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Related Properties from Gurgaon

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

Practicalities of Pondicherry in Tamil Nadu

All buses - long and short distance - pull into New Bus Stand, which lies on the west edge of town; for a summary of routes, see the Travel Details on p. 1291. From here, a rather precarious cycle-rickshaw ride into the main hotel district should cost about Rs20, and an auto-rickshaw Rs30. Pondicherry's railway station is in the south, five minutes' walk from the sea; on a branch line, it's connected by four daily trains to the main line at Villupuram. The newly refurbished Pondicherry Tourism Development Corporation office is on Goubert Salai (daily 8.45am—1pm & 2-5.30pm). The staffs are

Medical resources for travelers

For up-to-the-minute information, make an appointment at a travel clinic. These clinics also sell travel accessories, including mosquito nets and first-aid kits. Information about specific diseases and conditions, drugs and herbal remedies is provided as well as advice from health experts. You could also consult the Rough Guide to Travel Health by Dr Nick Jones. UK British Airways Travel Clinics Operates several clinics located in London including 156 Regent St, London W1 020/7439 9584 (Mon-Fri 9.30am-5.15pm, Sat10am-4pm; no appointment necessary). There are appointment-only branches at 101 Cheapside, London EC2 020/7606 2977, and at the BA terminal in London's Victoria Station 020/7233 6661.

Listings of Jaipur in Rajasthan

Airlines Indian Airlines, Nehru Place, Tonk Road, the southward continuation of Sawai Ram Singh Road. Jet's agents are Travel-Care, E-4, Ground Floor, Jaipur Tower, Ml Road. For ANA, Continental, Royal Brunei, Royal Nepal. Sri Lankan and Thai go to STIC Travels, 4th Floor Ganpati Plaza, Ml Road. El Al, Korean and Malaysia operate through a shared office at 304 Ganpati Plaza, Ml Road. In the same building, you'll also find the Air India office, Just down the road, British Airlines are at G-2 Usha Plaza, Ml Road. With the exception of Lufthansa, who are at Sharangi Mansion, New Gate, the

Leaving India in Delhi

Most travellers leave India by plane, while the most likely overland destination from Delhi is Pakistan, and it's not uncommon to head straight for Nepal. Anyone travelling to a country that requires a visa should get the necessary documentation from the embassy concerned. Before going to the embassy, call to check opening hours, how many photos you'll need, and the likely waiting period.

Packages and organized tours

Wrapping India up into a tidy package makes it less daunting and more comprehensible to many first-time tourists. A tour company can also shield you from the subcontinent's many little frustrations, enabling you to cover more ground than if you were going it alone. Of course, you'll have to be prebared to forgo independence and spontaneity, and accept that there will be only fleeting and predominantly mercenary encounters with local people. Tours of India work best when they focus on one region of the country, or when based on an activity or a special interest. A fairly standard bestseller list is

Information of the Agra in the Uttar Pradesh

Agra has two tourist offices, one run by the Government of India, at 191 The Mall (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat 9am-1pm), and one run by UF Tourism, close to the darks Shimz, at 64 Taj Rd (same hours); there is also an information booth at Cantonment station. The Government of India office is better organized and provides information about other destinations, though both supply information on hotels and local sights, and details of tours that start and end at Agra Cantonment railway station.

Getting there from Australia & New Zealand

There are no nonstop flights to India from either Australia or New Zealand; you have to make at least one change of plane in a Southeast Asian hub city (usually Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Bangkok). The choice of routes and airlines is bewildering, and most agents will offer you a combination of two or more carriers to get the best price. Bear in mind when you're shopping around which city you want to fly into; your point of arrival may well affect your eventual itinerary, and there's no point in saving a few dollars on the cost of an air ticket

Packages and organized tours

Wrapping India up into a tidy package makes it less daunting and more comprehensible for many first-time tourists. A tour company can also shield you from the subcontinent's many little frustrations, enabling you to cover more ground than if you were going it alone. Of course, you'll have to be prepared to forgo independence and spontaneity, and accept that there will be only fleeting and predominantly mercenary encounters with local people, " Tours of India work best when they focus on one region of the country, or when based on an activity or a special interest, A fairly

Information of Varanasi in Eastern UP

The main UPTDC tourist office is at their Tourist Bungalow on Parade Komi) though their tourist information counter inside the railway station is far more efficient and on the ball - the boss, Uma Shankar, seems to regard the protection of tourists as a personal crusade. Both book accommodation and provide free maps. The shabby Bihar Government Tourist Office at Englishia Market, Slier Shah Suri Marg. Cantonment, is useful if you're heading east towards the Buddhist centres. The Government of India Tourist Office languishes in the leafy suburbs of the Cantonment, a long way from the main attractions of the old

National Museum of Natural History in Central New Delhi

The galleries at the National Museum of Natural History, FICCI Building, Barakhamba Road (daily except Sat 10am-5pm; free), house exhibitions on natural resources and ecology projects from all over the world, with a particular focus on India. Along with models of dinosaurs, stuffed animals and birds and fossils, there are supervised activity rooms in which children learn to model animals and handle specimens. Such appreciation of ecological issues is all roorare in India, where forests and natural habitats are fast disappearing, and the list of endangered species is growing rapidly.

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 there from North America

India is on the other side of the planet from North America. If you live on the East Coast it's somewhat shorter to go via Europe, and from the West Coast it's shorter via the Pacific, but either way it's a long haul, involving one or more intermediate stops, and you'll arrive fresher and less jet-lagged if you can manage to fit in a few days' layover somewhere en route. Most North American travellers arrive at either Delhi or Mumbai (Bombay), India's busiest - and, in general, cheapest - air gateways. Either one makes a good starting/ending point for a tour

From eastern and central USA

Flying east, you'll stop over somewhere in Europe (most often London), the Gulf, or both. Figure on at least eighteen hours' total travel time from the East Coast. Air India and PIA discount their tickets heavily through a few specialist, understaffed New York consolidators. Marked-down tickets on European carriers - notably British Airways, Air France, KLM/Northwest and Lufthansa - are frequently sold by other discount agents. Other airlines flying between the eastern US and India include KLM/Northwest, Air France, Virgin Atlantic, Aeroflot, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airways and Egypt Air. Or you can simply hop on any of the dozens of

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

From the West Coast

From the West Coast, it takes about as long to fly east or west - a minimum of 22 hours' total travel time - and if you're booking through a consolidator there may not be much difference in price. Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific, Northwest, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines are the main carriers flying over the Pacific to India, via their respective hubs. Air India doesn't do the trans-Pacific route, but can book passengers on Northwest to any of several Asian capitals and then fly them the rest of the way. From Los Angeles or San Francisco, you're looking at a

Elephanta in Mumbai

An hour's boat ride from Colaba, the tranquil, forested island of ELEPHANTA is one of the most atmospheric places in Mumbai. Populated only by a small fishing community, it makes a wonderful contrast to the seething claustrophobia of the city, even when crowded with day-trippers at weekends. Originally known as Gharapuri, the "city of Ghara priests", the island was renamed in the sixteenth century by the Portuguese in honour of the carved elephant they found at the port. Its chief attraction is its unique cave temple, whose massive Trimurti (three-faced) Shiva sculpture is as fine an example of Hindu architecture

Nightlife and entertainment in Delhi

The nightlife scene in Delhi is in full swing, with the advent of pubs and private nightclubs. During the week, the clubs are empty - stick to central restaurants and the well-stocked bars at up market hotels if you want some atmosphere. Come the weekend, though, bars are full by 9pm and clubs take of at midnight. Most clubs are in five-star hotels and operate couples-only policies at the door; women usually get in free, and men pay Rs400. Another option is to take an auto to India Gate and Rajpath any night after 8pm for a nightly people's party

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

St Francis Church in Kerala

Walking on from the Chinese fishing nets brings you to a typically English village green. In one corner stands the church of St Francis, the first European church in India. Originally built in wood and named Santo Antonio, it was probably associated with Franciscan friars from Portugal. Exactly when it was founded is not known, but the stone structure is likely to date from the early sixteenth century; the land was a gift of the local raja, and the title deeds, written on palm leaf, are still kept in the church today. The facade, with multicurved sides, became the model