India Travel

Book and map outlets in the UK and Ireland

Related Properties from Gurgaon

Book and map outlets in Australia and New Zealand

Mapland, 372 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC3000 03/9670 4383 The Map Shop 16a Peel St, Adelaide. SA 500008/8231 2033 Perth Map Centre 884 Hay St, Perth, WA 6000308/9322 5733 Speciality Maps 58 Albert St. Auckland 3)09/307 2217 Travel Bookshop Shop 3,175 Liverpool St, Sydney, NSW 2000 302/9261 8200 Worldwide Maps and Guides 187 George St. Brisbane, OLD 4000 07/3221 4330 Mapworld, 173 Gloucester Street, Chnstchurch 303/374 5399, fax 03/374 5633,

Book and map outlets in Canada

Open Air Books and Maps, 25 Toronto St, Toronto, ON M5R 2C1 416/363-0719. Ulysses Travel Bookshop, 4176 St-Denis, Montreal 514/843-9447. World of Maps, 1235 Wellington St. Ottawa. ON K1Y3A3 613/724-6776, World Wide Books and Maps, 552 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC V6B 3J5 604/687-3320

Book and map outlets in the USA

ADC Map and Travel Center, 1636 I St NW, Washington DC 20006 e 202/628 2608, Adventurous Traveler Bookstore, P0 Box64769, Burlington, VT 05406 1-800/282-3963,8 Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd, Corte Madera, CA 94925 415/927-0960, The Complete Traveler Bookstore, 199Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 212/685- 9007; 3207 Fillmore St, San Francisco. CA 92123 415/923-1511. Distant Lands, 56 S Raymond Ave. Pasadena,CA 91105 626/449-3220, Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S Main St, Seattle, WA 98104 $206/624-6600, Map Link, 30 S La Petera Lane, Unit #5, Santa Barbara, CA 93117 805/692-6777, Phileas Fogg's Books & Maps, #87 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, CA 94304 1- 800/533-FOGG. Rand McNally,

Flights from regional airports and Ireland

No direct flights to India are available from regional British airports. From Manchester your best bet is to fly with Emirates or Gulf Air to Delhi or Mumbai via Dubai for £420-550, depending on season. You can also pick up KLM flights to India by flying first to Amsterdam; either fly KLM from Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff or Manchester (for the same price as from London), or KLM UK from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Humberside, Leeds/Bradford, Norwich, or Newcastle. Similarly, Air France flies to Paris from Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow; in general, both KLM and Air France beat BA by

Getting good maps of India

Getting good maps of India, in India, can be difficult; the government - in an archaic suspicion of cartography - forbids the sale of detailed maps of border areas, which include the entire coastline. In theory, certain ; maps, especially detailed ones of border areas skirting Tibet and Pakistan, are illegal, so use them very discreetly. These maps are available outside India, and useful if you are going to be trekking in places like Ladakh, Spiti, Sikkim and Garhwal. It makes sense to bring a basic map of India with you, such as Bartholomew's 1:4,000,000 map of South Asia, which has

Bharat Mata northwest of Godaulia in the Eastern UP

About 3km northwest of Godaulia, outside the old city, the modern temple of Bharat Mata (Mother India), inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi, is unusual id that it has a huge relief map in marble of the whole of the Indian subcontinent and the Tibetan plateau, with mountains, rivers and the holy tirthas all clearly visible. Pilgrims circumambulate the map before viewing it in its entirety from the second floor. The temple can be reached by rickshaw from Godaulia for around Rs7.

Information of Mumbai

The best source of information in Mumbai is the excellent Government of India tourist office (Mon-Fri 8.30am-6pm. Sat 8.30am-2pm; 022/203 3144) at 123 M Karve Rd, opposite Churchgate station's east exit. The staff here are exceptionally helpful and hand out a wide range of leaflets, maps and brochures both on Mumbai and the rest of the country. There are also 24hr tourist information counters at Sahar International (022/832 5331) and Santa Cruz (022/615 9320) airports. Maharashtra State Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (MTDC) main office, on Madam Cama Road (Mon-Sat 8.30am-7pm; 022/202 6731), opposite the LIC Building in Nariman Point, sells tickets

Shopping for Ramnagar in Eastern UP

With hustlers and rickshaw drivers keen to drag tourists into shops offering commission, shopping in Varanasi can be a nightmare — but it's worth seeking out the city's rich silk-weaving and brasswork. The best areas to browse are the Thatheri Bazaar (for brass), or Jnana Vapi and the Vishwanatha Gah with its Temple Bazaar (for silk brocade and jewellery). State-run emporia in Godaulia, Lahurabir and the Chowk - the three UP Handlooms outlets at Lahurabir, Nadesar and Neechi Bag, and Mahatex in Godaulia - offer fixed prices and assured quality. Housed in a former palace opposite the Taj Hotel in

Shopping at Ramnagar in Varanasi at the Eastern UP

With hustlers and rickshaw drivers keen to drag tourists into shops offering commission, shopping in Varanasi can be a nightmare — but it's worth seeking out the city's rich silk-weaving and brasswork. The best areas to browse are the Thither Bazaar (for brass), or Jnana Vapi and the Vishwanatha Gah with its Temple Bazaar (for silk brocade and jewellery). State-run emporia in Godaulia, Lahurabir and the Chowk - the three UP Handlooms outlets at Lahurabir, Nadesar and Neechi Bag, and Mahatex in Godaulia - offer fixed prices and assured quality. Housed in a former palace opposite the Taj Hotel in

Practicalities of Nainital in Uttaranchal

Two main highways approach Nainital from opposite ends; one arrives at Mallital from Ranmagar and Corbett National Park, the other, which brings in most of the traffic, comes in at Tallital in the south. Buses and taxis from Tallital travel with great frequency to the closest railhead at Kathgodam near Haklwani, 40km south. The nearest airport, at Pantnagar, 72km south, is rarely used and best reached by taxi. ParvatTours and Tourist Information Centre,Tallital (05942/35656), run by KMVN, organizes tours, car rental and books accommodation at all KMVN lodges. Cars can also be rented from agencies along the Mall, such as Hina

Getting there from Britain and Ireland

British Airways and Air India fly nonstop from Britain to Delhi and Mumbai (Bombay), and fly direct to Chennai (Madras), Calcutta and Ahmedabad; feeder flights from Air India and the extensive domestic airline network can link you to any number of Indian cities. Discounted return fares on these vary from just under £450 in low season {roughly Jan-June, except Easter, & Nov) to upwards of £600 in high season (July, Aug & Dec). A cheaper option is to take an indirect flight which involves a change of plane and inevitably takes a few hours longer, though the airline may also allow

Eating to Amritsar in Haryana and Punjab

Amritsar boasts a clutch of swish a/c restaurants, mostly located in the modern end of town north of the railway. For cheaper food, try the simple vegetarian dhabas around the Golden Temple and bus stand serving cheap and tasty puris and chana dhal. Some local specialities are Amritsari Gsh and pinnies and matthies, sweets made from lentils available at Durga% on Lawrence Road. Bharawan da Dhaba. near the Town Hall. One of the best dhabas in Amritsar, not far from the Golden Temple. Cheap, wholesome and recommended. Crystal, Crystal Chowk. Ore of the city's most popular restaurants, with mid-priced Indian, Chinese and

Arrival and information of Mumbai

Unless you arrive in Mumbai by train at Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus), be prepared for a long slog into the centre. The international and domestic airports are north of the city, way off the map, and ninety minutes or more by road from the main hotel areas, while from Mumbai Central train or bus station, you face a laborious trip across town. Finding a place to stay can be even more of a hassle; phone around before you set off into the traffic.

Varkalanorthwest Arrival and information in Kerala

Varkala's railway station, 2km east of the village, is served by express and mai trains from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam (hourly; 45min), and most other Keralan towns on the main line. An auto-rickshaw to the beach costs around Rs20-30. Regular buses also run from Thiruvananthapuram's Thampanoo stand, and from Kollam (lhr-2hr 30mm). A few go all the way to the bead" but most stop in the village centre, a five-minute auto-rickshaw ride away. 1 you can't get a direct bus, take any "superfast" or "limited stop" bus along th main highway, NH-47, and change at Kallamballam from where you can ho onto

Shiv Sagar at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh

A short way south of the complex, a few hundred metres from Matangesvara, the Shiv Sagar tank is surrounded by a motley assortment of buildings and open space. The steps down to it are animated with pilgrims bathing and collecting water from the "Ocean of Shiva". Cunningham's original map of the temples showed a body of water that ran north to divide the Western Group into two sections; crossing it to the temples may have represented a symbolic transition from the finite to the celestial.

Important Telephone Numbers : Hyderabad

Cycles Bicycles can be rented for Rs 20 per day at a friendly stall on the right as you approach Hyderabad station from Nampally High Road. Hospitals : The government-run Gandhi Hospital is in Secunderabad; the private CDR Hospital is in Himayataagari and there's a Tropical Diseases Hospital in Nallakunta. Internet access : The most convenient internet access is available from Satyam Online at Modern Xerox (daily 9am-10pm: s 040/460 3894, near the Ek-minar mosque, behind Nampally station, for Rs 35 per hour. Other outlets are to be found in the Abids area. Library : The British Library at Secretariat Road (Tues-Sat 11

Books in Calcutta

The month-long Calcutta Book Fair, held on the Maidan near Park Street in January and February, is now among the biggest of its kind in the country, and provides a good opportunity to pick up books at a discount. Classical Books, Middleton Row. Small, friendly and well worth a browse. Dey Bros. B47 New Market. One of several bookshops in this part of the market selling popular books on India and a selection of novels. Family Book Shop, 1A Park St. On the Chowringhee end of Park Street, this place is small but crammed full of books. Landmark, Emami Shoppers City, 3

Information in Delhi

There are reasonably helpful tourist offices at the inCernational and domestic air por Cs, railway stations and bus tetminals, and the Government of India tourist office at 88 Janpath, just south of Connaught Place (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-4.30pm), is a good place to pick up information on Delhi's sites, city tours, shopping, cultural events and accommodation. They also provide free maps of che city; you'll find the same ones sold in the streets at negotiable prices.The information counter at the less busy DTTDC (Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation) office, Bombay Life Building, Middle Circle (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-lpm; )

The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in North Bengal

The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, reached via the zoo and covered by the same ticket, is one of India's most important training centres for mountaineers, holding numerous courses (Indians only) throughout the year. Its first director was Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, the conqueror of Everest, who lived and died in Darjeeling; although he claimed to be a Sherpa, a recent book has instigated controversy by tracing his roots to Tibet. Most of the instructors are still Sherpa or Bhutia mountain men. In the heart of the beautiful leafy complex are two fascinating exhibition halls (daily except Thurs 9am-4.30pm). THMI Museum is dedicated to

Arrival, information and orientation of Udhagamandalam in Central Nadu

Most visitors arrive in Ooty either by bus from Mysore in Karnataka (the more scenic, if steeper, route goes via Masinagudi), or on the miniature mountain railway from Coonoor and Mettupalayani. The bus and railway stations are fairly close together, at the western end of the big bazaar and racecourse. Local transport consists of auto-rickshaws and taxis, which meet incoming trains and gather outside the bus stand and on Commercial Road around Charing Cross. You can rent bikes but the steep hills make cycling very hard work. The TTDC tourist office (Mon-Sat 10am-5.45pm) on the corner of Kelso Road and Woodhouse