Top 10 Things to have with me when I move to Chennai

Teacher G

Hello everyone!

I'm starting to pack up my things. I know it's early but the Universe is needing me to take care of this now.

1. I'm wondering if I need to bring over a clothes drying rack - have you seen them for sale there?

2. Also, do I pack up my entire kitchen or leave out the breakables (dishes/glasses)?

3. And lamps are they expensive there or should I bring my own and just purchase a electric converter?

4. And of course here's the fun part, what would make your Top 10 List of oh I wish I had brought that item with me?

Looking forward to your answers.

Nick-H

1. If you packing a house-full, bring the drying rack. You will only need it a few days a year, but you'll miss it then. They are available locally, but quality is probably not so good. My local one has a bit of rust.

2. Almost nothing out of my kitchen stuff got broken, one glass I think. Pro packing, but far from the most expensive quote. But electrical stuff: bring the things you really love only, otherwise too much conversion fuss. My German-made (err, expensive) UK-bought fridge is rated for temperate climate, and does not cool properly most of the year here. A disappointment.

3. Again: I filled a container, and regret having thrown anything away, even the garden shed bits of wood and fragments of wire stuff. Lamps are cheap here. Voltage will be right too if you buy here.

4. 1. My trainers for when I visit cooler places than Chennai...

Teacher G

Thanks Nick!
Your feedback is wonderful!

DrHeckleAndMrSnide

Nick, have you had a look at this clothes horse from Bathla. http://www.bathla.com/images/domestic/mobidry.htm

We use it regularly - it's pretty handy.... it's got adjustable lines, slots on the side to slide in socks for drying, fold able with extensible wings and a pouch for storing clothes pins.

Also, since it's powder coated aluminum, it's rust proof.

__________________
If at first you don't succeed, try management

Nick-H

That looks nice, yes.

Kayde

Gosh this is a hard question----- Are you bringing an entire container?
1. crockpot you can buy converter here
2. electric knife buy converter here
3. gas grill
you can tell I like to cook
As far as clothes dryer you can get a really good one at Lifestyle Home store there is coated so it doesn't rust Had mine now for 2 1/2 years and not a bit of rust
Might think of more things but Chennai has some good stores if you have time to shop around if not post and I can tell you a few must visits or it you need a certain item I might can tell you were to find.

mirjamd

I am very happy I brought:

- a small milkfoamer which you can use in a cup to make cappuccino (an envied piece by my friends, very difficult if not impossible to find here.)

- An espresso device which you use on the stove (don't know the name)

- a stock of good espresso coffee (as you see my needs mainly revolve around coffee )

- Buddy gum to stick up postcards and posters

- A wooden rack for drying dishes



I would have been happy if I brought:

- a good big oven

markh

1) I would have brought more coffee beans. I've purchased whole beans here, but they are rather bitter to my taste. of course enough milk and sugar can make it taste fine, but I like it black. we brought 2,000g from Chiang Mai, wished we'd brought more. if you use a cone filter, bring paper filters; have yet to see them. will be switching to an Indain style strainer once our supply runs out.

2)More kitchen stuff. as I packed my kitchen I kept telling myself, 'oh, we can find these cheap in Chennai,' only to find I can't. we got rid of our nice blender (220 not 100) as we didn't use it very much, only to have the cook ask for a blender or a grinder her first day.

3) Clothes hangers. I thought they were a ridiculous waste of space to ship only to find plastic ones can cost between 20-40 rupees each. ouch.

4) The stuff in your tool drawer. it seems like many apartments have concrete walls, so those wall hangers with the 3 very small nails would have been nice. a couple of everything, not the whole kit.

Kayde

Ama Nanna used to have the paper cone coffee filters. Also try Coffee Cafe Day for coffee powder( finer than grounds from the US) they have several blends. I have used one of them in a pinch.

Nick-H

Mirjam...

I thought you said,

I am very happy I brought:

- a small milkfarmer...

Teacher G

Hi,
Thanks for the info. Regarding the blender or grinder (you mean small coffee grinder). The ones in the US have a different voltage, so should I still bring one over and pray the adapter won't blow the entire motor out?

Teacher G

Hello everyone and thanks for your 'wish I had wish list'!

Another question which might bring you a laugh. Can one purchase small tea-light candles in Chennai? I have a lot of these glass holders but they would be useless to bring if I can't locate the candles to put into them.

: )
Teacher G

felonious_monk

If I was bringing in a container I would get ...
1. All the Charmin Ultra I would need . Indian toilet paper is okay but why not pamper yourself.
2. Some of those Clorox disposable wipes for kitchen counter and bathroom. Hard to find here and maids may not clean to your standard. In fact go to your local large grocery store andthink of what conveniences you'd like to take along. Rule of thumb: If a service employee in India does the work then that sector is not well supplied by the local market.
3. GET all you lamps if you particularly like the ones you have. You may or may not find something to your liking easily in India(aesthetically). For lamps the bulb voltage rating matters, which is fine since you will be using Indian bulbs.
4. All electronics that run on DC are fine as all standard adapters are universal. Example, your laptop has an AC adapter which should be compatible with 230 V. Wall sockets in my place take the American two flat pins as well as the Indian standard. Ask your landlord to send a pic of the sockets or just ask whether they take US flat pins. For grounded (three-pin) US plugs you will need a socket adapter which is about INR 60(USD 1.20) here.
5. Your coffee grinder will fry at 230V. So will anything that runs on AC. I could report back on how much voltage transformers cost if you are interested.
6. Coffee Day coffee is okay but bring your own if you are finicky. Or you might take to South Indian coffee which has its own character and method of brewing.
7. As mentioned by others bring all your tools you might want to use,powered or otherwise. This is one serious area of weakness in the Indian market as all skilled labor is supposed to be done by someone else, and "someone else" usually makes do with really crappy tools.
8. Most consumer electronics are available at a slight premium over US prices. Most foreign origin "luxury" goods will be available at a slight premium in price even if local brands are available.
9. Ironing board.
10. I bought a Katadyn Exstream XR filter water bottle and that has served me well. money worth the peace of mind if you are going to drink iffy water.

Well there is a messy list of ten. Hope you can find something useful in it.

Teacher G

Would someone be so kind as to send me a link to what the electric wall socket plug ins look like in India. I'm having a hard time finding them myself on the net. So many different options and not one specific.

Thanks!
Have a wonderful evening.

Nick-H

Off the cuff...

Ironing; you'll send it out and it will be done very cheaply --- but I still have several irons and a board here.

Water Filter; this sort of thing is good for travel, but for the house, something rather larger and more expensive is in order

Toilet Paper; You'll soon give it up when you get used to using the spray that most middle-class toilets have by the loo. However, I wish I had a crate of both nose-blowing tissues and kitchen roll, and would say of them the same as Monk commented on toilet roll.

Kitchen-paper rolls, by the way, are very good shock absorbers when packing. They have padded out some very fragile things in my check-in flight baggage.