The Great Singapore Sale is on and Bangkok is... well... Bangkok. Who needs an excuse to visits either of these two cities? Seductive Bangkok and swinging Singapore have everything going for Indian wayfarers: proximity, pocket-friendly airfares, killer deals at hotels and more stuff to buy than bags can ever carry (Sightseeing? What?s that?). While both cities offer something for everyone ? let?s take a look at what there is for the never-say-die shopper.

Singapore

nWhile you can go dizzy shopping in Singapore, the island nation is not as inexpensive as you might have believed. However, it makes up in quality and incredible variety. But with the Great Singapore Sale in progress till July 24, most shops offer discounts (some insignificant, others hefty), though it?s always safer to keep an eye out for stores that boldly display something called the Merlion insignia. This tells you that the store is recognised by Singapore Tourism.

Orchard Road is to Singapore what Oxford Street is to London. There are two MRT stations on the stretch of the road, so getting there is no problem. It?s the hub for shopaholics what with its tony signature stores, bustling supermarkets, restaurants, hotels and a maze of mammoth shopping plazas where you can lose yourself for days on end.

The Orchard Road-Somerset Road shopping streets are filled with as many tourists as Singaporeans. The shopping plazas that you must hit include Centrepoint, Ngee Ann City, Wisma Atria and Far East Plaza (this one alone has some 600 stores). The Indian shopper still makes a beeline for high-fashion garments, sports goods, cameras, electronics and more electronics. Down this road (and along its arteries) Versace, DKNY, Dunhill, Charles Jourdan, Ralph Lauren, Chanel, Liz Claiborne -- and-any-other-label-that-you-could-think-of beckon.

Move away from this area and you can?t miss Marina Square ? about the size of seven football fields. If you are setting up home, visit Habitat. Just next to it is Suntec City Mall ? more crowds, and plenty more to buy.

For more earthy flavours wind your way to Chinatown that was set up by migrants from China in the late 19th century. Here you can nab some basement bargains. Nose around and you may just come up with some Peranakan antiques ? that are a happy blend of Malay and Chinese styles. And should you get homesick, visit Little India for ... well... what else but gold, jewellery, readymades and handicrafts that might look like something you could buy back home. And if you want to go where ALL Indians always end up going ? to Mustafa ? then you can shop at any time of day or night. For, Mustafa is open 24x7.

Gizmo freaks are advised to head for Sim Lim Square ? an entire building of electronic items. But do your homework before landing there in terms of the model of the equipment you require and the price it?s available for in India. Time to give that wallet a heart attack?

Get to Singapore on: Indian Airlines, Air-India, Singapore Airlines, Malaysian Airways, Thai Airways, Myanmar Airlines and Air Lanka.

Pay: Fares between Rs 13,000 to 25,000. (for flights from Delhi).

Stay: For anything between $70 to $100.

Bangkok

nIn Bangkok, tourists have just one agenda: buy, buy, buy. It?s here that a Rolex watch can cost anywhere between Rs 1 lakh to some Rs 2,000 (loosely converted from the Thai Baht to Indian bucks). Get the drift? The city is a paradise for fake and pirated goods. And that could be anything: watches, shoes, clothes, electronic goods, CDs and DVDs. But if you are a Dollar Store enthusiast, this spells good news.

Shops are open from 10am to 10pm and the night bazars are open late into the night. Bangkok?s nightlife swings (and how) while the highpoints are its night bazars. Begin the night journey with the Patpong night market. Okay, so let?s get this straight. This is a ?For Adults Only? kind of place ? where watches, clothes and bags (mostly fake) vie for attention with its dance bars that spill bar boys onto the narrow street outside. Don?t be surprised if girlish boys with finely plucked brows and kohl-lined eyes sidle up to you with, ?Want to watch show?''

But fun for the entire family can be had at the Suam Lum night bazar that has shops selling a variety of goods while offering entertainment (streetside caf?s, bars and discos) and great street food. The bazar opens at 6pm and buzzes till midnight.

When you hit a night bazar or streetside shopping area or the famed Chatuchak Weekend Market, bargain furiously. Though most shopowners speak English, they tend to rely more on their calculators, on which they type out the amount at which they are willing to make the sale. Usually the calculator changes hands between the buyer (the plea is ?I come from so far?) and vendor (the litany is ?I no sell?) several times before the deal is struck.

Topping the list of must-buys in Bangkok are its fabulous silks (a must-visit is Jim Thompson?s store), gemstones and jewellery, pottery items, masks, while antiques too are known to fly off the racks. VCDs and DVDs of the latest films are great buys. A VCD can cost 50 Baht while DVDs can cost upto 100 Baht.

But if malls are more your scene, try shopping centres like Emporium Sukhumvit Soi 26, Central Chidlom and the World Trade Centre or what is now called the Central World Plaza. If lucky, it?s possible to get amazing discounts of anywhere between 15 per cent to 80 per cent at sales. If silver is what you want to buy, head for Siam Square and Chinatown. And there?s Pantip Plaza on Phetburi Road for hundreds of shops selling hardware and software. Bangkok is not called a shoppers? paradise for nothing.

Get to Bangkok on: Indian Airlines, Air-India, Thai Airways, Myanmar Airlines.

Pay: Fares between Rs 11,500-18,000 (for flight sfrom Delhi).

Stay: For anything between $50 to $80.