Singapore. 

A police state? I have heard so much about how people are canned for chewing gum or executed for dealing drugs. About how life is regulated and controlled by the government.

Coming out of Changi Airport, I quickly get into a cab and head to my hotel. Singapore has the reputation of being an extremely clean country and I quickly realize that. The cab is immaculate. The driver pleasant and well groomed. As we drive through the streets, not a speck of garbage anywhere. Instead, the streets are beautifully landscaped with giant shade trees covered in birds nest ferns and wild orchids. 

Wide sidewalks are separated from the curb by lush tropical,plantings. 

Pedestrians cross most streets either by overpasses lined with pink bougainvilleas or via underpasses and subterranean shopping malls.

After I settle into my beautiful, freshly remodeled room at the JW Marriott, I make my way to a nearby "hawker center" for lunch. Back 60 years ago, the government consolidated street food vendors into the centers where they could be regulated. Since then, street food has been perfected into an art and it has turned singapore into a foodie haven. 

 Just like the population, Singaporean food is the result of a melting of different influences (Chinese, Malay, Indian/Pakistani...). Stalls specialize in one type of food, hand made noodle soups, Malaysian dishes, Cantonese barbecue, Indian curries, biryanis, fruit juices, coffees, soy based drinks or desserts.

Singapore is one of the richest countries in the world. Orchard Road, the main shopping district is a beautiful, tree lined boulevard with wide, lushly landscaped sidewalks. Well dressed men and women stroll past luxury good stores and large busy shopping malls. One of my favorites is Takashimaya, the Japanese department store. It houses on the third level, the most beautiful and best stocked bookstore I have ever seen. My favorite area is of course the cookbook section. Rows of cookbooks from every part of the world are displayed by regions and cuisine. I am in heaven.

Most of the stores on Orchard are linked by an extensive network of air conditioned tunnels and underpasses. A maze of stores, gourmet food markets and food stalls are laid out on 4 underground levels. One can easily spend several days browsing.

Since I am only spending about 4 days in Singapore, I decide to get out and explore the city. The city/country is easily navigated. Taxis are plentiful and inexpensive. Traffic is never an issue since the country tightly regulates the number of cars on the road. Before anyone can purchase a car, you have to purchase a permit to operate that car at the cost of $100000 for 10 years! As a results, most private cars are luxury brands.
The rest of the population gets around by taxis and by using the subway system. It is no surprised that the MRT as it is known, is one of the cleanest, safest and most efficient low cost public transit system.

A day is spent exploring the old Chinatown, little India and the Arab street areas. These "heritage" sections are quite a contrast from the modern, architecturally stunning newer skyscrapers that make up the downtown and most of the newer residential areas. 

A particularly stunning new building is the Marina Bay Sands Hotel area. Located across the bay from downtown, the hotel complex consists of three towers linked with what looks like a giant boat sitting on top of the towers.

 That "boat" houses a lush tropical garden, a restaurant/bar called Ku De Ta and the hotel's pool. That pool sits right in the edge of the building on the 57th floor. Bathers can swim right to the glass infinity edge and take in the view of downtown.

On the downtown side of the hotel sits a massive shopping center and casino complex. Luxury French and Italian good stores are housed on 4 levels either within the mall itself of in separate pavilions that float in the bay.

On the other side of the hotel is the amazing Gardens by the Bay. It consists of a lush tropical garden with futuristic massive metal flowers whose bases are covered in ferns and bromeliads.

These flowers are connected by a series of suspended bridges from where one can admire the grounds. A large Chinese garden, massive ponds and two stunning glass pavilions make up the rest of the gardens. One of these pavilions houses a collection of cloud forrest trees whereas the other one is planted with rare and interesting plants from various regions of the world; olives, geraniums and rosemary from the Mediterranean, kangaroo paws and other exotic plants from the Australian bush, rare palms from Chile...

My favorite area is the collection of desert plants and trees from South Africa.


On my last full day, I decide to explore the botanical garden. From our hotel on Orchard Road, we walk about 20 minutes through beautifully manicured neighborhoods. It is hot and humid but we don't really pay attention to the weather. We are too busy admiring the beautiful houses on the way. We walk under a canopy of massive tropical shade trees covered, like most trees in Singapore, with wild orchids and birds nest ferns.

The botanical garden was started over a hundred years ago from a donated parcel of farm land. It houses a beautiful collection of tropical trees, lush and exotic palms, gingers, heliconias, bromeliads and the national orchid gardens on several acres of rolling hills and peaceful ponds. 







Wide lawns offer a place to lay down and relax. A small restaurant nestled amidst a lush ginger grove offers cool drinks or a delicious brunch.

Four days go by quickly. I reflect on those last four days and realize that Singapore is nowhere near a police state. I only saw a police car patrolling once. The constant cacophony of police and ambulance sirens so common in NYC is absent. People seem to take pride in their country, in its cleanliness, in its beauty and they seem genuinely nice and courteous.

As I embark on my cruise ship, headed to Thailand, I promise myself that I must come back to Singapore.

                               Heading to Asia

Fort Lauderdale to Singapore! I decided several months ago to take a trip to Asia. Never thrilled by air travel, I had been kind of dreading the moment. I got a business class seat as a way to make the voyage more tolerable.

Leaving Fort Lauderdale on a cool and windy Tuesday evening, I settle into American Airlines seat 4A headed to JFK. I am embarrassed to admit that I have very low expectations having used AA in the past. We take off in the comfortable seat of the 737 and start the 2hr 10 min flight! It is a good omen. I am welcomed by a very pleasant flight attendant who greets me by name! Wow! Is this the new AA? Soon we are served perfectly seasoned warm nuts which go very well with the excellent red wine I am poured. A delicious and healthy looking broiled chicken dinner follows. Even dessert is outstanding. A generous slice of fresh baked cheesecake. Before I know it, we've landed at JFK. 

I head over to Cathay Pacific for my next 2 legs of the trip. I had read great reviews on Cathay but I am not looking forward to the scheduled 18 hour trip to Hong Kong. I was not picky about seat selection and find myself seated in 15A, just next to the door and the galley. Will the beehive of activity going on in the galley spell trouble for me?

We take off for what turns out to be the best flight I have ever taken. There is really no better aircraft than a 777 with flat beds. The ride is amazingly smooth. Service is impeccable. Flight attendants are available to cater to every whim but remain very quiet and don’t disturb despite my close proximity to the galley. The food is delicious and the entertainment is first class. I watch a movie, eat supper and go to sleep for more than 6 hours. When I wake up, I have a snack (available any time) of a warm bowl of Chinese noodle soup with roast duck. I watch another couple of movies before breakfast is served. Soon thereafter we are landing in Hong Kong. 

Walking through this vast airport is a welcome exercise after seating so long. I make my way past scores of shops and restaurants (closed at this early hour) and head to gate 63 for the connection to Singapore. On the way. I make a pit stop at the Cathay lounge for a warm shower. The lounge itself is clean, modern and efficient. The shower stalls are large with powerful jets. I am invigorated and ready for the last leg of the trip.

It’s another 777!. I am again in seat 15A. The 3 and a half hour flight is smooth and quick. Finally I land at the world’s best airport, Changi. Within 15 minutes of landing, I have made my way past immigration, collected my luggage and gone through customs. I step outside in the moist tropical air, hail a clean, air-conditioned taxi and make my way to my hotel.

Village Life in Northern Lebanon

The drive from Tripoli goes past blocks of decrepit old apartment buildings, past a large Palestinian camp, past Bedouin encampments, up the national highway toward Syria. We then head east to the bustling city of Halba, the regional government seat for the province of Akkar. From there, the road becomes much more scenic. We climb up steep hills peppered with quaint villages of stone houses capped with steep red roof tiles.

Lebanese countryside 

We drive up the winding road past small fields of golden wheat and fruit orchards. The air is already much cooler. Bright wild flowers line the side of the road. Left over red poppies from the spring, wild thistles, pink primroses, wild mustard. Everywhere it's an explosion of color against the deep blue sky.

After a little more than an hour we make it to my grandparents' village, Beit Mellat. Nestled high in the mountain, it is one of a few small Christian villages among a Muslim area of northern Lebanon. There are at least 5 churches in a village of fewer than 500 people. 

Beit Mellat

Saint Simon, my grandma's church

Small altars dedicated to various saints a scattered throughout the village in front of pious homes. Olive groves and fruit orchards are the only left over of former agricultural days.

 My great grandfather left his home over 100 years ago for what he thought was Brasil. Instead an unscrupulous ship captain left him in Haiti. There he started a new life, found a wife and eventually became prosperous. His sons, including my grandfather, came back home where they met their brides. With a promise of a better life in America, my grandmother married at 18 and headed to Haiti with her new husband. They eventually built a summer house high in the mountains of Haiti but nostalgia brought her back home to her native village where she built another summer house in the 1950s.

The house was a large modern structure built of local stone but with a large roof top deck foot enjoy the cool summer nights. Seven bedrooms and 3 and a half bathroom, large modern kitchen, large dinning room, formal living room and a large reception room  were built to accommodate my grandparents' large family. A large plot of land planted with pine nut trees and a orchard was meant to produce most of the fruit and vegetables.

Sign announcing house of mayor of Beit Mellat, my cousin.

View from rooftop terrace

Pine nut drying up in the sun

House garden

Mom with her sister

We arrive early in the morning and open the doors and windows to air the house closed since last winter. Villagers somehow know that my aunt and her family have arrived. Old friends and relatives drop by all day long for the traditional visit over a cup of strong, thick-as-mud Turkish coffee. It has been three years since I last visited with my mom. Many people who remember that I am a physician come by with their medical files for a second opinion (from someone they trust).

Visiting old friends

Village life is quiet. Up with the sun, we start the day with a traditional breakfast of "manooshay", thin flat breads baked on a traditional round grill and covered with a variety of toppings from the traditional zahtar (mountain thyme, sumac,  sesame seeds and olive oil), local cheese, ground meat mixed with onion, tomato and allspice to newer versions with ham and cheese. 

Afterwards we go for a walk. It is late spring and the morning air is still crisp. Wild flowers line the edge of the fields. As we wander through the village, housewives are busy doing their chores. Laundry is being hung outside to dry in the bright sunshine. We are warmly greeted by everyone. We eventually make it to the house of old friends were we stop for a visit and the traditional cup of coffee. We wander past the village churches and make it back home.

Village street

Old house being remodeled

Traditional village house

Lunch takes up a couple of hours in the early afternoon. Grilled kibbehs are served with tart yogurt and a salad seasoned with olive oil, mint, garlic and lemon juice. Then comes the fruit plate (apricots, red and green plums, peaches, water melon and loquats). More coffee does not keep us from a quick nap on the front porch.

Grilling kibbehs

By late afternoon more visitors come by for many other cups of coffee. We eat a light dinner of labne (yogurt cheese) drizzled with olive oil from my aunt's olive grove, olives, ripe green Lebanese tomatoes and cucumbers and bread. After another round of fruit, we settle back on the front porch were more visitors drop by until after 11.

Sunset on the front porch

Politics is the Lebanese favorite topic. Recently northern Lebanon has been caught in battles between 2 Muslim groups, the Sunnis who support the Syrian insurgents and the Alawites who support the current Syrian regime. We get news that the main highway out of Tripoli to the village has been closed due to the violence. In the past 24 hours, 13 people have been killed and 38 more injured. The word on the street is that the army is not stepping in for now. Worried about been cut off from the rest of the country, we decide to go back in town the next morning. Although we will be closer to the violence, it will be easier to head to Beirut in case the situation deteriorates even further. 

Our visit has been cut short but it was great walking once more the streets where my grandmother was born and spent her youth. Her spirit is everywhere around us. I always feel a strong emotional connection every time I visit.