babu1

Hi Noni,

I would avoid "Holiday Clubs" like the plague. They are simply timeshares by another name.

There is one, the "Royal something or other", on the Baga creek road, now the superhighway to service the water park coming up on the hillside, which was also the rationale and political impetus (graft) behind rebuilding the Baga bridge and creating that wide access road across the football pitches.

These touts started to infest Goa from about 5 or 6 years ago, and are becoming quite a nuisance. The timeshare I referred to is actually managed by an English team who have moved on from the Canaries, they sit in the background while the Goan sales team work their way through the sales pitch by quite amatuerish rote.

We wasted a day there without any intention of signing up, as a favour to an ex waiter friend so that he got his 2,000R/- commission for bringing we "tourists marks", or "gora " ("white trash; buffalo") as the lovely Goans refer to us. Yes, believe it; you're not much more than an ill mannered and immodest sunburned ATM.

गोरा gorā [Prk. गोरओ; S. गौर+कः], adj. & s.m. (f.-ī), Of fair complexion, fair, white;--red (when applied to cattle);--an epithet of Śiva;--a European soldier, a private;--a European (who is not a gentleman):--gorā-ćiṭṭā, adj.=gorā:--gorā-gumtā, adj. (dialec.) Red and white

Essentially, they're selling 2 weeks in whatever dodgy no view apartment you end up with way out back by the kitchen garbage dump, even though they show you the best view furnished A/C fully on apartment.

So if it was so good, why did the sales boy stupidly start his pitch by referring us to the many other more exotic luxury destinations we might like to visit, all there in the glossy doorstop sized magazine, and how easily we could swap our weeks in Goa for these other places?

He was quite dumbfounded - not in the training manual - that we had always been quite happy in Goa, even if it could be a proper dump.

There was the soft sell boy, then the hard sell "discount king; sign up today on your credit card" manager; the usual routine, totally transparent and worthless, full of bogus promises. We took our free bottle of Romanov (110R/-at any store) and were happy for our Goan friend who was 2000R/- richer on his commission.

noni

and 'noffy all round

noni

YES WE THOUGHT WE HAD - BUT YOU KNOW WHAT THOUGHT DID

Remy-Ireland

Thanks Douglas,

and i agree with what your saying.......this 'prove residency' thing may just be a smoke screen to exclude FNs altogether.......which is a further complication to the nightmare scenario of FNs buying property in Goa.

Regards,
Remy

noni

Hi,
Thought it was, got caught once in Spain all the excitement I had won this wonderful prize! My husband told them straight if it was time share/holiday club we would take the prize and leave. Oh! No sir, come in the taxi. It was! after a bit of arguing, as they would not let us leave he told them in international language where to go.

In the 70's my parents went with a group of friends every year to different parts of Spain for the Winter. The highlight of their week was conning these people to pick them all up, take them to their place, usually half an hours taxi ride, and in those days they had free booze and lunch, and a bottle of wine to bring home. Of course, nobody bought, but they had had a good day out.

Just get fed up in Candolim with them on the bikes following you all the time even when you tell them to "go away" it's every day. :curse:

babu1

Hi

Can someone please explain the residents "pink book"? I know FN's with these, but only those who have gone the "business route" or are actually involved in business and have a PAN as well as the obligation to file tax returns.

My Residential Permit has always been a 3 page A4 document with photo and details on third page, the Registration Report under the Registration Of Foreigners Rules, 1939 issued at the FRO in Panjim. This is completed in triplicate and annexed with xerox copies of my passport and appropriate visa, which one year was a Business Visa that I didn't actually use to set up a business, and subsequently 1 year X Visas.

This form asks you to declare your Occupation or Profession and purpose of Visiting India, as well as Address In India.

Noni, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you said you have a pink book, yet I think you also said you didn't buy using the "business route", you declared yourselves as retired thus not leaving India for any indeterminate period.

Douglas M

Hi babul1

Nice to meet someone who clearly knows a lot about goa

I particularly liked this quote of yours about firangs -

Yes, believe it; you're not much more than an ill mannered and immodest sunburned ATM.

regards
douglas

Remy-Ireland

Hi All,

Another article on Property in Goa from the channel 4 team.........who also say you cant buy property on a tourist visa.

http://www.channel4.com/4homes/buyin...a_guide-3.html

Hopefully link will work.

Regards,
Remy

noni

Hi Babu,
Yes you are quite right we have a Pink Book, with our photo's etc. We were told it would be taken off us at the airport, and sent back to the police station, but it never was. I don't understand any of this, I am getting more confused by the minute. I remember when we were given this book at the police station we had to go and register on arrival and then when we left signed out, and there was a lot of faffing about with photocopying.
We must have had our Indian Heads on, as we always go into the Police Station with the book and passports, sometimes, they say "what are you doing here", " come back when you leave," or "don't come until your visa expires"
YOU CAN'T WIN. So just to be on the safe side we alway go to say hullo!!!!
but DO NOT USE THE LADIES LOO.|

babu1

Thanks Douglas,

I omitted to say that we (foreigners) are also, without exception, immoral criminals whilst Goans are by nature chaste, pious, loyal, honest, and "of sober habits".

Kind regards.

Remy-Ireland

noni

::
You can't possibly know the Goan's I know.
But they do try to pretend to be like that, arranged weddings etc.
......... little ....... don't drink ha ha .....

At least Douglas and I say it as it is.

TDK

Hi Remy,

Thanks for the link. Have just read the article and agree with most of what Mahida says except s/he(?) claims that FNs (with residential status) need to obtain RBI permission prior to purchase, which as i understand is not actually the case.

Anyway at least s/he points out that its no longer possible (generally) to get more than a tourist visa now, so meeting the residency criteria to enable purchase is also no longer currently possible.

Regards TDK

Kinrara

Hi Andy

I don't know all the ins and outs of this idea of yours but what you are suggesting makes sense, especially if your property is on a complex. Why can't all complex property (so called) owners form a company, so that all property owners become shareholders, it's more than likely that one of the complex property owners would be a PIO/NRI or maybe a resident Indian to head the company. It would be a legitimate company as you would all pay into a maintenance fund for the upkeep, employing staff for gardening, cleaning, security etc. Is this a no go idea or could it work?

noni

Hi all,

Found this article www.goanvoice.org.uk
From Asian Age 2.8.07 - News plus forcus - Pamelo D'mello
Goa tightens norms or overstaying foreigners.
Well worth a read.

Noni