on the Fifth literary magazine.

The bonus stories, listed above, are not included in the book but are available upon request. The photo of neons at night, which is the basis for the book cover, was taken in 1988 in Kowloon.

Chronology: For those who asked, the stories are presented more or less in chronological order, the biggest exception being that Hong Kong, a Love Story occurred after Rubies and Rucksacks. Hover over the titles to show some dates.