nomad4ever

I’m currently in my 2nd home country, my home away from home – Singapore! Bali lies now behind and being back one day is definitely on the list of things to do – but for now there are other destinations to explore.

And yep, Singapore is more or less only the stepping stone, as it’s an important airline hub and I can get here as well the required Visa to the real destination.

Some of you guessed right already, so you will be able to find me at least for the next 6-12 months not in Singapore, but in Goa, India:

Expect plenty of trip reports about the surroundings of Goa, articles about food, people, scenery, beaches and customs of India.

But not so quick!

The first task is about getting there. Therefore the first stopover is Singapore.

Singapore is at the moment pretty hot and humid, with the occasional heavy shower in the afternoons bringing some cooler air.

It’s good to be back in Singapore!

Having lived and worked 3 years previously in Singapore, you really learn to appreciate this tiny city state, when you are away for a longer period. Everything is organized, works as it should, it’s clean everywhere and the food is simply delicious. If there wouldn’t be the high Costs of Living and they’d offer Dual Citizenship, I would really thinking of migrating permanently here as my Base.

My friend and ex-colleague Wolfgang is granting me asylum for the 5 working days it will take to get the Visa for India.

Why Goa?

Why not? India is a very colorful and delighting country. It offers a vibrant culture, friendly people, a delicous cuisine and some of the cheapest Costs of Living, according to the Purchasing Power Parity Index. Interesting destinations in India like Agra, Assam, Hampi, Pune, Varanasi are legendary. And you can travel easily from here to other destinations like Nepal, Buthan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives or even the Himalayas.

Goa is a region in India, which is a favorite with Hippies and long-term Expats. It features a shoreline of 140km full of gorgeous beaches, a comfortable climate, some more advanced infrastructure than the rest of India and interesting international food options.

And did I mention the easy Visa Process? Nothing like Indonesia.

Outsourcing the Visa Process

India is of course all about Outsourcing, an area pretty common to me, as I worked before in IT Account Management. Is it any wonder that the Indian Embassy in Singapore even outsourced the Visa Application Process to a private company?

And to whom:

I wouldn’t have guessed: they outsourced the whole thing to Mustafa!

Yes, you heard that right – if you need a Visa for India in Singapore, you have to go to that (in)famous 24/7 shopping complex in Little India, with hotel, restaurant, jewelry and travel agency attached.

Now they offer Visa Services as well. Upon my e-mail contact, they quickly replied – and it’s really a straight-forward process. Bring your passport and SGD 110 (about USD 75) and 5 working days later you will have a nice 6-month-Tourist Visa for India! I will check that out early next week.

So it will be another week before arriving at the new destination. As Goa has only an airport operated by the Navy of India, there aren’t really any direct international flights from any destination in Southeast Asia.

You can fly straight charter to Goa from Britain (the main tourist clientele in this former Portuguese Colony) and from Frankfurt (Germany), but that’s almost about it.

But even coming from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok, you have to stopover first in Mumbai, Bangalore or Chennai (Madras), before taking the final approach into Goa.

Oha!

I’ve got a quote from an usually reliable travel agency in Chinatown for a standard one-way fare with 1 stopover in Mumbai in the range of SGD 800 (USD 540) per person, which is really on the pricey side.

Maybe it’s a better choice to simply fly with Tiger Airways into Bangalore or Chennai for something around SGD 100 and then just continue domestic from there. Will be a bit of pain with all the luggage, but if you consider, that you can almost survive a full 2 months with 2 persons on SGD 1.600 (USD 1.080), it’s probably worth the hassle.

Anyway, I stop wondering about the options now, you most likely fell asleep already. If not – and you still feel like sharing your travel experiences from Goa or India, or have tips and tricks of getting a good, cheap flight from Singapore, you are most welcome to comment!

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written by Chris