TRAVEL TALES of ranaruby

Founded in 1819 as a trading outpost of the British East India Company, Singapore was only a small dot at the tip of the Malay Peninsula, the southernmost part of Asia. For almost half a century, Singapore was ruled by Calcutta. The small colonial post grew so rapidly that in 1965 it was formally declared as an independent city-state. Today it has turned into a global trading hub and has made the entire world its hinterland. Right from stepping into Changi International Airport, indisputably one of the world’s classiest airports, Singapore appealed to us for its crisp, warm and vibrant character. We went there last in 2018 to meet our younger son, a post-doc in Economics at NTU. Our flight touched down in the wee hours of the morning. When we reached our son’s house near Commonwealth metro station, it was still dark outside.  After keeping our baggage in his house, Arjun took us to a neighboring marketplace for tea. Pleasant surprises ...