Getting a visa for India

[Boris Sprinkler]

I got mine today. About £40 no problem. took 20 minutes. Most likely a much quieter embassy.
Although an amusing moment when a taxi driver showed up to drop off a package, the guy behind the counter made him take a ticket and wait.

Am going in February, for a couple of days in Pune. Not much spare time though.

 

[Stig]

Loads to do in Mumbai Stig
Haj Alis tomb, take a ride from Churchgate to Malad, auto-rickshaw to Marve Ferry, get the Ferry accross to Manori - much calmer than South Mumbai, eat loads of belpuri on Chowpatty, just wander about
Fan-fuckin-tastic place, I love it
Er, the air is a bit fucked tho!

Cheers, I shall look at these! I've heard of chowpatty beach (and malabar hill) already but not the others.

10 days of fucked air eh, well I smoked for 20 years so should have a headstart.

 

[hipipol]

Aye the air is kinda chewy, you will also enjoy you first whiff of Mahim Creek on your way in from the airport - assuming of course if you intend to stay south of Bandra - tho depending on yer lads job you may not - Bandra well trendy sort of Mumbai Chelsea but much nicer as its got the SEA!!!!!!!
Gateway by the Taj Hotel is good for watching the dawn, have some chai, watch the laffing yoga peeps, it looks v insane at that time of day.
It takes AGES to go North South, but its all so fascinating it dont matter unless you have pressing deadline
Booze prices in Maharashtra are steep by Indian standards, also you will be expected to pay for the drinks when they are ordered in most bars, other than the v upmarket - nice little run of fairly quiet ones between Churchgate and Marine Drive, sorry S Chandra Bose Marg (see how old I am!!!) but Gohuls off Cloaba Causeway behind the Taj hotel is a fav for me, plus at night the VERY BEST food is avail from a stall that sets up around 7/8 ish.
Its just round the corner from this

The only place I have ever been where I was the only one NOT reading a Lonely Planet!!!!!!
Still worth a visit tho

 

[Stig]

Aye the air is kinda chewy, you will also enjoy you first whiff of Mahim Creek on your way in from the airport - assuming of course if you intend to stay south of Bandra - tho depending on yer lads job you may not - Bandra well trendy sort of Mumbai Chelsea but much nicer as its got the SEA!!!!!!!
Gateway by the Taj Hotel is good for watching the dawn, have some chai, watch the laffing yoga peeps, it looks v insane at that time of day.
It takes AGES to go North South, but its all so fascinating it dont matter unless you have pressing deadline
Booze prices in Maharashtra are steep by Indian standards, also you will be expected to pay for the drinks when they are ordered in most bars, other than the v upmarket - nice little run of fairly quiet ones between Churchgate and Marine Drive, sorry S Chandra Bose Marg (see how old I am!!!) but Gohuls off Cloaba Causeway behind the Taj hotel is a fav for me, plus at night the VERY BEST food is avail from a stall that sets up around 7/8 ish.
Its just round the corner from this

The only place I have ever been where I was the only one NOT reading a Lonely Planet!!!!!!
Still worth a visit tho

Well, we're here, and we're well north of Bandra, we're in the IIT in the university guesthouse at Lake Powai. The place is palatial and spotless, but we're at the extreme celebrated guests end - elsewhere on campus it's shacks made out of a few bits of corrugated iron tied together. Then there's everything in between.
We hit the city last night and it was a bit scary, so not sure how we're going to cope for the next week after the tranquil backwaters we've got used to this week. We're going to try to find a room down there today, but keep our guest room for one more night as a backup.
The air smells more like fires than anything else, as everyone is trying to keep warm, it's the coldest winter on record, at only 25 degrees, and down to as low as 10 at night. Brrr! *polishes tan*

 

[moonsi til]

Have you seen the train station yet ?

When you go down to India Gate there is a hotel right at the end (furtherst away kinda from the posh one) it has a fab lil roof terrace thats wonderful for scene/people watching day or night .

Also near to India Gate is that famous Indian cricket guys restuarant which serves very very good food in excellant surroundings and with a good range of alcohol for about £12 per head which is more expensive than most but worth it.

 

[Stig]

Cheers for the suggestions!

We've not seen the station, but we definitely will. We had no luck at all finding somewhere to stay in Colaba, Fort or surrounds this morning, so thanks to the nice guesthouse counter staff (blankie man- he sleeps at the counter at night wrapped in a blankie) - we're probably going to stay here at the Powai university for the rest of the week, unless they need the room, and just do a few day trips to the city centre in a day hire taxi. It works out a lot cheaper! And it's really relaxed and spacious and leafy and clean here.

One thing I'm a bit worried about. My doctor told me not to bother taking malaria pills, as Mumbai is low to no risk. And we're 100 yards from a fuck-off lake. Ouch, I've been eaten alive! We have a moz-death coil now, but I was well ill earlier with muscle aches, zero energy, slept all day, and started wondering..
I'll get checked out tomorrow if I don't feel any better. It's probably just the thin mattress or chronic mothball overload or something.

And no-one told me abut the moon!! Woah! It's the wrong way round!

 

[Barking_Mad]

Ok my brother went to Brum this week to get a VISA. He arrived at 6am, was still 10th in the queue and eventually was done by about 3pm.

Get there early!

 

[Sunray]

Cheers for the suggestions!

We've not seen the station, but we definitely will. We had no luck at all finding somewhere to stay in Colaba, Fort or surrounds this morning, so thanks to the nice guesthouse counter staff (blankie man- he sleeps at the counter at night wrapped in a blankie) - we're probably going to stay here at the Powai university for the rest of the week, unless they need the room, and just do a few day trips to the city centre in a day hire taxi. It works out a lot cheaper! And it's really relaxed and spacious and leafy and clean here.

One thing I'm a bit worried about. My doctor told me not to bother taking malaria pills, as Mumbai is low to no risk. And we're 100 yards from a fuck-off lake. Ouch, I've been eaten alive! We have a moz-death coil now, but I was well ill earlier with muscle aches, zero energy, slept all day, and started wondering..
I'll get checked out tomorrow if I don't feel any better. It's probably just the thin mattress or chronic mothball overload or something.

And no-one told me abut the moon!! Woah! It's the wrong way round!

Good idea.

That city is probably the most intense general experience on the planet.

Mumbai is expensive to stay all year round and there is huge pressure on all the guest houses. If you have somewhere that is nice then stay there.

I have lost count of the time people say 'no mosquitos' without even going there. I'd have given you my mozzie net, easily my most treasured position when I am in India. Nothing worse than waking up, bitten to death.

They sell these plug in things all over the place in India, like the air fresheners very very effective. 120rs or so. Deet 55% is also fairly effective. Saw them in that famous market which I can't remember the name of.

 

[MrFalafel]

When I booked my flight with a travel agency that specialized in India, I gave them my passports and in a couple of weeks they sent my tickets along with the passports with the visa inside

 

[William of Walworth]

Brilliant stuff Stig, I am so jealous of all your adventures!!!

(But not of the mosquitos )

 

[Stig]

Good idea.

That city is probably the most intense general experience on the planet.

Mumbai is expensive to stay all year round and there is huge pressure on all the guest houses. If you have somewhere that is nice then stay there.

I have lost count of the time people say 'no mosquitos' without even going there. I'd have given you my mozzie net, easily my most treasured position when I am in India. Nothing worse than waking up, bitten to death.

They sell these plug in things all over the place in India, like the air fresheners very very effective. 120rs or so. Deet 55% is also fairly effective. Saw them in that famous market which I can't remember the name of.

We are defo staying here now, the room doesn't seem like it's going to be needed, and we seem to be welcome.

We bought a plug in thing that you mentioned Sunray, one of the Techfest organisers recommended it when we went to the supermarket with him.
We also bought some Haywards 2000 beer, brrr, yuk!

we managed to get round the National Park today, did the caves and the jain temple and the safari, which was well pricey but brilliant and we have photos of lions, tigers, monkeys and one over-enthusiastic guide: *You stand I click!*

 

[han]

Wow! Sounds like you're having a good un, Stig n Rich

I got back yesterday after a month in India, stayed with NVP and had an ace time. We did a road-trip on mopeds exploring the whole of Goa, then popped into Maharastra also and went to Karnataka on the train for 5 days in Hampi.

It was mind-bogglingly amazing - what a fantastic country - I am gagging to go back already!

Am reading that book on Mumbai - 'Bombay Maximum City' and it sounds totally bonkers!