I am sure many such vows are taken in youth hostels after drinking sessions, but we remained friends and reminded each other of the promise. It took us 12 years to get our act together, but finally the three of us sorted out our families and booked our flights. As Judy is now married with children and Shirl has just started a new job, we could only spare 10 days. However, we were determined to do it in style and cover the three main cities we had passed through together – Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore.

We decided that we would each take responsibility for arrangements in one city. I chose Singapore and decided we should base ourselves at the Fullerton Hotel. During our backpacker days, we had often walked past the building – but it wasn't a hotel then. However, its location at the mouth of the Singapore River and its Palladian architecture means it has always been a landmark of the city. Over the years it has been a post office, housed the Singapore Club and the Chamber of Commerce.

I had a carefully-planned itinerary, as I was determined to show my friends all the classy and sophisticated places I had been to on recent business trips. We started off trawling the glitzy malls in Orchard Road, but then Judy decided we needed to get back to our roots. "Let's go to Chinatown!” she suggested. A taxi ride later, we were strolling in the fascinating alleys where you can still get great bargains. With packages piling up, we had to send a taxi-load back to the hotel, but we kept on shopping – and practically lived here during our two days in Singapore. My plan to dine out in the chic quayside cafes was forgotten as we gorged ourselves at the famous Chinatown Hawker Centre and ate delicious curries off banana leaves in Little India.

As we giggled and flirted with the air stewards on our flight to Hong Kong, we realized that we were behaving just like young teenagers; we had reverted to being backpackers again. Mind you, our accommodation in Hong Kong was far from the ordinary backpacker digs. Shirl had booked us into the Grand Hyatt Hotel, which overlooks the convention centre. The rooms are splendid – what a contrast to the grotty room off Nathan Road that we once shared. Later that day we found our old room – and it looked exactly like it did 12 years ago! I insisted we celebrate with a cocktail at the nearby ultra-luxury Peninsula Hotel, a place we could only have dreamt of visiting.

Hong Kong had not changed much, but the Chinese influence is stronger than it once was. Some of our old “haunts” had disappeared, but the back alleys of Kowloon still retain much of their character. This time we weren't here for the culture – we were here to shop! Most of our first day was spent at Pacific Place, one of the many big malls. This classy centre has a combination of cheaper chain stores (where Judy went wild) and upmarket designer stores such as Christian Dior (where Shirl bought a jacket). My favourite was Seibu department store, which stocks cosmetics and accessories I've seen nowhere else. The mall is built around three hotels (Island Shangri-La, the Conrad and the JW Marriott), so it is packed with well-heeled tourists.

Shirl also insisted we visit DFS Galleria, which has an incredible array of designer stores. The Tiffany jewellery store was her favourite – but others we visited (without buying) were Bulgari, Fendi, Gucci, Hermes, Polo Ralph Lauren and Salvatore Ferragamo. To shake off all the opulence, we headed for a McDonalds for a burger and a chance to rest our weary feet.

Another good day's shopping was had at Stanley Market. We visited this quaint seaside village to look up a friend of Judy's, but soon found ourselves trawling the historic fishing lanes where vendors tout their wares. Incredibly, even though we had spent two days in the Singapore Chinese markets, we still found interesting items which just begged to be bought. By this time, we were started to get seriously concerned about the weight of our luggage – and we hadn't even reached Bangkok!

Of course, we still went overboard in Bangkok. The Thai capital is a bargain hunters dream; I doubt anyone would be able to resist the allure of this city's markets. Judy had found great accommodation for us – a boutique hotel in the Silom area, close to a skytrain station (a must for shop-aholics). The Silom Serene Hotel is also close to the Patpong night market, so you can shop by day and night. On the first night, we gave our credit cards a break and had dinner at a fabulous Thai restaurant off Surawong Road, the Mango Tree. Located in an old house, we enjoyed all our favourite Thai dishes. Then we went for a stroll down Khao San Road , where we had stayed 12 years ago. The backpackers are still there – even more than in our day – but the biggest change is the number of young Thai people in the bars and nightclubs.

Our first shopping stop the next day was the Pratunam Market, which is so cheap that even backpackers come here to shop. We scrambled our way down narrow alleys and bargained ourselves dizzy! Exhausted by midday, we headed for Siam Square for lunch and some more shopping at the large MBK centre, where I splashed out on CDs. By the end of the afternoon, there was no chance of carrying all our parcels on the skytrain and we needed two taxis to get us home.

On the Sunday we spent the whole day at the Chatuchak weekend market – close to the Mo Chit skytrain station. For my money, this is the greatest shopping market in the world – it is huge and you can find everything your heart desires. Your legs or your purse may give way, but you will never forget it. I didn't think I could possibly find more to buy, but a few silk scarves and a tiny carved jewellery box just begged to be bought.