First Impressions of Kerala: Foreigner's first Day in Trivandrum, India.
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- I now have a 5 year India e-visa allowing me to stay for 180 days per calendar year. How wonderful is that?
I've just left the Philippines having stayed there for 6 months this time. Prior to this short stint I lived there for 3 years from March 2020 to March 2023 throughout covid/lockdown. Since Covid, travelling between countries has become a lot easier. India finally became open to non-vaccinated tourists in November 2022, but I haven't been able to return to this magical country until a year later.
When I landed in India the previous evening at the airport in Trivandrum, there was one ATM machine in the arrivals hall which didn’t look switched on as I walked past it. Maybe it was working but I decided to exit the arrivals hall thinking there’d be more ATMs, but there weren’t any, only money exchangers. Just one ATM machine at an international airport is ridiculous. So I walked outside to the prepaid taxi stand, where I envisaged getting a taxi to my hotel stopping at an ATM on the way. Then in the heat of the moment
I decided to try walking to my hotel and find an ATM on the way, which was pretty illogical, but I was tired after my long day’s journey having caught three flights in one day. It was midnight now and as I walked I was still on the airport road and obviously everything was quite far away. I do these stupid things now and again. Normally when I arrive some place new when my brain stops working and I do mysterious things.
As I walking along ranting to myself as fortune have it a friendly guy stopped on his scooter, asked where I was going? As I explained I had n SIM card and no Indian money he put my suitcase on his scooter and drove me to my hotel. Wow! My guardian angel. Where would I be without these saviors who tend to turn up in my time of need. Still walking that road probably.
Arriving at the hotel the Indian night duty porter spoke no English. Having no money he waved a credit card machine at me, but didn’t know how to use it so I had to assist him type in the amount I owed the hotel. Brilliant! Welcome back to India!
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is producing videos your sole purpose? I don't imagine it is. Or is there something you have in mind that you want to gather in India? I enjoy travelling along with you, so this information helps me to understand your experience. I don't feel this is a documentary channel, it seems a personal journey which is its appeal.
Very perceptive Kevin. IT IS a personal journey. In the past and you might have heard me say this already I've struggled with not having a voice. My channel helps me have a presence in the world. It's also giving me purpose and now an income. I've been visiting India since 1987 and feel at home here. Even amid the chaos I can find peace, although it's so different to the Philippines that on this visit it's taking me time to adjust and tune into the vibe. Thanks for your continuous support and kind words.
Enjoyed your Philippines vlog. I’ll have to watch a few of these episodes to see what India is like. My initial reaction was oh hell no not India.
Royal Enfield seems to be the standard in India. Rooms look nicer and cleaner than the rooms here in Brighton. Safe travels mate!
Ohhh Phillip.... I so desperately wanted a 10 second clip of you sitting bowlegged playing the bongos and some kind of India wood whistle at the 19 min mark....
Trivandrum was the first city I worked at in 1995. Had a 7 month stint in India. Mostly worked up in Guwahati in the NE.
I noticed the wobbly gesture at the ticket counter. I always heard about that. 😄
Enjoyed your landing and story.
Second hotel is like the coville estate in hackney ffs, grim.
Happy trails, it all looks so intriguing.
Excellent vlog as usual Philip. Just a question on how you do your banking over in SE Asia?. I guess you make sure you don't have any excess banking fees from when you withdraw from ATMs. Are you withdrawing from your credit card and then by the end of the month repaying it back through a bill payment? Through your experience, what can you share? Thanks
I would be interested in traveling to the Nagaland/Manipur area of India. People there are Christian and they speak English. The culture is totally different than the rest of India and the people look different.
I'd like to visit that area also. Closer I've got before is Sikkim which was fab. I've recently met people from Assam and Nagaland, so I feel the North-East is beckoning me.
Kerala is where Christianity arrived. You can see a mix of Portuguese, dutch and Jewish architecture in Kochi city. Kerala also is the most developed state in India in terms of social development.
Great to see you arrived safe and sound. I found travelling in India very stressful. I saw you had ATM finding troubles, are many places accepting crypto/BTC Lightning etc.. I would be nice to cut out the banks when paying for things. Enjoying your blog, keep up the good work!😊
Card payment are old tech. QR scanning is widely used in India.
@@arjunraj823 the same as with lightning ⚡ payments?
Waiting for goa 😉
Great vid
Biggs! You are like a child have to teach you everything:
- Before you left PH you should have exchanged some USD or EU money. At least a few hundred so if something happens at least you would have cash money. Such obvious thing.
- Second: to buy a train ticket you should go to a special office for tourists where you can buy train tickets. Its the same train same ticket same price but no line no hussle and nice waiting room. Also I notice they sell tickets to foreigners so they seat in the same area.
Doesn't seem like an ideal location for a single guy. There are very few women out in public. If a girl's family catches her going out with you, they will throw her down a well.
That you mindset..
Lol, its Kerala. Better than anywhere in south asia.
👍
How's the age gap dating?
I heard large age gap relationships are taboo and shunned in India. Maybe a 5-10 year age gap is okay, but not much more than that.
@@rolandmueller7218 I see. Thank you
😂
Being an Indian I can say dating culture in India is mostly happens in metro cities. Casual dating not widely accepted and dating means marriage mostly here. Age gap relationship rarely seen because abundance supply of men😀
@@travelsarkar7484 I believe there are a lot of single Indian women over 50, probably because they are widowed. I heard Widows are neglected in India because the husband‘s wealth goes to his sons after he dies.
Predestination is amazing!! One proper mind fu*k if you like sci-fi
Why you talk so funni
i'll be expecting a full report from north sentinel island. 😂
Could be in for a long wait..Although I hear the natives are very friendly to foreign tourists, lol
Trivandrum airport has nothing.
You inspire me to travel but not to India 😂
LOL. India is the last place I would ever travel to. To each his own.
Phil is often grumpy and easily annoyed. I’m curious how he will get on there. I hope he does more than just stroll the beach.
@@davidbush131lol, stop these stereotypes. Kerala is the most touristy state in India. Much developed, literate and safe.
must be even tougher to get laid there then in palawan
You're not wrong. I envisage another period of unwanted celibacy.
Delhi the capital of lndia always created bad images of lndia but Kerala northeast lndia are created good images of lndia in the world
So far, not impressed. Philippines n Malaysia trips were better.
Wait till you see Kochi city. Portuguese and jew towns.
wow better rooms than phillipines