SHOPPING IN JAKARTA

With the spread of myriad of new shopping malls, Jakarta has achieved its ambition of duplicating Singapore’s success as one of Asia’s foremost heavens for purchasing almost anything. Imported luxury items sold at competitive prices with Asia major shopping centers. For many products, especially textiles and garments, prices are far cheaper. English is widely spoken and attentive service guaranteed. Bargaining is the rule when sopping even though Department stores and some shop displays prices.

Major mega-shopping centers are located throughout the city as follows;
Elite Plaza Indonesia (adjacent to the Grand Hyatt),
Plaza EX and
The Plaza Semanggi in Central Jakarta in the East
Taman Anggrek Mall in West,
Kelapa Gading Mall in East,
WTC Mangga Dua in North,
Plaza Senayan and
Pondok Indah Mall in South Jakarta.

Traditional handcrafted arts - Jakarta is also the city for great buys in traditional handcrafted arts. Sarinah and Pasaraya Grande department stores, both conveniently located, remain the best one-stop shopping places for Indonesia arts and crafts throughout the archipelago. Several floors of each store are dedicated to the sale of locally crafted items including textiles, weaving, carvings, paintings, silver, jewelry, basketry, puppetry, leather goods and a range of interior design items.
For inveterate shoppers, Jakarta’s shopping may well be the city’s main attraction. Jalan Surabaya in Menteng is a colourful antique market that is include on most Jakarta itineraries. Pasar Seni at Ancol is another good craft market. Other notable areas for antiques and crafts is Jalan Kebon Sirih Timur, only one street away from Jalan Jaksa, for collectors and those after antique furniture who want to browse through the large shops in Ciputat, on the outskirt of the city. A couple of kilometers South of Blok M, Kemang is another hunting ground for antiques and crafts.
Batik - Jakarta has plenty of Batik outlets. Sarinah and Pasaraya Grande have excellent selections of batik with all of the main styles and producers represented. Batik Keris has a large showroom at Jalan Cokroaminoto in Menteng and a shop in Plaza Indonesia. Batik Semar is in Plaza Indonesia and Blok M Plaza. Iwan Tirta produces exclusive Batik Tulis (Hand-Painted Batik) and one of Jakarta’s most famous batik designers. His showroom is at Jalan Panarukan 25, Central Jakarta or there is a shop at the Borobudur Hotel.
For electronic items, the best range of stock with absolute bargain prices is in the Glodok area of old city Get ready for the narrow walkways and shop house style of doing business.
These traditional markets provide a lively glimpse into the city’s grassroots life. Among the major markets are Pasar Cikini, Pasar Tanah Abang, Pasar Baru and Pasar Mayestik.

ELECTRONIC GOODS IN AKIHABARA, TOKYO

Akihabara is an area in central Tokyo famous for its high concentration of electronics shops.

Akihabara offers visitors a good opportunity to view and purchase the latest electronic products and gadgets on the Japanese market such as computers, stereo systems, cellular phones and home appliances. If you are thinking about buying an electronic product for usage outside of Japan, be careful to consider regional differences in electric voltage etc. or look for products made specifically for oversea usage that are offered at some stores.

SCUBA DIVING AT SIPADAN ISLAND, SABAH,MALAYSIA

While the average traveler may not be familiar with the name, any SCUBA diving aficionado will tell you that Sipadan ranks as among the world’s best diving destinations. Rated consistently as top-5 dive sites, Sipadan will leave any traveler breathless. Both under water to experience the spectacular coral gardens, and coral reef teeming with over 3,000 species of marine life, and above water. Any water-bound activity you choose will put you in direct contact with sharks (yes, but there are of course good sharks and bad sharks!!), barracudas, hawksbill sea turtles and manta rays.
Sipadan is unique in that it’s Malaysia’s only oceanic island, rising 600 meters (2,000 ft) from the seabed. It is located in the Celebes Sea (Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island) east of the major town of Tawau and off the coast of East Malaysia. It was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone that took thousands of years to develop. Sipadan is located at the heart of the Indo-Pacific basin, the center of one of the richest marine habitats in the world. More than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species have been classified in this ecosystem.
Sipadan is located in Eastern Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo. Get there before all the world’s diving crews discover it!

NAMDAEMUN MARKET,SEOUL

It is interesting to visit a market in the middle of the night. And to see the crowd during these hours. And the spirit is still high despite some yawning.
The Namdaemun market open round-the-clock (though a few retailers close on Sunday) and is a fantastic place to pick up inexpensive clothing, housewares, fabrics, jewelry, accessories, toys, food, flowers, stationery and appliances. But it's easy to get turned around here, as there are thousands of shops located in the 30 or so multistory buildings, not to mention an endless sprawl of street-vendor stalls. This market is seriously crowded, so be prepared to get bumped around. If you feel peckish, take the opportunity to graze at the dozens of food stalls; try mandu gook, a simple and savory dumpling soup, or bindae duk, a skillet-fried mung-bean pancake. To get to Namdaemun market, take subway line 4 to Hoehyeon Station. The market also has a tourist information line: 02-752-1913.

BINTANG WALK, KUALA LUMPUR MSIA

The Bintang Walk, Kuala Lumpur is one of the most famous shopping centers in Malaysia. This shopping destination is always crowded. Bintang Walk provides colourful environment with vibrant row of cafes, restaurants and pubs.
The Bintang Walk, Kuala Lumpur stretches from Lot 10 Shopping Centre to the JW Marriott Hotel. At night this place is worth visiting. You will be spellbound to see the colorful and dazzling array of lights around the area. You can also enjoy live performance of jazz music.
There are a number of famous restaurants and cafes here that serve hot and mouth watering delicacies. The outlets in the neighborhood include the Piccolo Mondo, which serves great pizzas. The well known Sunset Boulevard Café located outside the Planet Hollywood with its delicious desserts attracts a huge crowd. Then there is the DeliFrance, which is popular for its French pastries. This place is heaven for coffee buffs. There is a wide choice at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Starbucks, Austin Chase and DOME.

CHATUCAK MARKET BANGKOK, THAILAND

Though there are many markets throughout Bangkok, Chatuchak Weekend Market is still pretty much the undisputed king of them all. The scale of it is pretty unbelievable - it covers an area of 70 rai (35 acres), contains more than 15 000 shops and stalls, has over 200 000 visitors each day, and they spend an estimated total of 30 million baht (approx US$750 000). The range of products on sale is extensive, and includes household accessories, handicrafts, religious artifacts, art, antiques, , books, music, clothes, food, plants and flowers etc...
I particlarly love the oil paintings. Quite cheap.

Chatuchak is a particularly good place to buy all sorts of Thai handicrafts, as there's a huge range, the quality is high and the intense competition keeps the prices low.

Do bargain, because price is negotiable and are generally substantially cheaper than the shopping centers and street stalls on Silom and Sukhumvit. Many shops in the more centrals areas of the city also have a branch here, selling the same goods for much lower prices.
The published opening hours for the market are from 9.00am to 6.00pm on Saturday and Sunday, though many of the stalls actually open sometime between 9.00am and 10.00am and close around sunset. Chatchak is also open on Friday as a market for wholesalers, but there is no problem doing normal shopping on this day either (same opening times).

CENTRAL MARKET, KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

If you are in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Central Market is a place to look for. Central Market is located at Jalan Hang Kasturi. It was built in 1888 and originally used as a wet market. My grandma and I used to take a beca (trishaw) to buy daily supply of groceries. Fresh vege are abundant and cheap. The smell of fish and the loud voice of the hawkers make it more interesting.

It has since been classified as a Heritage Site by the Malaysian Heritage Society and it is now a landmark for Malaysian culture and heritage. It is also strategically located within public transport facilities.
Central Market is a one stop shopping centre for Malaysian products such as handicrafts, art, kebaya, songket, batik and the wide variety of Malaysian cuisine. Efforts to improvise and upgrade facilities in Central Market also include having a variety of food & beverage outlets such as Secret Recipe, Old Town Kopitiam, Kings Confectionary, Famous Amos, Precious Restaurant (Traditional Baba Nyonya Cuisine), Ginger Restaurant (Traditional Malaysian Thai Cuisine) and many more.
The colourful Malaysian Traditional Cultural and Arts events are presented at the Central Market Outdoor Stage. Central Market celebrates all the Traditional Festivals of each race in Malaysia. Moreover, Central Market supports the local contemporary arts in The Annexe Gallery.

The building was built in 1888 by the British who were ruling Malaya at that time and it was used as wet market for Kuala Lumpur citizens and tin miners. Further expansions were made in 1889, 1895, 1920 and 1921. By 1933, the expansions to the warehouse made the market now in its present size and cost around $167,000.
As Kuala Lumpur experienced its own development at a rapid pace in the 1970s, there were plans to demolish the site. The intervention of the Malaysian Heritage Society proved timely as they successfully petitioned against its deconstruction and the site was declared as a 'Heritage Site'.