First Published August 1,2005 at www.travelblog.org/bloggers/gypsygal

SINGAPORE — So what and where’s Mustafa’s?

For those who haven’t been in Singapore, Mustafa’s sort of a landmark in a country where shopping is sort of a national sport (next to eating, I think).

Located in Little India (one of my favorite places in Singapore), Mustafa’s is a 24-hour shopping center, where you can just buy about anything (from digicams to underwear to canned garbanzos to jewelry) for reasonable prices. Perfect for those who are in retail therapy but don’t have enough moolah to support their, uhm, “habit” .

The downside is, Mustafa’s always crowded. So claustrophobes – beware! Plus, goods are stacked up together in such a small space that it’s difficult to navigate the grocery section with a bulky shopping cart.

My colleague, Shahira, a Mustafa regular, swore that the best time to shop in Mustafa’s, if you want to avoid the crowd, is around 3 am. Of course that’s good news if you’re a night owl or an incurable insomniac. Otherwise, if you really want to shop at Mustafa’s, you just have to muddle your way through stacks, shelves, shoppers and grocery carts.