help from singapore

[arpanlib]

hi all,

i was wanting good starins of discus from singapore and around the world, but due to govt. regulations we were not allowed to import discus and pets to india. but last week the govt. has allowed people to import pets, including discus.

now, as this regulation has been passed, i would like to hand carry or get some discus shipped to me.

a small favour i ask from people in singapore is that ;
if anybody could confirm from the airport authorities, that if i come to singapore, will i be allowed to hand carry the discus with me to india or not. i mean, i dont want to encounter with any security problems, as i will be running out of time for my discus packing. i mean, will they allow me to take the fish on board or in the pressurised luggage compartment or not to india.

if anybody could confirm this for me i would be very thankful.

thanx a lot for the help.

hope to receive a positve reply from you all in singapore soon.

thanx a ton.

arpanlib

[SLY]

Hand carrying fishes back is not a problem..I think brigette has done that before so she might know the details. ;)

[arpanlib]

hi SLY,
thanx for showing me some light.

is brigette on this forum and did she hand carry fish back to india or to some other country?

please let me know the details and i would be greatful if you could confirm this for me please.

accordingly i will make arrangements for my trip to singapore.

thanx a ton.

arpanlib

[goldengatediscus]

Hi Arpanlib:
I travelled on SIA from SIN back to SFO in 2002. I did not hand carry any fish, just checked in 2 boxes as luggage. They did not xray our lugage as we checked in. Hopefully, they did it behind the scenes. There are a lot of check-in counters where the luggage is xrayed just before you reach the check-in counter. Note, that if you call SIA and ask them about bringing live fish onboard, they will tell you "no", and that it must be sent as cargo, at a higher rate. I don't know other airlines policies, but I know that SIA telephone customer service person said "no" to just about everything I asked! At the check-in counter, they didn't ask me specifically, if I had any live fish. I know I took a chance, but I said my prayers, called on all the good karma in the world, and just knew that I was going to make it through.

The one thing about xraying the luggage, passing through the security gate etc. I'm not sure who is responsible for that job, the airline, or the airport security people. If it's the airport security, then the only things that they are really looking for are explosive, flammable and other prohibited items. They don't care about live fish. If it's the airline's own security doing the xray, then they may be more picky and knowledgeable the specific airline's own policy regarding live fish.

I know that you're not coming to the US, but customs at SFO was a breeze. The customs officer called the Dept of Fish and Game for an ok, opened the box to look at a fish, and told me that I 'd better get them home! I chose SIA because of their excellent reputation, and also they are the only airline to have a direct flight from SIN to SFO. Once the fish were on the flight, they weren't going to get transferred or lost in transit somewhere

If you are sending the fish through as luggage, have the packer turn the cardboard boxes inside out, so that the boxes don't say "Live Tropical Fish" all over it. I did still write "fragile" and "this side up" all over the boxes. Chai Discus has a nifty styrofoam box that is specifically carry-on size, but I didn't need it and gave it away.

If you smile, act normally, not nervous, be couteous, be postive, then you can get through. If you are questioned, you should be prepared to talk your way into allowing them to let your fish onboard. You should also arrive at the airport early and have a contingency plan, if you come up on a huge obstacle, and for whatever reason, cannot take your fish onboard.

We used the MRT to and from the airport. It's cheap and frequent.
Good luck. There are a lot of beautiful fish in Singapore. Make sure that you eat out at the hawker stalls. :)
HTH,
Brigitte

[SLY]

Great details brigitte..I guess that would help arpanlib a bit. ;)

[keno]

What a great post Brigitte ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Yes Brigette,
Is so nice. Thanks for the gifes again! HONEY :-*
Cary Gld!

[arpanlib]

hi brigitte,
thanx for the detailed info and i think that i would have to take my chances. still iw ould liekt to confirm everthing in advance, so that i and the fish part from each other.
i mean is, where will i send the fish if the airport authorities dont allow me to take the fish on board and i will have to catch the flight back home.

please advise, on this as i dont want to take any chances.

arpanlib

[arpanlib]

hi brigitte,
please explain what is
SIA
SIN
SFO
MRT

i keep visiting singapore frequently and now as i have friends like SLY and ZOIDS to help me there, i dont think that i will have problems.

i wrote a message to SLY and he was very helping and gave me his handy number in case i needed help.
thanx a ton sly and zoids for helping me in different ways.

i just hope that the experience to getting the discus to india is not bad one, so that i can buy discus everytime i go to singapore ;D

also tell me some discus farms to visit and from whom should i buy discus, as i am looking for A grade discus ??? i already plan to visit sly.

thanx a ton for the help.

arpanlib

[ping]

Good post Brigitte. But not sure whether i can do it in Australia.

Let me explain Arpanlib.
SIA - Singapore Airlines
SIN - Singapore
SFO - San Francisco (guessing only)
MRT - Train in Singapore

Hope that will help and correct :)

Cheers,
Ronny

[beta]

Hi Arpan,
Are u sure the govt. has allowed people to import pets, including discus!
I didnt hear about any such policy from our Govt.
Well if its true then its wonderful news for us ;D

[goldengatediscus]

Ronny: Thanks for deciphering the lingo for Arpanlib!

Arpanlib: Since you state that you visit SIN frequently, I suggest that you only purchase discus from 1 or 2 breeders at a time. The reason is that you will need to QT fish from each breeder separately, and it also affects the contingency plan that I was talking about. Say that the worst thing happens, and you cannot take your fish back to India. So now you are stuck at the airport with a box of live, expensive fish.

Firstly, I suggest you get to the airport 3 hours before your flight, and keep a few hundred $$ in your pocket (not for bribes)! I travelled on a frequent flyer ticket, and I could change the return date without penalty, and I was prepared to spend another day in SIN if necessary. Okay, assume the worst, and you cannot check-in the fish as luggage. Then, you take your suitcase over to the left luggage place, take the box of fish in a taxi and get over to Roy's place as fast as you can. He's closer to the airport than a lot of other places. You will have pre-arranged with Roy that if this happens, he will ship the fish to you in India. Leave enough cash with him or his partner to cover the cost of shipping. The reason to only buy from 1 or 2 breeders comes into play here. Most breeders don't like to take fish from unknown sources for fear of disease. If you only bought fish from Roy and someone that he knows and trusts, then he will be more willing to keep the fish, and send them to you within a week. There are many beautiful fish in SIN. I will tell you the same thing that I say to my husband about beautiful women. Look all you want, but no touching! ;D Don't buy 1 or 2 fish from many different breeders. Look and admire, but keep your purchases to 1 or 2 breeders.

Remember too, that shippers have to book cargo space, so if all the cargo space to your destination in India is sold for the next day, you may have to wait a few days until they can book the cargo space for the fish.

I don't know if there is any duty on live fish imported into India, but I know that my husband sent a very expensive computer to a work colleague in India. The duty was more than the cost of this expensive machine, and on top of that his colleague had to pay a bribe to get it!

After you've taken the fish to Roy, get back to the airport as fast as you can, retrieve your luggage, and check-in. If you are absolutely sure that you an make the flight, you can always go ahead and check in your suitcase before you leave for Roy's place. If you miss your flight, oh well, they'll give you your bag back and rebook you on the next flight out. Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best. If you arrive 3 hours early, and check-in without any problems, Changi Airport is one of the best airports to spend a few hours. Remember that there is a supermarket in the basement before you enter immigration. Any last minute gifts are cheaper there rather than within the terminal shops.

Please note that I am only using Roy (Zoids) her as an example. You can work with SLY, John Kwek or any of our Singapore friends from this forum. Trust and friendship are important things.
Brigitte

[SLY]

Great advise again Brigitte :thumbsup:

[arpanlib]

hi brigitte,
thanx for the informative post.

yes i would want the best and would expect the worst also. i think that i would get in touch with 1 or 2 breeders only as you advised and that was a wise advise. thanx a ton for the help.

Beta,
yes the govt. has passed a circular to all the dept. related with import of live pets. i have a a copy of it with me and if i can scan it i will send it to you.

arpanlib

[beta]

Hi Arpan,
Please send the scanned copy to me, let me spread the good news.

Regards