India Travel
some Details of Malaria
Sikkim, and is nowadays regarded as the big killer in the subcontinent. It has a variable incubation period of a few days to several weeks, so you can become ill long after being bitten. Programmes to eradicate the disease by spraying mosquito-infested areas and distributing free preventative tablets have proved disastrous; within a short space of time, the Anopheles develop immunities to the insecticides, while the malaria parasite itself constantly mutates into drug-resistant strains, rendering the old cures ineffective.
It is vital for travellers to take preventative tablets according to a strict routine, and to cover the period before and after your trip. The drug used is chloroquine (trade names include Nivaquin, Avloclor and Resochin), usually two tablets weekly, but India has chloroquine-resistant strains, and you’ll need to supplement it with daily proguanil (Paludrine) or weekly Maloprim. In India chloroquine is easy to come by but proguanil isn’t, so stock up before you arrive. Unfortunately, the highly effective weekly anti-malarial Larium (Mefloquine), can cause horrible side effects (see below). Australian authorities are now prescribing the antibiotic Doxy cy dine instead of Mefloquine. As the malaria parasite can incubate in your system without showing symptoms for more than a month, it is essential to continue to take preventative tablets for at least four weeks after returning home: the most common way of catching malaria is by forgetting to do this.
Side-effects of anti-malaria drugs may include itching, rashes, hair loss and sight problems. In the case of Larium some people may experience disorientation, depression and sleep disturbance; if you’re intending to use Larium you should begin to take it two weeks before you depart to see whether it will agree with your metabolism, though normally you only need to begin taking anti-malaria medication a week before your departure date. If you plan on diving, you should perhaps avoid Mefloquine. as there is a worry about possible side effects fot divers.
Protection against malaria is absolutely essential. The disease, caused by a parasite carried in the saliva of female Anopheles mosquitoes, is endemic everywhere in India except high-altitude regions of Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir and Malarial symptoms
The first signs of malaria are remarkabh similar to a severe flu and may take month; to appear: if you suspect anything go to (hospital or clinic immediately. The shivering, burning fever and headaches come in waves, usually in the early evening. Anyone who develops such symptoms should get to a doctor for a blood test as soon as possible. Malaria is not infectious, but some strains are dangerous and occasionally even fatal when not treated promptly, in particular, the chIoroqume-resistant cerebral malaria. This virulent and lethal strain of the disease, which affects the brain, is treatable, but has to be diagnosed early. Erratic body temperature, lack of energy and aches are the first key signs.
Related Properties from Gurgaon
Paharganj in Delhi
The Paharganj area running west from New Delhi railway station, a popular hunting ground for inexpensive and midrange accommodation, has a lively scene - sec p. 119 - that you'll miss if you stay in Connaught Place, just ten minutes' walk south. It's also a place where you can buy from other travellers things they no longer need: Enfield motorbikes, rucksacks, camping gear, malaria tablets and so forth. However, some hotels, particularly those with all-night restaurants, are becoming more like 24hr parties, so if you want to sleep, choose carefully. Lodges at knock-down prices are invariably poky, stuffy and grubby, with
A traveler’s first-aid kit
Below are items you might want to take, especially if you're planning to go trekking -all are available in India itself, at a fraction of what you might pay at home: Antiseptic cream, Insect repellent and cream such as, Anthisan for soothing bits, Plasters/band aids ,A course of Flagyl antibiotics ,Water sterilization tablets or water purifier ,Lint and sealed bandages , Knee supports ,Imodium (Lomotil) for emergency diarrhea treatment ,A mild oral anesthetic such as Bonjela for soothing ulcers or mild tooth the, Paracetamol/aspirin ,Multi-vitamin and mineral tablets, Rehydration sachets ,Hypodermic needles and sterilized skin wipes. tion. Be fussier than usual about
Moving on from Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh
Indian Airlines fly thrice weekly to Delhi (Mon, Wed, Fri 3pm). HRTC run numerous buses to destinations in Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh. Most travellers prefer to book "deluxe" buses through operators in McLeod Ganj near the bus stand. Try Himachal Travels (01892/21428) or Potala Tours & Travels, Bhagsu Road, opposite Hotel Tibet (01892/21378). Buses to Pathankot, handy for train connections and road access to Dalhousie and Chamba leave every 30min from the rains bus stand in the lower town. As well as the services listed in the Travel Details on p.589, there are two or three buses a week
Kollam (Quilon) and around Practicalities In Kerala
The railway station is on the east of town, a three-kilo metre auto-rickshaw ride (Rs 15-20) from the jetty. Numerous daily trains each way run from Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram and beyond. On platform 4, the tiny District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) tourist information counter (Mon-Sat 9am-l 2.30pm & 1.30-5pm) will book hotels for travellers; you have to pay one night in advance, but the only extra charge is for the phone calls. They also have a tourist office (Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm; 0474/742558) at the boat jetty (for boat details, see below for boat details), but will only provide details on their
Little Andaman is the furthest point south in the archipelago
Little Andaman is the furthest point south in the archipelago you can travel to on a standard one-month tourist permit. Located ten hours by sea from Port Blair, most of the island has been set aside as a tribal reserve for the Onge and is thus off limits. The only areas you're allowed to visit lie on either side of the main settlement, Hut Bay, which sits halfway down the east coast. The northern part of this stretch has been mercilessly clear-felled, leaving a stark wasteland flanking the main road to the largest beach at Butler Bay, 16km from Hut
Arrival and information The City in Gujarat
Surat's two main sights are some distance apart, but can be seen in an hour if you take an auto-rickshaw between them. A good spot to start is Chowk, the busy riverside intersection at the toot ot Nehru Bridge. Facing the old British High Court building on one side, and the incongruous steeple of an Anglican church on the other, the castle is the city's oldest monument, erected in 1540 on the banks of the Tapti by the Sultan of Gujarat in an attempt to curtail the trading activities of the Portuguese. It later fell to both the Moghuls and
Old Goa
At one time a byword for splendour, with a population of several hundred thousand, Goa's erstwhile capital, OLD GOA, was virtually abandoned following malaria and cholera epidemics that plagued the city from the seventeenth century onwards. Today you need considerable imagination to picture the once-great capital as it used to be. The maze of twisting streets, piazzas and ochre-washed villas has gone, and all that remains is a score of extraordinarily grandiose churches and convents. Granted World Heritage Status by UNESCO, Old Goa today attracts bus loads of foreign tourists from the coast, and Christian pilgrims from around India, in
Travel details in Ladakh
The bus details here apply during the tourist season between July 1 and September 15 only, after which date the Manali-Leh highway is officially closed. Most other roads, including the highway from Leh to Srinagar Kargil, remain open till the end of October. Despite heavy snow falls, the road from Leh to the Nubra Valley over the open all year. Buses Leh to: Alchi (1 daily; 3hr); Chemrey (3 daily; 2hr); Dishit (Nubra) (1 weekly; 6hr); Hemis (1-2 daily; 1hr 45minl; Kargil (2-3 daily; 6hr 30min); Lamayuru (2-3 daily; 6hr 30min); Likkir (1 daily; 3hr); Manali (6-8 daily; 28hr); Matho (2 daily;
Southeastern Gujarat
The seldom-visited southeastern corner of Gujarat, sandwiched between Maharashtra and the Arabian Sea, harbours few attractions to entice you off the road or railway line to or from Mumbai. There's little to recommend Vadodara (Baroda), former capital of the Gaekwad rajas, but its proximity to the old Muslim town of Champaner and the ruined forts and exotic Jain and Hindu temples that encrust Pavagadh Hill. Further south, the dairy pastures around Anand gradually give way to a swampy, malaria-infested coastal strip of banana plantations and shimmering saltpans cut by silty, sinuous rivers and peppered with mango trees and brick villages.
Accommodation price codes of Ladakh
All accommodation prices in this book have been categorized using the price codes below. Prices given are for a double room, and all taxes are included, for more details. OuptoRs100 Rs30CMOO Rs900-1500 R3100-200 Rs400-600 Rs1500-2500 Rs200-300 Rs600-900
Accommodation price codes All accommodation prices in this book have been categorized using the price codes below. Prices given are for a double room, and all taxes are included. For more details. up to Rs100 Rs300-400 Rs900-1500 Rs100-200 Rs4Q0-600 Rs1500-2500 RS200-300 RS600-900
Accommodation price codes to Goa
All accommodation prices in this book have been categorized using the price codes below. Prices given are for a double room, and all taxes are included. For more details. up to Rs100 Rs300-400 Rs900-1500 Rs100-200 Rs4Q0-600 Rs1500-2500 RS200-300 RS600-900
Accommodation price codes in Gujarat
All accommodation prices in this book have been categorized using the price codes below. Prices given are lor a double room, and all taxes are included. For more details, O up to Rs100 RS300-400 Rs900-1500 Rs100-200 Rs400-600 Rs1500-2500 Rs200-300 Rs600-900
Details of The Andaman Islands
The ANDAMAN ISLANDS, comprising India's most remote state, are situated 1000km off the east coast in the middle of the Bay of Bengal, connected to the mainland by flights and ferries from Calcutta, Chennai and Vishakapatnam. Thickly covered by deep green tropical forest, the archipelago supports a profusion of wildlife, including some extremely rare species of bird, but the principal attraction for tourists lies offshore, around the pristine reefs ringing most of the islands. Filled with colourful fish and kaleidoscopic corals, the crystal-clear waters of the Andaman Sea feature some of the world's richest and least spoilt marine reserves —
Travel details for Travel details in Kerala
For details of ferry services on the backwaters - primarily between Alappuzha and Kollam. Trains Kochi/Ernakulam to: Alappuzha (3-5 daily; 1hr 20min): Bangalore (1 daily; 14hr); Chennai (3-5 daily; 12hr45min-14hr40min); Coimbatore (3-4 daily; 4hr 45min-5hr 30min); Delhi (2 daily; 40hr 30min-49tir), Kanniyakumari (2-3 daily; 8hr); Kollam (8-9 daily; 3-4tir|; Kottayam (8-9 daily; 1hr 5min); Kozhikode (6-7.daily; 3hr 20min-6hr 20min); Mumbai (2-3 daily; 28hr 20min 10hr 25min); Palakkad (5-6 daily; 3hr 20mm); Tliiriivananthapuram (9-11 daily; 4hr 20min-5hr): Thrissur (12-14 daily; 1 hr 30min-2hr). Kozhikode to: Kochi (6-7 daily; 4hr 30min-5hr 10min); Mangalore (3-4 daily; 5hr 40min-6hr); Mumbai (2-3 daily; 16hr 20min-23hr); Thiruvananthapuram (4-6
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.
Accommodation price codes Haryana and Punjab
All accommodation prices in this book have been categorized using the price codes below. Prices given are for a double room, and all taxes are included. For more details, see p.51. uptoRs100 Rs300-400 Rs900-1500 Rs100-200 Rs400-600 Rs1500-2500 Rs200-300 RS600-900
Details of Other islands
The remaining islands open to foreign tourists in the Andaman group are ail hard to get to and, with the exception of Little Andaman - where a vestigial population of Onge tribespeople have survived a massive influx of Indian Tamils and native Nicobars - uninhabited. Two hours' boat ride south of Chiriya Tapu on South Andaman, Cinque Island offers superlative diving, outshone only by distant Barren Island, whose volcanic sand beds teem with marine life.
Inter-island services in The Andaman Islands
Buses connect Port Blair with most major settlements on South and Middle Andaman, mainly via the Andaman Trunk Road. From the crowded, disorganized bus stand at the bottom of town, one daily government service at 5am runs via Rangat (6hr) as far as Mayabunder (9hr), from where you have to catch a boat across the straits to Kalighat on North Andaman in order to press on north to Diglipur and Ariel Bay. There's another daily service to Rangat at 6am. Several private companies including Geetanjali Travels (tickets at Tillie teashop by the bus stand) and the cheaper Ananda run deluxe
Details of Jalgaon in Maharashtra
Straddling an important junction in the Central and Western Railway networks, as well as the main trans-Deccan trunk road. NH-6. JALGAON is a busy market town for the region's cotton and banana growers, and a key jump-ing-off point for travellers heading to or from the Ajanta caves, 58km south. Even though the town holds nothing of interest, you may find yourself obliged to hole up here to be well placed for a morning departure. It so, an early night with a good book should appeal considerably more than the dismal cafes and seedy permit-rooms (bars) outside the railway station.