Your Questions/Answers - Page two
Please email your questions to questions@travelindiasmart.com Answers are usually posted within five days on this page.
Q: I am travelling to
India in late September for six weeks.
I fly into Mumbai from Australia at 7.50pm
on Friday 28 September. My Intrepid tour leaves from Delhi on Sunday 30
September.
I would prefer not to stop in Mumbai (I'll have
some time there on my way home). But I don't know what time I should
book my domestic flight to Delhi for.
There are a couple of flights around 10.30pm - but
is that enough time? How far/long would it take me to get from the
International terminal (Qantas) to the domestic terminal? And how early
do I need to check in for my domestic flight (in Australia you must be
there at least 30 minutes before hand).
If I need more time I may just stay at the airport
and wait until the next morning to get a flight (at around 6pm). Many
thanks, Anna
A: Your concern that you may not have enough time is valid.
However it may be possible to connect with a 10:30 pm Mumbai - Delhi
flight if your flight from Australia arrives in time and your baggage is
not delayed. Consider the following:
1. Even if your flight lands as scheduled at 7:50 pm, you will have to
clear immigration/wait for your baggage/clear customs and this can take
about one hour or more. Domestic discount airlines will forfeit fares
and not issue refunds for no-show passengers. In case you are delayed
and cannot make the flight, you may incur additional charges.
Reporting time is about 60 minutes before flight departure for domestic
flights. Unless the flight is overbooked the airlines normally hold your
seat even if you don't show up 60 minutes before departure time. If you
can let the domestic carrier know the details of your arriving flight
then they may hold your seat for the Mumbai Delhi flight as long as you
can show up in time for the required security check before departure.
If you prefer you can take a taxi. If you decide to take a taxi then use the prepaid taxi service. You can pay for the pre-paid taxi service at the airport terminal; the cost is approximately Rupees 150.
Mumbai’s international airport (Sahar) and the domestic airport (Santa Cruz) share the same runways but the entrances for the domestic and international terminals are different. The distance between the two terminals is 2.5 miles.
Do not take a private bus or any other type of private taxi that touts offer to arriving passengers outside the airports. NEVER share a taxi with unknown people. Prepaid taxis are safer.
Facilities are not so great to spend extended time at the Mumbai airport and spending the entire night after a long flight may be quite tiring. You may consider going to a nearby hotel. There are several hotels near the airport. For a modest two star hotel near the airport the cost is about US$ 80 plus a 10% tax. Hotels near airport usually provide free shuttle service to airport on request.
When making reservations for your Mumbai to Delhi flight take into consideration your arrival time in Delhi. If you are making reservations for your flights via a travel agent then they should be able to help with your Mumbai-Delhi flight sector. Many international airlines offer a free domestic flights on local airlines when they are not flying to the city of your choice. Sometimes you just need to shop around to get the best deal.
I find that there are presently (August 2007) 45 flights between Mumbai and Delhi daily. So selecting an appropriate flight should not be a problem. Try and pick flights where you do not arrive at your destination late at night. Good luck and have a great trip.
Q: What are the places worth visiting when visiting Srinagar?
A: Srinagar is a picturesque city, It has beautiful lakes like the Dal lake and Nagin lake which provide delightful houseboats holidays for tourists.
Instead of staying in a hotel many tourists prefer to stay in houseboats when visiting Srinagar. It is quite an experience living in houseboats. There are hundreds of boats around and salesmen paddle from houseboat to houseboat to sell their wares. Imagine being sold bottles of soft drinks, fruits, nuts, fresh flowers, shawls, carpets from a boat.
Some of the places to visit in Srinagar are:
Dal Lake: Spread over
18 square kilometers.
Boat rides are popular here on boats that are called Shikara’s. You can
actually use these Shikara (boat) to go sightseeing along the lake.
Nagin Lake is smaller and a
part of the Dal Lake. Swimming and water skiing facilities are popular
here.
Some of the other locations of interest to tourists are:
√ Mugal Gardens
√ Nishat Bagh
√ Pari Mahal
√ Shalimar Bagh
Srinagar was once compared to Switzerland and used to be a popular tourist destination. Terrorist activities such as kidnapping of foreign tourists in the past have kept tourists away from Srinagar. Many foreign travel advisories issue warnings about traveling to the state of Jammu & Kashmir where Srinagar is located. Do check the travel advisory of your country before traveling to Srinagar.
We have booked an
individual tour with Incredible India tours for the whole trip. They
have sorted out all the accommodation and trains and drivers etc. I have
paid for half the cost through the bank exchange and will get the rest
paid before We leave. I assume this is the usual procedure? This is a
big company so I assumed it was. Is there anything I should ask for
before arriving. I also wanted to know if I can easily sent items back
to Australia in the mail that we may purchase on the way to minimizeour
luggage?our
luggage?
Thanking you
monica
A: I would hope you have done your homework before selecting the tour operator you are dealing with.
India I believe does not have any stringent licensing regulations when it comes to tour operators. So selecting a reliable tour operator is quite a task and usually it is better to deal with a local licensed travel agency to book your travel arrangements.
When dealing directly with Indian tour operators check that they are at least approved by the Indian Ministry of Tourism and are members of the (IATO) Indian Association of tourism operators.
A list of IATO members is available here.
Items that you buy and want to send back to Australia can be sent back by mail or courier services by air and sea easily. If you make your purchases from reputable stores they will ship the items to your Australian address.
Posted below is a letter sent to us by one of our website visitors regarding purchase of property in India by foreigners.
Please warn visitors about property scams
I have been a long time resident in India, over ten years, but am a US
citizen by birth.
I came across your website and very much appreciate the valuable
service that you are offering tourists. There is one thing I wish you
could do, and that is add a warning to visitors about property scams. I
live in Udaipur and have witnessed so many foreigners get cheated out of
their life savings it makes me cry. Fortunately I myself have not been a
victim. But I write this for others.
Please read the letter below, which I have sent to various agencies and
guidebooks:
I am sure these property scams are not limited to Udaipur alone, but since I have lived here for over four years I am most knowledgeable of them. The theft of foreign money through "property deals" has become epidemic in this city, and seems to have actually turned into a thriving business.
The gist of the way the scam works is to convince a non-Indian foreigner that investing in a house or land in or near Udaipur would be a great investment. Of course the foreigner, whether he buys property through completely legal means or through more circuitous and questionable means, always ends up taking on an Indian partner. I do not think that during my time in Udaipur I have watched one of these "partnerships" survive. Inevitably the Indian partner uses some pretense to make a claim on all of the property, or offers his/her partner a very inadequate sum to "buy out their share". The result is a foreigner who loses tremendous sums of money, not to mention the time and effort they have also invested. The foreigner, even if they feel they are legally in the right, generally does not have the knowledge of the Indian legal system to properly fight for what is theirs, and local authorities are not at all helpful, many times siding with the Indian partner against the foreigner.
Over the past few years I have witnessed this happen to many, including a French woman who had spent two years constructing a resort, complete with swimming pool. Though she had done everything through the legal channels the government of India prescribes for investing in this country, in the end she was falsely accused of being a "missionary" (completely untrue) and driven with both political and mafia pressures off her land. A similar story has revolved around a French man who has constructed a very large hotel (last I heard, he was still fighting in the Indian courts).
But these are only the big stories. On a smaller level, a foreigner who is scammed into buying a small haveli, a farmhouse, etc., puts years of work into restoring the same, only to find their "trusted Indian partner" later try to grab the whole property.
It has become such a problem that tourists are often approached in guesthouses, hotels, restaurants, and even tailor shops by individuals who promote the idea that "investing in Udaipur" is a good idea. A lot of locals seem to have come to believe that this is a get rich quick scheme, a "shortcut" in the Indian slang, to quick wealth.
Is it possible to use your powers to warn visitors to this country of these schemes? It is very hard for me to watch people be cheated out of their life savings again and again by unscrupulous locals.
Thanking you,
Waswo / Udaipur
