slightly paranoid about getting robbed

crvlvr

Here is a other option for brave souls : Hawala

Cayle

What was their reason? Why not just switch to another bank? A little legwork now in finding a bank sure beats carrying 8 lahk around.

I'm paid in € at my bank in Germany and just do ATM withdrawals to cover my living expenses here. It carries the disadvantage of a €5 surcharge with every ATM visit, so we don't do it for amounts that are too small, but it is safer than always having that much cash around.

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capt_mahajan

Keep in mind that even if one goes down this illegal route, which is not advisable, all the money received in India is illegal.

zoltan

When I was in Shimla (4 years ago), I asked one of the banks if they would allow a gora to open a bank account, so withdrawls could be made throughout India using a passbook.

Surprisingly, the answer was yes. As long as you have sufficient ID, the bank (and I can't for the life of me remember which one it was), the bank will issue you with a passbook.

But I think the catch was no interest would be payable on the money invested.

As for fears of being robbed, the best advice I can give is to keep your money in multiple locations (ie. purchase 2 different money pouches /wallets and keep the cash separate. When you are paying for something, use the wallet with the least amount in there, so if it gets stolen, you haven't lost everything.

Cheers
Zoltan

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edwardseco

The average gora student can be trusted except on exams.

Excellent idea CRV. I used this once but don't report that to the ClA.

Relieves me Jigwan that you are aware of those hazards.

Cheers..

jikwan

heres what happened to a fellow monk i know some years ago near
patna in the north
about 8 robbers surrounded the monk and his attendant demanding the goods the attendant made a run for it but they caught him and beat him up badly
they took every thing the monk was left with only his loincloth

this led me to the idea of purchasing fairly tight fitting underpants and sewing a pocket at the very crotch centre
desperate measures sure, slight discomfort too-but reduces
the risk of losing 90%

capt_mahajan

Not always.

Though this was Columbia, we had an officer coming back to the ship in a borrowed (small) towel, and nothing else.

It is wise to keep on or two flattened notes under the instep of your shoes (I think its called instep, the loose part on which you place your foot inside the shoe?)

Haylo

If you are carrying £8000, you might end up with rather a bulge...

Being less inclined by the minute to take this thread seriously, am I permitted to say "Hollow butt plug" on here?

Mickey S

There is absolutely no reason why Royal Bank of Scotland cannot issue you with a card that will allow you to withdraw money overseas. They can set enough conditions on the card - no overdraft, a low daily withdrawal limit, etc. - that would make it a no-risk proposition to them.

Just go into your local branch - don't phone them, unless you want to be put through to an anonymous call centre in Bangalore - and explain to them what you plan to do and why you need a card. Even bank employees are human beings, and they will be sympathetic.

Or, better still, put all the money into an interest-bearing account with Nationwide and get them to give you a simple withdrawal card. Nationwide does not charge any fees when withdrawing money overseas. With £8,000 in the account they are unlikely to say no.

Mickey S

Ah... that's why monks have that permanent look of utter contentment on their faces.

grikoo

Some of you guys are being pretty rude.....

Like he said, he's spent most of his life in monasteries.


Give him a break!



I bet most of you are fairly naive about the inner workings of monasteries.....perhaps?


And talking about butt plugs to a monk.....That's just crude.

Geez!

Ali-Monbeam

I was going to suggest a Nationwide Flex account ...I opened one with no trouble and as said before they dont charge for ATM use abroad.

Nick-H

I think there's more naivety about the workings of Banks, at least British ones.

Without a certain minimum income, preferably paid direct into their grasp, they are really not interested in even cleaning up the dust from your footprints.

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Ali-Monbeam

Nationwide didnt bother with all that, just went in with my cash and opened it Theres no regular money going into it. Its just used as a holiday cash account.

edwardseco

As a couple of sisters I dated would say Colombia. Par for the course there.

Salud or fair 'nough in anglo..