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MULTICULTURAL SHOPPING

The most exciting shopping has got to be in all the ethnic enclaves throughout the city. Down narrow streets, bargains are to be had on all sorts of unusual items, many of which are perfect for gifts to take back home. If you're stuck for ,I gift idea, read on. Chances are I'll mention something for even the most difficult person on your list. In Chinatown, I've stumbled on some of my most precious treasures. My all time favorite gift idea? Spend an afternoon learning the traditional Chinese tea ceremony at The Tea singapore & malaysia websection, 9A Neil Rd. (65/6226-1175), then head down to the Tea Leaf, 65 Pagoda St. (65/6225-8307), to pick up a good quality tea set and accessories. After a stop at Kwong Chen Beverage Trading, 16 Smith St. (65/6223-6927), for some Chinese teas in handsome tins, you'll be ready to give a fabulous gift-not just a tea set, but your own cultural performance as well, as you teach your friends a new art. While the teas are really inexpensive, they're packed in lovely tins-great to buy lots to bring back as smaller gifts.

Another neat place, Gary Lee, 20 Smith St. (65/221-8129), carries a fantastic selection of linens imported from China. These hand-embroidered gems include bedding, dining linens, tea towels and handkerchiefs, and other decorative items for the home. They're priced right, and won't break on the trip back home. For something a little more unusual, check out Siong Moh Paper Products, 39 Mosque St. (65/6224-3125), both of which carry a full line of ceremonial items.

Pick up some joss sticks (temple incense) or joss paper (resources of thin sheets of paper, stamped in reds and yellows with bits of gold and silver leaf). Definitely a conversation piece, as is the Hell Money, stacks of "money" that believers burn at the temple for their ancestors to use in the afterlife. Perfect for that friend who has everything? Also, if you duck over to Sago Lane while you're in the neighborhood, there are a few souvenir shops that sell Chinese kites and Cantonese Opera masks-cool for kids.
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