High Five

Or go to Putra Jaya, situated 25 kms away from KL, it has retained its old palm plantations while being converted into a sleek city. The government is projecting Putra Jaya as the Intelligent Garden City.

Other destinations include Genting, the entertainment city, Langkawi, an adventurous chillout zone and a duty-free island; Taman Negara, which gets you on to the wild side of nature; Cameron Highlands, a colonial town; Mount Kinabalu, Penang and Melaka.

Singapore: Singapore periodically reinvents itself and never gets jaded. From being a shopper8217;s and gastronome8217;s paradise, in its latest reincarnation, it projects itself as the culture city of the East.

Since November 2002, Singapore has exploded into a frenzy of celebrations, events, parades with the four-month long 8216;Celebration Singapore.8217;

Whether you are culturally inclined or not, take a trip to the Esplanade 8211; Theatres On The Bay, not only to marvel at its architectural genius but to view the more than 30 compelling performances that will be playing exclusively all season.

Malaysian Airlines, Thai Airways or Singapore Airlines offer a triangular fare which allows you to visit all three places. You could also travel between the two countries by train, which is only a few hours journey.

Mauritius: Traffic to Mauritius is at an all-time high with Emirates Airline having launched flights to Mauritius which allows a three-night stopover in Dubai for the same fare. The response has been rave. One tour company has sold to over 1000 passengers and have stopped the scheme due to non-availability of seats.

In December, there is an entire range of water-sports activities available, from paddling, swimming, paddle-boating, water-sking, parasailing, undersea walking, diving, submarine cruising and deep sea fishing. On land, facilities include golf courses, horse-riding, nature parks where one can go hiking or fruit-picking, a forest reserve for hunting deer and wild boar, botanical gardens and a bird sanctuary. And, of course, duty-free shopping.

Compromise on any other activity if you might but take a full day tour to Lle-aux-Cerfs, a beautiful resort on a Robinson Crusoe-like island. Here you can enjoy the picturesque beauty of fine white beaches and the translucent waters which is the characteristic of Mauritius.

Dubai: Shopping is Dubai8217;s USP and if you are a shopaholic there is no other place to go. With the Dubai Shopping Festival DSF preponed this year to January 15, you can start drawing up your shopping list.

Yet, there is more to Dubai than shopping. In a single day, the tourist can experience everything from rugged mountains, awe-inspiring sand dunes, sandy beaches, lush green parks, dusty villages, luxurious residential districts, ancient houses with windtowers to ultra-modern shopping malls. Dubai is both a dynamic international business centre and a laidback tourist escape; a city where the sophistication of the 21st century walks hand in hand with the simplicity of a bygone era.

Dubai is a cosmopolitan society with a culture deeply rooted in the Islamic traditions of Arabia. The city offers three of the finest golf courses in the world, horseracing venues, traditional camel racing tracks, archaeological sights and snorkelling as a recreational option. There are also plenty of water sports but the icing on the cake is the desert safari, complete with camels, a barbecue dinner with a sensuous performance by a belly dancer. The perfect culmination to a perfect vacation.

Australia: While the East marks the hottest outbound destination, Australia still reigns supreme with the upper-market segment. Australia has an incredible array of experiences for the tourist, from the vastness and drama of the outback, to the spectacle of the Great Barrier Reef and its islands, the urbaneness of Sydney and arguably some of the best beaches in the world. Visitors expecting to see an opera in Sydney one night and then meet Crocodile Dundee the next day, will have to rethink their plans. Australia is vast, as vast as it comes.

Summer December to February can get uncomfortably hot in Australia. If you are in the southern states during these months, it is great beach weather. Up north, this is the wet season, when it is very, very humid and the sea is swarming with box jellyfish. On the upside, the Top End is beautifully green and free of tourists at this time of the year. Not a very good time to visit Queensland or the outback.

During Christmas time, you will find accommodation almost always booked out. Hang around till January and you can witness the huge Festival of Sydney, an arts and cultural extravaganza. Sydney is built on the shores of the stunning Port Jackson. You must remember to go to the Sydney Opera House with the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background.