r2i forum

dbs;440554
Noida is practically in Delhi.

I very much count Noida and Gurgaon in Delhi! After all, I might end up living in Gurgaon for work purposes.

I did most of my exploring in Delhi from the late eighties to the mid nineties and yes, it would be great if we get back to the less traffic and leafy neighborhoods but that's obviously not going to happen. At that time I could go on the main roads on my hero bicycle and cover quite large distances. Now, even going on motorcycles is a risky proposition. On the other hand, there's a lot more amenities available in the Delhi of today. The Delhi of our childhood and nostalgia is not coming back and that's Ok. I try to be optimistic for the future.

Arrival and First Few Days


I've been completely consumed by various office and personal stuff and just havent had a chance to update the dairy. Here's the latest.


We finally arrived in Delhi the last week of June. For me personally it didn?t seem that big a deal because I had to come to India a couple of times over the last two months for work, so it seemed like one more trip. I'm sure it will sink in soon.


Last few days in the US: Overall things went quite smooth, rented out the apartment, sold some stuff, packing and shipping was ok, the packing and shipping guys were quite efficient (Sudath). Just having the boxes everywhere and being in a state of packing for a few weeks was a pain. We had our fair share of farewell parties, get togethers and all that. It was a good group of friends and neighbors.


Arrival and first few days: Frankly, I made the mistake of starting work a couple of days after arrival. I should have taken a few days off. Work is fine but the long hours made looking at houses and cars very hard and most of that can be only done on the weekends.


Apartment search has been intense. We are looking in Gurgaon. There is so much supply that it makes making a decision hard. We've finally chosen an apartment in a colony called Windsor Gardens (any feedback anyone?). We liked the location a lot but the apartment needs a lot of renovating and we're negotiating with the landlord to see what he will renovate. If he says no, we'll probably go with our second pick in Nirvana Country, which is more move in ready. We had a rental agent helping us, who has been quite professional and helpful, so pleasant surprise there.


Car Search: Stressful; some of the dealers are unprofessional and don't understand the concept of being in a service Industry. Plus some of the cars have long waiting periods which complicates the decision. I've been paying 1500 rupees/day for cabs and thats adding up fast! I've been looking at the "premium hatchback" type of cars and have narrowed down the choice to the Polo 1.6. Now its on to negotiations and figuring out how soon I can get it. We'll get a second larger car down the line.


Kids are overall adjusting well so far. Since we've been here only for a few days, its still hard to distinguish the trip from a vacation trip. The hardest thing so far has been the heat of Delhi, which makes it hard to go anywhere and do anything outside the house, so they are cooped in all day. From what I hear about the weather on the East Coast, it probably would have been the same there as well!

Welcome home....... Dont go for an unfinished apartment. Even if the land lord agrees to get stuff fixed. The contractors who would fix the apartment are very unreliable in terms of time limits. There is no guarantee that they will fix every thing and give you a nice working appartment in time that you have negotiated. Moreover getting stuff done your self would also be painful.

nyc2ncr;464177
Car Search: Stressful; some of the dealers are unprofessional and don't understand the concept of being in a service Industry. Plus some of the cars have long waiting periods which complicates the decision. I've been paying 1500 rupees/day for cabs and thats adding up fast! I've been looking at the "premium hatchback" type of cars and have narrowed down the choice to the Polo 1.6. Now its on to negotiations and figuring out how soon I can get it. We'll get a second larger car down the line.

Volky dealers have a snobbish attitude.

If you ask for 2011 Polos, instead of 2012, you will get them rightaway and with some discounts. Look around and check out the print media for the latest advertisements.

pm071;464180Welcome home....... Dont go for an unfinished apartment. Even if the land lord agrees to get stuff fixed. The contractors who would fix the apartment are very unreliable in terms of time limits. There is no guarantee that they will fix every thing and give you a nice working appartment in time that you have negotiated. Moreover getting stuff done your self would also be painful.

Thanks. Thats absolutely a consideration which made us think long and hard. We do have some flexibility in that I could wait later than what I'm going to tell them, since I'm at my parents house, but I'm more concerned about the quality of the renovation. We'll see how the negotiations go. Will bolt if we don't get a good feel.

moneyIsNot_funny;464181Volky dealers have a snobbish attitude.

If you ask for 2011 Polos, instead of 2012, you will get them rightaway and with some discounts. Look around and check out the print media for the latest advertisements.

They are offering some discounts. There is some confusion if the dealers even have any 2012s or they are all 2011s. Will probably revert to the i20 if there is no clarity on the Polo but the engine in it is really weak. People have been recommending the Skoda Fabia as well since it has the same engine as the Polo. Will try to test drive that as well.

welcome to India nyc2ncr...i wasnt sure if you finally made it or not since you had not posted for a while!:)
I did the same as you joined worked 2 days after arrival :)...hectic but the weather helps ---is definitely miles better than dilli!

oasis138;464244welcome to India nyc2ncr...i wasnt sure if you finally made it or not since you had not posted for a while!:)
I did the same as you joined worked 2 days after arrival :)...hectic but the weather helps ---is definitely miles better than dilli!

Thanks! I just posted on your thread! I very much made it. The last few weeks have been crazy so did not have a chance to post. Made a couple of trips to India for the new job and then made the official move with family. From no status on the airline, I went straight to Gold status in a couple of months!

Freakin' Delhi weather. Sitting in the office in the AC is fine but looking around for apartments in the hot weather has been tough. I had gone to Hyderabad for some work where the weather was great. The minute I came out of the plane in Delhi I felt like going back. Its starting to rain a bit so last day or so has been a bit better.

nyc2ncr;464250Thanks! I just posted on your thread! I very much made it. The last few weeks have been crazy so did not have a chance to post. Made a couple of trips to India for the new job and then made the official move with family. From no status on the airline, I went straight to Gold status in a couple of months!

Freakin' Delhi weather. Sitting in the office in the AC is fine but looking around for apartments in the hot weather has been tough. I had gone to Hyderabad for some work where the weather was great. The minute I came out of the plane in Delhi I felt like going back. Its starting to rain a bit so last day or so has been a bit better.

Gold status - get used to it...in India you will be Platinum status in everything before you know it....at-least in banks etc....of course everyone in dilli is platinum...too much money! ;)

oasis138;464251Gold status - get used to it...in India you will be Platinum status in everything before you know it....at-least in banks etc....of course everyone in dilli is platinum...too much money! ;)

Too much money or everyone is bankrupt and don't show it. I have no idea how people manage to save any money. The place is amazingly expensive.