Couple moving to Jaipur

aarondubrow · Jun 12th, 2008, 06:57

Hi all.

My wife and I are going to be living in Jaipur for 9 months, starting in September 2008. We are both artists — she is a painter, I’m a documentary filmmaker — and we’re interested in learning more about Jaipur and also finding out where in the city we might live and work.

We expect to have a budget of $1500US per month for travel and living expenses. We're hoping to spend between $200-300 on an apartment/house, but have very little sense of what that will allow in terms of housing, etc. or even how rentals work in India.

Here are our big questions:

What areas of the city do people recommend living?

What kind of accommodations can we expect to get within our budget? (we're not looking for anything plush and would trade atmosphere for luxury)

Is it possible to find a separate space to use as a painting studio, and how would one go about finding out where and how much that might cost?

There are a lot of posts on general living costs on Delhi and Mumbai. Will they be much different in Jaipur?

And is there anything that we should know about living in Jaipur before we arrive?

We look forward to hearing your answers.

Thank you for your time,
Aaron and Erin

GoanCanuck · Jun 12th, 2008, 07:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by aarondubrow

Hi all.

My wife and I are going to be living in Jaipur for 9 months, starting in September 2008. We are both artists — she is a painter, I’m a documentary filmmaker — and we’re interested in learning more about Jaipur and also finding out where in the city we might live and work.

What type of visa do you have? You can only stay for 6 months at a time on a tourist visa.

aarondubrow · Jun 12th, 2008, 08:41

My wife has a Fulbright research visa that allows her (and me) to stay in India for 9 months.

4gotoIndia · Jun 12th, 2008, 16:14

CAn't help you about Jaipur I'm afraid. But do you mind me asking about your research visa. Have you already got it, and if so, how long did it take? (We applied in Jan... and still waiting!).
Thanks,
4gotoindia

kristinm · Jun 12th, 2008, 16:19

I'd love to do some research in India as well - I've been tossing around ways I might do it & what I might focus on. Well done on the Fulbright to your wife - very hard to get! What type of doco? And why Jaipur in particular?

aarondubrow · Jun 13th, 2008, 23:35

We chose Jaipur as our base because it's medium-sized (and therefore hopefully manageable), a center of traditional arts and crafts (some of which we would like to study), and in its own gritty way a beautiful place.

However, besides what we've learned on IndiaMike, in travel guides, and from other websites, we don't know all that much about the city, particularly when it comes to specifics.

If there's anyone out there who knows Jaipur well, we could definitely use some help, advice, and guidance.

Thanks.

machadinha · Jun 14th, 2008, 00:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by aarondubrow

We chose Jaipur as our base because it's medium-sized (and therefore hopefully manageable)

Have you been to India before? According to 2005 estimates Jaipur is home to nearly 3.5 million people (which, for Indian standards, could arguably be said to be a medium-sized major city, I guess. Like I usually say, what rates as a "town" there would easily be a provincial capital where I live. I live in a small country of some 16 million, by comparison -- and then people complain it gets crowded here. I take it all of Texas has some 20 million, while Austin is said to have some 700 thousand to 1.6 million depending on how you look at it.)

It's also renowned for being a fairly hectic large'ish city. I'm not trying to put you off btw, I'm sure staying there could be really fun and over time you could learn to fit right in.

Just hoping you're not expecting to land up in some small-town place.

kristinm · Jun 14th, 2008, 05:55

This isn't advice - just musing, but if I had some time to spend in one place in India I'd probably choose Udaipur our of the places I've seen that is! Bundi is a bit small, Jaipur a bit big & touristy, Jodhpur a bit full-on, Jaisalmer would be second choice but is pretty far out there in the desert - a long way from any other place. I really felt I could have settled in Udaipur for quite a while if I had say a book to write or a project to undertake.

machadinha · Jun 14th, 2008, 06:02

Hm, yes, possibly. Found Udaipur hopelessly overtouristed though (to be frank, I don't get why people rave about it so much). Bundi I could have stayed indefinitely, I felt.

Stuff like this more often than not depends on did one arrive on the right day at the right time at the right place and not having the wrong tummy upset and did one have the right romantic dinner etc. though. It's just impossible to say, and may all have very little bearing on actually living somewhere.

All highly subjective in any case, I hope we'll all realize.

kristinm · Jun 14th, 2008, 06:12

So true - The side of Udaipur we were on - on the Hunaman ghat was much quieter and free of tourists - and when we crossed over to the other side it was a lot more touristy & a bit in your face - I should have qualified that by saying Udaipur 'left bank' (as I called it!).

I'd like to think I could stay in Bundi forever, I really loved it as you know - but unless I had something really absorbing to do or a project I think I'd get a bit bored after a few months. Mind you, if I was say writing up a thesis or making a doco or something Bundi would be ideal - you could just live a very quiet little life. Although judging by all the extensions going on to the guesthouses it might not be that way for long!

aarondubrow · Jun 16th, 2008, 23:23

Thanks for the input y'all. We definitely weren't thinking that Jaipur would be a small-town. 3.5 million people constitute a pretty big city in my mind. Our hope was that Jaipur would be a little more liveable than 10+million person cities like Delhi or Mumbai, but who knows? It is our first time coming to India and we're prepared to be surprised about pretty much everything.

Upaipur and Bundi sound fantastic! We'll definitely be making many trips there and may even choose to spend some weeks holed up there. But for now, we're pretty set on using Jaipur as our base.

The rap on Jaipur is that it's touristy, but there must be parts of town that are more local, with character, and where we might comfortably live away from the touts and souvenir stalls. Is that true or am I fooling myself?

aaron

machadinha · Jun 17th, 2008, 01:58

Being the big place that it is, I'm sure it has its outskirts and quietly hidden neighborhoods and outlying villages and stuff yes. And I would assume it's different than living in any of the metros.

Wish I could advise more directly... It may be best to settle into a hotel for a bit first (unless you have a company willing to put you up, I'm unclear if you do), then scout out the local scene and market.

4gotoIndia · Jun 17th, 2008, 02:06

Hi Aaron,
I wonder if you'd mind reply to my question re research visas. Don't come across many people with current info, so it would be v helpful.
best,
4

desertrose · Jun 17th, 2008, 02:40

I would suggest you to find some apartment in Vaishali Nagar, there are many furnished Apartments for almost the same price you provided in your Information.

aarondubrow · Jun 18th, 2008, 10:10

Thank you all for the feeback.

Desertrose, what's Vaishali Nagar like, and why would you suggest it as a good locale for us?

We were sort of imagining an unfurnished place...

Also, one big consideration for us is that my wife, who is a painter, would like to have a studio where it would be possible to make art, either as part of our apartment or nearby.

Would that be possible in Vaishali Nagar? Are there even "artist studios" in Jaipur, the way that there are in the US or Europe? Or a part of town where young artists might live? (I realize I'm very naive on these points.)

Does anyone else familiar with Jaipur have a different suggestion for a neighborhood to look for apartments.

We definitely agree with machadinha that it makes sense to spend a week in a guesthouse or hotel while getting our bearings, but it's also good to know where to look...

Thanks all and keep the advice coming.

Jun 12th, 2008, 06:57	#1
aarondubrow Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 10	Couple moving to Jaipur Hi all. My wife and I are going to be living in Jaipur for 9 months, starting in September 2008. We are both artists — she is a painter, I’m a documentary filmmaker — and we’re interested in learning more about Jaipur and also finding out where in the city we might live and work. We expect to have a budget of $1500US per month for travel and living expenses. We're hoping to spend between $200-300 on an apartment/house, but have very little sense of what that will allow in terms of housing, etc. or even how rentals work in India. Here are our big questions: What areas of the city do people recommend living? What kind of accommodations can we expect to get within our budget? (we're not looking for anything plush and would trade atmosphere for luxury) Is it possible to find a separate space to use as a painting studio, and how would one go about finding out where and how much that might cost? There are a lot of posts on general living costs on Delhi and Mumbai. Will they be much different in Jaipur? And is there anything that we should know about living in Jaipur before we arrive? We look forward to hearing your answers. Thank you for your time, Aaron and Erin

Jun 16th, 2008, 23:23	#11
aarondubrow Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 10	If living in Jaipur, where should we put down roots? Thanks for the input y'all. We definitely weren't thinking that Jaipur would be a small-town. 3.5 million people constitute a pretty big city in my mind. Our hope was that Jaipur would be a little more liveable than 10+million person cities like Delhi or Mumbai, but who knows? It is our first time coming to India and we're prepared to be surprised about pretty much everything. Upaipur and Bundi sound fantastic! We'll definitely be making many trips there and may even choose to spend some weeks holed up there. But for now, we're pretty set on using Jaipur as our base. The rap on Jaipur is that it's touristy, but there must be parts of town that are more local, with character, and where we might comfortably live away from the touts and souvenir stalls. Is that true or am I fooling myself? aaron

Jun 17th, 2008, 02:06	#13
4gotoIndia Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Posts: 50	Visa? Hi Aaron, I wonder if you'd mind reply to my question re research visas. Don't come across many people with current info, so it would be v helpful. best, 4

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Jun 12th, 2008, 08:41	#3
aarondubrow Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 10	My wife has a Fulbright research visa that allows her (and me) to stay in India for 9 months.

Jun 12th, 2008, 16:14	#4
4gotoIndia Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Posts: 50	CAn't help you about Jaipur I'm afraid. But do you mind me asking about your research visa. Have you already got it, and if so, how long did it take? (We applied in Jan... and still waiting!). Thanks, 4gotoindia

Jun 12th, 2008, 16:19	#5
kristinm Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Beautiful Bondi (not Bundi!) Posts: 1,407	I'd love to do some research in India as well - I've been tossing around ways I might do it & what I might focus on. Well done on the Fulbright to your wife - very hard to get! What type of doco? And why Jaipur in particular?

Jun 13th, 2008, 23:35	#6
aarondubrow Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 10	We chose Jaipur as our base because it's medium-sized (and therefore hopefully manageable), a center of traditional arts and crafts (some of which we would like to study), and in its own gritty way a beautiful place. However, besides what we've learned on IndiaMike, in travel guides, and from other websites, we don't know all that much about the city, particularly when it comes to specifics. If there's anyone out there who knows Jaipur well, we could definitely use some help, advice, and guidance. Thanks.

Jun 14th, 2008, 05:55	#8
kristinm Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Beautiful Bondi (not Bundi!) Posts: 1,407	This isn't advice - just musing, but if I had some time to spend in one place in India I'd probably choose Udaipur our of the places I've seen that is! Bundi is a bit small, Jaipur a bit big & touristy, Jodhpur a bit full-on, Jaisalmer would be second choice but is pretty far out there in the desert - a long way from any other place. I really felt I could have settled in Udaipur for quite a while if I had say a book to write or a project to undertake.

Jun 14th, 2008, 06:02	#9
machadinha Not Your Guru Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp Posts: 10,149	Hm, yes, possibly. Found Udaipur hopelessly overtouristed though (to be frank, I don't get why people rave about it so much). Bundi I could have stayed indefinitely, I felt. Stuff like this more often than not depends on did one arrive on the right day at the right time at the right place and not having the wrong tummy upset and did one have the right romantic dinner etc. though. It's just impossible to say, and may all have very little bearing on actually living somewhere. All highly subjective in any case, I hope we'll all realize.

Jun 14th, 2008, 06:12	#10
kristinm Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Beautiful Bondi (not Bundi!) Posts: 1,407	So true - The side of Udaipur we were on - on the Hunaman ghat was much quieter and free of tourists - and when we crossed over to the other side it was a lot more touristy & a bit in your face - I should have qualified that by saying Udaipur 'left bank' (as I called it!). I'd like to think I could stay in Bundi forever, I really loved it as you know - but unless I had something really absorbing to do or a project I think I'd get a bit bored after a few months. Mind you, if I was say writing up a thesis or making a doco or something Bundi would be ideal - you could just live a very quiet little life. Although judging by all the extensions going on to the guesthouses it might not be that way for long!

Jun 17th, 2008, 01:58	#12
machadinha Not Your Guru Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp Posts: 10,149	Being the big place that it is, I'm sure it has its outskirts and quietly hidden neighborhoods and outlying villages and stuff yes. And I would assume it's different than living in any of the metros. Wish I could advise more directly... It may be best to settle into a hotel for a bit first (unless you have a company willing to put you up, I'm unclear if you do), then scout out the local scene and market.

Jun 17th, 2008, 02:40	#14
desertrose Account Closed Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: India Posts: 222	I would suggest you to find some apartment in Vaishali Nagar, there are many furnished Apartments for almost the same price you provided in your Information.

Jun 18th, 2008, 10:10	#15
aarondubrow Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 10	Thank you all for the feeback. Desertrose, what's Vaishali Nagar like, and why would you suggest it as a good locale for us? We were sort of imagining an unfurnished place... Also, one big consideration for us is that my wife, who is a painter, would like to have a studio where it would be possible to make art, either as part of our apartment or nearby. Would that be possible in Vaishali Nagar? Are there even "artist studios" in Jaipur, the way that there are in the US or Europe? Or a part of town where young artists might live? (I realize I'm very naive on these points.) Does anyone else familiar with Jaipur have a different suggestion for a neighborhood to look for apartments. We definitely agree with machadinha that it makes sense to spend a week in a guesthouse or hotel while getting our bearings, but it's also good to know where to look... Thanks all and keep the advice coming.

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