Plenty of nokia authorized dealers as well as nationwide chains like wavetel - check your local newspaper for ads.

Nokia E71 for example is several bucks cheaper than stateside.

Well, since you all seem quite knowledgeable I do have one more question.

I'm flying out on Friday night (actually saturday) around 3 am; how much time ahead should I head for the airport. From what I hear DEL is an absolute mess and I've seen conflicting information regarding when the check-in counters open ; some place mention 3h and that you'll be turned back to wait outside if you arrive before that (which I do NOT want to happen) while my airline says 4 hours.

Accordingly, can I expect much traffic while headed to the airport around 10-11 pm? (I'm located a few km East of the Pragadi Maidan.)

Suffice it to say that this is one flight that I do not want to miss under any circumstance!

Thk a lot for all the help!

Max

10 to 11 pm (anytime after a good dinner - the lounge food is crap, of course) should be just fine. Say split the difference and make it 10:30.

The reason is plain and simple. "Pahadis", people from Nepal and hilly areas such as Himachal, Garhwal, Kumayun etc come searching for employment as there isn't much employment close to home. However, I don't Kashmiris are a part of that group. Development has been slow in these areas.

You are right.

Nor would I include Kashmiris in that group as generally you won't find them doing manual labor, especially not outside the state of Jammu & Kashmir. Ladakhis who are Kashmir state subjects, maybe, but you'd find more Jammu-ite Kashmir state subjects doing manual labor than Kashmiris or Ladakhis (although with Ladakhis it's off a smaller demographic base).

In Jammu and Kashmir or elsewhere in India, people have to pay a huge premium to get Kashmiris to do manual labor compared to getting non-Kashmiri Indians -- even from Rajasthan, Punjab, UP and Harayana and certainly from Bihar -- to do manual labor.

Kashmiri is a very distinct language and largely unintelligible to most all North Indian Hindi-speakers who are not Kashmiris. The fluency (and certainly literacy) in Hindi is quite poor amongst most Kashmiris compared to people from Nepal, Himachal Pradesh and those other hill areas, but their English tends to be better than is the case for most North Indians.

For general info: not all Kashmir state subjects are Kashmiris (and not all Kashmiris are Kashmir state subjects).

Hey Max,

Sorry I got on this thread too late for your trip but.. please don't make that mistake!

India is an absolutely fabulous country (takes a lifetime to get to know it). Don't let one bad experience in Delhi - probably the least interesting of places - let ruin that. Sure you have to deal with a lot of issues that we take for granted in the west, but well worth it.

Specifically to Delhi hotels, I highly recommend The Park. It's definitely up to 5* standards but much "hipper" (the restaurant and pool area are a big hangout for the young and beautiful of Delhi), and about half the price of international chains (was there in Dec. and paid INR 6500, or about $150), vs INR 11,000 at the Radisson at the airport (where I had to spend first night for morning connection).

And next time you go, do yourself a favor and leave a few days to explore some other area of the country - you'll come out with a vastly different impression.

Decent rates again - finally!

Yes, I used to stay frequently at The Park (at Connaught Place), where the food was decent and the rooms very avant-garde! However, the Le Meridien in DEL has attempted to copy the concept, imo...

Priceline?
 

I take it Priceline's Name Your Own Price bid system does not work for New Delhi, as when I try to bid it switches me back to the regular, Priceline Fee Chop function.

Are there any good discount sites for 4 and 5* New Delhi hotels?

Call the hotels directly and ask. And remember there's upto a 25% luxury tax on star hotels in downtown delhi.