Something funny with the Indian ATMs

The Indian Bank with the largest physical presence in India is the government-backed 'State Bank of India' or SBI for short. It's also one of the few ATM providers which doesn't charge an additional fee for cash withdrawals by foreign credit cards. As a long stay tourist who spends almost entirely in cash, and frequently withdraws small amounts, I have made at least 250 ATM withdrawals in my time in India. Unfortunately not all resulted in receiving cash, and a minority of these still resulted in my bank account being charged. The culprit in 6 of these cases, and a further 3 that I heard first hand from other foreign travelers, were ATMs branded as SBI. I can say this for sure: if your withdrawal fails in India, you must check your bank balance. "It will come back within 3 days", you might be told. In none of the 9 instances did the money come back, you must then register a dispute with the bank which issued your card to reclaim it. The SBI will not help you.

To me this is all a bit suspicious, because the ATM software registered that the withdrawal had failed each time. It either gave an error code or physically printed a receipt for the failure. There was network connectivity before and after, and sometimes the next withdrawal would even succeed. The bank, or the subcontracted ATM provider knows the failures occur, but the money just disappears. Money doesn't just disappear.

Scams in well lit places

Goa airport, like any airport, has a number of money changers. It's widely known that airport money changers offer some of the worst rates going. They make their profit from your last chance to exchange, and the need for your first cash in a closed currency. But this time something is curious, the displayed rates are strangely good.

I ask at the counter, but it starts to unravel pretty quickly. The number of rupees I would receive doesn't match the stated rate. I am instead handed a sheet of paper with some lower figures, and which at the end mentions a 6% tax. Oh... really...

India does have a tax on foreign exchange, but it's not 6%. The tax is in fact 0.12% of the total value, which is 50 times smaller than the supposed tax claimed by the money changer. The claimed value of 6% would then be a lie, the stated exchange rate a deception, and in my mind the process bordering on fraudulent. All this from your airport-based 'govt. approved' money changer. Always open for business, always innovating.

Something in the water

There are three children from the guesthouse splashing in the water. Girls, somewhere between 6 and 10 years old, having fun in the surf. The parents are on the beach sunbathing. I believe the family is from Germany, they have been at the seafront guesthouse a few days, but we haven't spoken.
A group of Indian men walk along the beach, stopping near the girls. They watch briefly, without much interaction. The group doesn't act decisively but collectively begins to settle on the beach just a few metres down. They take a few selfies, one looks at the girls, they pause for a few minutes. Standing without interacting, unsure, joking, eventually undressing.
They enter the water wearing their white and beige vests, the flag of a poorer background or a smaller town. It's all fun and games, splashing around, shrieking, leaping out of the water and falling backwards. They play a game of climbing on each others shoulders, launching backwards into the water when the balance becomes unsettled.
But I know this is all a show. This is a ritual, some kind of instinctive or considered behaviour. The intra group focus is feigned. Only the occasional glance at the children reveals it. Every foreign woman who has been swimming here knows where this is going. Most Indian women know exactly where this is going. The long stay residents know exactly where is this going. The Indian guesthouse staff know exactly where this is going. I know exactly where this is going, and so I stand, staring straight at the group from the beach. Unmoving, direct. My gaze might prevent the entire thing without disturbing the girls.
It doesn't, and so over the course of 10 minutes I watch it progress. The group, splashing and playing, inch down the beach. By general drift and accident they end up exactly seaward of the girls. One of the group separates slightly, and happens to drift backwards, towards the girls. Facing the group the whole time, with full accidentiality, he continues to progress backwards, inshore, towards the girls. Here his accidental progress becomes somewhat difficult, it's only about 50cm deep. He resorts to the common play of leaping up with each breaking wave and falling over backwards into the surf. He makes surprising progress, in two accidental falls he reaches the girls. But with his hand outstretched he has gone too far, and falls the other side of the closest girl. I step in and instruct the Indian group to move along with a single gesture down the beach.
The parents, either through confidence or careful balance of parenting, never move from the beach. We never interact. But there is no doubt what would have happened. What has happened, and what has brought the guesthouse staff down onto the beach with bamboo, machetes and homemade weapons in past years.

The deceptive tricks of backpackers travel insurance

I write this as a warning to be careful! Insurance is the business of selling you confidence while avoiding all responsibility through the careful use of small print terms. Unfortunately being careful means having to read your policy document in full. It is not enough to assume that most of the terms are reasonable, I have found a few which had the potential to directly impact me. I am from the UK, and so this is relevant to UK retail policies. If you see cheap 'backpackers insurance' check the following:

Is there a requirement for a return flight ticket?
Many insurance companies specify this, or some other proof of intent to return to the UK. Not all backpackers will have return flights booked, who can know where they will be in 6-18 months? Even if they accept other forms of proof, do they give a full list?
Some of the companies now warn you of this requirement before purchase. I suspect the ombudsman had something to say about selling 18 month backpacker insurance with a hidden term to avoid covering most 18 month backpackers.

What is their definition of UK resident?
I recently had to buy travel insurance shortly after returning to the UK. I was surprised to discover that most policies excluded me! The reason was, deeply buried in terms and definitions, that I had spent more than 3 or 6 months in the last year out of the country. If you are a backpacker coming back to the UK between trips, or even taking a short holiday in the year after completing your trip, you must watch out for this! You can find reasonable terms, but cheap products on price comparison websites are highly restrictive.

Don't think you are covered to ride a scooter, unless you have a UK motorcycle license. Even if your policy mentions motorbikes, it generally also specifies that you need the correct UK license. Depending on the wording that means either a motorcycle license or an in-date CBT.

There are many other nasty little terms within policy documents, but I have written about these before. Read your document well. As a note, in the UK you have 14 days? to change your mind after buying insurance. Even after this period, if either of the first two terms apply to you and the website didn't make them clear I would still kick up a fuss and try and get your money back.

Is there any hope?
There are decent companies but you will have to pay more money for them. I use 'True Traveller' for my travel insurance. Their terms seem reasonable, and to avoid mistakes they highlight requirements for residency, return, motorcycle license, and trekking limits during the buying process.

How to get a 6 month/1 year Indian tourist visa in the UK 2018-2019

A few years ago India introduced e-VISAs, which are now for up to 2 months. This seems to be enough for some, but for long stay backpackers I would recommend the real thing.

From the UK the standard seems to be a 12 month tourist VISA (you have to re-enter if you want to stay over 180 days, Nepal makes a nice overland detour)
There is also a 3 year tourist VISA listed on the website, but this costs more and needs an appointment to get.

I'm writing this because I couldn't find many recent guides. For old hands:
They seem to give 1 year by default (even if you ask for 6 months)
My VISA only took 7 days by post (Nov 2018) out of the maximum 3 weeks.
You now post the application to the Hounslow application centre (Nov 2018)

The cost for 1Y was something like £120 + £13 post + £8 photos

How to apply

Indian VISA applications are subcontracted to VFS. The vfsglobal.com/india/uk website is the official place to begin, and yes the website is confusing! It is possible to apply by post for the 1 year tourist visa (At least Nov 2018). Though various places make it sound like you need an appointment, if you click through enough pages post is specified.

To begin follow the link from the VFS website to the online application form. This is a complex multi-page form that can go wrong in many ways!
Keep the information handy and if it goes wrong just start again from the beginning. You will need:
Mission: UK London works for postal
Passport details
Places you plan on going- Delhi and Goa are fine, don't mention anywhere which needs permits
Employer details (or last employer if you've quit to travel) if you work in anything that sounds like journalism or media best find a new career! (Special restrictions)
Contact in India: use your first hotel
Contact in UK: use a parent or friend

At the end it asks for photo upload. I have heard some people use this and it works. The website makes it seem required, but in my experience it is not! I click skip and use 2 physical photographs with the paper copy (there is an extensive guide on the website note these are NOT standard passport size)

At the end of this you can print (download) your completed form. Then take the option to 'book appointment' which takes you through to the Indian high commission website. One of the options here allows you to pay for your application, during which you specify the application method (post or appointment), and if you select post it directs you to the Hounslow centre (Nov 2018).
If you select return by self postage you can use a royal mail special delivery envelope included with the application.
Alternatively you can do it by appointment, which you have to book.
The photo is again optional
Pay for it by card.

You need to post:

Printed form, signed on both pages, with photo attached (I think the website specifies you need a second photo clipped on, though when I've submitted in person they only need 1 of the photos!)

A copy of the declaration document from the VFS website, with your name and signature.

For peace of mind I include the receipt from the HC website for visa payment.

The return envelope. You need to get a silver royal mail special delivery envelope. Write your home address on it, buy a special delivery stamp and attach. The Stamp costs £6.50. Take a note of the tracking number!
(A passport is less than 100g, the basic special delivery stamp)

The outgoing envelope, put everything inside another silver special delivery envelope.
Post to the Hounslow centre (This was Nov 2018, check the website for the correct location, it's really well hidden) using special delivery again.

Wait...
I don't book my outgoing flight until I'm holding the VISA, but if you do book flights in advance apply with enough time. My application took a week but the website specifies up to 3 weeks by post, appointment may be safer.

Good luck, see you in India! If you see anything which differs let me know

I enjoyed South India, and have had good experiences in the Himalayas and the North East (except Manali in season, ugh.)

Mizoram

I came to love Mizoram, a state in North East India, when I visited in 2017 and 2018. It's one of the friendliest spots in India once you scratch the surface, but I thought I would post my first impressions from over a year ago to record the memory.

Mizoram is one of the less visited states in India. This is a bit of an understatement, the policeman at the border looked slightly confused and asked "Is this a passport?". The state is in the Northeast, wrapped around the eastern side of Bangladesh and also bordering Myanmar. Access is difficult, it's right at the periphery of India. It has an airport if you are that sort of traveller, but there is no train line, and the main road into the state is a little bit rough around the edges.

I arrived after a 16 hour bus from Shillong into the capital Aizawl (pronounced eye-zol). As is typical for cities the hotels are a bit pricey, the hotel receptionist had clearly seen foreigners before and already knew that I wouldn't stay for Rs800 per night. Instead I settled in a filthy walled dorm over the road for less than half of this. There is a government built tourist lodge which is just about reasonable at Rs600 per night for a single, but as I discover to be a trend it was built inconveniently far from the city centre. The city itself is fairly pleasant, it really is balanced on a hillside, I get vertigo just walking around. Some of the buildings are two floors on one side and seven on the other! It's a bit cleaner than India, most businesses have rubbish bins outside. I slightly prefer it to Shillong, but maybe Dharamsala is another comparison.

It's about this point I notice something doesn't quite match up from the guidebook spiel, not that there is much of it. The tiresome lonely planet gives barely a page to the state, and wikitravel only a few words. From this I was set to expect a high level of spoken English, and a friendly welcoming atmosphere. I find instead only a little rusty English, and widespread slightly suspicious glance. Often when I am spoken to it takes me a while to realise it was English. The sentence will be much more colloquial and better constructed than I was expecting, but half of the sounds will be missing or unpronounced. Sort of like a British person really. When I enter some shops I'm watched, really watched, followed around every inch of the store. It's as if someone has been spreading the word foreigners are thieves, criminals and so on. I'm not the only one to notice this. While reading another travelers sickly-smug blog post about traveling between fairytale villages in Mizoram I notice the same story. After a few villages, a colder reaction, and only a gesture towards the government guest house.

I decide Aizawl isn't a place to sit around and head out to Champhai, a large town in the east not far from Myanmar. Owing to the state of the roads it's a 10 hour Jeep (15 kph average speed). This town is also spread over a hillside, with a similar routine. The cheap hotel in town won't accept foreigners, the locals recommend Chawngthu, but this is a bit pricey at Rs800. I find Hotel Holiday home offers a reasonable room and price, and settle in. There is also a government lodge for Rs400/single, but as usual it's a fair walk out of town.

It's pleasant in Champhai, I can't fully explain why. The streets are mostly clean, many of the houses are decorated with flowers and shrubs. The traffic is light, and there is a little bit more social warmth. I'm invited into a few houses and have short conversations until the English is used up. On a good day I walk around the town, the boundary roads to the north and west give views of the hills and valleys around. The only issue I've found is the near absence of anything after the evening church service. I get my dinner through the hotel, I think it's expected here.

MRP inflation

Much of India's economy is based on 'buying and selling'. The game is simple: buy low, sell high. And high can be as high as you want. Even though merchants add very little value, with bartered prices they can make an enormous margin on goods sold to unwary customers. The manufacturers don't want this slice of the pie taken from them, and so most packaged foods and many goods come with a Maximum Retail Price (MRP) printed on the item. (Akin to RRP in the UK).

For a while this worked, but unfortunately in this game the merchants work against the customer. Why should they stock their store with an item where the margin was very small. Instead the temptation is to stock brands with the lowest purchase price but the highest MRP. In theory a savvy user should be able to shop around and find a better deal, but in practise the small shops in India will all be stocked with the same brands. Even if the price is the same, quality is driven down.

The result is two fold, firstly many packaged goods cost more in India than in European countries, and secondly that you can no longer trust the MRP on some items, as it is grossly inflated. You pay Rs350 for olive oil with a printed MRP of Rs650. You pay Rs40 for toilet paper with a printed MRP of Rs80. You pay half the labeled MRP on imported China made shoes (you can guarantee the price on the customs slip is 10% of the MRP). For other items the price is revealed when an honest merchant sells below MRP.

With bottled water the game is subtly different. Bottled water is typically Rs20/litre, which is actually quite a high price. It's comparable to Greece, and more expensive than in Nepal (which imports it's oil and has even worse infrastructure). It's possible to market the same product with a retail price of Rs15 (Rail neer, common at railway stations). In fact, it's very popular and profitable for the state owned IRCTC. But why would you stock a product with the lower sale price, there isn't any incentive!

The game of Kabul

Kabul is a card game based on the game with many names, which I described here:

the-game-of-cabo-cambio-tamul-kabo-cabu

There are many possible variations of the game and everyone has their own idea on how it should be played! This set of rules is the one I use and makes for an exciting and balanced game.

A note on names:

Suit = (clubs ♣, hearts ♡, spades ♠, diamonds ♢)

Face up = the card has the suit and number showing

Face down = the card is turned over. The back of the card is showing

Shuffle = mix the cards

Deck = the shuffled cards not used yet

Discard = throw away
Round(s) = playing one set of 4 cards until someone calls Kabul.
Dealer = person who shuffles and gives out the cards

The game progresses in rounds, in each round you want to get the lowest score.
After the round you need to add your score to your total (best have paper and pen).
The game ends when the highest scoring player has a score bigger than a limit you choose at the start, Eg. When the first player reaches over 100.
At the end of the game the player with the lowest total score wins.
The score at the end of a round is determined by the sum of the value of your face down cards, with scores as follows:
Jokers = 0 points
A = 1 point
2 to 10 = the number on the cards
J,Q = 10 points
Black kings = 10 points
Red kings = -1 point (negative!)
The objective is to finish a round with only a small number of low value cards (such as jokers, aces, 2s, red kings) in order to get a low score.

Setting up a round:
Shuffle the cards.
Deal 4 cards to each player, face down, arranged in a square.
Place the deck face down in the centre of the table.

Each player can now look at the two of their cards on the bottom row of the square (nearest the player). Be careful not to let other players see the card, and put it back in the square. You can only look once!
Even if you forget before the game begins, you can't look again! If you catch someone looking twice they get a penalty card. Take an extra card and place it face down next to their square.

To decide who goes first:
The dealer turns over the top card of the deck, and places it face up on the discard pile (next to the deck).
If any player has the same card they can turn this over and put it face up on the top of the discard pile.
If no player has the same card turn over another card, continue until someone can put their card on top.
The player who placed their card on the top has already had their turn, and the player on their left begins the first normal turn. For this game play clockwise, the next player is the player on your left.

Turning over one of your 4 face down cards and placing it face up on the discard pile is called a smash.
You can smash at any point in the game, even if it's not your turn. This is good because fewer cards is fewer points.
Only one player can smash on a card. If two players have the same card only the fastest player gets to smash. The slower player must take it back to the original position in their square.
If you make a mistake and smash an incorrect card you must take it back. You then get an extra card from the deck added face down next to your square. This is treated like the other 4 cards in your square.
You can also smash the cards of other players! This can be done during the course of the game if you know one of their cards and have faster reactions. If you smash someone else's cards you give them one of your cards to replace it (it's a benefit to you).

On your turn:
Take a card from either the deck or the top card of the discard pile.
If the deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile and this becomes the new deck.
Depending on the card you may choose one of three options:
- throw the card away, face up on the discard pile
- replace one of your face down cards with this card, also face down. Quickly turn over the replaced card by rotating it away from you so it is revealed fairly to all players and place it on the discard pile quickly. You are not allowed to pick up the replaced card, have a look and then show it to the other players.
- perform the action associated with the card, by placing it face up on the discard pile and then doing the action set by the number.
7 or 8 = peek at one of your face down cards
9 or 10 = peek at one of someone else's face down cards. Do not reveal this to other players.
J or Q = swap one of your face down cards with the face down card of another player. You are not allowed to look at either of the cards (you must already know them).
Black kings = you can pick up one of your cards and one of someone else's cards, of your choosing, and look at them both. You can then decide to swap if you want, you must say this out loud. Now return the chosen cards face down to the squares.

Each turn involves throwing a card onto the discard pile at the end of the turn. At this moment anyone can smash, as described above, but only the first player to react. In the event of a tie the winner is the one whose card is below touching the discard pile, unless a third player rules they have slid the card in unfairly from the side. Smashing does not count as part of your turn, you can smash and then immediately take your turn if you are next.

As the game progresses you aim to know more of your cards (by using the action of 7s and 8s, or by replacing unknown cards with known cards). Known cards can be smashed if the right card is discarded, reducing the score of the cards in front of you. You can aim to replace high cards with low cards such as joker, ace or red king to reduce your score.

If at the start of your turn you think you have the lowest score you can choose to call Kabul instead of taking your turn. The game continues until each other player has had one more turn, and then all cards are revealed to count the score. Only one player may call Kabul.
If a player has no cards remaining at the start of their turn they must call Kabul (unless someone else already has).

The player calling Kabul must have the lowest score. If they do not have the lowest (for example a tie, or worse) they get a penalty. A minor penalty is to start the next round with 5 face down cards instead of 4. If this is too weak a score penalty can be introduced instead.