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Subject: Costs.
From: bartve@sci.kun.nl (Bart van Elderen)
Date: 31 Aug 95
I just returned from India a week ago. I visited 'the beaten track' in North India (Rajasthan, Agra, Varanasi, Delhi, I've also been to Nepal). Let me see, what did I pay for all kinds of things and sevices? Bear in mind that I was there during the monsoon, a bit off-season :-) and the country was not flooded by tourists but by rain. But tourists were certainly present, tough not abundant (sp?).
Hotels/pensions:
The middle class hotels, which means absolutely clean, towels provided, attached bathroom with in some cases hot water, and good service: a double room costs about US$ 8. Examples: hotel Arya Niwas in Jaipur (very recommended!), and hotel Barahdari in Varanasi (also good).
Bottom end hotels, rooms not very big, bad beds, not so clean but clean enough, maybe no windows in the room, no towels provided (very important!), but on the whole certainly acceptable: with attached bathroom it would cost you about US$ 3.50, with shared bathroom about US$ 2, and you could get around for less but you would probably have to lower your standards.
There are some variations: Delhi is more expensive, Agra is cheap.
Travel:
A bus trip for about 6 to 8 hours (which would cover about 250/300 km), like the trip between Jodhpur and Jaisalmeer, or from Varanasi to Sonauli on the border with Nepal, with a 'deluxe bus' (which is a code for a bus with 2x2 seating, more or less reclining seats, direct and most of the time in motion (not stopping for every farmer, schoolchild, etc.)) would cost around US$ 3. There are cheaper busses, but believe me, you don't want to be on them, certainly not on the long hauls ( >1 hour). There also 'superdeluxe busses' which means the same as 'deluxe' but with air-conditioning (didn't miss that really), these are about 50% to 100% more expensive. The train between Agra and Varanasi (the Yamuna Link Express) which does the (I think) 600 km in 15 hours costs about US$ 4.5 in sleeper class (is equivalent to 2nd class sitting). Don't travel 1st sleeper class on trains because funny enough the berths in 1st are shorter than most (!) in sleeper (2nd) class. I can't explain this in two words, so just look for yourself when you get there and you'll know. Besides, sleeper class is just OK, you probably don't need more.
Food:
You can get by by on US$ 2 a day, but boy, are you going to be peevish! A thali (a plate with rice/chapatis, some dal (lentil soup), vegetable curry, yoghurt, chutney and an egg) will set you back much less than a dollar, but though it is (almost) warm and filling (all you can eat!) it is not something to be enjoyed. The cheaper and low middle class restaurants didn't convince me at all, but a filling meal with a main dish and side dish and drinks (soda) would cost about US$ 2.5, add US$ 1.5 if you drink beer (better don't, most brands taste awfully). The only places which did a really good job on the food, where I could really enjoy a meal were the more expensive 'top end' restaurants. Here a good meal costs about from US$ 4.5 up to US$ 10. Needles to say I was very disappointed in the food (especially considering that my previous trip was to Indonesia, and the food there was fantastic),
Subject:
From: muzzy@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Sanjoy Majumder)
Date: 19 Sep 95
Well this is a very long itenarary for just 3 weeks. I don't know where you are located so I can't tell you about local travel agents. However a couple of good travel agents in India are Sita World travel and Thomas Cook. SInce you are planning on travelling to so many places you would be wise to travel mainly by air since it will save you time and a lot of energy. Indian Airlines used to have a $400 30 day travel fare which is very good for travelling a lot in a short time. Your local Air India office should have information. All the cities you have mentioned are connected by air.
Accomodation rates vary and you need to decide what your budget is. India is still low on quality budget accomodation although certain areas such as Agra and Rajasthan are improving. I suggest you buy a copy of the latest Lonely Planet's Guide to India. It is informative, reliable and gives you accurate information about accomodation etc.
Car rentals vary as well. Although some of the major international car rental agencies such as Budget adn Hertz have opened offices in the major cities, they tend to be very expensive. I suggest you try local car rentals such as Mercury travels in Delhi (located on Janpath near Hotel Imperial). A friend of mine rented a car with driver for 3 days last month, travelling between Delhi, parts of Rajasthan and Agra and it cost him Rs45,000, ie. approx. US$1400. I don't know what agency he used.
Good luck.
Subject: Top bottom costs.
India is an incredible place to travel!! I just got back 2 monthes ago and my head is still spinning!! India is a land of contrasts and incredble diversity. The route that you take depends totally on what you want to see and when you go( the monsoons will no doubt have a say in where you are when). One of the greatest things about travel in India is the cost. I spent around $10 per day(american funds). I did alot of camping (slept on a beach in Goa for three weeks), I lived in a cave in a small city called Hampi. While camping I spent about $2-$3 per day. India caters to just about everyone's buget so if a cave is too minnimal for you you can spend any amount of money that you choose in order to find greater comfort. Transportation is also incredibly cheap. I took a 40 hour train ride (2nd class)(2500 km) for $10!!!! That was from Bangalore to Benares. What a beautiful train ride it was!!! Feel free to E-mail me and let me know what you're interested in. I would be more than happy to relate some of my adventures and help you plan your route. Eveyone should go to India!!
Subject: Credit cards and ATM's.
From: ud877@freenet.Victoria.BC.CA (Susan Z. Martin)
Date: 18 Sep 95
In a previous article, Helen_Griffiths@mindlink.bc.ca (Helen Griffiths) says:
>Can anyone comment on the usefulness of Visa cards, or MasterCard in India? >Are there such things as bank machines there? We will be in Delhi, Agra, >Bombay and Goa.
> I won't pretend that I can offer a complete reply but I will say that visa and mastercard are widely accepted but only in the 'better' class of places. I can't remember for the life of me if Leopold's for instance (in Colaba) takes credit cards but I know Niros in Jaipur, the Taj Mahal Intercontinental Hotel in Bombay and fancier places everywhere will. Never ate anywhere expensive (or stayed anywhere expensive) in Agra so can't say. I would bet that you can use credit cards for buying things in shops much more frequently than you can in restaurants. I know for sure that the Cottage Industry Emporium in Bombay takes credit cards and even my (well my husband's :-)) own dear Bank of Baroda in lowly Udaipur provides fairly fast cash advances on Mastercard if you really get stuck for rupees.
As far as bank machines I think I've seen 2 my whole time in India. One is at the Bank of Hong Kong near Flora Fountain in Bombay and the other was on the main road (Anna Salai?) in Madras. The latter was at a Citibank and I am sure that it was intended only for the use of NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) and had a sign to that effect. I didn't look at either of these machines but I would consider it highly unlikely that they are anyway linked into our 'systems' here. You should realize that the credit cards that look exactly like our Mastercard and Visa etc and are advertised in posh magazines like India Today say in tiny, tiny print 'only valid in India and Nepal.' The bank machines may very well be set up for these clients.
So bottom line, IMO, is use cash except when buying _big_ things or paying _big_ bills in restaurants or hotels. Goa may of course be much more sophisticated as it is such a tourist hot spot - I'm sure there is someone out there who can comment (I've never been).
When exactly are you going Helen - I know you're going for the eclipse and that's coming up pretty fast.
Subject: Traveller's cheques and credit cards
Date: 20 Sep 95
From: Montek Singh <montek@cs.columbia.edu>
VISA traveller's checks are accepted and changed everywhere traveller's checks are honored. This includes banks, Thomas Cook, many restaurants and shops including all the government emporia and handicrafts showrooms.
However, restaurants and shops will not give you a good exchange rate -- their commision can be as high as 8-10%. Don't even think of changing them at Indian banks -- they think they are doing you a favor, and even though their exchange rates are very favorable, you'll be treated like dirt.
Go to American Express Travel Services for the most courteous service. They'll charge 1% commision if you encash TC's not issued by AmEx. So, if you want to save that teeny bit of money, you should get TC's from AmEx. Thomas Cook aint bad either, but AmEx has an extensive network in India, and a 24hr helpline, so if you are concerned about what happens if you lose the TC's or get robbed (which you say you are), AmEx is your best bet. I think AmEx can even issue replacement TC's on site (in India) if you happen to lose them. AmEx will even give you cash in Rupees (or in US Dollars) against your AmEx credit card. I'm not too sure about how many places will give you US Dollars against your VISA card, but Rupee advances should not be a problem. AmEx also offers some kind of travel accident insurance if you buy TC's worth more than 500 dollars.
Subject: Traveller's cheques and credit cards
Date: 22 Sep 95
From: Rameysh Ramdas <rramdas@hpscit.sc.hp.com>
I just returned from a trip to India. Travellers' checks will be accepted at major hotels and reputed/ upscale stores. You could, alternatively, just cash some trav. checks at any bank and get indian rupees for smaller purchases.
Visa/ Mastercard are accepted at almost all hotels/ restaurants/ stores. In addition, I have also taken cash advances from banks using my visa/mastercard. I also heard that the conversion rates are better that way.
From: stego@cfn.ist.utl.pt (J. Mario Pires)
Date: 19 Jan 96
>Hi, >I have given up on using travellers cheques when overseas as credit cards are
>so much easier and much more flexible. Is it easy get cash advances on
>Mastercard in India? If so what are the exchange rates like? I have heard that
>it is possible to do about %20 percent better through unofficial channels.
> >My travel agent also told me that you need a return ticket to get an Indian
>visa. Is this true?
......
I would advice you to bring some travellers cheques to India. Not that you can't get cash with your card, but I think the major part of banks won't do it. I only did it once (I hadn't need of doing it more), in Agra, and I had to 3 different banks before finding one where I could be informed where I could do it (a 4th one). I have Visa, not Mastercard, but I suppose things would be much alike. On the other hand, travellers are quite commonly accepted, as well is quite common to find places (shops, restaurants, hotels, etc) where you can pay with credit card.
Concerning the indian visa, I applied mine here in Portugal and the only things that were needed were a photo, a form and USD $20 or $25.
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