Going to Bharuch for a month.

sa_ill

Hey
I'm working in a chemical company here in Delhi. They have a plant in Dahej, and they're sending me there for a month. I will be staying in Bharuch for a month.

What is Bharuch like? I am aware that alcohol is banned there...but I'm sure there are various ways of obtaining it...please let me know the procedures.

What are the good spots in Bharuch? How are the people?

Thanks!1

rajered

To drink in a dry state you would need a liquor permit. In dry states only 4 or 5 star hotels would serve you alcohol.

Spurious alcohol would also be available but it would be a risk to your health.

sa_ill

Hmm...what about peddlers and bootleggers?
And.....what about the place?

sa_ill

anyone??

gaurav1441

You mean Peddlers and Bootleggers would be advertised here on Public Forum for You ?

You can have a weekend trip to nearby Daman or get ur expected stock from your home state.

sa_ill

Well my questions werent only about alcohol.....what about the place in general.....the people...the weather....recreation activities....

Jay_J

Hi,

Bharuch is a nice place. More of a family town.

It's got a couple of Multiplexes and a few good restaurants (nothing compared to Delhi).

Nearby locations are Baroda (40 mins drive), Rajpipla and religious locations like Kabirwad etc...

A month wont ideally be too long for spending there...

Some related info here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharuch

For booze, you'll have to either lug in your own stuff after getting a permit made or get a permit from any authorised liquor seller (dont know if there's any in Bharuch) or Baroda / Surat...

Hope that helps... do let me know if you need any addl info..

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sa_ill

Thanks for the info. I'll only spend my evenings in Bharuch, since rest of the day I'll in the company's plat in Dahej.
I'm not really into the whole mall/multiplex/retail thingy...what about cafes...places to chill, interact with 20-something locals (since I'll be living alone)....you know....things like that..

Also...is buying alcohol from illegal peddlers/bootleggers safe?

Cheers

Jay_J

If you meant Cyber Cafes, i think you wont be disappointed..

and you mention illegal and safe in the same sentence.... answers y our queries..

and on your PM to me, i dont know anything of that and dont really want to either...

sa_ill

I didnt mean cyber cafes...like coffee shops where tourists visit etc..
thanks anyways

trooooon

The Narmada Eastury . . . won't get you drunk, but its supposed to be beautiful :-) shipbuilding is taking its toll though i hear . . .
you could hop by to Lotal, of Indus valley fame
Daman is the watering hole, and it lives up to the hole part! From my experiences in Gujrat bootlegging is rife and ridiculously open . . . home delivery alchohol in most places, though expensive it is more convenient than in a wet state! stick to IMFL though the local stuff in Gujrat can be very dicey!

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machadinha

When I asked for a permit room, I was told it was closed that day, as they do once a week (Sunday in this area, I think.) Ergo, they must exist; how that works for Indian nationals I'm never sure. You probably need to get a liquor permit for it yes; I've never had to get one yet (nor, in fact, then, ever used a real "permit room" yet), but my understanding is they're often issued on the spot (perhaps just for that one visit only). It's possible this is mostly geared to tourists though; I really don't know.

It struck me as a pretty lively city (although otherwise not exactly a place to rave about), I don't think finding nice cafe-type places or eateries should be much of a problem. People seem to enjoy just strolling and lounging outside by night too. Speaking Gujarati or at least Hindi would probably be helpful; English or at least at any level worth mentioning I found not widely spoken here. I found it consequently not very easy to find my way around, but that was just me as a brief and foreign visitor.

There's a pretty lively cafe with a young and cheerful crowd right outside the train station (opposite its main gate, and set in something of a row of shops and chai shops and stuff here); does excellent lassis and stuff. (Behind it and not so readily visible, there's a small and attractive-looking park, where people seem to enjoy to linger by dusk again.) But really, just walking around you'll bump into a lot of such.

Assuming you are Indian or know the place well, the main problem with illegal home-made booze as you should know is not so much its illegality, but that it may contain methanol due to a faulty distillation process, leading to (pretty instant they say, and contrary to the popular myth that one can just "try" it to see what happens) blindness or even death. So that's the risk you're taking.

As for what Jay didn't feel like answering you by PM, I have a feeling I might not want to either, and in that case, kindly stop wasting people's time, thank you very much.

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machadinha

btw And as an afterthought,

again, I can't judge are you Indian or NRI or foreign expat or anything, which might shed more light on your particular perspective.

As far as foreign tourists go though, I saw none in the few days I stayed here earlier this year. There will no doubt be a trickle of them; but don't expect that sort of infrastructure for them. Again, I guess there may be some high-end and restricted hotel bars; if even that.

I think you'd be best off realizing this isn't Delhi you're being posted to; and you might not enjoy your time very much if you expect it to be. If on the other hand you can focus on getting to experience a Gujarati city, and so in a dry state, with its own pace, and not exactly firmly on any tourist trail whether foreign or domestic, you just might like it.

Daman I quite liked yes and would make for an easy break (and a drink) from here, I left some thoughts on it here just recently (in a thread where as you can see it was aptly off-topic ): Best Beach in Kerala?

Diu is likewise nice, obviously further away though. I suppose others might cross some nearby state borders to get their tipple.

Well, good luck with your posting in any case. Just don't expect some fast-paced nightlife I guess I think like Tron said the Narmada delta should be nice to check out yes, if that's your sort of thing.

machadinha

... so <sigh> btw, I only just now checked your post history Sa_Ill, and I see you're the one expressing an active albeit thoroughly naive interest in certain if widely varied illegal substances before (and which I suspect you had the nerve to PM Jay about then, after he kindly offered you his assistance)?

I am sorry for having you waste my time; but, one hopes it will be of use to future readers, doesn't one. As for Bharuch for you then, I have a feeling you might get bored to death there. Not that I care much either way. Good luck with it, and no, I will not answer you again. (And then ahem, you'll be working at a chemical plant? Does the name Homer Simpson mean anything to you? No, don't answer that.)

Jay_J

fully agree with you on all counts....Macha...

i guess... it's more or less the same thing