Worlds apart

Less than 90-minutes flying time away, this city state of Singapore -- where your grandfather has just landed -- could hardly be more different from Jakarta.

Tightly regulated and civilised but arguably bordering on sanitised, Singapore is a wealthy country in contrast to Indonesia which is still only of developing status with more than 250 million citizens.  But Indonesia's economy is growing fast, and I am sure it will be a much more affluent nation by the time you grow up.

As I arrived here in Singapore, TV news is showing live images of the first peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian authorities in two years, hosted by President Obama in the White House.  We can only hope that Premiers Netanayahu and Abbas succeed, although this seems unlikely given that the terrorist organisation, Hamas, still controls Gaza.

Oh, Yael, by the time you understand what this was all about, every part of me hopes that the conflict between Israel and Palestine will be nothing but ancient history.

How can neighbours, be it in Asia or the Middle East live in world's apart?


Grandpa Jonathan
Singapore