About mikkian

Currently Lives:

Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Citizen of:

United States

Some Forum Posts:

India: Trying to decide if I should relocate to Bangalore:

- I have been in Bangalore for four years... We got an Irish Setter while here, but we won't be bringing her back to the states with us - You can easily bring a pet from America to India, but going the other way, your dog has to be in quarantine for several months... we didn't want to put our dog through that, so when we go back, she'll be staying with friends in India.... Meanwhile, also, having a 'domesticated' dog is a lot of work... The street type dogs don't take kindly to a 'different' dog, and so you need to be a little careful while out walking the dog. Also, dog food is pretty expensive and only sold in one place that I know of, otherwise the local vets recommend cooking for the dog. We have a cook who does it for us, but its still a pain making sure there is enough ground beef in the fridge for the dog every day.... I lived in Richmond town right downtown in a flat and almost no place that I looked at had any rules about pets... its much easier to have a pet and try and rent a place in India than it is in America! - About healthcare, I went to India as a single mom with a 7-year-old son, and we have spent our share of time with the doctor. I would rather go to the doctor in Bangalore any day than in America and the same goes for the hospital... We use Mallya, and I loved being able pay the bill when I left the hospital! I was in for one week after a motorcycle accident that required me to have surgery on my foot, under general anesthesia, and the care was awesome. My son's pediatrician practiced in London for many years and came back to Bangalore, and he was fantastic. My son also had a playground accident where he was hit with a cricket bat in the face. He split his lip and had a tooth knocked out. He was fixed up by a plastic surgeon, and you can't even tell that ever happened to him... so I have nothing but good to say about medical care in Bangalore... - I have a driver, gardener to look after my plants and all, a cook, a nanny, and a housekeeper. I preferred no live-ins, and its definitely a challenge - you need good people management skills, and you need to be a little tough - Else you find yourself trying to solve the problems of the world - one housekeeper at a time.... - I bought a new SUV. It was less than half the price of a similar vehicle in America. I sold it for very little under what I bought it for. Considering the cost of a rental car that came with a driver (about $400 a month) versus driving and buying my own car, I came out WAY ahead.... a driver is necessary though else you'll spend all your time trying to find a parking spot when you need to run errands... I drive myself for some stuff, and use a driver for others... - It can be dusty between rains, but it really all depends on what you are used to - I get hayfever in Michigan, but didn't have a single sinus headache in India, for whatever thats worth... - No floods in Bangalore - Bangalore is on the Deccan plateau and its pretty high above sea level it rains hard during monsoons, but I lived in Florida, and thought that Florida got it much worse.... I've been in Mumbai during monsoons and that is where the rain really comes down .... - Kingfisher is the BEST BEER IN THE WORLD... I hated beer til I moved to Bangalore... - You can take a long shower if you want - you won't have steaming hot water necessarily the whole time, but you don't mind - its sort of refreshing - especially when the weather is warm. - The power goes off alot, but most nicer apartment buildings have backup generators and your power goes uninterrupted... - As for the ex-pat community, depending on what business you are going there in, its not that easy to 'break into'... I was originally here on work so I was too busy to to the "Foreign Wives Club" and I didn't meet any Americans there in four years, other than a few missionaries, although I know they had to be there somewhere... I just made lots of friends locally and stayed out of that stuff. I met great Bangaloreans who really helped me figure out where to shop and do what I had to do... I had it all down in a very short time. Incidentally, I got married in Bangalore too - I found my soulmate there - so all around, Bangalore was an incredible experience for me! -

India: Moving with family and DOGS to Bangalore:

Hi - I didn't move a dog TO India, but apparently that isn't the problem - Its taking them back when you are ready to leave.. We got an Irish Setter while in India, and wanted to take her back to the US, but she will have to be in quarantine as long as six months. We won't be putting her through that, so she will be staying with friends in India when we get ready to leave. On a more positive note, though, there is great vet care, and there is a great pet store off Brigade Road that carried Eukanuba dog food if you need that, otherwise, its much cheaper to cook for the dog, which is what our vet recommended... So we cook a ground beef and rice for her every day, with a little ginger in it to keep the ticks off - which are a HUGE nuisance for our dog.....

Date Joined:

11/10/2004

Total Posts:

2

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