Jet Airways 9D8N Golden Moments + Kashmir with IK CHIN Travel – Pre-departure

Yes! Jay & Vivi are going on a trip again! This time we have decided to boldly go to the Land of Delhi Belly – India! We will be there early Dec, and already the news has it that this winter in Srinagar, Kashmir will be cold – it’s been dipping to record lows of minus 1-2 deg C the past few nights. This will be my first real winter experience so off to shop for thermal underwear we went! Brrrrr…

Yesterday we just attended IK CHIN’s India Pre-Departure Briefing; as the agents are also tour guides, they were able to share with us their actual experiences during their various trips to India on this same itinerary.

Here are some good-to-know tips which we did not find out from our internet research and our Indian friends:

Money
SGD 1 is approximately INR 32.5; USD 1 is now about SGD 1.39. We were advised to prepare about SGD 100 /person/day (eventhough all meals are already included!) This amount should cover the extra tips and water we buy daily. Of course if you are like me, who likes to shop for all kinds of junk, the amount gets a bit tricky to estimate. As usual, when going on group tour, fixed tipping can add up to quite a fair bit – in Kashmir, INR 165/pax/day, and in Golden Triangle, it’s USD 5/pax/day. For two of us, a 9-day trip means we have to set aside INR 1,320 + USD50 for tips, plus SGD 20 for our tour leader from Singapore. Hotel porter tip is usually INR 50 or 1 USD.

Other incidental costs would be rental of snow shoes in Gulmarg (INR 50/pair) and tip of INR 40 for an elephant ride at the Amber Fort in Jaipur. I am feeling scared of the elephant ride already, so we’ll see how things go on that day.

Food and Water
Dinner is usually at 8-9pm India local time, which is 10.30 – 11.30pm Singapore time! As such we were reminded to pack along some snacks in case our digestive juices start flowing according to the home clock hehe…

We were advised to drink only mineral water (make sure the cap / seal is intact) in the Golden Triangle, and boiled spring water in Kashmir.

In Agra, Mango Lassi is a must-try, and in Kashmir the tea is also not to be missed. The North Indian cuisine is highly recommended so while we have to be careful with what we eat and drink (we have hyper-sensitive stomachs) we really hope to savour some nice local dishes like Buttered Chicken with Naan!

Airport Security in Kashmir
In such a politically-charged region bordering Pakistan, it is only to be expected that security will be extremely tight.

Our guide advised us to check in as many of our belongings as possible; all electronic gadgets must have their batteries removed & checked in. Our bags (and body) would be checked many times, and it is not uncommon to have nicer things like lipstick and even pen confiscated by the airport security! This is what we have read from other blogs too. Apparently we have to clear seven different security points at the airport, and the most crucial thing is to have your baggage tags stamped after each check or else you will be turned away from boarding your plane, going back to clear the various security checks all over again.

Other miscellaneous things to note are:
• Bring along a torchlight especially in Srinagar, as there may be blackouts at night to conserve electricity;
• There is no mobile phone reception in Kashmir;
• At the various tourist spots a fee will be charged on video cameras; not sure about digital still cameras with video function…
• Security is tight at the Taj Mahal and expect to be “touched” not just by the majestic monument of love but also by the security guards!

We are treating this trip as an extended camping expediture; having hyper-sensitive digestive systems, we are prepared to bring as much bottled water as we could, as well as dry food like biscuits and bread in order to prevent diarrhea (“Delhi Belly”).

Alright Taj Mahal, here we come!