New Apartment
Well Sally arrived this weekend, just in time for my Birthday. I dragged her out at 8 am on Saturday to look at three apartments that I had shortlisted for us. We had 2 in Vasant Vihar and 1 in Shanti Niketan.We settled on the flat in Shanti Niketan. It isn't as modern as some of the others, but the space is great, light is good & it has a 2 floor terrace... So really, what else could you want! So, now we are busy planning our furniture purchases, paint colors, and general purchases to outfit the joint. This will surely keep us busy, but will certainly be a fun few weeks. I am posting some photos here, but will give you a better tour as we fit the place out. And before you heckle me, yes... there is a Pink Bathroom & a Blue Bathroom. I couldn't have planned that....
7 comments:
Shanti Niketan is a great place to be. My college campus was right next to Shanti Niketan, so we have a lot of memories in that neighborhood. And still, when we get a chance to hang out there, we never miss it, just a bunch of friends from college reliving the good old days and hoping for better ones in the future.
I wish I had the financial resources to have a house (or at least an apartment) there.
Hey,
Aren't you a wealthy expat? can't you get a better place? not that it looks bad, but on an expat salary, I'd think you could live like a king in India.
No?
Good Question. Yes, we could stay in a much more elaborate home, but made a decision to live a little more frugally while here. Back home we have 2 homes that are being rented - but still have property tax bills, assesments, and what ever is not covered by rent. Also, Sally is off to grad school in 2010 (another 100k USD).
So, made a decision not to blow all the money in the world on housing. Besides, have you seen the US market lately - I'm not taking anything for granted!
Seriously though, some expats have housing paid for directly by their company package. I have a stipend. What I don't spend, I earn. So, decided to go the practical route.
Oh and another thing - regarding "live like a king". Frankly rent in Delhi is comparable to rent in Chicago if you try to live in Vasant Vihar, Shanti Niketan, West End. All the rents are driven up by the embassy types. Since I work in Gurgaon - but insist on living in Delhi, and I want to take advantage of NH-8 (the national highway), I'm limited to these areas. I priced out many options. To "live like a king" (3 bedroom, new construction, terrace/balcony) minimum rent would be around 130,000 INR - 180,000 INR a month. That is $2800-3913 USD a month.
And frankly, if you live in a regular house, even in an upscale neighborhood like Shanti Niketan, chances are that you will get to experience regular daily Delhi life, instead of the expat bubble (though given the color of your skin- you are white, right? - you're still going to be charged double). There is something reassuring (if noisy) about the daily rounds of the vegetable sellers, the newspaperwallas who ring your doorbell at 6:00 AM, the crows that start their raucous cawing at 5:00, the welder who starts clanging away with his hammer at 6:30 - you get the idea...
$4,000 dollars for an apartment in Delhi?
wow!
How much do middle class indians make? it can be all expatriates paying for those apartments.
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