Edmonton , General info:
8/10

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta, located on the North Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is an area with some of the most fertile farmland on the prairies. It is the second largest city in Alberta after Calgary, and is the hub of Canada's sixth largest census metropolitan area, with a metropolitan population of 1,034,945, making it the northernmost North American city with a metropolitan population over one million. At 684 square kilometres (264 sq mi), the City of Edmonton covers an area larger than Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto or Montreal. Edmonton has one of the lowest population densities in North America, about 9.4% that of New York City. A resident of Edmonton is known as an Edmontonian.

Edmonton , Cheap stuff:
8/10

Edmonton serves as the northern anchor of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor (one of four regions that together comprise 50% of Canada's population) and is a staging point for large-scale oil sands projects occurring in northern Alberta and large-scale diamond mining operations in the Northwest Territories.

Edmonton , Different stuff:
10/10

Edmonton is the most northerly major city in North America. At the summer solstice, Edmonton receives seventeen hours and six minutes of daylight, with twilight extending well beyond that. Edmonton receives 2,289 hours of sunshine per year, and is one of Canada's sunniest cities.

Edmonton , Don't miss:
9/10

The Edmonton International Fringe Festival, which takes place in mid-August, is the largest Fringe Theatre Festival in North America, and second only to the Edinburgh Fringe festival in the world. More than 1500 performers take part in the festival each year. In 2006, over 77,000 tickets were sold to indoor shows, and over 500,000 people visited the festival site.

Karachi , General info:
8/10

Karachi is the main financial and industrial hub in Pakistan, a country with a GDP greater than Norway and Denmark combined. Karachi contributes nearly 70% of Pakistan's $420 billion GDP (source: CIA World Facts Book). Karachi's sea ports (Karachi main and Port Qasim) handle nearly 100% of Pakistan's international trade. The city's attractions include its mild weather, and its open space inland. Karachi International Airport has historically been a hub for international airlines, though recently it has lost its luster to Dubai and Mumbai.

Karachi's industries include automobile plants (Toyota, Suzuki, Nissan and local auto and auto parts manufacturers), textiles, steel, oil refineries, chemical and fertilizer, food processing, space launch systems (Sonmiani Beach), and nuclear power.

Karachi' tourist attractions include its white sand beaches, moonlight crab fishing, and its sea dolphins, fine Pakistani cuisine mostly focused around goat meat, beef, chicken, and fish.

Karachi , Cheap stuff:
7/10

Karachi has been found to be the least expensive and the most cost-efficient city of the world in terms of hotel rates for its Sheraton, Marriott, Holiday Inn, Avari (ex Hilton) and Pearl Continental (ex Intercontinental) hotels. Average room costs under $150 per night at these hotels. The finest 7-course dinner at one of the most expensive restaurants will cost under $20, while a good meal in a medium restaurant will be under $8.

The city has recently become a dumping ground of inexpensive Chinese products, thus totally annihilating local manufacture of same products. The Chinese products, however, are available at prices much lower than anywhere else in the world. A 1.0 GB USB flash memory is available for under $5.

Pizza Hut ($6 for a 10-inch pizza with five toppings), McDonalds ($1.20for a full meal), and Kentucky Fried Chicken ($1.50 for a 12-piece all white meat pack) are some of the American brands with outlets across the entire city. But watch for the toppings and add-ons --- they all have some local flavoring also available.

Karachi , Different stuff:
8/10

The spped at which the city moves beats any big city.

Karachi , Don't miss:
10/10

Don't miss grilled food, lassi (yougurt drink), and

Beaches, moonlight crab fishing and dolphin dance at the beach.

Karachi , Food:
10/10

Siekh kabab, Chicken tikka, Beef tikka, Fish (fried and tikka) and Biryani. Be sure to eat it with tandoori naan.

Drinks include lassi (yoghurt drink), roohe afzaa (watermelon extract with vanilla and natural sweeteners), mango lassi, mango and orange (kinnoo) juices.

Local ice creameries are full of faluda (icecream with rose syrup and spaghetti in milk) and pistachio ice cream on a stick.

Karachi , Hotels:
8/10

Taj Mahal, Avari, Mehran, Pearl Continental, Marriott, Sheraton, Holiday Inn, Meridien, and over 500 other hotels

Karachi , Safety:
5/10

As in all large cities, Karachi has a high crime rate, though the murders rate in Karachi is still above half that in New York, and on a per capita basis, it is as low as that of San Francisco. Be sure to -not- carry any valuables with you, or a large sum of cash or expensive cameras and jewelery, unless you are with a group. Carjacking and cellphone jacking are favorite hobbies of local criminals.

Keeping a low profile, regardless of where you are, is always a wise choice. Showing off cell phones, cameras, and jewellery, and carrying a lot of hard cash is not a good idea. Travel with those Pakistanis who have been to other parts of the world and make good friends. This might help in addressing safety issues. People, in general, are quite progressive, hospitable, and hard working.