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Old 9th December 2009, 02:37   #16
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Welcome to India synonyms

May suggest that for the first four weeks in India you consume only from "sealed bottled mineral water / soft drinks like Coke" etc. Avoid uncooked items like salad and stored items like ice-cream etc. Once your stomach gets conditioned to Indian you can venture with caution to try out food and drinks everywhere. I do suggest you carry from Denmark some medicine for ten days for possible stomach upsets. This is a normal suggestions which I give to my engineers who visit India on work. But dont worry, you will enjoy your stay in India.
= shishya =
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Old 9th December 2009, 03:10   #17
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Hej hej Synonym,
Welcome to the forum. Danmark (sic) brings back the fond memories of the 2 years I was in Ålborg. Kolding is not very far from it. In fact nothing is very far in Denmark. Amazing roads.

Not to scare you or anything but a word of caution - Driving in India is nowhere close to driving in Denmark. But since you will be staying long term in India, I am sure you will pick up.

Regarding your travel, rest assured that you will get some of the most sound advice in terms of routes, places to stay and obviously automobiles.

Wish you a happy stay in India.
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Old 9th December 2009, 06:40   #18
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synonym

When you visit goa there are plenty of car and bikes around to hire. I personally feel you would able to enjoy the place better with bikes. If you plan to go some long distance then you may hire a car.
Goa is a good place to start touring India from.
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Old 9th December 2009, 07:23   #19
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Driving in India is best described in this thread, started by "Highway king of this forum" ( ;-P ), hvkumar.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...ing-india.html

Enjoy that thread, and hope you will look forward to an enjoyable drive in India.

Look at this thread too - if you are looking to buy a vehicle in India. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...s-like-me.html

There are couple of other threads too on non-Indians' troubles buying a vehicle in India.
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Old 9th December 2009, 09:32   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by synonyms View Post
We want to buy a SUV and drive as far as possible...
well i dont want to sound like a pessimist, but that's not a good idea.

first of all, i dont think a license from european union or denmark is valid for driving in india. (you must try to confirm this before buying an SUV)

the traffic here is maddening, for a person used to driving in the EU or denmark, this is something else. its like a maddening race out here, with no niceties.

its always risky for two foreigners to drive here, because that would attract a lot of cons, beggars and robbers.

well, i just wanted to warn you guys.
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Old 9th December 2009, 09:54   #21
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You can maybe buy a vehicle here but the problem will be which one ?

I only suggest a Tough SUV as roads even in cities have become hellish. The only downside of SUV is that you cannot drive very fast(even 60 kmph is sometimes very dangerous) without risking your life.
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Old 9th December 2009, 14:24   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by prateekm View Post
In 16k USD, you can easily survive here for 1.5 - 2 yrs or maybe, more than that
He will be left with enough cash to donate as well
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Old 9th December 2009, 15:33   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by synonyms View Post




By May i will have around 16.000usd on my savings account for traveling, so i hope i will be able to extend my trip with up to a half year.

Does this 16K USD include your SUV buying, if yes it'll not be enough.

Since you will be travelling, let's say daily 250 KMs and your car milege is 15 KMPL Diesel, you'll be spending 16.5*38=627 INR on gas. Let's say food per day is 150 on average and stay is 500 on average.

since you both will share GAS and room rent you will be spending 300+150+250=700 per day. Per month 700*30=21,000.

Add another 25% for car maintenace, medicine, unseen costs etc. so 26K per month.

If you do little lavish spending for drinks etc, it might cost you 30K per month. So now you can better think how long can you stay here and remember car cost pretty high here in comparison to US. So be prepared for that.
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Old 9th December 2009, 16:02   #24
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foreign passport holder just can't buy vehcile at their showroom price and register it. If i recall correctly they have to deposit some amount.
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Old 9th December 2009, 17:07   #25
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If you want to buy a SUV then the best idea is to purchase a Used one and sell it. which will not require that much of documentation.
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Old 9th December 2009, 17:12   #26
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Hello guys, good to know you will be visiting our country next year. I have read through the posts in this thread and the overall tone which emerges out is a mixture of scare, pessimism and over-cautiousness.

Sorry I am digressing from the topic of automobiles here, but I think its important. I am sure as smart travellers, you would have done lot of homework for your India sojourn - reading travelogues, leafing through books, searching the net, talking to people who have been to India, etc. And you would have known by now that like any country, India has its own flavour, which is distinct from other countries (just like Australia or Zambia is like no other country in the world). India is a different country and naturally, it cannot be viewed as an extension of other countries.

Having said that, if you really want to explore India, do come with a very open mind. India is a heaven if you have a receptive mind and a hell if you have a rigid mind. If you live in India more than a month, it grows upon you and turns you into an Indophile. If you compare India with your motherland, you will want to get out of this country in no time. What is important is to understand the Indian psyche, the way Indians think and behave and the reasons behind them. And no book or blog can teach you that - you can only learn it by experience and perseverance and of course, a lot of patience. Do not always believe what you read - as it is either a person's own experience or an average renidition of all their cumulative experiences, without accounting for the both extremes. Just take a plunge and witness the things happening around you. (The key word here is "Witness" - which means observe without any prejudices or perceptions). This is really the key to soak in the myriad experiences that our great country offers you and other guests. Do not get bogged down by heat, traffic, noise, chaos, mosquitos, stares, looks, touches, our notion of time, hygiene, dust, malfunction, cancellations, etc. India is much better than all these things and I am sure thats what you want to see when you come here.

Good luck as you plan and thanks for reading this. I am sure we will talk more nearer to your travel dates.
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