India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (121 page)

Ambulance
Dial
102.

Area Code
The area code for Kochi is
0484.

ATMs
Kochi has hundreds of ATMs; ask your driver or host for the nearest.

Banks
There are more than 50 banks in Kochi. Hours are Monday to Friday 10am to 3pm (some 9am–1pm); Saturday 10am to 1pm (some 12:30pm). Some have evening counters and a few open Sunday. See “Currency Exchange,” below.

Bookstores
Both branches of
Idiom Books
are wonderful for a wide variety of books on India, its culture, and its literature. In Fort Kochi, the store is at the corner of Bastion and Quirose streets (
0484/221-7075;
Mon–Sat 9am–9pm, Sun 10am–6pm). In Mattancherry, it’s opposite the Boat Jetty on Jew Street (
0484/222-5604
).

Car Hires & Taxis
On average, you can expect to pay Rs 150 per hour or Rs 8 per kilometer for a taxi. The
Government of India Tourist Office
(near Taj Malabar Hotel, Willingdon Island;
0484/266-8352;
Mon–Fri 9am–5:30pm, Sat 9am–1pm) has a fleet of Ambassadors. Also try
Sita World Travel
(Tharakan Bldg., M.G. Rd., Ernakulam;
0484/237-4122
) or
Kerala Adventures
(see “Guided Tours & Travel Agents,” above).

Currency Exchange
You can exchange currency and traveler’s checks at any of the many banks in Kochi, like
Canara Bank
in Fort Kochi (Kunnumpuram Junction, Amaravathy Rd.;
0484/221-5467;
Mon–Fri 10am–2pm and 2:30–3:30pm, Sat 10am–noon) or
Standard Chartered
(M.G. Rd., Ernakulam;
0484/235-9462;
Mon–Fri 9:30am–4:30pm, Sat till 1pm).
Thomas Cook
is also on M.G. Rd. (
0484/236-9729;
Mon–Sat 9:30am–6pm) and has a branch at the airport (
0484/261-0052 or -0032). Note that credit cards outside of big hotels are not the norm (and some of these accept only MasterCard and Visa), so always carry some cash.

Drugstores
Medilab (Doraiswamy Iyer Rd., Ernakulam;
0484/236-8963) is open around the clock, as is Ernakulam Medical Centre on the NH Bypass (
0484/280-7101).