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Author: John

What to See and Do in Singapore

What to See and Do in Singapore

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Singapore offers an exhilarating array of experiences and attractions. Museums, colonial and ultra modern architecture, ethnic neighborhoods bustling with hawker food stalls, spice vendors, temples and shrines, world class shopping and incomparable night life are all within reach  in this unique island city of five and a half million inhabitants. Chinatown Ethnic Chinese make up the largest percentage of Singapore’s population, so we will start with Chinatown. Located adjacent to the CBD, or Central Business, Chinatown has neighborhoods that date…

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From Fishing Village to Economic Powerhouse – The History of Singapore

From Fishing Village to Economic Powerhouse – The History of Singapore

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Singapore’s history is comparatively new and recent. Officially established in 1819 as a trading post by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, it had only a very small indigenous population at the time. The oldest known record of Singapore is from a 3rd century Chinese account of a place called Pulau Ujong, or ‘Island at the End’. It was also at one time called Temasek, or ‘Sea Town’.  The Sanskrit word Singapura, or ‘Lion City’, dates from the 13th century. Controlled by…

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Singapore – Gateway to South East Asia

Singapore – Gateway to South East Asia

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This month takes us to the vibrant, fascinating island country of Singapore.  This city-state consists of one main island and 62 smallerislands located off the tip of the Malay Peninsula. A melting pot of cultures, Singapore is a densely populated mixture of  Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnicities with significant expatriate populations from many other countries. A city of 5.5 million people, Singapore is nevertheless known as the ‘garden city’ due to it’s extensive parks and green areas. For many years…

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The Foods of Cape Verde – Cachupa and the Green Cape

The Foods of Cape Verde – Cachupa and the Green Cape

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The cuisine of Cabo Verde is a robust cuisine derived from Portuguese and African influences.  The Portuguese brought livestock to the islands and the Africans brought numerous tropical crops from the continent. In addition, fruits and vegetables from the new world and the east were brought to the islands at one time or another. One of the most ubiquitous ingredients in Cabo Verdean cuisine is corn.  Cachupa, the national dish, is a stew made from  hominy and beans with fish…

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The Islands of Cabo Verde – From top to bottom

The Islands of Cabo Verde – From top to bottom

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The archipelago of Cabo Verde represents a great diversity of landscapes. Here you can find rugged mountain peaks, flat deserts of sand dunes, fertile green mountain valleys, volcanoes, lakes of salt, and endless white sand beaches. The islands lie in a horseshoe formation, with the more Portuguese influenced islands of the Barlavento, or windward group in the north and the more African influenced islands of the Sotavento, or leeward group in the South. Let’s start from the top of the…

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The Music of Cabo Verde

The Music of Cabo Verde

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There are few places in the world that can claim as high a concentration of musicians in it’s culture as the islands of Cabo Verde.  Music is the soul of these islands and there are numerous unique traditions and styles that have developed during the course of Cabo Verde’s stormy and troubled history. This island nation currently has a population of just over a half million people. There are more Cape Verdeans living in other countries, such as Portugal and…

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History of the Cape Verde Islands

History of the Cape Verde Islands

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The Portuguese first established themselves on the island of São Tiago (Santiago) in the year 1462. Ribeira Grande (now known as Cidade Velha) is generally considered to be the first European settlement in the tropics. Due to poor record keeping, there seems to be a degree of uncertainty as to who first sighted or set foot on Cabo Verde. The Genoan Antonio da Noli and the Venetian Alvise Cadamosto, both explorers in the service of Prince Henry the Navigator of…

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Atlantic Escape off the Coast of Africa – Cabo Verde

Atlantic Escape off the Coast of Africa – Cabo Verde

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Our next destination is the island archipelago of Cabo Verde. Although historically known in English as Cape Verde, the island nation’s government declared in 2013 that the Portuguese version of it’s name, Cabo Verde would be used for all official purposes. Located  in the central Atlantic  about 350 miles off the western coast of Africa, this island nation achieved independence from Portugal in 1975. It is one of the most highly developed countries in Africa in spite of a lack…

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Triskelion Cocktail-The Martini of Man

Triskelion Cocktail-The Martini of Man

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A triskelion is a symbol with three legs or lines extending from the center. It is very prominent in the Celtic world and is featured on the flag, coat of arms and nearly everything else on the Isle of Man. On the coat of arms, the Latin motto translates as “Wherever you throw it, it will stand” which seems to indicate that the triskelion symbol represents stability. In fact it has numerous meanings ranging from the Trinity to things like…

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The Foods of Man

The Foods of Man

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The foods of Man include, unsurprisingly, seafood and many of the foods and dishes you would find elsewhere in the British Isles. The food item that Isle of Man is likely most famous for, is the Manx kipper. Manx kippers start as herring, which are then split, brined and cold smoked with oak chips on wooden rods. The result is a kipper that is not too salty or fishy and has a rich color and flavor.  This process was at…

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