Apr 04 2009

Buying Handicrafts

Now don't get excited, I'm not buying anything for you but I thought I'd just mention about some of the things we've bought so far and their prices. I'm sure I didn't pay the lowest price for any of this but te prices do seem so low compared to back home.

In Agra, just outside the Taj Mahal - it isn't usually a good idea to buy anything near a tourist attraction but we couldn't help ourselves - we bought some lovely coasters made out of "marble" (I don't think!) with inlaid "precious stones" (not!) and carved too: 3 sets of 6 for Rs450, that's about £6.50.

A little boy selling guide books started out with his price for a rather ropey looking Taj Mahal guide book at "normally I sell for Rs2000 but for you Mister, RS1000". I laughed, walked on (repeat many times) and finally got it for Rs120 (£1.60ish)

In Jaipur the girls bought their Salwar Kameez's for £10 each and considering that Amy's was tailored made, I thought that's pretty cheap.

In Amber, Amy bought two cloth puppets (Maharajah and Maharani) with painted wooden faces for Rs150 (down from Rs1600) which is about £2.

In Pushkar last night we bought some cushion covers for Rs350, which is about £5.

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Feb 13 2009

Don't Forget Your Visa (Part II)

This is all about money, what to take and specifically Visa debit cards.

When I last went to India, shortly after Dinosaurs became extinct, I took lots of Traveller's Cheques, but these days there's no real need to take loads, just take some backup.

Everyone on IndiaMike seems to take their ATM card and use that, but some complain of high charges from their own bank when doing this. They draw out enough money for the next couple of days just like at home.

But what about the hefty bank charges? I checked my providers, Nationwide, and they state that there will be no charge for withdrawals in India, or anywhere else for that matter. Great. The card is a Visa debit card so it will be accepted anywhere.

But what if the machine swallows the card? I guess I'll take a backup card and some Traveller's Cheques. I could always get cash out on my credit card if I was really stuck.

But how many ATMs are there in India? The answer is loads but of course, there's an article on IndiaMike about the location of ATM's in India.

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