3rd time's a charm...

billisutra

Hey all, glad to find this forum. I'm moving back to India, this time it looks like for keeps; I spent the last 6 months living and working there, now I'm taking the major step of pulling my roots up out of New York and going legit (i.e., work visa etc.) After the initial nightmare of finding a flat (Andheri W) and all, and now that I will have a more substantial chunk of change to move with, I'm excited about actually going expat.
So, why am I posting anyway? A couple things I'm curious about:
1) Moving my bed to mumbai. I already have a bed at my flat, and it's nice and all, but my bed in NYC is the bomb. It's the one object I can't leave behind. How ridiculous is it for me to try to move it? I've read through other peoples' posts, but they mostly seem to be business folk whose companies will pay for them, and they want to move the whole house. I just need the bed. Any advice appreciated.
2) My cats. Two of them. I see there's no quarantine, and I think from what I've looked into I can actually take them on the plane with me. But I would love to hear other peoples' own experiences and advice on this (can they be sedated? should I go for a non-stop flight?) . Also, when I get there, I was thinking that I should make their food for them, since I feed them prescription food here and want a healthy diet for them--they don't do well with meow mix, etc. Anyone who has advice / websites / or other on that would be greatly appreciated.

Also, and forgive me if this is stupid, but I'm interested in hindi classes and meeting other expats and such--are there meetups with this forum? I have studied hindi for a couple years, and can read and write, but I'm not composing poetry yet.

Looking forward to your replies!
~b

zoltan

Hi,

1) get a bed over there. It would cost you considerable $$$ to get a heavy item (such as a bed) relocated.

2) the cats could have serious problems unless they are solely indoor felines. you would also have problems getting the range of food that you have available at home.

3) there are meetups at varying times in many parts of the country and you'd be made welcome by those who attend. Hindi classes are available - there are many people who teach (at varying locations and charging varying amounts).

Cheers
Zoltan

__________________
India (and other) photos click here

SitaParityaga

Hey, you're going expat, so shell out the big $$$ and ship that bomb bed, unless there are some folks reading this from Mumbai who can tell you where you might find a similar one to buy there...... Then you can decide if that bed is worth all those $$$ or whether you're ready for the Indian style mattress.

About kitties, you may want to pm some of the IM members who are very experienced in the expat pet area. like birds or noodle

you can even post your questions on the "dogs, cats and langurs" thread.

bearable

Sorry I can't help with your bed but I am quite sure you will be able to take your cats with you without sedating them. (not as baggage). Pet taxis lined with thick absorbent towels usually do the trick. Cats have a low thirst drive, can go without food/water for up to 10-12 hours and can do without a litterbox for a long time. We have not done it ourselves but know someone who has. Home cooking for your cats is the best thing you can do for them. Let me know if you need more info and I can post some links.

billisutra

thanks for all the replies already! i'm very new to posting to forums, so forgive me....

1) while the bed at my flat is nice, and i could certainly live with it, it looks like i'll have enough $ to bring my bed here over. and don't get me wrong, i'm all for traveling light and buying local, but a hand-made, 100% natural fiber 20" thick queen bed--trust me, i looked while i was there, india hasn't seen these yet. 3 of my friends have bought the same bed after sitting on mine. it's *that* good. I just don't know where to go for a relatively small shipment like this; it's not a container like other folks, but it is big and bulky.

2) the cats are already indoor exclusively (i live in NYC now) and of course fixed. they were terribly forlorn while i was gone for 6 months, and life isn't life without them, so they need to come with me. I did look on the dogs,cats,langurs thread; but wasn't able to glean a lot of useful info from there, other than problems i hadn't thought of--the heat, kitty litter, and quarantine if i (ever) return to the West. I'll be calling airlines to talk to them tomorrow, and if i find anything useful I'll post for others' benefit. Thanks for the advice, bearable. So some more specific questions (which I will also talk to my vet about): is the airplane cabin pressure going to make them go bonkers? is it possible to sedate them (i've gotten different answers on this)? what do i do if they freak out on the plane (meowling, urinating / defecating, etc.)? any other tips for keeping them cool once i'm home free?

bearable

The plane ride is going to be stressful for the cats. Cats do not like any change to their environment; territory, diet etc. If you carry them in a pet taxi, they are likely to pee and poop in it. That's what the towels are for. They will be unhappy in the pet taxi but what else can you do? As long as your fellow travellers do not complain, I do not see a problem.
I have no experience caring for cats in India so I am of no use to you once you get there

pheier22

Just out of curiosity, what type of bed is it? Just asking as I am currently looking to get a new one. We are also moving to Mumbai in September with two cats and am curious to the responses to your thread. Many thanks.

billisutra

It's a Kingsdown: http://www.kingsdown.com/ I can't say enough about this mattress, by far the best thing i've ever slept on.

Finding a way to get the cats over is proving difficult; airlines that will ship pets via cargo have restrictions about releasing the pets when it's over 85 degrees fahrenheit...so still sorting that out. will update when i have definitive information.

crashnburn_in

Check out R2I Forums (Google) for Shipping information and options that a lot of people returning to India are using.

billisutra

SOOOOO....I have sorted everything out, and i'm leaving in a few days. here's what i found that may be of help to others:

I used a freight consolidation company (Ocean Star INternational) to ship my bed and a couple boxes of personal items (books mostly) to mumbai. The total was $500 bucks; not a bad price considering that the boxes alone would have cost more than that to ship via UPS or USPS. The hitch is that i had to rent a uhaul and take the items to the port in New Jersey myself, which was an adventure of its own to say the least. Total shipping time is estimated at 50 days.
The cats are taken care of! Flying Continental direct (15 1/2 hours), on the same plane as my boys, though they're in the cargo hold. The USDA form was easy to find, take to my vet for their checkup, and then mail to my state USDA office for a stamp. That whole process was just over $300, and their airfare is $1200. I'm carrying 50 lbs of catfood with me to transition them from prescription food to homemade food. Oh, also, I got good advice from a friend who's traveled with cats: i'm writing their names on the carriers (in english and hindi) with little things like "talk to me, it calms me down" as well--a little thing that goes a long way. Also lining the carriers with soft clothes that i've slept in (so they'll smell like me) to help calm them down and provide some moisture sink for as well.
Now i'm in the process of saying goodbye to my fair city and friends, and looking forward to the road ahead...

Cardamom

Thanks for updating us, Billisutra! I always wonder how some threads "turn out", but sometimes the OP never comes back to tell us

Best wishes on starting this new chapter!
-C

billisutra

i.e., how ridiculous the Indian bureaucracy and bakshish system can be. I somehow managed to forget, what with the hectic anticipation and all that went into pulling up my roots and heading off into the sunset.

Finally sorting everything out in the US was not as easy as anticipated; Continental airlines seems to have a policy of not knowing their own policies, at least as regards pet cargo. If there were another viable option I would have taken them, but I was stuck to choose between $4000 for hiring a pet transporter, over $4000 in airfare to fly lufthansa (and they wanted my cats either tattooed or microchipped, which I find barbaric), or just not taking them along (not an option for a long-term stay for me). I had to involve the Indian Consulate General to get the straight facts on pet import; they sent me the forms and I was told categorically that since 2002, 2 pets were allowed "for personal use" (as opposed to commercial / scientific) *without* an import permit. After contacting Continental's offices in Delhi and Bombay (Continental USA couldn't be bothered to do it themselves) I had someone contact the Houston corp. HQ and confirm the permit requirements. Then the USDA timeframe had lapsed (within 10 days of travel) so I had to get the paperwork re-certified by my vet and the USDA, which was another hassle. So, having finally gotten all my paperwork in order, off to the airport.

Actually at the airport was not too much trouble, aside from being an emotional wreck sending my boys off into seemingly uncaring hands. I was even told by the Continental Petsafe person that "we ship animals to india all the time". The flight was uneventful; 17 1/2 hours, though only 15 in the air--the rest was spent on Newark's overbooked runways. Continental's in-flight service was pathetic, incidentally, not even matching up to Air India's--not what I expected for the price and how they tout themselves as the #1 international carrier. Virgin is far superior; in fact, I would recommend against Continental in only the most dire of circumstances. I personally will *NEVER* fly them again.

Upon landing, I expected to pick my cats up within 45 minutes to an hour, after clearing customs, as I was told. WRONG. I was met at the skyway by the ground crew who told me that my cats were being held in customs and that I had to contact a clearing agent to get them. The next day. This did not sit well *at all*. Calling the number of the clearing agent, I was told that it would cost me 50 or 60 THOUSAND rupees to get them back. A jumbled mishmash of suspect reasons followed my repeated questions. This smelled like extortion.

Making my way past "security" into the airport's offices (remarkably easy, considering I stick out like a sore thumb) I found the Continental office. 2 hours, several international phone calls and some heightened blood pressure later, I realized there was nothing I could do about it at almost midnight. The woman at Continental in the US was appalled at what had happened and promised she would investigate the case. They were holding my cats hostage, and that was that.

Starting at 10 am the next day, I went to the airport, then the clearing agent, to get my cats. With typical smiling lies-through-the-teeth, I was told over and over the various (and occasionally contradicting) reasons why I had to pay fines, customs, and clearance tickets to get my boys back. 40,000 rupees was the final price (funny that you can bargain for "official clearance", huh?); at this point, I was getting seriously upset, knowing that my boys were being held under god-knows-what kind of conditions, without food, in crates that they've soiled, without any recourse. I was assured that if the process was less expensive, I could expect a full refund. Yeah, right--I've been here before, thanks. 10 hours later, at 2020 that evening, I finally had my family back.

So here I am with 2 receipts totaling 1730 rupees, which I paid 40,000 rupees for. But I have my boys, who were champions through the whole process--they were so happy to see me it was like our own version of 'Christian the Lion'. We've been getting over the jetlag together for the last couple days, and they seem to be adapting to the new apartment pretty well; although the heat is a bit more than what they were used to, ice cubes in the water and the occasional shower to wet them down seems to be fine relief.

I am pursuing this issue with the Consulate General, Ministry of Agriculture & Finance, and Continental, but don't expect anything more than the most perfunctory of responses. It was a steep price to pay; if it was something I was prepared for beforehand it wouldn't have been an issue at all, but the situation of being lied to and extorted was absolutely criminal. It will be years before I would even consider taking them internationally again.

Now the next part of the saga: trying to retrieve my bed from another clearing agent! At the end of it all, I just have to laugh....

I hope this info has been useful for someone, and if anyone ever has any questions I might be able to help with, having gone through it now, please don't hesitate to ask.

Mod note: added some white space to your
paragraphs to make your post easier to read

Nick-H

Wow! Excellent post about an awful experience.

__________________
.


Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

Brisso

absolutely f'ing appalling - make conmplaints to everyone and scream corruption ...

next time, tell them to keep the cats and watch the price fall.

kristinm

Wasn't there someone on another thread who was asked to pay a bribe to get their dog through customs - obviously the Indian airline 'officials' have cottoned on to the fact that Westerners are sentimental about their pets and an easy mark!