Singapore, a thriving city-state lying almost on the equator, is one of Asia's economic powerhouses, despite its dearth of natural resources. Blessed with sunshine and rain the year round, it has transformed its surrounds into a garden; its lushed greenery and flowering plants greeting the visitor as soon as the plane touches down.

Chinatown, with its vibrancy of colours and crowded streets of shoppers, fortune tellers, calligraphers and temple worshippers entices the visitor. At Little India , the scents of freshly ground spices and the brilliance of saris greet the visitor at every corner. And at Arab Street , you can still hear the cry of the imam from the nearby mosque.

Singapore may have long since sheded its image as a sleepy fishing village; but the romance of its colourful past may still be captured with a ride up the Singapore River in a "tongkang" (motorised sampans) or on a rickshaw along the quieter motorways. Or one could relax with a Singapore sling under the languorous ceiling fans of Raffles Hotel and dream of yesteryear; surrounded by hi-tech wizardry and glass and concrete towers. It is this delicate balance of Western modernity and Eastern flavours that makes Singapore such an an enchanting and accessible slice of Asia.