Reply to: Impressions of India

[greenlake]

I was reluctant to eat salads and the like, in the end I did with no issues, the 5-star hotels all apparently sterilise their veg, how I don't know.

[darmstadt]

According to Home Office minister Robert Goodwill:

“In April this year we are also bringing in the immigration skills charge for non-EEA skilled workers. If you want to recruit an Indian computer programmer on a four-year contract on top of the existing visa charges and the resident labour market test there will be a fee of £1,000 per year.

“So for a four-year contract that employer will need to pay a £4,000 immigration skills charge. That is something that currently applies to non-EU and it has been suggested to us that could be applied to EU.”

There you go. I doubt very much that companies will want to start paying that amount of money for the bottom of the pile IT workers so it's all good news for the PFY's on this forum


(Actually if you read it properly, he states that this will be for non-EEA workers yet already applies to non-EU workers which means it must already apply to Indian computer programmers...is that true?)

[Bee]

Only ever been on business, but this time I have to admit the place got under my skin.
Planning a holiday there next high season. Wouldn't mind a luxury train trip up North:

India Luxury Trains 4u | Enter The World of Great Rail Journeys

But first I have to get over my depression at coming back to this cold, grey, dismal weather, quite a come-down after the explosion of colour, sounds and smells that is India

You should have come back to Portugal, In Lisbon today it's 18 ºC and sunny, well was...

[MrMarkyMark]

Well guys my advice is it's changing fast so go back soon, before what you remember doesn't exist any more.
Some of those changes are for the better: sanitation, drastic reduction in the very poor, much more wealth.
Some are not: North Goa seemed indistinguishable to me from any tacky Greek or Spanish resort, enter some of the new malls in Mumbai and you could be anywhere in the world.
And so it goes, the world continues its march towards blandness and uniformity.

They were going to build a mall behind the Taj Mahal a few years ago, they even managed to get as close to laying the first brick

Sounds like you need to get out more, something I plan to do more myself.

Go out and see things before you are too old and it's too late

[sasguru]

I think it does that to you. I always felt quite at home there in a way I never experienced anywhere else.
.

Very true, hence why I have been back again and again, as have a lot of friends.

Well guys my advice is it's changing fast so go back soon, before what you remember doesn't exist any more.
Some of those changes are for the better: sanitation, drastic reduction in the very poor, much more wealth.
Some are not: North Goa seemed indistinguishable to me from any tacky Greek or Spanish resort, enter some of the new malls in Mumbai and you could be anywhere in the world.
And so it goes, the world continues its march towards blandness and uniformity.

[MrMarkyMark]

I think it does that to you. I always felt quite at home there in a way I never experienced anywhere else.

I suppose it may have been due to it having been a former colony, and the language of course, but I had much of that in Cyprus and never quite "connected" the same way.

Very true, hence why I have been back again and again, as have a lot of friends.

The pictures I took in 1988 when I was an 18 year old whipper snapper hippy raver have a surreal quality to them now.

Not one of mine, but from a similar time, on top of the world, Naggar, Kulu Valley.

[TestMangler]

Only ever been on business, but this time I have to admit the place got under my skin.
Planning a holiday there next high season. Wouldn't mind a luxury train trip up North:

(

Get the 5.15 from Halifax to Bradford Interchange. Pretty much the same thing.

[shaunbhoy]

Only ever been on business, but this time I have to admit the place got under my skin.
Planning a holiday there next high season. Wouldn't mind a luxury train trip up North:

India Luxury Trains 4u | Enter The World of Great Rail Journeys

But first I have to get over my depression at coming back to this cold, grey, dismal weather, quite a come-down after the explosion of colour, sounds and smells that is India

I think it does that to you. I always felt quite at home there in a way I never experienced anywhere else.

I suppose it may have been due to it having been a former colony, and the language of course, but I had much of that in Cyprus and never quite "connected" the same way.

[MrMarkyMark]

Only ever been on business, but this time I have to admit the place got under my skin.
Planning a holiday there next high season. Wouldn't mind a luxury train trip up North:

India Luxury Trains 4u | Enter The World of Great Rail Journeys

But first I have to get over my depression at coming back to this cold, grey, dismal weather, quite a come-down after the explosion of colour, sounds and smells that is India

My granddad said they were excellent and he must have been almost 90 when he travelled on the Rajasthan one.
Wouldn't mind it myself, as the standard trains are quite a challenge, apart from when you go 1st class and have a lockable compartment.

Some of the best train journey out there IMO, totally amazing.

[sasguru]

So much to see there that I must go back someday.

Only ever been on business, but this time I have to admit the place got under my skin.
Planning a holiday there next high season. Wouldn't mind a luxury train trip up North:

India Luxury Trains 4u | Enter The World of Great Rail Journeys

But first I have to get over my depression at coming back to this cold, grey, dismal weather, quite a come-down after the explosion of colour, sounds and smells that is India

[NigelJK]

Preferred Kerala to Goa. XMas lunch of lightly spiced Marlin was a highlight.

[shaunbhoy]

Ah, well that beach, number 7, is known as Elephant Beach.......

Sounds like you may have stayed on the Island where Port Blair is.

Spent a number of happy trips In India and have stayed up to 8 months travelling around, All the Himalayan parts, most of the hill stations, Dharamsala, Rajasthan, Kerala, most of the capital cities and a lot of the East coast too.
As I said I haven't been recently, so I'm sure a lot has changed.

Could quite easily go back to the Andaman's as it goes, had to use a little "local" help, myself, to pull the 2 month stay off.
You are only usually allowed a month stay

That was the place, yes.

Had a few trips from Calcutta up to Delhi and one to Bombay, but other than that it was all work work work.
Bit envious of all the places YOU saw.

Quite fancy taking a few rail trips and maybe doing some of the Hill stations like Simla. Maybe one day.

[MrMarkyMark]

Ah, well that beach, number 7, is known as Elephant Beach.......

Sounds like you may have stayed on the Island where Port Blair is.

Spent a number of happy trips In India and have stayed up to 8 months travelling around, All the Himalayan parts, most of the hill stations, Dharamsala, Rajasthan, Kerala, most of the capital cities and a lot of the East coast too.
As I said I haven't been recently, so I'm sure a lot has changed.

Could quite easily go back to the Andaman's as it goes, had to use a little "local" help, myself, to pull the 2 month stay off.
You are only usually allowed a month stay

[shaunbhoy]

You got it. In fact the old man taught me from a young age as he took us all round SE Asia when we were young

Nothing wrong with Number 7 Beach on Havelock, did you go there?

We stayed at the Fortune Resort and I recall taking a taxi ride with the kids to a beach a few miles away from there. It had Japanese Pillboxes at either end as I recall but not sure of the name.
Also went on a scuba diving trip with a glass-bottomed boat too, might have been Elephant Island but memory is a bit hazy now.
Happy days!

After a few days we headed up to Delhi and did a road trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Around 5-6 hours each way in an Ambassador in early June. Warm enough!

I recall stopping at a "services station" which had snake-charmers, camel-rides, and a dancing bear!! Beats Costa and Subway for variety!
So much to see there that I must go back someday.

[MrMarkyMark]

Oh yes, that was on Page 1 of the "How to do business in India" Guide.

You got it. In fact the old man taught me from a young age as he took us all round SE Asia when we were young

Nothing wrong with Number 7 Beach on Havelock, did you go there?