Goa and changing money anyone help?

I have done a lot of business all over India and would advise the £ is much better receved than the $. It is all a hangover from colonial days. Most restaurants and hotels will take credit cards and travellers cheques. When taking sterling it is sensible to take as many small notes (£5) as you will find that you wont need to spend large amounts of cash. Remember that the general economy, whilst booming, is structured around low wages, any general worker i.e. hotel employees, restaurant waiting staff, taxi drivers etc work for around £1-£2 per day, it is quite hard to spend fortunes!

Have a good time and let us know about your trip when you get back!

Hope this helps

Some places (like Hotels) price in USD so that's OK. But (as has been said before) good old Sterling is still the accepted currency! If you've got a Nationwide card, that's usefull as well.

novelli wrote:

thanks for the tips.

So should i just take english money and change at airport in india or in Goa itself rather than get more travelers cheques at gatwick??

Yes, I would. Think about how much you are going to take for the whole holiday, it won't be THAT much. Trav Cheques will provide peace of mind, but if you are staying at a hotel, keep the cash in the safe and take it out as you need it. I very rarely had more than £20 in rupees on me at any one time and this was more than enough. A meal out can vary from £2 - £5 plus more for drink.


Then use a mixture of ruppees and travellers cheques during the holiday??? Sorry i am not very travel savvy!! u might regret saying to ask as many questions as i need!! lol
here goes

whats cheap to buy out there, any tips??



how much approx is £5 in ruppes?? this will help me work out cost of things til i get used to the currency??


£5 = 385 rupees approx. Tip a porter 10 - 20 rupees for carrying your bag to your hotel room. Do not say you will take it yourself, he will force it our your hand as your tip is his wages. Tip waiters 10 - 15% of your meal price, this could equate to about 50p




what are the nail bars/hairdressers/beuticians etc like, ar they reliable and reasonably priced??


Mmmm, I had one massage at an upmarket hotel and it was an experience to say the least. Not the best massage I have had, the full body one. But I did get a few Indian head massages and they were fabulous. All at a fraction of the price of what you would pay here. Let's just say when I got a manicure, they didn't have a nail polisher, so although they cut and shaped my nails, that was it, no buffer etc. A half finished job.


whats the price of clothes like?

I only shopped in Delhi and got cheap Nike clothes and very cheap Lacoste clothing (which I wouldnt buy over here as it is too expensive) Proper brand names, just made in India, therefore no import taxes etc


any local customs/traditions that we need to be aware of?? dont want to upset anyone??
anything else i need to know??




Try

http://www.indiamike.com/india/forumdisplay.php?f=23

for specific advice about Goa, things to do, places to go and eat and go to the main home page for general advice about India. This is the best website I have seen about a country.

Please ask any questions you want, I was wary about going to India and wish I had asked someone lots of little questions. Although you are going to Goa which is more tourist orientated and easier to get by in rather than the back of beyond places I ended up at.

I am leaving for india on wednesday too though mumbai (bombay) and will go to goa in about 3 days later via train.

Everything above is correct, also when you arrive at the airport in goa the locals will try and take your bags the few meters to the bus. These boys / men will force the bags out of your hands just so they can get a 1 pound coin (they dont want rupees, euros are a pounds is worth so much more).

Goa is great thought there is a big difference between north and south, i stay in the south as it's less western in a little place called Benaulin as i can just chill out for about a month.

Regarding driving the local police like to pull over the whites (IE just got there and fresh meat) and check all your paperwork so they can get a few extra rupees as a fine of no emissions test cert is a 600rupees and thats a common one. Also one point is that you sound your horn when you are going around a blind bend or when you overtake anyone. Just so you know the driving test is a figure of 8 around a market and if you dont hit anything you pass. If you pay 100 rupees then the test turns into a a figure of 0.

Also when in Goa find a local cafe and try a thali, dont be put of if the place looks rubbish outside as if it's busy then it will be good. A thali is a full meal and should cost you about 20-25rupees which is around 25pence! You get veg or non veg though i always get veg as in local places the fish does not always look the best.

If you are a veggie there are two different types of veggie and these a veg and full veg, full veg cannot have milk or eggs with the meal.


whats cheap to buy out there, any tips?? - Most people bring back chillis (dried) and spices though silk is cheap

any good excursions and are they reasonably priced?? - There are lot though most people just go to the beach though you can go on a shopping trip to panjim though i dont like panjim at all as it's not the real goa try margon in south goa. Just remember you can hire a car and driver for a day for around 800 to 1000 rupees all day!

good places to eat?? - lots though as goa is a state you really need to know where yuo are staying

places worth visiting?? - Old goa, local markets and Anjuna hippy market though not many hippies there now.

good beaches?? - i like benaulim though most people go to Palolem beach as this is ment to be the best in Goa.

are there any sharks in the water?? and is sea warm?? - Yes to the sharks but you wont see any and they dont come close to the beach a bit like the uk, the sea is warm but not first thing! Its damn cold then. A word of warning the sea has a very strong under current and many people die each year!

what are the nail bars/hairdressers/beuticians etc like, ar they reliable and reasonably priced?? - Yes cheap though the prices will be higher for a tourist but i pay 25 rupees for a haircut (around 38 pence) though most people will pay 80-100 around a pound. For women it is more. Lots of people get a massage on the beach though the quality can be an issue so ask someone how was your massage ect ect.

whats the price of clothes like? - If you buy on the beach it will cheap but not as cheap as buying from a stall / shop in a local market. I get designer tops for 150rupees and some times as low as 30 rupees though they will be in big piles and you have to search through (or if you are like me they save me all the good stuff :P) If you cannot get to a bombay store (thats what they are called if i remember correctly) then you will pay about 200-250 rupees per top in a nice tourist shop but prices can get as high as uk prices. The best thing is to buy silk or cotton by the meter and then go to a local taylor (yes every small village seems to have one) and get a shirt made for you for around 150 rupees.

can i bring cigarettes and tobacco home if so is there a limit?? - limit is 200 per person (over 18) though i normally bring more back. Dont buy fags to take home in a market as most are fakes and golden flake is the brand to smoke out there. If you want to take fags home only buy in Goa dutyfree as they are very cheap while most flights stop in bahrain dont get fags from here as its cheaper in goa, bahrain is great for phones, dvd players ect ect.

any local customs/traditions that we need to be aware of?? dont want to upset anyone?? - should not ware beachware outside the hotel or beach area though most of goa is now western its not too bad but if you go to any churchs or temples take off your shoes and makes sure you have covered your arms and legs (very little flesh at all showing).

anything else i need to know?? - Booze, its an alcoholics paradise. I get a box of 12 1L bottles of fosters / bello / kingfisher / kings delivered to my door for 380rupees. If you want cheap vodka you can get 1L for about 110rupees which is around 1pound 30.

Hope you have a great time as it is great though lots of people get a culture shock and goa is not even the real india! Dont be put off just hang on in and its gets better! Indian people (i am not one) are friendly by nature and would love to talk to you and try and help you though if you ask for directions check with other people as they like to just say yes even though the answer could be no. Also those porters at the airport just try and say no though they will push you and push you - i heard once it pushed one bloke that much that he turned around and when back (paid to fly home) as it was too much for him.

All the best

Mark