Re: Goa
 

Hi Kinrara and everyone
Please help a rather worried traveller who hasn't flown through Mumbai Airport. :confused::unsure:

We are travelling on Jet airways to Goa in November (five of us), we were wondering if there is any problems taking our duty free alcohol through from the Mumbai international Airport then through check in and customs etc at the Internal airport at Mumbai. Do they let you carry this on board or do we have to put it in our checked in baggage, before we check in at the Internal Airport, any help and infomation will be greatly appreciated.

Do Jet let you carry your laptop and don't count it as part of your hand baggage??????? any restrictions???????

Where is the best place to eat? is it best to eat at International or Internal Airport. Help Help and more Help needed please, thanks.

Any problem carrying electric drill and tools etc with them and through customs?

Sorry for lots of ????????? but need as much info as possible ta.

Waiting anxiously
Regards
Patchsidhu

Re: Update from Goa
 

Hi Remy & Janis

Thanks for the good wishes and looking forward to meeting you both in December.

A little update to keep you going! ;)

Weather is really nice for the time of the year, did expect more rain, but so far so good, temp varies from about 27 to 30, doesn't really drop much in the evening only a degree or two, but humidity about 78 - 80%, not having to use A/C. We are getting the apartment really sorted and so quickly, so far no one has let us down with anything, ie we purchase TV and Sky package on Friday and was all up and running by Saturday! Cushions and coverings we ordered in April, all delivered and fitted, beautiful, quality job, really recommend Boa Casa, who are now making our blinds. Exchange rate 81.50 at the moment. Went for a meal last night Viva Goa, basic but clean, butter chicken, butter paneer, naan, aloo gobi, dahl, steamed rice, large Kingfisher, Honeybee and diet coke 341 rupees £4.18, amazing!!! and the food was delicious.

Regards

Re: Goa
 

[QUOTE=Patchsidhu;5292604]Hi Kinrara and everyone

Any problem carrying electric drill and tools etc with them and through customs?

Hi Patchsidhu,

You MUST ensure your tools are NOT in Hand Luggage, they will be confiscated otherwise. I'm afraid I do not have any up to date information to help with your other queries but I'm sure someone will be able to help, the UN even ask for help from this site ha ha. Regards and have a nice trip.

John

Re: Update from Goa
 

OHHHHHHHH Kinrara,

Cant wait to get there.
Your really wetting our appetite now.

Regards,
Remy

Re: Goa
 

Hi Patchsidhu

We have taken electric drill and tools, in our hand luggage, but that was before all the restrictions. Ring up Jet and ask them, it will save you
messing around at UK Airport.

Why take duty free :confused: you can buy it so cheaply in Goa, the only expensive thing is Whisky. Save carrying it.

What date are you flying? We are going in November 10th

Noni

Re: Goa
 

Hi Patchsidhu,

Move any Duty Free into yoir main luggage before it goes into the hold at the Domestic Airport. If you attempt to take it through Security/Boarding it will be confiscated. This may prove irrelevant if you are going all the way with Jet, since they may direct your main luggage to the Domestic hold on your behalf, straight through.

I had a prolonged but amicable discussion with the officials there over two of the small bottles of wine which you get free with your on board meal. The officer's compromise was that I drink them both there - to prove they were not explosives - I argued that I wanted to save them for later to enjoy with my meal on arrival at Goa. My flight was on last call boarding, so I offered him the two bottles to enjoy with his meal, much to the amusement of his colleagues, and, being a good Hindu he declined and allowed me to proceed with the fairly typical look of disgust of an Indian official who's had one over on him.

Likewise, on arrival at Dabolim, Goa, transfer at the baggage carousel - before you go through Customs - into your main luggage, anything you think they might extort duty from you. If asked, always quote a low rupee value, and say the item is second hand, or you are taking it back with you on Departure.

I have a book which lists the items currently alowable for import as luggage into India, but it is in Goa at the moment, and I am not. Sorry. A laptop is certainly allowable. Jet will allow you to carry your laptop and a small holdall, but charging excess baggage on main luggage is quite a scam with most of the carriers so try and keep within your baggage limits, or be prepared to pay hefty excess.

There is a courtesy bus from the International Airport to the Domestic - essentially they are geographically neighbours, only with different runways. No need for a taxi, unless you're running late for the Domestic leg. Porters wear T Shirts saying "No Tipping" and that's exactly what you should do, even when they hassle you since you only have a few yards to push your own trolley.

There is an ICICI ATM booth just outside the Domestic airport entrance if you want to get just a small amount of rupees for arrival in Goa. A Nationwide ATM card is best for drawing funds from UK since they don't charge the up to 3% handling fee - it goes through at the daily banking rate.

Regards food, both airports are highly inadequate, though a lot of Foreign Direct Investment is going in to bring facilities up to something nearing Western standards. There are booths which will sell you bottled water, soft drinks, tea and coffee. Other than that there is a franchise - can't remember its name - which sells hugely overpriced chicken burgers, sandwiches, pizza chicken hot dogs, and cans of beer - the quality is fairly rancid.

In the old Departure area at the International airport there is a bar/restaraunt which sells Kingfisher at 275R/- (about 50R/- in Goa!) and other prices to match.

At Dabolim, once you exit the airport, don't get intimidated by the scrum of touts and greeters. Take your trolleys down the road a hundred yards to the left and you will find a Government taxi booth. The fares are painted up on a board for the various destinations. You pay the correct amount at the booth, get a chitty and give it to the first available driver. A small tip os about 50R/- is appropriate if he has been particularly friendly, got you to your destination without hassle, or helped with your luggage.

Have a great time.

Regards

Re: Goa
 

Hi Patchsidhu

We didn't take any booze out with us as we needed our luggage allowance for other things and as Noni said it is so cheap in Goa why take it out with you, a bottle of gin 130 rupees, Honeybee brandy 105 rupees, vodka 120 rupees, case of Kingfisher 400 rupees! :thumbsup:

Even though we went right down to Goa with Jet Airways, you do still have to get your luggage at Mumbai and get it scanned.

We bought a Black & Decker hammer drill at Luis & Co in Panjim, they also have many tools.

We bought out our laptop as part of our hand luggage, we flew with Jet Airways and we were lucky they didn't weigh our hand luggage!

Domestic airport hasn't got many shops and restaurants, we did have a coffee and something to eat in a cafe at the airport, which was fine for us as we only had a couple of hours there.

Regards & good luck

Re: Goa
 

Hi,
Glad you have arrived safely - and got OH working. Best to get the jobs done before all the guests arrive!!!.

Love flying with Jet, but when we booked our return flight from Goa, it was nearly £200 more for us than BA - so of course, BA won.

I agree with Noni, it is not worth carrying duty free, or fags - they are all so cheap in Goa, and the B:curse::curse::curse::curse:ds only try to get
backhanders out of you. They even tried to get an Indian friend of our to pay on his laptop coming into the Goa - needless to say they had a flea in their ear.

Re: Goa
 

Hi Noni Kinrara Babu and everyone
Thanks to all of you guys for the help, it takes a load off my mind. :cake:
we are flying out on the 4th Nov to Colva South Goa.
Can't wait to get there laze on the beach and have a few Kingfishers, in between furnishing our properties.
I will have to put my tools in the checked in luggage, pity about the duty free situation but if we have to off load our luggage at the International Airport then we will put any duty free into our luggage. will leave some allowance and space for it. I need my Chivas, but will also drink the Honey Bee as well when I run out.
Thanks again:thumbsup:
Patchsidhu

Re: Goa
 

Hi

Thanks for the good wishes. Yes, Jet were very good, definitely try to book with them again, if the price is right!!! Looking forward to meeting you at the Christmas Bash, don't know where the monsoon has gone, no rain for 4 days and have woke up today to a Dec morning, lovely clear sunny blue sky! Husband is a bit ddisappointedwas looking forward to seeing the monsoon, thunder, lightening etc, mind you early yet could come back!

Regards

Re: Goa
 

Hi,

We saw the start of the monsoon when we stayed until beginning of June one year. - May had some spectacular storms, the lightening was fantastic, and the rain only lasted a few hours.

Regards

Noni:wub:

Re: Visa
 

From to-day's Birmingham Newspaper

Furious Crowds storm Consulate.

http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk...name page.html

perhaps they will get the message - thereagain perhaps not.

Re: Visa
 

hi all,
we (me and the missus) have now arrived in Bombay/ Mumbai en route for Goa.
The first bit of news is that the Landing/ Immigration card you fill in on the plane now distiguihes between those 'long term' visa holders (missionaries, employment/ business visas, uncle Tom Cobley visas, etc.) who do have to register with the FFRO within 14 days; and the rest who have to register 'before 180 days'.
There is similar info on their website:
look for 'Instructions (Foreigners)'
This kind of ties in with reports from people who had been sent away from the Panjim FRRO and told to come back nearer their 180 days.
It also pretty much scuppered my ''cunning plan'' to register in Mumbai rather than Goa.

I'll post more info when I get to Goa; chins up!

AndyD 8-)#

http://immigrationindia.nic.in/

Re: Visa
 

Oh well - if they don't get us on the Visa issue they will get us on the
insane, suffering infections or loathsome disease issues :rofl::rofl:

Hope you find Goa, peaceful. Have a good time.

Re: Visa
 

I get a blood screen and Health Certificate certifying my HIV and Hep C negative status as part of the paperwork I submit to apply for my visa, not that it helped my application for a 5 year X Visa last year - they eventually compromised by giving me a 1 year X Visa.

As to insanity, is that not one of India's great charms anyway?