Which of these places would you chose?

Nick-H

My bank wants to give me a free air-ticket.

I'm deeply suspicious of such promotions, but heck --- I'll send off the form and see what happens.

I spent too much to get a domestic flight, but not enough to qualify for Europe, so I have a choice, within Asia, of Bangkok, Colombo, Dubai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpar, the Maldives, Shanghai or Singapore.

I will almost certainly go by myself, just for a few days of wandering around shops.

Lets do some excluding...

Maldives... Can wait until Mrs N and I can afford to lie together on a tropical beach in a superb hotel doing little but watching the waves for a week. Blissful, but I don't need that kind of holiday just now.

Dubai... I'm not keen. Can't explain why, just not attracted.

Shanghai... Wow, China: Much scarier than India! That would be wasted on a shopping trip for one. I should think China must be one of the world's biggest adventures. Another time.

Bangkok... Again, would surely merit a trip for two when we get rich; probably wasted on a quick journey down the shops.

That leaves Colombo, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpar and Singapore.

Yes... I want to go shopping! I want to wander around stores packed to the roofs with gadgets and wonders. The only thing I'm not really interested in is clothes.

Colombo... has to be the shortest flight, I guess. But is it really different enough to where I live every day?

Hong Kong... Is it still the cheap electronics capital of the world? But about twenty years ago someone told me it was just like London but far, far worse, which rather put me off

Kuala Lumpar probably has everything I'm looking for. Does it do rural, at all? even parks at all? Even the world's greatest shopaholic can't live by consumerism alone

Singapore Same observation and question as KL.

What about mid-budget (3-star?) hotels in these cities? Will the cost of living make me wish I'd never fallen for the free ticket, like London would?

---How much will I spend in Camera shops?

---How many electronic gadgets will I buy?

---How many items will I add to our kitchen equipment?

---What will my excess baggage come to?

---Will Chennai Customs open a special desk to deal with all mys stuff?

So many questions, and I have to send the form back in a day or two

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ba9rn

I know this is one you ruled out, but from your initial list, I would choose Dubai. I'd go back there like a shot! OK, it's designed almost exclusively for rich tourists, but it's well worth seeing at least once (including the vast indoor ski resort). The gold sukh has some bargains, as long as you haggle... Anyway, enough - you ain't going there.

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SteamBuff

Well if the bank are giving you a free ticket, then I would screw them and go to the place with the most expensive ticket!!

capt_mahajan

Colombo.. too similar to Chennai, including for shopping

Dubai.. apologies to ba9rn, but except for shops, nothing else.
Electronics will be cheaper here than anywhere else, though, unless you are looking at China for cheap stuff. Actually, dont rule Dubai out if you plan to spend a lot on electronics.

KL: Not great for electronics. Besides, Singapore close by is better.

Hong Kong: Am biased against this, coz never liked the place much. Too crowded, and sometimes scammish.

Singapore: Good option. Decent shopping. Electronics more expensive than Dubai. Decent 'outside shopping places', at least for a few days. Jurong Bird Park. Zoo night safari. Sentosa (overrated) and Science musuem being just four of the places.
Its more relaxed than all the other places too, and less hassle.


Accomodation: None of these places is frightfully expensive. You can get decent accomodation at kind of Indian rates. May not dent the pocket too much if its for a few days.

I vote Singapore.

ba9rn

... Or travel somewhere closer, First Class.

Nick-H

Interesting. I expected someone would come back with the same reasons for KL.

Looks like Singapore would be a good choice then. I have to give 1st, 2nd, 3rd choice. So... Singapore, Kualalumpar, Dubai?

SteamBuff... I have a really nice bank manager. She is super helpful, super efficient, very friendly ---and beautiful into the bargain. The last thing I would think of is scre................



I'm married, OK?

capt_mahajan

Umm, assuming that shopping is a big priority, and a second less major priority is 'other stuff'

1 Singapore
2 Dubai
3 KL

If electronics shopping is a huge priority and other stuff is minor, you could even consider dubai as no. 1. But shopping is more relaxed in Singapore (and this from the point of view of somebody who hates shopping)

KL is neither here nor there.. not too good for electronics, and, for a few days, Singapore is better.

Quick comments
In Malaysia, I would prefer penang over kl anyday. But not for shopping.
Maybe you can do both Singapore and KL, if the ticket extends to that? But, it will be more rushed for a few days.

Nick-H

I tend to think of Dubai as being the place for gold and diamonds.

Might have picked that up from a an in-flight magazine, which might have been misleading...

capt_mahajan

I don't personally like Dubai too much. It is more hassling, more for the die hard buy-cheapest shopper or sometimes the businessman buying to sell in India (albeit this has reduced over the years). But electronics is cheaper than Singapore. Maybe 10/15%, but i am the wrong person to answer that.

But if I didnt plan to buy a lot of electronics, or I was prepared to spend a little more to relax a little bit, plus I wanted more options for off-shopping hours.. I would choose singapore.

I am not at all gung ho about singapore, generally, btw... but you did mention shopping, electronics, and closeby.. that narrows the suspects down a bit .. in fact, on those parameters, it is almost certainly dubai or singapore.

Silmaril

That reads like my gap year itinerary!

I would definitely go for KL.
-like Singapore and HK, it has the shops you want, bargains etc.
-but unlike HK and Sinagapore, it is the capital of a larger country, offering the following:
Cheap diving lessons on wonderful beaches
Jungle treks (Taman Negara national park)
Orangutans
-KL also looks like a fun place, with a mix of cultures (Chinese, Malay, Indian etc.)
-KL will be a bit cheaper and a bit more adventurous than Singapore, but certainly far from stressful for someone used to India.

Ok, I've not actually been yet, but all my reading suggests that this is the case. My itinerary keeps changing, but two places that have been on since the start and survived all the revisions are India and Malaysia.

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Nick-H

I'm not really planning to spend a fortune. Browsing is good enough for me, most days, so it would be nice if people weren't throwing stuff at me all the time.

But I can't convince these guys that Bluewater shopping Centre is in Asia!

Climate? KL and Singapore are going to be similar to here? but nearer the equator I think.

ananda2193

Though I haven't been in 14 years, but Singapore was boring to me. It's all about shopping. There's malls everywhere. And it's not as cheap as you might think.I thought they were expensive. The same gadgets are much cheaper in the States.

Kuala Lumpur would be a more interesting choice. Don't know about shopping, but great food and there are nice parks and islands off it's coast. Penang, Malaysia is a great place with excellent street food stalls and great shopping for antiques and other interesting things.It's known as one the great places for food in Asia. Theres also a ferry to Sumatra from there that takes 5 hours where you can see Orangutangs at Bukit Lawang. Sumatra and Borneo are the only places where they live naturally.

And if you choose KL you can visit the Batu Caves 7 miles outside of town. http://www.malaysiasite.nl/batucaveseng.htm

capt_mahajan

Both can get warm and humid. But almost everything indoors is airconditioned, including malls, taxis and the trains (MRT in Singapore).

And evenings can be pleasant outdoors.

akt

Is the list of cities completely non-negotiable? For example, can you ask for Beijing instead of Shanghai? Istanbul instead of Dubai? Can you save whatever points you have earned, accumulate more, and visit Europe later?

On your list, the place with most character (for me) is Thailand. Singapore is just a very big shopping mall; HK might have more character if shops interest you.

If I could, I'd tempted to hold out for Istanbul, Cairo, Beijing etc., if not Europe proper.

cyberhippie

Is Burma an option Nick, I've heard lots of good things about this country as a travel destination!

Bagan

Ngapali

Mandalay