Why are chaddi baniyan brands obsessed with Bollywood hunks?

There is something about mass chaddi baniyan brands. All of them are owned by Agarwal Marwari families. All of them hail from Kolkata. And all of them use Bollywood hunks to promote their mass brands. I am talking about Rupa, Lux, Dollar and Amul.

Rupa, owned by the Agarwala family, uses Ranvir Singh to promote its flagship Frontline brand and Hrithik for Macroman. Lux, owned by the Todi family, earlier used Sunny Deol and now uses Varun Dhawan. Dollar, owned by the Gupta family, is promoted by Akshay Kumar. Amul Macho, owned by the Sekseria family, has recently signed Tiger Shroff. They were earlier using Saif Ali Khan.

Now tell me a Bollywood hunk not in the above list and willing to go bare? Actually there is none. Else my guess is Amul Macho may not have gone for Tiger. While the star has a good body, he seems to be a misfit when the brand that we are trying to sell is “Macho”.  Siddharth Malhotra and Shahid are hunks all right but I doubt they will go bare for chaddi baniyan brands. Ranbir Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor will not look good in vests. So here is our Bollywood industry, with so many studs, not able to keep up with the demand of this category.

While one may think that other categories are as competitive, you might be surprised to know that even in a super competitive, full of celebrity endorsed, mobile handset market, top A listers such as Deepika, Priyanka and Alia are not endorsing any brands at the moment!

Be it a brand extension, new product range or the marketing strategy of hiring hunky celebs, the competition is brutal amongst these Marwaris. Hence, everything is closely watched, fiercely guarded and yet shamelessly plagiarized.

All these brands cater to middle India males and popular hunks makes sense as brand ambassadors. However I wonder if a good story line showcased Priyanka wearing a ganjee saying Ye andar ki baat hai! The TG may not object I reckon. Don’t know about the Marwaris though!

Social

I ask for a table for two. I know I am alone but I also know that they won’t take me seriously if I say so. Who comes to Social alone? The question itself is paradoxical. Why am I here anyways? Why did I choose Social? What was I expecting? Deepika to turn up? Knowing well that she won’t; can’t. But a dreamer is allowed such delusions.

The moment I enter this place, I fall in love with it. The Social of the Hauz Khas Village Delhi is in a dilapidated building with a laid-back ambiance. I would have loved it even if were a library. But I couldn’t have had a drink in a library. The server gives me a table which is in between two bigger tables. On my left are three girls making animated conversations and on my right, are two couples digging into their mobile phones. I pity the couples. Here I am, alone, imagining a conversation with Deepika and there they are lost in their digital world, ignoring their companions.

I settle down and some members from the adjacent groups give me a look smilingly. I try to find unread messages on my phone till my drink arrives. There are none. But I keep gaping at it. Am not interested in having a conversation. Am not interested in returning that impassive air-hostess like smile. Am not interested in just looking back and acknowledging their presence. I just want to be alone. Feel alone. And the mobile helps.

One thing I like about mobile phones is their ability to make you look busy when you are not. They can make you look busy when you are not interested in making a conversation like in a train or some common waiting room or for that matter in a bar, just like now. They can make you look busy at a party or at a business event where nobody knows you. They can make you look busy when you want to avoid a fight. These are the times when you read that message for the eighth time and continue looking busy. Luckily my drink arrives and bails me out.

I happen to get a place where Ranveer (Ved) and Deepika (Tara) converse in the film Tamasha. The same spot! The scene recreates itself in front of my eyes and I drift. I think of Ved who is trying to reclaim his authentic self. I quite liked the movie. Its relatable. I know so many people like Ved. I meet them when they are taking a break or when they are alone or with someone they can connect with. They laugh heartily, express articulately and voice opinions and share outrage. And then I see them at their workplace or at their home and I see different people. They will barely make eye contact and will have a closed body language. Ved is everyone who has built a fortress around himself. He lives in a shell and doesn’t come out in an environment that is hostile to his impulse.  

As I think about all this, I get restless. The soothing ambiance becomes exasperating. I sense the fellow drinkers staring at me. Lots of questions gaggle me like eager cocker spaniels. How do we react when we are challenged by love? What do we do when our marriage needs more of us that we are used to sharing? How do we respond when we have children and we discover that we have inadequate energy and skills to cope? And quitting jobs, moving homes, deciding to choose a new role at work?

Do we feel vulnerable and not in control? Are we blaming the choices or are we accepting them? Are we thinking of reversing them, just like Ved did in the film?

P.S - Do you know Ved? 

Tough Job

All eyes were on him. It was Rajan's first day at work. While most of the day was spent idling around, and he was instructed on how to go about his duties, there was some unease in his demeanour as his confidence dried up. He had messed up.

It was Pammi's  bday. Manpreet, Supreet, Jagjeet, Gurdeep, Rajdeep, Sukhi and Happy, her entire clan including her son, daughter in law, grandsons and granddaughters were around her. Pammis favorite were Rajdeep and Jagjeet. She hoped he would give it to Rajdeep. But he instead gave it to Manpreet. Pammi winced.

One of the toughest jobs in this planet besides crab fishing in Alaska or being a UN negotiator is that of a restaurant server. All eyes are on you, the dish and the serving spoon. Everyone on the table is judging you by how much is served and on which plate. If you serve more you cant take it back. If you serve less you will be asked to give more and there may not be enough left for everyone. This is still manageable when what you serve is just based on quantity. Like for example dal makhani. But when it is chicken handi, besides the quantity the quality of what is served becomes equally important. Some pieces are preferred over others. The server has to make up his mind who gets the legs. There are only two. And Rajan had lost one to Manpreet.

All eyes were on him as he moved around the table with the dish that had only one leg piece among other not so important ones. Two patrons, both kids, waited to be served. Pammi initially hesitated. But then she had to take control. She announced, "Jagjeet nu leg piece de". But who was Jagjeet? The boy to his right or the girl on his left? Under tremendous pressure, he did what was commonsensical. He gave the leg to the boy. 

Damn these waiters... muttered Pammi. For a change this Punjabi family's doyen loved the daughters more than their sons.

Damn these Punjabis and their unisex names... muttered Rajan.

Hinduism doesn’t need cover

I read a disturbing article on the 18^th of October 2015 in Hindustan Times titled Hindutva Warriors. It talked about Hindu fundamentalist groups that are operating across UP and Bihar who promise to take up arms to ‘save Hindutva’.  Hindu Swabhiman, Hindu Kranti Dal, Hindu Shakti Dal, Hindu Yuva Vahini are groups that act as a ‘nuclei for mobilising communal activities’ and have been developed by RSS and VHP.

While I am a Hindu by birth, I am irreligious. I always believed that religion was akin to hypocrisy but lets leave that topic for another day. One thing that I like about Hinduism is that it is a very liberal.  Not visiting temples on a certain day of week, not wearing clothes of a certain kind and holidaying during Diwali does not attract scorn from fellow Hindus or a threat to be ostracised.  But increasingly, I am wary of the fundamentalists. And our penchant to be non-tolerant including some of my well educated friends. I don’t know whether we are a progressive society when we want to scrap Section 377 or we are regressive when we lynch people for eating beef!

Prerna, a single, lives in a one bedroom flat in Shivaji Park, Mumbai. While she is a devout, she wants to move out of her place as she cannot stand the overzealous activities of the Shiv Sena dominated area. She argues that being religious is one thing while being fanatical to the extent of bordering communal is another. According to her, the hyper mood during festivities of Hindus in her area makes her feel unsafe. She wants to move out.

From the middle of the 16^th century to the middle of the 20^th century, India has been ruled by Muslims and Catholics. Before, during and after this period, India was a predominantly, is a predominantly and continues to be a predominantly Hindu nation. I fail to understand that if those who ruled India for hundreds of years were unable to threat Hinduism, how can things change now?

Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion in practice. Any political party or communal group that believes that this religion needs them as its saviour are either way too naïve or have not understood its potency and depth. 

New Zealand Video

New Zealand Trip –the Highlights.

Tongario River Trail

I would recommend everyone I know and don’t know to travel to New Zealand. At least once in a lifetime. We knew it is a beautiful country but what we saw bowled us over. Perhaps because we were visiting in spring, where there was bloom and waterfalls everywhere. Let me make an attempt to pen down some of these. Though no amount of words and pictures can sum up even half of what we experienced.

Walks and Cycling Trips: The NZ government has done a fantastic job of preserving the beautiful country as well as making it accessible for people to appreciate. They have created multiple walking and cycling trails inside forests and around the hundreds of lakes that the country is blessed with. Maps are freely available at information centres of nearby towns that help you explore the area. We must have walked for around 100kms taking umpteen trails over these days. Of these two were particularly interesting, one at lake Tekapo, the Mt. John Summit Track that walks mostly through open tussock lands ending with stunning 360 degree views over Lake Tekapo, Lakes McGregor and Alexandrina, the Mackenzie Basin and across to the Southern Alps. The other was Lake Rotopounamu Walk near Tongario that goes around a lake nestled on the side of Mount Pihanga. We also did two cycling trails – both of which were very good for those not used to cycling too much. The Tongario river trail did a loop around the Tongario river passing sometimes through forests and sometimes alongside green pastures of land. And the Queenstown trail went around lake Wakatipu. We rode up to Frankton on a beautiful sunny day. 

Windy and Wet

Kayaking in lake Taupo: Not many people were kayaking in NZ. Perhaps since the summer had not arrived. But on this rainy windy day, we were pretty determined. Mike and Barb, whose place we put up (Tongario Adventures), had Kayaks and they were very generous to offer it to us for free. Mike even took the kayak with me up to the Taupo lake, a 100 yards from their house. We first kayaked parallel to the beach until the end of the hill and then turned into the river upstream. It was difficult owing to the winds, but we went on. One side of the river had houses and the other had a hill. Families of ducks swam close by, perturbed by us, the unusual visitors. When we got tired, we turned around and the current made us drift slowly back into the lake.

Milford Sound Cruise: If one were to ask me the number one highlight of the NZ trip, then I would mention Milford Sound. Perhaps because it was a rainy day. We had booked ourselves on this bus that picked us in the morning from our hotel and dropped us at the cruise and return. On board was a very informative and enthusiastic driver cum guide, Shelly. She tried to keep our spirits up in spite of the cold and wet weather. But I guess the weather was a blessing in disguise. Owing to the rains, the Sound was full of waterfalls. A mystique mist formed around the mountains surrounding the Sound owing to which we were unable to see the top of the mountain and it seemed like the water falls were plummeting from the clouds. On a clear day a picture of the Sound will show multiple mountains one behind other, stacked up as layers. 

The surreal Milford Sound

But since this was a cloudy day, the same scene on a camera felt like a shaken photograph or someone who needed to see an ophthalmologist as eyes saw hazy images. Was nature playing games? It was an eerie feeling. “Did Lord Voldemort lived here?” Rupali asked. I was so excited that I opened my shoes, folded my pants, put on the poncho and went up to the top deck of the cruise. The winds were so strong that it was difficult to stand without holding on to the rails. Rains splashed from all sides and the poncho was no good. But the scene was stunning. As the cruise went up close the mountains we saw a family of seals lazing on rocks, unperturbed. One of the customary items on the cruise is that they move close to one large waterfall – almost underneath. Owing to the rains the fall had become even more rowdy and now the vapours from the falls were seeming like sharp water pellets. Damn the clothes and the camera. While Milford Sound will be stunning even on a bright sunny day, the rains added immense mystic and enigma to the place and made it incredible.

At "The Find" pub in Queenstown

Queenstown: This is some place where you should plan at least 3 full days. It’s a beautiful small hilly town with a population of 28K people, most of who I guess work for tourists one way or the other. Also called the adventure capital of the world, it offers a lot of activities for the enthusiast – Skydive, Bungee, Swings, Jet Ski, Parasailing, Skiing, Rafting etc plus a host of softer options such as Cycling, Milford Sound tour, LOTR tour, Wine Tours, Gondola Ride, etc. We were in Queenstown for four days and did some of these adventure trips and tours. On other times we mostly walked, sat in front of lake Wakatipu sipping wine, visited pubs and ate at Indian and Thai restaurants.

Almost failed Skydiving trip: Skydive was our No.1 highlight of the trip. There are three places to skydive in NZ: Queenstown, Glenorchy (40mins from Queenstown) and Wanaka (an hour’s drive). They are more or less similarly priced but we chose Glenorchy, the place were a lot of LOTR was shot, since it was most picturesque. Since Skydive is very much weather sensitive, we decided to wrap it up the first day itself. Upon reaching the dive zone, we were briefed by these cool looking divers  (instructors) who had done some 4000-5000 dives. NZ law requires one to have minimum of 1000 dives to be able to be an instructor which though expensive, makes it one of the safest places to dive. The guy who was to be Rupali’s instructor, Sasha, had taken Sonam Kapoor on the dive. Our group consisted of three men who wanted to dive from 12000 feet and us who wanted to dive from 15000 feet. 

Just before the failed Glenorchy dive

Since their aircraft was small, they took the three of them first. We saw them getting ready and boarding the aircraft. After a few minutes we saw them jumping from the aircraft and their shoot opening. They landed right in front of us, exhilarated. It was our turn now. We were excited and anxious in equal measure. My instructor was the guy who was briefing us, who also seemed to be the most dude, experienced type. Rupali went into the aircraft first and I was next. When we were up in the air, I could see why people said that Glenorchy was probably the best place to dive. While the scenery was stunning from the aircraft, my mouth was running dry. I wanted to sip some water. My instructor kept pumping my guts by some small talk. He pointed out where LOTR was shot. Meanwhile he was constantly talking to the pilot in some sign language, which I later understood, to be able to find the wind speed down there. When we reached 7000 feet, the pilot passed him a note that wrote 20 which meant the wind speed down there was 20knots. Anything above 25knots was not safe to dive. As we reached 11000 feet and the aircraft became colder, they were talking still and passing notes. His last note read 24. My instructor took the decision. We had to abandon the dive. All the way on the descend, he kept telling that he was sorry but it was not safe for us and that is why he had to take the call. I was partially releaved that we did not have to dive but equally disappointed that having come so close, we had to abandon it which meant that we have to go through this ordeal again. This disappointment kept growing as we headed back to Queenstown. I was thinking of those three guys who dived just ahead of us. We were really unlucky. We booked again for the next day for 9AM.

The next day while we did not have to come all the way to Glenorchy, the dive was cancelled again and again on the third day. We made an instant decision to take the Queenstown dive since we saw that the weather was quite OK in the city and the Queenstown team was diving. We booked ourselves for the 1330HRS dive, the earliest available for that day. At the said hour, our dive was cancelled again! The bloody wind had picked up again.

I was really disappointed. There were four highlights of our trip at the planning stage – the Tongario Alpine crossing, rated by many as the best one day hike in the world, the skydive, the glacier walk and the Tranzalpine train journey. We were unable to do the Tongario hike as it had snowed, unexpectedly, and therefore the hike was not feasible for armatures. The previous evening we came to know that Franz Joseph Glacier one day walk has stopped as the bottom of the glaciers are no more so the hike is not feasable. Now if we were unable to dive as well, we would have not done three of the four highlights initially planned. What a bummer!

Shitting bricks... Why is Rupali curious?

Just when we were taking a refund, we learnt that the Wanaka team were still diving. Apparently, if its the Westerly winds that are blowing on a particular day, they first reach Glenorchy and then Queenstown and if they turn, they would reach Wanaka. We booked ourselves immediately for Wanaka. I was only 50% sure that we will be able to dive that afternoon as I kept looking at the trees and leaves that seem to be swinging softly with the wind. We reached Wanaka and quickly got inducted and dressed. This time however, we booked ourselves for the 12000 feet, sensing the bad omen. We boarded quickly and were up and it was time for the mouths to go dry again. For some reason I did not find the Wanaka team to be very professional, compared to the Glenorchy guys. But anyways, we were up. 

In the flight were 9 people (4 teams) besides the pilot. The extra person was another diver who went up to take the video of this guy Chinese guy jumping. There are two types of videos you can opt for – one that is from a camera stuck on the wrist of your instructor (the cheaper option, $150, wherein your instructor puts the camera on once in a while) and another if you want full video where another diver dives alongside you and is always in front of you to take a full video ($250). The Chinese had opted for the full video. This camera guy was super cool. In between when we were say at 8000-10000 feet, he opened the door to do guess what? Throw his chewing gum away! At 12000 feet, he finally opened the door fully as a strong wave of chilly wind swept inside the aircraft. He lunged out like people do in Mumbai locals while the Chinese and his instructor got ready and went up to the edge of the aircraft. The instructor and camera guy made signs and wooo... jumped right in front of me. I was probably shitting in my pants as it was my turn. My instructor asked me to move forward. As I moved closer to the edge, I saw the earth below for a second. The instructor was making some adjustments, we were not abandoning this time and were indeed jumping. I was too frightened to keep my eyes open. I guess I lost my balls for those few seconds. I closed my eyes and kept my head on the right shoulder of the instructor as told, and then before I realised I was flying. Scared to death I could sense the chilly breeze hitting my face at 200kmph. 

May be 10 seconds after dive, in free fall

I opened my eyes a couple of seconds later and what I saw was absolutely stunning. As if in an instant bliss replaced fear. I was absorbed by the beauty I saw below. Mountains, lakes, farms all etched as if it were a child’s painting. I tried to look left and right and absorb as much as I could see. While the wind kept hitting the face at the crazy speed, the feeling was so overwhelming that I just wanted to take as much as I could. After about 45 second free fall, the shoot opened. Yes it did! And then as if the earth came to s standstill. From 200kmph, we were, what felt like zero speed in like four seconds. It was so sudden that I felt that we had landed! Once the shoot opened my instructor and I were able to talk. He showed me the topography of the place – the Roys peak, Mt Hyde, Mt Aspiring, the Wanaka Lake, Lake Hawea, the Wanaka River etc. He then asked if I wanted to swing to which I said a big NO. I am not a swing person – please! Now that the shoot opened and I was offered another chance to live, I don’t want to swing. I realised how much I hated amusement parks. But thats OK. I wanted this to last. I was absorbing the splendour around me. I saw other divers below me – one of who could be Rupali. It seemed that for a few minutes we were not moving at all. The wind was getting strong. The only way to go down was to swing. He told me that he would take small swings to which I agreed. Slowly after a lot of effort from his side, I guess, we were moving down. When we finally reached the ground there were four five people from his team waiting for us. Look on their face showed that our dive could have become a concern soon. But yes I was alive, in one piece. I saw Rupali down looking very happy. We hugged and kissed at this exhilarating experience, after four cancellations. An item ticked off our bucket list!

Glacier Hiking @ Franz Joseph: While the full day glacier walks had been closed, one could still do half day Heli-hikes. The way this works is that you board a chopper that takes you right up to the glacier and from there you hike up along with a guide. We booked ourselves for the first flight. (Always do weather related trips first thing in the day. The weather changes fast and usually gets worse as the day progresses). We were a group of 10 who were given a proper gear and crampons. The chopper ride was short and in no time we were on the glacier where our guide was waiting for us – in T-shirt and shorts with an axe. His look kept me puzzled for the next few minutes as I put on my crampons. Finally, we started our hike. It was not as adventurous as I would have thought. The guide uses the axe to pave the way for the group which makes the climb relatively easy. The glacier however was a beauty. It had shades of white and blue. Then there were the crevices of different formations. During our hike we also saw a small glacier explosion – where part of a glacier breakaway like a thunder. The trip was so well timed that just when it ended, it started to rain.

Clicked from the Train

Tranzalpine Train Journey: This was the final leg of our trip. The kiwis run some great trains; particularly the Tranzalpine, Northern Explorer and the Coastal Pacific. We took the Tranzalpine from Greymouth to Christchurch. This was our last day in NZ and we had seen so much beauty that I was wondering if the train journey would add anything that we had not already seen. For the first hour or so, the train passed alongside the Waimakariri River and reached Arthur Pass station after passing through a 42km Otira tunnel built in 1923. Up to this point, the journey was nice but nothing to write home about. It was after this point when the train passed through the gorges and the farmlands of the Canterbury plains that the scenery became extraordinary. I went up to the open board at the back of the train and was busy clicking pictures. There were few people on the open deck since the train was not even 50% full. (If you travel in peak season, you may get a place to sit but the open board will be packed.) Owing to spring, it became even more dramatic as Pohutukawa trees and Kowhais flowers were blooming. There were shades of green that one cannot imagine. Mountains, rivers, flowers and trees – all in one! Highly recommended.

While we visited Roturua's Geysers and the Buried village and also spent some time in Auckland and Christchurch, we wont put them under highlights. Not because they were not good, but perhaps not good enough to seek a place in this list. 

Anyways, we think we will go back again, may be after a few years. We still have to do the Tongario crossing, Milford on a sunny day, Abel Tasman National Park etc and perhaps repeat a few things once again.

New Zealand: Travelling Tips for an Indian

New Zealand was on our Bucket List for long but we finally did the 17 day fantastic trip this month. We knew what we wanted to do and where all we wanted to go but the itinerary had the flexibility to extend or reduce a day here and there. As always, we planned everything on our own, no Travel and Tour companies. I will dedicate this blog on the tips of travelling to New Zealand, especially for an Indian. My second blog will cover highlights (destinations) of the trip.

NZ $ was 50-52 INR when we traveled. $ is NZ$ and adjusted whenever compared.

Malls, Lavish Hotels and Shopping? Skip NZ: If you are one of those who loves going to Dubai, for example, for its big malls and modern architecture, then NZ may disappoint you. It is a country for nature lovers. Also it’s not for those whose one big item on the vacation agenda is shopping. The country imports most of what it consumes so everything is expensive. (If you indeed have to shop, go to Warehouse, a kind of Wal-Mart of NZ) If you like staying in lavish star hotels, then it’s not the place either. NZ is best seen outside of its big cities such as Christchurch or Auckland and there are no five star extravagant hotels in the countryside. So if forests, seas and natural landscapes don’t excite you, then maybe you don’t have to go.

Plan 2, may be 3 weeks: NZ is a small country but an absolutely beautiful country. If you close your eyes while on road and open after 30 minutes, you will see natural beauty. Close again open after 20 mins, you see beauty again. The country has done a marvelous job of preserving its national parks and surroundings. There is a lot of stuff to do, especially adventure related. Plus if you are travelling from India, you have already spent a lot of time and money reaching there. To make the most of it, a week-10 days is not good enough. Plan 2-3 weeks.

Drive, Drive, Drive: Being a common wealth nation, it has right hand drive so Indians will have no problem on judgement as long as they are following the signs and rules. All passengers wear seat belts – front or rear. Most roads are two-lane only, except when you reach motor way, (New Zealander’s Express Way) but driving speed is 100 kmph, unless otherwise mentioned. Indian DL is accepted. Book in advance, rental car companies block card but do not take the money and cancellations are easy. Read rules. Shop for rental cars wisely – look for deals across Ace, Apex, Jucy, Quality, Economy, RitePrice, Rentadent etc. plus lot of companies that operate only in North or South Island. (Type destination e.g. ‘Auckland to Roturua rental car’ for more names). Take full comprehensive insurance – while it makes the deal expensive it is tension free. Do not take GPS, your phone will do just fine. Choice of cars are not all that great, unlike let’s say in Europe or US. They are expensive as well. (SUV in US for $50 a day (minus insurance), while you will get it for not less than $60-70 in NZ). Petrol is also expensive. $2.2 per litre, US is half of that. In spite of all these costs, I would recommend you to drive. Roads are smooth and beautiful. I am not an auto enthusiast and don’t enjoy driving so much but we did some 2500 kms and it was a pleasure. The country is so scenic you want to stop often for a photo opp. Depending on your itinerary, most drives are less than 4-5 hours from one point to the other after accounting for generous breaks. Most cars will not have USB port. I would recommend that you speak to the rental company before booking as it helps listening to our music while on road. Cars do have CD though. Fill your tank in larger cities as the petrol is cheapest there.

Phone: As soon as you land in NZ, take one of those prepaid cards right from the airport. We took one Vodafone card from duty free at some $37 which gave 120 mins of free outgoing calls (domestic, international, what have you!); 2 GB of download, continuous internet access, 200 SMSs and all incoming free! On the other phone we kept the Vodafone India international roaming. While not as good a deal, kept my Indian number alive in case of some emergency.

Australia visa: In case you are transiting through Australia to reach NZ, you will need an Australian transit visa. It is not very expensive ($20 per person) but it’s an unavoidable hassle.

Season: NZ summers are from December to April. They are the peak travelling season as well. I try avoiding crowd, so shoulder months of Nov and May would be my advice. Plus you get better deals on hotels and activities. But summer is good as well as there are no weather related surprises that may stall your plans, especially if your schedule is tight.

Pay using your Master debit card: Contrary to popular opinion, debit cards give decent good deals. Before leaving we tried taking some NZ $ in cash and the rate we got was in excess of Rs. 53 per NZ$. Same was with prepaid international cards. We got a rate of Rs.50 when we used the ICICI debit card. HDFC was close to 52. Visa debit card was not working for some reason. When swiping your card, chose the credit option and enter your pin. Carry little cash since you can withdraw cash from ATMs there as well.

Stay with locals: My final tip is to stay with locals. In the former part of our trip we used AIRBNB and stayed with locals. They are friendly and their tips are invaluable. (Check https://www.facebook.com/TongariroAdventures who were our hosts. Great couple - very helpful. Strongly recommended if you are in the area). AIRBNB gives lots of options on the kind of privacy you need – separate bathrooms, separate entry exit and even separate houses. While costs of staying in a hotel vs. AIRBNB may be similar, staying with locals gives you a perspective of the country and its culture. The kind of advice they give cannot be found in guide books and Google! Plus many offer kitchen and laundry usage. For singles, there are hostels and rooms on a sharing basis at very cheap prices – say $150 a week.

Food & Drink: NZ does not have a great list of its own cuisine. Its influenced by West. You get burgers, pizzas etc. But there are lots of Thai restaurants that most Indians like. (When ordering Thai, ask them to make it hot). Looking at the price you can figure the quantity. If a dish is priced around $20-25, then you can order an extra helping of rice/bread and that would be good for two people. There are a lot of Indian restaurants as well, especially in cities. Once in a while you feel like eating typical homemade Indian meal and many places offer microwave and cooking facilities. Carry company sealed MTR, Paramapara, Haldiram snacks and Basmati rice and declare when you enter. Don’t carry meat, fruits, soil, leaves etc,. Drink NZ wine. You can get a good one for $15. You can carry your wine to restaurants and pay for it extra (mostly between $5-10). It still works out cheaper.

Talk money: NZ is an expensive destination. Cycles cost $30-50 for half a day. The bus we took from Auckland Airport to city downtown cost $16 per person. A box of Pringles may cost $4.5 to 6.5 depending on where you shop. A back of the envelope calculation for two value conscious people per day would be $120 for stay, $100 for food, $75 for car/petrol, $200 for activities/entry tickets + flight tickets and miscellaneous expenses. Yes, entry tickets are expensive and so are all adventure related activities – you would do something or the other every day and hence a $200 per day budget is decent.

Must dos: There may be lots more, I am only listing from amongst what we did and these are absolute musts. Places to visit: Milford Sound, Queenstown, Lake Taupo. Things to do: Skydive from Glenorchy (most scenic) where Lord of the Rings was shot. Take the Tranzalpine train, forest walks and cycling. Anywhere in NZ is great for walks and cycling. More on these in the second blog on Highlights of the NZ trip.