I will be going to Mumbai from the 23th of April to the 10th of August. I will be going there due to a study's issue. However, I will be keep on playing poker regularly. I was wondering if any of you live there and could give me any advices. Besides, I will be interested in living quite large there. I was also looking for some roomates as well.

Kinds regards,
Abigwall

Dude, I am now in the situation you were when you posted this, well not exactly, I am thinking of going there (I mean India not Mumbai) can you please tell me

The cost of everything
Online poker situation
Is it hard to get in with "normal" local girls
Everything ells

Cheers

I have been to Mumbai for a few days.

basically unless your Indian, you have very little chance of getting with local girls, not saying it wont happen but its rare. They do have some amazing girls there who are hot as ****. But having a GF and going out with her in public just not gonna happen.

cost of living is as cheap or expensive as you want to make it. you can eat in the street restaurants for like $1 or a more up class one for $4-6.

Taxis are farily cheap around $1-3 anywhere in the main city for say a 15mintue taxi ride. There is a beach but its not clean. Gambling is illegal in India, but im sure you can still play poker there. Not wise too tell people though. Food is nice, didnt check out the party night life, i here its okay but nothing great.

I have spent 6 months in India. Mostly Delhi and North. (Kashmir/Ladakh/Rajistan/UP)

-girls - very conservative culture, virtually no pickup scene in most cities. Girls hang out with girls. Guys hang out with guys. 9 times out of 10, you will not even see a woman walking alone. They are always under the protective and watchful eye of their older brother/family.

In big cities like Delhi, there are some places that are very Westernized, with Western prices, and Western attitudes. Anything is possible, depending on how much effort you put into it. I found the attitudes more relaxed in Budhist areas in Ladakh, and around college campus areas.

-cost - There is a big difference between being cheap and being good value. India is cheap, but bad value. They simply have really low end options available for low prices, but if you want anything nice, comfortable, clean, you will pay more than in places like Thailand.

-food - I like Indian food, but the variety sucks. And if you want foreign food, you're out of luck or expect to pay a lot. Even the expensive and reputable places don't know how to do foreign food well. I've had plenty of $80-100 dinner bills in Delhi for food that would be half the price and twice as good in USA. Street food also sucks compared to other countries in the region. One thing that I do like is that there are plenty of juice stands everywhere and they are super cheap.

India is a place people either love or hate.

After 6 months, I both hate it and love it, depending on what things I think about.

Ask me anything and I can give you an answer from a foreigner's point of view.

Also, for poker...

Since they don't block the IPs and poker sites don't care, you should be able to play.

You should be able to open a bank account with some 'help'. But keep in mind that India has some of the strongest currency controls in the world. You might be able to wire money in, but find it very hard to wire money out. Only transfer money to India that you will burn in India and no more.

Thanks dc, good stuff. I hope others can add their opinions and experiences as well.

Are there job opportunities for foreigners who enter on tourist visas?

Do the locals try to rip off foreigners more, less or the same as other developing country? I mean how annoying and constant are the little scams and dishonest pricing?

Cheers

never buy anything for the price they tell you. For scams just google "india scams" there's are ton.

I dont know about work but it ill assume its illegal to work with a tourist visa. Unless your degree educated or have a specialist skill your not going to earn a lot of money. As for what jobs opps there I dont know.

As someone said, India is either love or hate, but one thing is for sure, you will never experience anything like it!

What kind of jobs do you realistically expect in a place where menial labor makes a few dollars/day, and skilled labor all seems to have a Masters or PhD in their field?

There are a ton of touts, scammers, and beggars surrounding every major attraction, so if you go to these areas it can be a PIA. If you stay away from these areas, you will not run into these guys often. Best strategy is to not say a word and not make any eye contact - even the most high-pressure guys will leave you alone almost immediately. But if you even say 'no thank you' or make eye contact, they see it as a sign of engagement and interest and will pursue you.

You have to realize that India is a negotiating country. Everyone - including Indians - spends 30 minutes negotiating the stupidest of things. Know how much things cost and no one will take advantage of you. And if you don't know how much something costs, ask even a random person for help and they will help you. Better yet, avoid buying any goods - you will not find good deals in India at the retail level. (compared to USA)

If you are paying for a service, best thing to do is to not pay anything until that service is performed - chances are very high that it will be done to a very low standard and since you gave up your money already, you have no negotiating leverage after the fact. Just like Indians, watch as the service is being done and say something if you don't like the way it's being done. When I went to get a motorcycle service done at a highly respected authorized dealer, the service shop is behind a giant window so you can watch the techs work on your bike. So the waiting area is a little cafe where you can get food and drink, and watch through the window as your bike is being worked on. That's the Indian way.

There are a lot of places in the world that get overrun by tourists and the local attitudes change to accommodate and/or take advantage of the tourists. India is not like that. It's too big to be affected by foreign tourists (save for a few exceptions.) That's what I liked about it. (Thailand is on the other side of the spectrum)

The other big benefit of India is that there are a lot of English speakers and you can genuinely interact with locals. That's a huge plus.