Renting - month by month basis

davidp80

Hi everyone,

I'm thinking about spending a month or more in the mountains during the winter of 2007/2008, and was hoping to get some very general (or specific if you've got it!) information on rental properties. At this point, I'm considering the northern regions of Uttaranchal, northwestern Himachal Pradesh, and Sikkim (although my intuition tells me it would be more difficult to find something on a month by month basis in Sikkim). Will I have a difficult time finding someone who will allow me to rent a small cottage/cabin/one bedroom apartment on a month by month basis? Ideally, it would be in a rural location, and nothing much more than a small kitchen, bedroom, balcony w/ a view, and a woodstove (I realize my romantizations may not stand up well in the face of reality!). I've read through other posts, and found that a few others have done this in the past (the little red house in Uttaranchal immediately comes to mind), but I thought I'd create a new thread to get a general consensus on the likelihood of me finding something. If you've got any specifics, please share! Thanks everyone,

-Dave

capt_mahajan

You should not have many problems doing this, specially off season, in Uttaranchal and Himachal. Sikkim, I don't know.

Some of the less frequented areas of Northern Uttaranchal and Himachal don't have much choice, but outside of these you can simply land up off season and negotiate.

It would help it you could indicate your budget and the places you are looking at.

Wood stoves.. not all places have them. You will have to buy wood seperately at the places you do (about 100 upwards per bundle, depending on the class of hotel/guest house.

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Outside the machine

davidp80

Thanks for the input Capt Mahajan. I won't know for sure where I'm interested in renting until I'm actually traveling through India (I'm going to be traveling through Uttaranchal, Himachal, and Sikkim prior to picking where it is I'd like to stay put for a short while). But, here are the districts that I've 'heard good things about', and would consider for a more permanent stay:

Uttaranchal: Uttarkashi, Bageshwar, Almora, Nanital (I'm open to just about anywhere in Uttaranchal, but would prefer something in the northern half of the state....better prices might be had because they're relatively less touristed?

Himachal Pradesh: I would love to find something in Lahul & Spiti, although I'm not sure what the chances of this would be. Kinnaur or Kangra would also be nice, or maybe Chamba in the northwest. Again, this is all speculation....since I have been to none of these places yet.

Sikkim: Now that I think about it, Sikkim probably wouldn't be my best bet, since I'd need a temporary permit just to visit much of the state! But, if I could find something in either the south or east districts....Still, Sikkim probably won't be my focus here.

In terms of budget, I probably couldn't afford to pay more than 10,000 per month, but would prefer to pay much less if possible! You say that a bundle (one nights worth?) of wood costs 100 rupees? That's quite a bit more than I expected....in a small village, would there be local sources of wood that I could access freely, granted I'm willing to provide the labor?

Thanks for all your help,

-Dave

capt_mahajan

First of all, if you havent been to many of these places, please keep in mind that within your budget, accomodation etc will be basic, it will be cold, facilities nearby may be poor and you will have to be careful to avoid places which don't get cut off for weeks at a time, sometimes, in winter.

10000 a month translates to 300 per day. I think you can get a room/cottage even with an attached bathroom in a rural location; but attached kitchen may be doubtful. At least, not any working kitchen.

I would say that the area between Almora and Bageshwar in Uttaranchal is a better idea than Himachal. Closer to Bageshwar if you want fewer tourists and cheaper. Beyond Bageshwar choices will probably be limited, and in winter, some areas get difficult to access.

Else you could look south of Joshimath. I havent been there recently, though.

There is an area called Papersaili around 6/7 km from Almora which is frequented by foreigners for different reasons. Perhaps you could check it out. You should get something within your budget there, but it is not too rural. Maybe you could land up there first, and then do a quick recce of areas further north.

Wood stoves... maybe you can get some local pipeline going, but I don't know if wood will be much cheaper for a foreign (or even Indian) tourist. If you are careful, 100 rupees of wood can last a whole day, specially since many areas get good sunshine during the daytime.

dzibead

Another consideration with regard to Sikkim is that the permit to visit is only given for 15 days. I'm not talking about the special permit to visit restricted areas like North Sikkim; even the permit for the "open" areas of Sikkim is given for only 15 days. You can apply to extend it, but there's no guarantee that the extension would be granted.

davidp80

Dzibead - I realized the same thing about Sikkim, so it's probably pretty much out of the question. Thanks for the input.

Good info Capt Mahajan. I actually would prefer something rustic/basic, and am not really concerned with a lack of luxury or infastruture. More or less, I'm just looking to live in accordance with the local population, and would like to 'blend in' (as difficult as this may be) as much as possible. The cold weather could be an issue (not the fact that its going to be cold outside, but the fact that without adequate means to heat the cottage, I'd be pretty miserable), and thats why I was interested in a woodstove. I would be worried about not having a kitchen, especially if it's possible to get snowed in for a couple of weeks at a time and theres no local market. I'm confused as to why a small cottage or apartment wouldn't have cooking facilities - can anyone clarify on this?
I'll look into northern Uttaranchal sometime in November, and see where I'd like to go from there. Being close to Bageshwar would probably be ideal, and I'll look into it while moving through the state sometime in early November.

How about Himachal? Lahul & Spiti, or Kinnaur? From what I understand, these are pretty remote, uninhabited areas - Naturally this would seem to lower my chances of finding something, but I'm curious to hear from those who have traveled through these districts to get a realistic impression of my chances of finding something.

Thanks!

-Dave

cyberhippie

Pappersalli near Almora is VERY rural Cap'n and has all the things the OP is looking for and within his budget!

A kitchen in the traditional sense might not be present but for a few huindred rupees you can get yourself a stove and another few hundred to kit out a room in the house for cooking!!

Sourcing wood is easy enough just ask around and the wood cutter will turn up at your door!!

davidp80

Thanks for the motivation cyberhippie. I'll definitely check out
Pappersalli - being in a rural location, but close proximity to Almora would also be nice for resupplying. The closer to Bageshwar the better, but I'm not going to be too picky about what I might find.

------"Sourcing wood is easy enough just ask around and the wood cutter will turn up at your door!!"------

Is this how the locals do it? Can wood be purchased in large supply, rather than on a day by day basis?

Thanks everyone!

-Dave

capt_mahajan

I agree, though I got the impression the OP was looking for something more rural than Papersaili.

I would not recommend P to an Indian, in all honesty. There are better places, and Papersaili is primarily a foreign tourist destination. But, for davidp80, that may be a comfort factor.

And, yes, woodstoves are available! And the local guy lands up at your door; maybe you can set up something with him.

cyberhippie

The roadside is a wee bit crammed up near the Temple Cap'n but the rentals extend all the way down into the valley running to the Bell temple. So you can live as rural a life as you want.

Lots of interesting characters here as well and the views well...........

dzibead

Dave - I encourage you to keep researching this question before you have your heart set on trying to fix yourself up in a cottage in some village in Northern India for the winter. You may be underestimating just how basic "basic" can be there.

I've attached (I hope) a photo of the kitchen in a place I stayed in Sikkim about 2 years ago. Keep in mind, this is a kitchen for a guesthouse, so it's better set up than many. Unless you know how to cook on wood, and know how to regulate a fire properly, both to keep the fire going 24/7 and to control the heat level, and unless the stove is properly vented, you're likely to be miserable, and you may even end up killing yourself, e.g., by carbon monoxide poisoning. For cooking you might be better off with some sort of camping stove and a supply of fuel cartridges/cannisters. In fact, to give yourself a reality check, if you're thinking of setting up in a rural cottage for a month or two, you should probably think of it more more in terms of camping on a platform tent like the ones at Camp Curry in Yosemite than in terms of living in a cozy cottage. I'm not saying don't do it; I'm just saying, try to be realistic, and ask yourself if the reality is really the experience you had in mind. I think I recall from your posts in a different thread, that this is your first trip to India, right? As I said above, I think your image of "basic" and "rustic" is still at a far higher level than the reality is likely to be, especially in out-of-the-way rural areas, in India.

I'm aware of some guest cottages near Dharamsala that might be a good compromise: not right in town, but with a higher level of amenities and comfort than trying to set something up completely on your own. I'll look for the info on those cottages and post it here when I find it.

dzibead

My attached photo didn't work. Will try again.

dzibead

Here's the kitchen photo I tried to attach before. I hope I did it right this time.

Attached Thumbnails

 

capt_mahajan

Agree with the characters. Views are decent, too.
However, some of the places in the valley have internet, phone and cable tv. not rural enough for me

one view from the valley:

Nick-H

Astonishing, Dzibead --- wow!

I couldn't help noticing the large cracks between the boards (single layer only) that the walls are made of....

The OP wants to be there in the winter... Brrrrr.....