Orchard Road

Singapore is synonymous with shopping and shopping malls. The first thing that comes to mind when asked to describe Singapore is the plethora of shopping malls, literally on every street corner. The heart of the shopping district is Orchard Road, and until you've seen it you won't believe how there can be so many malls in such a small area. There are malls for everyone. Paragon mall (see picture) is the highest end mall I've ever seen in my life, it makes Tyson's II look like Wal-Mart. I had to go in there to visit the Singapore Airlines office but the place was chock full of fashonistas and rich expat wifes with nothing else to do. Down the road, Funan DigiLife Mall is a technogeek's (see Nima) paradise, as it's seven floors of electronics stores. We had to stop in there to get some plug converters for when I get to Sri Lanka. Even many of the MRT stations have shopping malls built-in. Of course, spending an afternoon in a clean, air-conditioned shopping mall might not be a bad way to beat the Singapore heat. And pretty much all shopping malls include a bottom floor food court with dozens of choices for places to eat while your sister or girlfriend are looking to pick up yet another pair of shoes.