India: The Pound and the Fastest Growing Economy in the World

Trust me to choose to go on my big "Goa/India Trip" when the Pound plummetted to it's lowest value against the Rupee for years. When I first arrived in Goa I managed to exchange my money for 75 Rupees to the Pound. However, during my trip the Pound increasingly fell to as low as 61-62 Rupees, and with rising inflation in India, this didn't amount to much.

Yes, India is still relatively cheap if you haven't been to India before. However, I remember the days of the 80 rupee plus exchange rate and 5 years ago consumer products and petrol were cheaper.

Goa is one of the places in India that caters for Westerners on a large scale, hence it charges tourist prices which are comparable to the West. I was amazed to find that toiletries such as deodorant, shower gels, shampoos were more expensive than the UK. Western companies such as Unilever, Garnier, Dove, Colgate and L'Oreal are making big in-roads into the Indian market and charging sky high prices - in comparison to how much the average Indian earns. Shop wisely if you are going for a long time and don't get ripped off.

I definitley found that my pound didn't go far at times. If I'd gone everywhere by taxi I'd have been broke within three months (see my Taxis and Local Bus post). After exchanging the last of my Sterling, I had to use an ATM, sadly I got a lower exchange rate and was charged £2 for every transaction. Friends took travellers cheques, but had problems changing them. The worst exchange rate I got was at Delhi airport in April, I got 800 Rupees for £15!!

The best exchange rate in North Goa was to be found at a tailors in an alleyway by the disused petrol station on Calangute strip, he regularly offered 3-5 Rupees above everywhere else.

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