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I don't agree, I stayed right in Mumbai, yes there are plenty of nice places etc etc, but it is not like any other "3rd world country". It is well below the standards of South America, although, the crime in India is lower than in South America, you have a lower chance of being robbed in India for sure. I am not exaggerating either, on my morning jogs I literally jumped over babies sleeping on the sidewalks, and this was in "South Mumbai" the good part.
If you're going to move there, you should at least take a trip there before jumping in water over your head. It is a different world..
Surely there are people who like it and people who don't like it, but don't take the mistake of taking the negatives with a grain of salt.
Last edited by intelfan11315; 02-04-2012 at 08:48 PM..
I would recommend Goa or Gurgaon, not because they're the most interesting (though Goa's great), but because they'd be an easier adjustment. Bangalore and Mumbai can be nice, too. I loved Veranasi, Armritsar and Pondi though I don't know if I'd live in them. I lived in Bangalore and found it pretty easy
Mumbai can be a daunting place, even for an Indian. I was appalled at the living conditions present in Mumbai when I first visited it...and I am Indian.
Having said that, it will be unfair to say that the whole country is same as what Burgler09 saw in Mumbai. I have traveled throughout the country, all through 80's and 90's and it has never been as bad as Mumbai. If anything, things are looking even better in terms of quality of living, even in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
While I disagree with Burgler that the whole of India is as bad as Mumbai, I also wholeheartedly agree with his suggestion that you consider doing a test-run and see if you come out impressed or horrified.
Anybody saying that India is not thatbad is out of their flippin' mind! It's by far one of the most disgusting and depressing countries I've ever visited. I'll add though, that it was also an incredibly interesting place to visit and I thoroughly appreciate that I had the chance to experience it....
However, it's a completely disgusting place. Yes, it is possible to live in a nice place if you have a lot of money, but you're always literally just steps away from extreme poverty. If you do have money, you pretty much have to keep it a secret because those around you will try to find ways to steal it. I have an immigrant co-worker from India who comes from a very wealthy family. Her family had a massive home that they had custom-built on the outskirts of a smaller Indian city and they actually had to flee in the middle of the night and leave everything behind due to a gang of criminals that forced them out and pretty much stole everything they had. She ended up moving to an apartment in the middle of another city and her family had to keep their wealth completely secret to avoid being victims again.
I spent a few days in Mumbai and despite being the financial center of India, it's an unbelievably congested, poverty-stricken, completely chaotic and dirty metropolis. Within a few minutes of leaving the airport and taking a rickshaw to our hotel (I was on the trip with my brother), I was completely blown away by how disgustingly dirty and chaotic the place was.
Just to give an example of how "backward" things are in India... my brother and I were going to head out from Mumbai to the city of Pune (my brother lived in India for six months in Pune and had friends there we were going to visit). We got on our bus in Mumbai to head to Pune and everybody on the bus was informed by the bus driver that we were going to be heading to Pune on the new bypass road that had just been built to allow a faster route to Pune. Well, surprise surprise, about two hours into our journey, and halfway through our first Bollywood movie that was playing on the overhead TV screens in the bus, we had to stop...because the damn road wasn't finished! Seriously?! We came to the end of the new road and there were construction crews laying pavement in front of us...the road just freakin' ended! We had to turn around, head back the way we came and get to the old road to Pune. What should have been a three hour trip took almost seven hours! The crazy thing too is that nobody really complained. It's like Indian people are so completely used to living in such a backward disorganized chaotic environment that they just go with the flow.
I can't emphasize enough to the OP how eye-opening my trip to India was. A lot of people try to sensationalize it and make it seem like this beautiful, mystical place that's full of wonder. Don't get me wrong, because it does have some beautiful locations and I was able to visit some. In general though, it's a disgustingly dirty chaotic unorganized and just all around f****d up place to live.
I highly recommend that the OP visit before making any rash decision to move there. Be prepared to see unbelievable poverty, people pooping on sidewalks and in public waterways in the middle of the city as other people are bathing and washing laundry in the same waterways, groups of ten or more kids following you through town trying to get money from you, cows wandering in the streets, absolutely no enforcement of traffic rules, nasty mystery odors all over the place and the very high risk of getting a nasty stomach bug (I did)...I seriously could go on and on. I'm glad I had the opportunity to visit India, but don't feel the need to go back- ever.
On a funny note, when you arrive to India on an international flight, the airline flight attendants walk through the aisles spraying pesticides on the passengers...no joke, it's federal Indian law. My brother and I looked at each other like WTF??!! What could we possibly be bringing to India that it doesn't already have??!!
Anways, OP, visit and enjoy...I don't recommend living there though.
On a funny note, when you arrive to India on an international flight, the airline flight attendants walk through the aisles spraying pesticides on the passengers...no joke, it's federal Indian law.
Seriously?! I have traveled multiple time to India and have never seen this happen. Can anyone else who has traveled to India on an international flight confirm if they have been doused with pesticides too?!
Seriously?! I have traveled multiple time to India and have never seen this happen. Can anyone else who has traveled to India on an international flight confirm if they have been doused with pesticides too?!
They spray inside the plane cabin. I thought it was to keep germs from entering from outside.
@mstnghu2, @BigCityDreamer: Which carrier were you guys on?
It was on a Cathay Pacific flight coming from Bangkok. A flight attendent made an announcement beforehand stating that it was required by the Indian government and I don't remember what the exact reason given was. I seem to remember it having to do with killing invasive species (non-native bugs, etc.) that may have somehow stowed away on any passenger. That's why my brother and I looked at each other like it was completely nuts, since we couldn't imagine what pests we could possibly be bringing to third world India. The flight attendants actually walked down the aisles with cans spraying mist upward into the air and it was recommended that we cover our faces. Prior to this my brother had made the flight to India (Mumbai) three times and he said they did this each time he flew in.
This was in August 2000, so I'm not sure how things are now. Maybe laws for arriving international passengers have changed. Who knows?
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