Bogmallo beach

Traveling to goa first time and am a bit worried about the currency...can anyone tell me if theres an currency exchange in bogmallo? and what the exchange rate is? Is it better to take sterling or travelers cheques?

Any info would be appreciated as im going in 3 weeks

Thanks

Bogmallo beach

If you%26#39;re staying at the Bogmallo Beach Hotel they will change your money in reception. If you want an ATM the nearest one is in Vasco, which is a cab ride away. They have safes in the rooms to keep your valuables so it%26#39;s up to you if you want to take travs. If you do, take sterling. The exchange rate should be around 75 to 80 to the £

BC

Bogmallo beach

Its better to chnage your money outside than at reception as you will get a better rate outside.

The exchange rate seems to have gone up to 80 now.

You will definetely find a money excahnge place outside the hotel.Just inquire from your rep.

Thanks very much for ur replys xxx

Sorry !they don%26#39;t have safes in your rooms here, you can get safety deposit boxes behind reception. (got it mixed up with Holiday Inn) I don%26#39;t think there%26#39;s many places outside to change money you might be lucky in one of the shops or the jewellers.

BC

I%26#39;ve booked a deluxe room and it mentioned safe%26#39;s so hopefully i%26#39;ll be ok. Another thing is it better to go on trips with the reps of would i be ok going with the taxi firm who%26#39;s based outside? Heard a few people mention that its alot cheaper to go with the taxi firm

Jess

There are loads of taxis in the village square just outside the hotel main gates and they will definately be a lot cheaper than an organised tour - the driver will stay with you all day and bring you back - suggestions would be Spice Plantation, Old Goa and Hindhu temples, Panjim for shopping (Bombay Bazaar a must)and Bettys Boat - although this is nearly an hours drive for an early start (9ish).

With regard to sterling or t/cqs take whatever you are comfortable with - I prefer sterling t/cqs as they are insured and no problem exchanging them.

Thanks for all your replys

Can recommend a driver called Gangaram whose just outside the Bogmallo Beach Hotel.Nagraj Naik too another excellent driver.We fondly call him Nike....tell him Christine and John from Yorkshire recommended him.....

chandras jewellers

Just like to warn people about this shop. My husband and i bought some rings from chandra in December,we took them too a jewller back home, only to be told they are complete rubbish. Already new that as mine made my finger go black. Just been back to Goa and took the rings back, he made us new ones with better diamonds and gold, but beware the old ones are for sale in his shop.Would never ever use this robber again.

chandras jewellers

Thanks for that. Lucky you got them replaced

chandras jewellers

My wife got a ring from Chandras two years ago. She stated the colour and quality of the diamonds she wanted, there were three larger diamonds and numerous smaller diamonds. They took three attempts to get the ring made correctly.

She had the ring valued in the UK and it was totally slated, the valuer called it amateurish. When we returned to Goa she took the ring back and they agreed to change the diamonds so that they were all the same quality. They did this by substituting poorer diamonds for the three larger stones, instead of putting in better quality small diamonds, as they had promised to do. Next time in Goa Chandra%26#39;s did not want to know. My wife had the ring made in to a necklace at New Era in Candolim, who as always did lovely work.

If you want to be ripped off then Chandras is the place to go.

I agree about Chandra. I had a ring I got from my mum, it had a nice emerald, but I did not like the style. Chandra agreed to make a new ring using my emerald. I was very unhappy with the workmanship, but eventually reluctantly accepted the ring after they reduced the price. When I got home I had the ring checked locally. The jeweller was the same one who had valued the original ring a year earlier. He told me that the emerald in the new ring was not the one that had been in the original ring, and was a very poor example. In addition the ring was so poorly made that the stone was on the verge of dropping out. My husband thinks that that was probably deliberate as then they would not have been found out.

The next time in Goa I went back to Chandra, who denied everything, even though I had the photgraphs and jewellers reports showing that the emeralds were different. I feel so angry as this was the only piece of jewellery I got from my mum when she died, and she loved her emerald. I agree with Goansoon, if you want to be cheated Chandra is the best place to go.

Hi

I had a bad experience last year with a certain jewellers not the one mentioned i did post quite a lengthy topic on them at the time, i went back this year ready to KILL as i was really upset and had corresponded with them on my return last year..

anyway to cut a long story short i had three options to have a full refund but via my visa card!!!

have the ring made differently to my choice!!! or have the difference that it had been valued at back home but again only via my visa card!!

i decided to opt for the 2nd choice to have it re-made but this time a solid band and at there suggestion two extra diamonds and made in white gold there was no extra charge and i must say i am very happy with the ring now i havent had it valued but probebly will, but the feeling that i had been ripped of has gone and to be honest i doubt that they would dare pull at stunt again as they were not expecting two women to actually stand up to them and whilst we were there they lost at least 4 potential customers not by us shouting but by the fact that they knew things were not right so the answer is stand your ground chandras is obviously a very unscrupulous person/s and on this website if they get bad reviews then they hopefully wont be in business long

what%26#39;s the best honest shop to go to buy your gold in candolim??

Coburg

To be honest i wouldnt have a clue!! so many people give out there experiences about good jewellers on this site that i would read back and have a look you will see that mostly the same ones come back time and again but i wouldnt like to recommend one as each person has a different experience i went to ashok jewellers this time just to check out prices as i would have liked a diamond pendant necklace i found whoever served me not interested and unhelpful so needless to say i left without buying that was my experience but others have found them very good i would suggest you take a note of the ones that keep getting recommended and check them all out.

Good Luck

my friend had a beaufiful ring made can%26#39;t remember how diamonds(baquettes) he underestimated how many diamonds she would need and didnt charge her for the difference and i have to say it was lovely can%26#39;t remember his name but he is at the bottom of beach road on the right going down next to a tailors which is his also he has excellent testimonies which i have seen and just so happens know of the people

I use living jewels i%26#39;ve never had a problem with them.

I haven%26#39;t personally had anything made but my aunt goes 2-3 times a year stays in calangute but travels to candolim to buy her jewellry. She uses Ashoka which is in the Magnum resorts shops on the front. If husband gets board theres a bar outside called the Haveli.

Maybe all us travelling to Candolim in the coming weeks should make a point to window shop at Chandras, and mention the several bad reviews on this forum. If he realises there is this network, maybe he will be a little less unscrupulous. Have been using a jeweller in Calangute for the past 6 or 7 years never had a problem. Rings are always at least worth double or 3 or 4 times what i paid

My suggestion would be, is if you have made good friends with local Goan people ask them to go with you to a jewellers shop they would either use or recommend. Although not having bought any jewellery we did have some that needed repairing, a gold ring that had been squashed totally and the stone had fallen out, a gold chain where the clasp had broken and a bracelet where the clasp was loose, which the jewellers repaired and also attached a safety chain to it. Our friends advised us who to go to and the total cost for repairs and cleaning the jewellery,600rupees.

Accomodation - Margao

Hi All

I am moving to Margao for two months in April and May to intern and have a couple of questions (background, I am female, UK/US, late twenties, lived in Moscow/Karachi/Western Europe and but only been to India for maybe a month in total before, on holiday mostly in Kerala).

Accomodation - since its only two months I am reluctant to go to all the hassle of renting an apartment, but the drawback to interning is that you don%26#39;t really get paid. Can anyone suggest a niceish guesthouse, or somewhere with some charm. in Margao where I could be a semi-permanent resident for GBP 20ish/night?

I know that there are nicer places at Colva/Benaulim but am not really confident on a scooter and given that I have to get to work every day, its probably not practical to have a cab every day...

Any recommendations v. welcome.

thanks

Accomodation - Margao

I am fairly sure Margao has mainly domestic business type accomodation, Benaulim /Colva would certainly be nicer, what about catching the bus to Margao it%26#39;s straightforward and costs 7 rps

Accomodation - Margao

There%26#39;s a review here of the Youth Hostel in Margao which might be a short-term solution

thebackpacker.net/travelhostels/3056_margao_…

Thanks both of you - that is really helpful.

There%26#39;s also a large purpose built hotel similar to an Ibis hotel etc. I%26#39;ll try and remember the name of it....it might also be okay for the first couple of nights.

There%26#39;s the Nanutel - don%26#39;t know if that%26#39;s the one you%26#39;re thinking of. It%26#39;s fine, but it may be a bit expensive. Rack rate for that time of year is Rs1300 a night. As far as I know it does have a/c - I%26#39;ve only ever been in there to use the loo!!

Hi

I agree with Goanjock. If I were alone I would feel much happier in Benaulim than Margao especially at night. You can rent an apartment short term for about 10,000 rupees a month at Maria Hall which is near the bus stop and the rickshaw stand. If you let me know the name of the place you are working I will ask friends in Margao for advice if you want somewhere close by.

That%26#39;s the one LG and although it comes within Puffin%26#39;s budget I agree it is quite expensive and I sure Puffin will find far cheaper accomadation than the £20 they have budgeted.

p.s. and if you went for Benaulim as I said you could catch the bus and if you wanted back quicker then a Tuk tuk from Margao would cost 50/100 rupees depending on haggling ;-)

Goa Woodlands Hotel right in the heart of margao City,near the bus station, would be ideal and would be well under your budget.

Also you can rent an apartment in Colva for Rs.10000/- a month and a share a cab to Margao would cost you 8 rupees and only 10 mins.

Sewage in the sea

Read some worrying reviews where in has mentioned raw sewage being pumped into the sea near lighthouse beach, does anyone know if this is tru or just rumour. If it is true where would you suggest we could go for some safe (and Pleasant) swimming. We are staying at the Leela at the beginning of April and my wife has already sworn she will not get in the sea! Many Thanks

Sewage in the sea

The Leela has its own section of beach , well away from Lighthouse beach. We swam most days and it seemed clean enough, didn%26#39;t go down with any stomach bug or anything. They also patrol this bit of beach so you don%26#39;t get any hastle apart from one guy and his boat offering snorkelling trips. Also, there is quite a strong current flowing along the beach so any outflow is going to be swept away. Would guess it is as clean as any Med beach.

Leela is a great hotel, have a great time

Sewage in the sea

I stayed at the Leela in Jan/Feb this year and the private beech was closed for one day due to sewage leaking into the sea.This only happened one day and the rest of the time was fine.There is a strong undercurrent to look out for.Hope i am not sounding to negative as i thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Leela.The staff were friendly and i had a great holiday in Kerala.

ps

My 3 year old had a great time at the Leela private beach although i had to hold onto him at the waters edge.Also the guy that patrols the beach is called Ali, just be firm if you do not want to book any trips with him because he will pester you everyday.

Have a nice holiday. If you need any more info leave a message through the forum.

Ted

Hi

There is no sewage system here as such that can pump sewage anywhere, all buildings have a soak away or septic tank.

There is a rain water drainage system that discharges onto the beach and the water does pool near the rock on lighthouse/Hawah beach.

My wife and I swim in the sea most days and have not had any problems as with the many visitors here, the waters are safe for swimming with lifeguards posted along the beach should you have a problem.

The seas may be rough in April as the monsoon season is getting underway so swimming in the sea may not be an option.

Enjoy your stay

Ian

a few questions

Hi all,

I am just starting to do a little research on india for a trip that we, 2 couples, are planning next year, this will be our first time.

we have about 3 weeks that we can play with and have been looking at the following destinations, which can be reversed if need be .

flying from either sydney or brisbane ,

Delhi 2nts

Varanasi 2nts

Khajuraho 2nts

Agra 2nts

Jaipur 2nts

Udaipur 2nts

Bombay 2nts

Goa 2nts

Bangalore 2nts

then onto bali for a weeks R%26amp;R

1. Can anyone tell me if we should be spending more or less time at any place or something we should not bother with or include .

2. Are we trying to fit in too much ?

3. Does anyone know what airlines fly to bali and where from ?

4. Can you recomend where to stay in each place ...i didnt realise there were so many suburbs in each place.

Not overly into huge crowds , not 100% of the time anyway , but i would still love to see how hectic delhi and mumbai are .we like to walk , restaurants and somewhere to sit and have a nice drink at the end of the day is in our sights.

5. I have a few ideas of what to see and do from an advertised online tour...but does anyone know of better things to see and do away from the usual and if it is easy for us to arrange a tour like this ourselves , as the tour prices seem extremely high, that and the fact that if we find something interesting then we would want to take our time looking , not being rushed like a herd of sheep....lol

I really like the look of the buildings at Khajuraho , although temple hopping is not our favourite thing to do the whole time , we dont mind seeing the spectacular ones. We like to see things of history and culture , old and new ....perhaps a little shopping .

I think thats enough questions for now ....i am sure i will think of a million more before the trip starts .

Any tips are greatly appreciated

many many thanks to those who take the time to answer .

cheers

batt

a few questions

On the whole it sounds like a sensible agenda, but I have some suggestions.

I would do only one night in Agra. There is Agra Fort and the Taj, and Sikandra, but it can all be pretty much done in 1 day, so stay overnight, then drive to Jaipur, stopping to see Fatehpur Sikri on the way.

I am not sure what you%26#39;re doing in Bangalore? It is not a city people pick for sightseeing. I would fly out of Mumbai to Bali. And use the 2 days saved in Bangalore in Rajasthan, perhaps at Ranthambore Tiger Sanctuary (before the tiger becomes extinct!).

Also, since Bali is a beach, I would actually skip Goa. For those 2 extra days, an overnight desert safari at Jaisalmer sounds like a better thing.

a few questions

really long post...hv u specified the time of the year anywhere? or hv i missed out seeing it?

If not please do tell us..as this cud be the real decider as to whr u go and whr not.

thanks so much deepa , your ideas sound good .

vibrantholidaysindia

yes sorry about the long post , but i dont like it when people go ..im coming where can i stay and what can i do .....lol we have no idea on what that person wants , so i tried to describe as best as possible .

as for the time of travel , no you didnt miss i t, i forgot about that bit ...hahaha ...MARCH next year .

thanks to both of you

cheers

batt

no offence for the long post...i was trying to just say that since its long, have i missed out on reading the time of travel..:-)

Now posters will hv better ideas for you, im sure

I actually think it%26#39;s a little packed. You%26#39;ll be doing an awful lot of flying! Bear in mind that of your 2 nights in each place, much of one day will be spent either in airports/planes or cars (assuming you%26#39;re doing the Agra/Jaipur/Udaipur run by car.

In 18 nights you could do a car tour (I always say car tours because that%26#39;s what I know, others can help you with other ideas) like this:

Day 1 arrive Delhi

2 Delhi

3 Fly Delhi - Varanasi

4 Varanasi

5 Varanasi

6car to Khajuraho

7 Khajuraho

8 car to Orchha

9 Orchha

10 Orchha - Agra

11 Agra - Jaipur

12 Jaipur

13 Jaipur - Udaipur (quite a long run by car, you could fly, or break it in Pushkar?)

14 Udaipur

15 fly Udaipur - Mumbai

15 -18 in Mumbai and fly to Bali from there.

That feels like a reasonable pace to me, you can give or take a day in each place as per your preferences (e.g. just one night in Khajuraho and add the extra night in Mumbai...I would prefer that I think). But you would miss out on Goa and Bangalore, so I guess it depends on your priorities- where is top of your list?

rajkumari_again

thanks so much for your reply .

within your itinarary , where would we be able to fit in Rajasthan %26amp; Jaisalmer ?

it doesnt matter if we go over the 3 weeks a little as we will have enough holidays up our sleeve to go longer .

thank you

batt

I would reccommend your trip this way:-

1 Delhi

2 Delhi

3 Agra

4 Ranthambore

5 Ranthambore

6 Jaipur

7 Jaipur

8 Pushkar

9 Udaipur

10Jodhpur

11 Jodhpur

12Jaislmer

13 Bikaner

14 Bhartpur

15 Orcha

16 Khajuraho

17 Varanasi

18 Varanasi

19 Bodhgaya

20 Bodhgaya-Rajgir-Nalanda-Kakolat cold water fall(one day)

21 Patna-Delhi-Bali

Traveling alone in India. Is it safe for a young female?

I hope to be working in an orphanage outside of Kathmandu, Nepal in May for 3 weeks. I am a 21 year old American female student and will be volunteering abroad alone. I am very interested in traveling to India for a week or so since before I return home because India is so close and I have no idea when I%26#39;ll ever get the chance to visit this side of the world again. However, I am unsure as to how safe I will be. I%26#39;ve been looking at different websites and I%26#39;m getting alot of mixed messages but I generally like the advice I see on this particular sight. Does anyone have any experience with a situation similar to mine? I am primarily interested in visit New Dehli, Agra, and Jaipur. I have never travelled completely alone before but I did spend 15 days exploring France and Italy with another female friend when we were both 19. I have also been living on my own in a very large US city since I started college...so I do see myself as capable and more than willing to take this adventure into India. Any tips, stories, recommendations, etc. would be greatly appreciated! Thanks :D

Traveling alone in India. Is it safe for a young female?

I certainly dont like to travel alone here but I am not going to tell you dont do it. I know many cases of women who travelled alone in India and even for months and it麓s ok and safer than many other countries.

But it麓s not easy and you need to be careful at night.

And especially dont take any kind of drugs, alcohol or bhang lassi with any new male friends you might make.

Also, dont be afraid to be rude with men, you have to. Many guys here think that all foreign women will sleep with anyone...

Be rude, get angry, dont let them stare at you in a dirty way. Put them in their place.

Now, your trip is an easy one meaning that you dont need to take a night /sleeper train and distances are short. So, you wont have to worry about in the train/bus part of your trip. (I recommend you to take trains for your trip).

During day time there麓s nothing to worry about, do your sightseeing and go wherever you want to go, just try to keep some distance with young men, you will be better alone.

At night you will be safe wherever there are people, but streets are quite dark and although some people think that taking taxis or rickshaws at night is very dangerous I think the real danger are the cars that chase you as you walk by. Dont get near any car, day or night, just in case. That includes all cars, even police cars.

There are few cases of ';attacks'; to foreigners, India is very safe, but still you have to be careful.

And finally, be careful with the hotel people. Lock your door at night. I heard stories of hotel staff calling at 3am or knocking at your door. I dont know why they do this, I assume they think we are that easy, I dont know.. Again, this doesnt happen often but lock your door and try to go to hotels recommended by other female travellers.

You will do everything you need to do during day time but until 9pm or later streets are full of people.

I live in Delhi and I take rickshaws alone all the time at 9.30pm, but later than that I try not to..

Dont worry about the trip, dont be afraid, just be aware of these 3 things and react to any behaviour you dont like and be loud!

Dont drink with men, dont drink anything that you didnt buy if you think there麓s something suspicious about the people you are with.

And enjoy your trip!

Traveling alone in India. Is it safe for a young female?

yes u can travel to jaipur alone. but be cautious of strangers and men who will stop u on the streets and try to be over friendly. agra too u have to be careful of what u wear on the streets..

i am from jaipur and have seen gullible young tourist falling in the trap. meeting strangers and then being drugged. if u like to meet local persons best is to go and talk to shop keepers, or go to schools----why people make friends with people walking on the street i fail to comprehend. the auto rickshaw drivers also force you to go to shops of their choice so dont get bullied by them. make yur own plans and take advise in this forum.

agra and delhi along with jaipur is called the golden triangle and they are beautiful places to see, so have fun, but be alert...

any queries u have i will be happy to answer from jaipur

happy travelling

shomad@sify.com

In addition to the sensible advice given earlier, I suggest you travel by plane, if you can to Jaipur-its a fairly short distance and the fare will not be too high. Travelling to Jaipur by train or bus is also possible, it%26#39;s cheaper, but can be stressful. Confirm your hotel room, and get them to send a taxi to pick you up from the airport/ railway station, with a placard bearing your name. All kinds of aggressive touts will appear at the station or airport offering you rooms/sightseeing/shopping, just avoid them.

Before you set out ensure that you carry a bottle of mineral water and a packet of biscuits with you, and avoid travelling with more currency than you need for the day.

We (two females) are also traveling in India. In general it is save, but you should take a few precautions as already mentioned.

It is also sensible if you book your hotels in advance. This will save you the hassle of guys thinking that you are looking for an adventure, if you are in fact only looking for a hotel room. Also remember that India in general is a pretty conservative country. So it is better to wear long sleeved blouses, long skirts or pants and not to show too much cleavage.

Also it is absolutely common in India, especially for women, to travel by chauffeur driven car. So do not hesitate to either take a chauffeur or taxi, even when covering short distances in the evening.

Don%26#39;t accept drinks and food from strangers, go with strangers and stay in well-lit places. Basically don%26#39;t do anything you would not do in the US.

Maybe also try to previously find some people to travel with. It makes life easier, especially since Indian men like ';eve teasing';.

Have Fun!

you are most welcome in our family as we have orphanage and slum children school as well

we run ambulance for the elderly people as well and work for leprosy population . we have several volunteers (females) with whom u can plan further trips.

Capital City Travels and Tours

Can anyone recommend this company?