I'm planning on dipping my toes into DSLR photography and am looking for advice:

I think a Canon 500D is right for me: Entry level and some friends have Canons so there is opportunity for lens borrowing so the body is pretty much set. I have no specific plans on the types of things I want to photo other than my young family and general scenery around Hong Kong so what lens should I go for?

Is the EOS-500D (Kit: EF-S 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 IS) at around $1370 good value? The dpreview for the lens is favourable.

Or am I better off buying the body and pairing it with something faster but not as zoomy (is that a valid photography term?) for the same price like a Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 SP XR Di II LD ASL IF VC?
www.the-digital-picture.com gives the non-VC version a good rap.

Or do you have some other suggestions? What is going to enhance my joy and wonder the most!