Where would you choose to go if...

[sushee]

Not many people actually drink cow's milk in Singapore. I grew up on evaporated or powdered milk.

[Bathsheba]

...but from a cow? We have UHT milk, those big 2L Devondale ones and go through over a litre per day (my 4yo still likes his evening bottle ) and my DD has 2 huge bowls of cereal a day. But I have bought soy in the past... they drink it but only flavoured. Also apparently boxes of Kelloggs are like $10 a box... but once again I'm sure we could find a cheaper alternative... I'm sure fresh fruit is cheaper!

[dusty]

dubai is a lot closer to europe and africa if you were also interested in travelling while over there.

then again if you were based in SE asia there would be lots of places to visit in the region too. either way i think you will find good bits and different bits anywhere you live OS. what a great opportunity for your kids to learn about other cultures and way of doing things. it wasn't until i left australia that i appreciated not only how lucky we are here in aus, but also how we could do things differently here too.

[sushee]

Again cereal is not something we used to eat a lot of. There are a lot of local breakfast alternatives and so you'll find the food that the expats tend to eat more than a local would will cost you more, eg milk, cereal, pasta, biscuits etc. UHT is not that expensive, I know, because that's what I bought for Charlie when I were over there last. Much cheaper compared to fresh milk.

[satya]

I wouldn't want to live in Singapore personally - it is the least favourite place I've been to in all my travels. An old friend of mine lived there years ago and she had both a nanny and a cleaner (her husband was a pilot and she was not allowed to work) so it's quite possible you could live a nice lifestyle there.

I have not been to Vietnam but my ex FIL has and the traffic is absolutely crazy there. You would be putting your family at great risk of car accidents every time you venture out - I could not believe his video footage. It's the craziest traffic I've seen and I'm well travelled.

Haven't been to Dubai nor has anyone I know so can't offer any advice on that.

From those choices I'd have to say Shanghai, although I have not been to that city.

I have been to China and loved it there. I found the people to be friendly to foreigners but they aren't quite so nice to each other - like if someone dropped stuff in the street or fell over you wouldn't find anyone helping them out.

Shanghai is now a very modern city from what I've seen, as well as having a lot of the old charm as well. It is China's largest city, the 7th biggest city in the world. It is the third largest financial centre in the world behind New York and London. So it has a lot going for it. I think you would probably have a pretty good way of life living there.

Shanghai is meant to be a shoppers paradise so that's got to be a plus. I've also seen it referred to as Asia's Paris so it must be a very interesting city.

[MantaRay]

Interesting choices Bath. I think without kids, I'd probably choose Vietnam or China as I love Asia and would enjoy living somewhere totally different culturally. But with a family I would say Dubai or Singapore, as I think they are more family friendly and safer (in terms of health predominantly) and my preference would be Dubai for the following reasons:
- I've been to Singapore
- More financial gain
- More culturally different (I would think but I haven't been there LOL)
- DH has been there on work trips and enjoyed it.

[sushee]

and you can drive end to end in about 40 minutes if the traffic isn't too bad.

[slyder]

1. Singapore - closer to home for your family, and less of a shock to the system. Clean, organised, eficient, safe.
2. Dubai - has all the modern conveniences, no tax as you say, stinking hot, lots of camels
3. Shanghai - crazy town.
4. Hanoi - crazy town's first cousin.

However, I'd definitely encourage you not to rule out the Pacific. PNG maybe not (the major centres are as safe as anywhere else really), but Samoa is a peaceful and easy to live in nation. I don't knwo if there are any other pacific nations available to you, but likewise, most are great.

[Mum0809]

I would choose Singapore.

[Chalalan]

I would go for Vietnam...though I haven't been there so JMO!

Dubai is stinking HOT, I spent a couple of days there in July and woke up at 4.30am with all the wailing to the east that goes on, got up and found a tiny little indian breakfast house and had breakfast with the men before they all headed off for work (I got a few stares but everyone was friendly and food was good). Walkign around the streets at 6 in the morning I saw one of those temp & time clocks - it was 35 degrees already! Also I think I would get bored in Dubai after I'd seen the desert, beach, 7 star hotel and shopped for weeks. Having said that, Dubai airport is the centre of the world for air travel so you can get to anywhere you want to cheaply enough.

How exciting for you to have the choices, Bathsheba! GL and hope you have a blast whereever you end up!!

[dusty]

isn't it great that there is such a wealth of information and help on BB for just about everything!!

i agree with rols, don't discount samoa. living in the pacific would also be a great choice and while there is some petty crime, it is probably less than in your local suburb. polynesian people are so wonderful, friendly, vibrant and welcoming. sure it is poor but very relaxed (so my friends tell me).

PNG (port moresby) is probably only suitable for individuals rather than families though.

[Bathsheba]

Thanks everyone, I love hearing all your thoughts Someone mentioned shopping: I'm definitely not a big shopper so that's not going to attract me. I am a bit concerned about the materialism of Dubai/Singapore but I guess I could try to ignore it.... just as long as my nearly 13yo DD doesn't get swept up in it all. I would be more interested in the local culture i think which is why Hanoi attracts... but I wouldn't compromise my family's safety for it. I am a bit of a school snob though and a good education for my DD is a priority which is why Singapore/Dubai are attractive as they have excellent options. As far as the Pacific countries: working there doesn't do as good things for your resume when you work where DH does. Taking on Asia/UAE has more credibility. Aaaanyhow there might be some more Asian destinations come up over the next few months so I'll post as I hear about them.

[Phteven]

Hanoi!!! It's one of my favourite places in the world!! the weather is lovely, the food is amazing, it's not far from some lovely islands and beaches.
Dubai - the heat is brutal!! Sure, you can spend almost your entire life inside but the A/C gets you down after a while. Then again it's quite safe compared to Hanoi.

Never been to Shanghai or Singapore but I'm dying to go to Shanghai - we're planning on visiting next year.

Knowing your preference for a greener life-style I think that you would find Hanoi's crowds of bicycles and low-tech innovation more appealing than Dubai's oil fueled excesses. I sure do.

[sushee]

Singapore can be incredibly materialistic, and I would applaud you if you could ensure that your DD didn't get caught up in it. It's all about the latest phone, MP3 player, car and it's very consumer driven. I guess that's what you'd expect for an island state with nearly no natural resources that relies on tourism dollars almost exclusively.

But the education system is first rate, if a little cut-throat and competitve. I remember going to school all day, having two to three hours of tuition after school, and then doing my homework. I was lucky to get a couple of hours to myself most days, and I know for a fact it's much much worse now.

[*charmalea*]

i loooove Dubai
some of my family have been living there for 10 yrs ....
either there or sigapore .. i have been there 3 times !! i love it there

[*Ang*]

We have just came back from Europe and stopped in Dubai for 3 days each way. Now I love Dubai and my husband is an engineer so there is plenty fo work for him there but I would not necessarily love to live there with a young family.

Pluses of course are that it is tax free, you would get a nice house and usually a cleaner too, the people are extremely friendly and interested in your family and the shopping is fantastic. Education is also meant to be great too.

Negatives are that everything has to be done indoors because of the heat and as we know young kids love running around outdoors, it is an extremely materialistic society - everyone has everything bigger and better, plastic surgery is extremely commonplace, and it would be hard not to get caughtup in the "luxiourious" lifestyle. Public transport is almost impossible although saying that taxis are pretty cheap but the traffic can be atrocious. I have also heard from other expats that it can be a very "clicky" society and hard to make friends ie you need to have the right car, wear the right clothes etc.

Personally I would be waiting until all my kids are in school age before moving there but that is just me.

[Tracey]

I would pack my bags in a second for Dubai! I t looks so awesome & I'd rather go somewhere totally different & be thrown in the deep end... But that's just me!

I have travelled in Singapore & although it was clean etc, it was too clinical & .... boring for me!!! I didnt like the materialistic ways, I stayed often (doing visa runs) with my aunt & uncle & everyone was caught up in the... "look what I have" crap!

However to be closer to Indonesia I have requested a position within my own Co, to go to Singapore! But if I had a choice, I'd go to Dubai..

[Bathsheba]

Ok, there's been a new country added to the list: Vanuatu (Port Vila) as the bank has just decided to offer Private Banking services there as of last week. This appeals to me a lot... and I'll get to brush up on my French!