Cellphones, peanutbutter, and diapers....

familyguy · May 26th, 2008, 00:33

A few queries for you all from my wife:
How much is a cell-phone plan likely to cost in Delhi? Service dependable? I figure there's a lot of text messaging...
How about broadband Internet service that we could use with Skype? Would that be expensive?
And finally, we're looking for anecdotes from anyone about what the most difficult items were to find in Delhi. Pampers diapers? Peanut butter and Nutella?
What about gas? How much does that cost per litre these days?

puchoo · May 26th, 2008, 12:56

1. The cell plan would depend on a lot of factors and ofcourse then the operator. But on a whole its pretty cheap In India. I have a plan from Airtel where my monthly bills are in the region of 1200 INR or so..and this is when i use it for work as well. Service is dependable. New years it gets congested without fail from 11 PM to 2 AM or so.

Broadband connections are again hassle free and cheap. I have Airtel again which gives me unlimited surfing and downloading , plus double speed at night for 999 + taxes(comes to 1200 or so again), plus i got a landline with it.

Petrol is 44 INR per liter with branded fuel at about 5-7% premium.

Nutella , Peanut butter and Diapers are not difficult items at all. Will find them at any decently stocked grocery store.

Quote:

Originally Posted by familyguy

A few queries for you all from my wife:
How much is a cell-phone plan likely to cost in Delhi? Service dependable? I figure there's a lot of text messaging...
How about broadband Internet service that we could use with Skype? Would that be expensive?
And finally, we're looking for anecdotes from anyone about what the most difficult items were to find in Delhi. Pampers diapers? Peanut butter and Nutella?
What about gas? How much does that cost per litre these days?

capt_mahajan · May 26th, 2008, 13:04

Gas will depend on where you are in the country. (So will the other things, but that difference is not large on a monthly basis)

45 to 55 rupees per litre, roughly

*jyoti* · May 26th, 2008, 13:10

Skippy peanut butter is about 200 rupees a jar... that's $5.00! Indian made more natural peanut butter is cheaper (80 rupees in Musoorie...) but kids may not adjust really quickly. there may be more varieties available in Delhi than bangalore, tho.

puchoo · May 26th, 2008, 13:27

Incidentally...how do you figure this?

Quote:

Originally Posted by familyguy

I figure there's a lot of text messaging...

The_Londoner · May 26th, 2008, 13:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by puchoo

Incidentally...how do you figure this?

I'm assuming OP means lots of International texting, these I am sure are not included in any price plans.

eggman64 · May 26th, 2008, 14:06

The cost of an international text message is Rs 5. Never heard of any schemes, deals, promotions on international messaging, but Airtel has (or had) a local messaging pack on their postpaid lines. I was 50 bucks (INR) a month for unlimited messages. I'm not sure if it's still available.

eggman64 · May 26th, 2008, 14:11

Also, remember India uses GSM phones at 900MHz. So if you're carrying one, check the specs. Alternately you could pick up a phone in India - they come as cheap as Rs 1500 (warranty and all).

*jyoti* · May 26th, 2008, 14:37

OP is likely noting that North Americans do not text message much so how they will use the cell will be quite a bit different once they come to India.

puchoo · May 26th, 2008, 14:41

Fair enough....but coming to India does not mean u'll sms more....i mean you could but i dont think there is a correlation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by *jyoti*

OP is likely noting that North Americans do not text message much so how they will use the cell will be quite a bit different once they come to India.

shashank.aggarwal · May 26th, 2008, 14:44

okay !! I guess it would be wise to wait for the OP to reply, rather that starting our own discussion...

familyguy · May 26th, 2008, 23:54

when i wrote that i figured one would txt msg more, i worded it wrong. i am doing a lot of that now, and expect it would be no different when i may move this fall. i didn't mean to suggest that there would be more txt'ing there than in North America.
My wife asks about the availability and quality locally of fruits - berries, apples, pineapples, cherries, grapefruit, lemon, watermelon, pineapple - and vegetables like cucumbers, celery, and leafy greens like romaine lettuce and spinach.

brownboy66 · May 27th, 2008, 00:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by familyguy

My wife asks about the availability and quality locally of fruits - berries, apples, pineapples, cherries, grapefruit, lemon, watermelon, pineapple - and vegetables like cucumbers, celery, and leafy greens like romaine lettuce and spinach.

yep - they're all available but dependent on season of course. If you buy local apples for example the price will be good but the quality might not be the greatest. Consequently you can buy imported and pay a fortune. At the other extreme its mango season now - yum - and what you pay locally is a steal compared to overseas. Leafy greens are not a problem, etc.

eggman64 · May 27th, 2008, 00:18

Delhi has, like any other major cities in India, access to good fruit and vegetable all year round. Seasonal changes do mean price changes and of course, quality of the produce. The local bazaar will stock all of the f and v you mention. Anything you can't find at the green grocer would probably be available at a Foodland or Spar Hypermart (a dutch retailer) if Delhi has one. If you look hard enough you should be able to get your hands on any western culinary ingredient in ND.

chiqui · Jun 10th, 2008, 04:22

Delhi is a really progressive city and there is easy access to almost anything. It's a very internationally friendly city.

That said, your wife may have problems finding some of her preferred sanitary products and I don't mean toilet paper. Tampons are not widely available and when they are, they are called "internals". The selection is limited and your wife should note that there is a stigma attached to using "internals". Sanitary napkins are widely available though. I found internals at Khan market in south Delhi.

Other foreign delights that can be a little harder to come by:

Cheese: If you want something outside of processed cheese and grated parmessan, Khan market has a good selection in a specialty shop. They also have really good quality chocolate.

Pig Products: PigPo at Jorh Bagh market. Pepperoni, bacon, ham, etc.

Spices & cooking: Some western spices can be hard to come by. My solution was to replace the spice with something else. Molasses are hard to find for example. Allspice, pecans, mexican spices (ancho, chipotle), anchovies. Herbs are usually ok and fairly common.

Fresh produce: Fersh produce is readily available in India but you want to be a bit careful what you chose to injest especially for the first year or two. Fresh veggies eaten raw are a possible source of amoebic dysentry. There's special salt that you can wash your produce in but it will taint the flavour somewhat. India has a large selection fo fresh fruit that you _can_ eat easily raw without fear. Anything with a peel is safe so pineapples, melons, oranges, grapefruit, nimboo (cross between a lemon and lime), bananas, fresh coconuts. Berries are available seasonally but again - be careful of contamination. A good salad replacement is sprouts, grown at home. The lentils that you buy at the market can be boiled for 2-3 minutes and then grown likes sprouts in a plate lined with a damp towel (just like the locals do).

Milk: Recommend drinking only tetra packed milk for your baby. My Mother In Law won't let me touch the other stuff for fear that I'll take ill. (She's a lovely mother in law in deed.)

A note about water: Most houses have a water service for drinking water. It's cheap and plentiful.

Good luck

May 26th, 2008, 00:33	#1
familyguy Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: North America Posts: 8	Cellphones, peanutbutter, and diapers.... A few queries for you all from my wife: How much is a cell-phone plan likely to cost in Delhi? Service dependable? I figure there's a lot of text messaging... How about broadband Internet service that we could use with Skype? Would that be expensive? And finally, we're looking for anecdotes from anyone about what the most difficult items were to find in Delhi. Pampers diapers? Peanut butter and Nutella? What about gas? How much does that cost per litre these days?

May 26th, 2008, 14:44	#11
shashank.aggarwal Mr. Badboy :D Join Date: May 2007 Location: ~ Dilli ~ Posts: 5,504	okay !! I guess it would be wise to wait for the OP to reply, rather that starting our own discussion... __________________ Travelogue - Around India Random Reviews

May 26th, 2008, 23:54	#12
familyguy Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: North America Posts: 8	worded that wrong when i wrote that i figured one would txt msg more, i worded it wrong. i am doing a lot of that now, and expect it would be no different when i may move this fall. i didn't mean to suggest that there would be more txt'ing there than in North America. My wife asks about the availability and quality locally of fruits - berries, apples, pineapples, cherries, grapefruit, lemon, watermelon, pineapple - and vegetables like cucumbers, celery, and leafy greens like romaine lettuce and spinach.

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May 26th, 2008, 13:04	#3
capt_mahajan (in charge of navel affairs) Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: India Posts: 10,105	Gas will depend on where you are in the country. (So will the other things, but that difference is not large on a monthly basis) 45 to 55 rupees per litre, roughly

May 26th, 2008, 13:10	#4
jyoti gori ferungi ladki Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Bangalore, usually Posts: 249	Skippy peanut butter is about 200 rupees a jar... that's $5.00! Indian made more natural peanut butter is cheaper (80 rupees in Musoorie...) but kids may not adjust really quickly. there may be more varieties available in Delhi than bangalore, tho.

May 26th, 2008, 14:06	#7
eggman64 Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 22	The cost of an international text message is Rs 5. Never heard of any schemes, deals, promotions on international messaging, but Airtel has (or had) a local messaging pack on their postpaid lines. I was 50 bucks (INR) a month for unlimited messages. I'm not sure if it's still available.

May 26th, 2008, 14:11	#8
eggman64 Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 22	Also, remember India uses GSM phones at 900MHz. So if you're carrying one, check the specs. Alternately you could pick up a phone in India - they come as cheap as Rs 1500 (warranty and all).

May 26th, 2008, 14:37	#9
jyoti gori ferungi ladki Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Bangalore, usually Posts: 249	OP is likely noting that North Americans do not text message much so how they will use the cell will be quite a bit different once they come to India.

May 27th, 2008, 00:18	#14
eggman64 Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 22	Delhi has, like any other major cities in India, access to good fruit and vegetable all year round. Seasonal changes do mean price changes and of course, quality of the produce. The local bazaar will stock all of the f and v you mention. Anything you can't find at the green grocer would probably be available at a Foodland or Spar Hypermart (a dutch retailer) if Delhi has one. If you look hard enough you should be able to get your hands on any western culinary ingredient in ND.

Jun 10th, 2008, 04:22	#15
chiqui Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 5	Delhi is a really progressive city and there is easy access to almost anything. It's a very internationally friendly city. That said, your wife may have problems finding some of her preferred sanitary products and I don't mean toilet paper. Tampons are not widely available and when they are, they are called "internals". The selection is limited and your wife should note that there is a stigma attached to using "internals". Sanitary napkins are widely available though. I found internals at Khan market in south Delhi. Other foreign delights that can be a little harder to come by: Cheese: If you want something outside of processed cheese and grated parmessan, Khan market has a good selection in a specialty shop. They also have really good quality chocolate. Pig Products: PigPo at Jorh Bagh market. Pepperoni, bacon, ham, etc. Spices & cooking: Some western spices can be hard to come by. My solution was to replace the spice with something else. Molasses are hard to find for example. Allspice, pecans, mexican spices (ancho, chipotle), anchovies. Herbs are usually ok and fairly common. Fresh produce: Fersh produce is readily available in India but you want to be a bit careful what you chose to injest especially for the first year or two. Fresh veggies eaten raw are a possible source of amoebic dysentry. There's special salt that you can wash your produce in but it will taint the flavour somewhat. India has a large selection fo fresh fruit that you _can_ eat easily raw without fear. Anything with a peel is safe so pineapples, melons, oranges, grapefruit, nimboo (cross between a lemon and lime), bananas, fresh coconuts. Berries are available seasonally but again - be careful of contamination. A good salad replacement is sprouts, grown at home. The lentils that you buy at the market can be boiled for 2-3 minutes and then grown likes sprouts in a plate lined with a damp towel (just like the locals do). Milk: Recommend drinking only tetra packed milk for your baby. My Mother In Law won't let me touch the other stuff for fear that I'll take ill. (She's a lovely mother in law in deed.) A note about water: Most houses have a water service for drinking water. It's cheap and plentiful. Good luck

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