[honeybee]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Not really. I have an oil filled radiator of 2100 watts. (Old Lloyds of 1999 vintage). I seldom run it continuously at even 1400W. You need the juice for heating it up.
...
Normally once the room becomes cozy, the thermostat can be reduced significantly. At night it is mostly at 700W.

My owner is charging me at 10 bucks a unit for electricity, which probably is a rip off, but still I can't spend too much on it at present. The quilt I bought has provided good warmth last two nights so at present I shall manage with that. Still it's good to know the options.

Originally Posted by heydj

Welcome. I would wait and see how the startup progresses before buying any big ticket item.
...

Makes sense. I shall keep it in mind.

Originally Posted by Nav-i-gator

1. ... the traffic jams are usually insanely time consuming.

2. Almost everything is home delivered...

3. Gurgaon is much pricey as compared to Delhi & Noida. Local sector markets are even pricier.

4. NCR overall is the most friendly place for out of state registered cars. And I have not seen any bias against other state cars.

5. Biggest difference you might observe coming from Mumbai will be the culture, or the lack of it...

6. Be extremely careful while venturing out after 11 PM in gurgaon...

7. All said and done, gurgaon is one of the best places in India for partying, ...

8. The weather. You will face all extremes...

Thanks for the advice. I don't drink and not much of a party person, so don't think I shall be venturing out late at night. So far I am managing the cold, let's see what the other seasons throw at me.

[Rajesh Rawal]

On a lighter note one distinct adjustment which you might need to make is when talking to the auto wala instead of saying 'Boss chalega' it would have to be 'Bhaiya chaloge'

A true mumbaiker will know what I mean

[hserus]

Originally Posted by Rajesh Rawal

On a lighter note one distinct adjustment which you might need to make is when talking to the auto wala instead of saying 'Boss chalega' it would have to be 'Bhaiya chaloge'

A true mumbaiker will know what I mean

Don't use the "chalega" "karo" type of hindi if you want to escape being bashed up or abused in Gurgaon.

Always use the polite variants, use polite forms of address such as bhaiya, aap etc. Good manners at any time - but essential in a town so prone to road rage.

[guddasinha]

Welcome to Gurgaon . I live in Sector 52 in Ardee city. Can help you with your car needs as there is workshop close to us who does a good job at decent prices.

[2W-4W]

Originally Posted by honeybee

My owner is charging me at 10 bucks a unit for electricity, which probably is a rip off, but still I can't spend too much on it at present.

Well, to be honest he is not charging you too much to be called as a rip-off. The electricity rates are quite high in Haryana as compared to other states. I am living in Gurgaon for the past 20 years and rates have increased over the past few years. We get a monthly bill which is charged at more or less 9 buck for each unit from government. So, be at peace and more importantly be warm !!

[Digvj]

Hi Honeybee..!! Welcome to one of the most sought IT Destination of north India and my best wishes for your new endeavor as a startup. Your post brought the memories when back in one Monday morning of December 2002 (9th to be precise), I stepped into this town and started my career. It was lot different from now in terms of connectivity within town that is much better than back in those days and of course the traffic which has grown tenfolds. Here are my few inputs that may be of any help.

1. As long as you are following the traffic rules and have all your car documents in place, you don't have to worry about traffic cops. I tell you the reason, Gurgaon traffic police always had a shortage of staff and now traffic has become almost unmanageable. Having said that, please note to find and use alternative routes to save time and traffic. Always try to keep the car to the left in case of massive traffic jam(on expressway) or when traffic is moving at snail's pace as that is the fastest moving lane. Though you have to be cautious about bikers and rowdy autorickshaws(they seem to have outnumbered cars) as they think its their constitutional right to overtake from the wrong side.

2. Most of the people as residents are well mannered and behaved due to the fact they belong largely to the well educated and working in Fortune 500 companies and things are not bad as portrayed which used to be back in those years. Everybody is busy doing their business(work/job) and time is a commodity.

3. As mentioned by someone, yes finding one bhk would be difficult but not impossible. Here are few localities that you should try. Their are quite a few houses of 100 Sq. Yd. in Sector 40, South City 60 Sq. Yd., Sector 45 which are the most conveniently located near to NH-8 and in the mid to access any part within 20 minutes with internal roads avoiding the most congested roads like MG Road, Golf Course Road, Sohna Road etc.

4. Your best bet to find the accommodation are the most common property and other portals. Try to see for the adverts directly listed by owners, this way you will save on brokerage. Even if you have to go through the broker try not to pay more than 15 days rent(though its unlikely but since demonetization you can try your luck) and only if you really like the place should you go for one month. But tell the broker you would not pay until he gets the agreement signed. Same goes for the landlord i never paid more than 2(Month's Security)+1Month in Advance) that too split in half and half. For e.g. if the rent is 10 k/month you need to pay him 30k but you ask him to divide that over the two month's this way you save money instead of giving upfront. Also make sure he mentions two month's security in the agreement and not back out later in case you move out citing odd reasons and not pay back/adjust with rent. Lastly, payment of rent via online transfer or cheque, no cash(tell him the company you are working for pay for your rent) and as for electricity you can try to pay that through online transfer(since you are salaried. Last of all decide the annual rent increment if possible in advance usually they say 10% but i have always managed to not do so citing many reasons including inflation and that even salary does not increase YoY in that percentage and what not. Just be nice to your landlord and you shall be able to cross that bridge when you get there.

4. Last of all, you have moved to a city where you can drive to Himalayas(Himachal/Uttrakhand) or the Desert(Rajasthan) with almost same drive time with excellent road connectivity and infrastructure and can enjoy both snow or sand(this time of the year) whenever you need to take a short break.

Enjoy your stay...!!

[sinharishi]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Delhi is a bit more disciplined, although it's a mixed bag. Keeping to your lane or signalling while changing lanes is unheard of, at the same time people driving while talking on the mobile (or talking on the mobile while driving) is much much less than in Mumbai (of course this is again highly subjective based on my observations alone). Also in Delhi people do honk when they get impatient, but no headlight flashes, no angry gestures or fights.

In the beginning I was quite nervous how I would manage in the frantically paced traffic here, but after four days of daily drive, I think I am doing ok. No brushes with another vehicle yet - so I guess I am doing good!

Had a puncture the other day and got it removed for just 50 bucks. 50 BUCKS! That's one third of what we pay back in Mumbai (at Dombivli I still pay 100, but that too is twice!).

So far I have driven past police checkposts on the Delhi Gurgaon highway, and seen many bikers and other cars stopped, but I haven't been flagged down anytime. I also found two other MH registered vehicles, a Skoda or something parked at the airport behind which I had parked my car when I dropped my brother off at the airport, and a Tata Safari Storme MH 01 xxxx driven by a Sikh guy. Haven't really seen many other non-northern vehicles. Most are PB, HR or DL registered.

Welcome to Delhi/NCR. I have been staying here from 4.5 years after leaving Mumbai for good.

I used to drive our MH registered cars in all parts of North India, I have never been stopped anywhere except for borders where all the documents were checked and I was let off. I sold it of at a fair price which I would have got in MH and now I drive a DL registered car. Unless you break any rules within the Delhi/NCR region, you won't be stopped.

I am surprised to read that you find the traffic here more disciplined than Mumbai, I still feel Delhi/NCR drivers are the worst I have seen till date, especially the youths!

Do watch out for all those rowdy residents, shopkeepers who think they bought the road ahead of their house and shops when they bought the property. I have had enough arguments with residents who have over 2-3 cars and they park is outside on the road instead inside their big Kothis!

Do not, at any cost, get involved in an altercation with other drivers on the road, I learnt it the hard way.

I am still struggling to accept this place as my home after all these years and I cannot wait to move back to Mumbai. I have stayed in Indirapuram, West Delhi and Gurugram and out of the 3 I find Gurugram the best option to stay in Delhi/NCR.

Wish you all the best and hope you will stay here for long

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by hserus

Always use the polite variants, use polite forms of address such as bhaiya, aap etc. Good manners at any time - but essential in a town so prone to road rage.

It's always best to be polite when in a new environment (heck, even in your home environment a bit of politeness wouldn't be amiss) - so far no problem.

Originally Posted by guddasinha

Welcome to Gurgaon . I live in Sector 52 in Ardee city. Can help you with your car needs as there is workshop close to us who does a good job at decent prices.

I have moved to Sector 43, Block C of Sushant Lok 1. How far is it from your place? I would definitely need some help with the car now or later.

Originally Posted by 2W-4W

Well, to be honest he is not charging you too much to be called as a rip-off. The electricity rates are quite high in Haryana as compared to other states. I am living in Gurgaon for the past 20 years and rates have increased over the past few years. We get a monthly bill which is charged at more or less 9 buck for each unit from government. So, be at peace and more importantly be warm !!

I read in the online news that last year the Haryana board had reduced the prices to around 6 per unit for domestic users upto 150 units or something... Anyway, it's good if he is not ripping me off. It adds to his gentleman image in my mind

Originally Posted by Digvj

Hi Honeybee..!! Welcome to one of the most sought IT Destination of north India and my best wishes for your new endeavor as a startup. Your post brought the memories when back in one Monday morning of December 2002 (9th to be precise), I stepped into this town and started my career. It was lot different from now in terms of connectivity within town that is much better than back in those days and of course the traffic which has grown tenfolds. Here are my few inputs that may be of any help.

1. As long as you are following the traffic rules and have all your car documents in place, ... Though you have to be cautious about bikers and rowdy autorickshaws(they seem to have outnumbered cars) as they think its their constitutional right to overtake from the wrong side.

2. Most of the people as residents are well mannered and behaved ...

3. As mentioned by someone, yes finding one bhk would be difficult but not impossible. Here are few localities that you should try. Their are quite a few houses of 100 Sq. Yd. in Sector 40, South City 60 Sq. Yd., Sector 45 ...

4. Your best bet to find the accommodation are the most common property and other portals. ...

4. Last of all, you have moved to a city where you can drive to Himalayas(Himachal/Uttrakhand) or the Desert(Rajasthan) with almost same drive time with excellent road connectivity and infrastructure and can enjoy both snow or sand(this time of the year) whenever you need to take a short break.

I usually stop at red lights even in the dead of the night, so following rules is not a problem. For the first time in the night when I was driving back from office and halted at a red light with other cars zooming past, I was actually worried about the guy behind me honking at me. But then seeing I had stopped, a few other cars stopped and then everybody waited for the light to turn green. Haven't seen any altercation on the roads so far, so not much worried.

Good tips on rent and suggested localities, I shall keep that in mind. Autos and bikes are equally indisciplined back in Mumbai, so I must say I am quite used to that.

Originally Posted by sinharishi

...
I am surprised to read that you find the traffic here more disciplined than Mumbai, I still feel Delhi/NCR drivers are the worst I have seen till date, especially the youths!
... I have had enough arguments with residents who have over 2-3 cars and they park is outside on the road instead inside their big Kothis!

At first I did find the pace a bit crazy, but so far I have seen no one really bothers on the road - even if your car breaks down in the middle of the road, people will probably just honk and then go around. Also at known places where there's heavy traffic cutting across the lanes, cars usually stop and yield. Maybe that gave me an impression that the drivers here are more disciplined.

And if they can own the road and park their cars on the road, so can I!


Thanks all of you for the wishes and the information. I appreciate all the inputs.


PS: After moving to my rented place last night, I ordered pizza, and had a couple of pieces left over. I ate them in the morning. No fridge, no worries of food spoiling overnight. Am setting up my new home now.

[sgiitk]

@Nav-i-gator; So you have been in Gurugram about a year longer than my son. We find property prices in Gurugram rivaling Mumbai (only Mumbai flats are smaller and less 'posh'.

As for culture as a friend from the south put is the NCR specially has a 'partition mindset'. Everyone for him/herself. I am a regular visitor to Gurugram, and now that my kids own a flat there, they are set for the NCR area for at least a decade. Maybe when I am there next time we can get together.

[Nav-i-gator]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@Nav-i-gator; So you have been in Gurugram about a year longer than my son. We find property prices in Gurugram rivaling Mumbai (only Mumbai flats are smaller and less 'posh'.

As for culture as a friend from the south put is the NCR specially has a 'partition mindset'. Everyone for him/herself. I am a regular visitor to Gurugram, and now that my kids own a flat there, they are set for the NCR area for at least a decade. Maybe when I am there next time we can get together.

Sure sir, Would be my pleasure to meet you.

I was trying to abstain from delving deeper into the culture part as it might be OT here. But agreed, that is how Delhi has been, a place no one can call their own. People came here to conquer (Mughals, british), or settled when displaced after partition. And it remains that way. People come from all parts of India, own a property, become a delhi-wallah and show off that they have conquered this place (read: managed to survive and be successful despite of the city not being a friendly one and offering no emotional connect).

But, apart from the culture part, I find NCR better than Mumbai in ease of living (mumbai is too much struggle everyday, esp commuting). And Gurugram is much better than other parts of NCR, more open spaces, smaller and cleaner place. It is a pleasure to drive on open wide roads after 10 PM here.

[honeybee]

Need a quick help!

To my rather unpleasant surprise, the clothes I had put in the balcony didn't dry. I am sitting in the room, under the quilt, with the fan on full speed and the clothes spread out on the bed in the hope they dry a little bit.

It's not an emergency (I have spare clothes), but I don't want a repeat of this performance tomorrow. So what is the best option to dry the clothes?

The balcony gets ample sunshine, so maybe I can try opening up the sliding windows and let the sunshine and air in. What are the alternatives?

[sammyboy]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Need a quick help!

The balcony gets ample sunshine, so maybe I can try opening up the sliding windows and let the sunshine and air in. What are the alternatives?

Other than letting the sun in, Use an iron for emergency situations , and get a clothes dryer for regular use as these situations do happen or start using a laundromat.

By the way , I also moved here in April (Ggn) after a decade in Bangalore. Used to work in Ggn before I left, but this feels like a different world. Much has changed over the last 10 years and a bit.

[bluevolt]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Need a quick help!

To my rather unpleasant surprise, the clothes I had put in the balcony didn't dry. I am sitting in the room, under the quilt, with the fan on full speed and the clothes spread out on the bed in the hope they dry a little bit.

It's not an emergency (I have spare clothes), but I don't want a repeat of this performance tomorrow. So what is the best option to dry the clothes?

The balcony gets ample sunshine, so maybe I can try opening up the sliding windows and let the sunshine and air in. What are the alternatives?

In winters this will be normal. Even fan will not be of much help, so you can switch it off now.

Either you put the cloths in balcony from early morning till evening with good flow of air and sunlight during day time or you may use dryer of semi automatic washing machine and it will help you to dry the cloths over 50% in the machine itself and it will take lesser time to dry naturally. If you don't have machine right now, just squeeze as much as water as you can from the cloths and then put them in balcony

[Eddy]

If you like mutton...

http://www.bcmtouring.com/forums/thr...-5#post-858502

[honeybee]

I did squeeze water out of them last morning and hung them to dry in the balcony. The towel seems to have dried up well under the fan. So that means I shall have to leave the fan on tomorrow.

No, I don't like mutton.