India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (231 page)

Hospitals
All India Institute of Medicinal Sciences
(
011/2658-8500
), on Ansari Nagar, has a 24-hour trauma unit. Alternatively, head for
Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital
(Baba Khadak Singh Marg;
011/2336-5933
or -5525) or, farther afield, is
Apollo Hospital
on the Delhi–Mathura Road (
011/2682-5858
or -5801); both have 24-hour emergency service.

Internet Access
Numerous outlets are located all over the city and charge Rs 25 to Rs 75 per hour.

Mobile Phones
You can buy prepaid cellphone cards almost anywhere in Delhi (see chapter 3); however, the procedure has been severely complicated by various anti-terrorism laws that will require you to supply ID photos and copies of your passport and visa, and possibly proof of residence. Call pricing options also vary considerably according to network and package purchased. Best to ask your hotel about the best (and simplest) rental scheme, or call
Matrix
at
011/2680-0000
(
www.matrix.in
);
they promise to deliver a phone to you within 2 hours.

Newspapers & Magazines
Indian Express, Hindustan Times,
and
The Times of India
are good national dailies that provide the lowdown on (largely) the political scene.
Outlook
and
India Today
are weekly news magazines that cover a range of issues; of the two, Outlook is more populist and interesting to read.
Time Out New Delhi
(Rs 50) is a superb source of (sometimes sycophantic) information about every conceivable activity in town, with good accounts of new establishments and entertainment events; you can access most of it on
www.timeoutdelhi.net
. It’s considerably better than
First City,
a reasonable monthly magazine carrying comprehensive reviews and listings.
Delhi Diary
is a city guide published weekly, and
The Delhi City Complete Guide and Magazine
(Rs 20) is published every 2 weeks; both are available at hotels and tourism offices and include events listings. You can also check out the latter’s website at
www.thedelhicity.com
. A good Web-based source of information on Delhi is
www.gocityguides.com
for general advice as well as what’s on the cards for the month, but reviews are even less critical than Time Out. For travel further afield,
Outlook Traveller
(
www.outlooktraveller.com
)
is a top-quality locally produced travel magazine.

Police
See “Emergencies,” above.

Post Office
Try the post office at Parliament Street (
011/2336-4111
) or the
GPO
at Gol Khana, 5 minutes from Connaught Place. But best to ask your hotel to mail items.

Restrooms
Avoid free public restrooms but in emergencies, you can use the Pay & Use facilities (Rs 2) or independently managed Sulabh Shauchalya (“shauchalya” means toilets), which are slightly better maintained.

Safety
Delhi, like the rest of India, is relatively safe, though the city has seen an increase in crime. It’s unwise for women to travel alone at night.

Taxis
See “Getting Around,” above.

Weather
Delhi’s summers are notoriously unbearable; October/November to February are the best times to go.

Yoga & Meditation
Sivananda Yoga Sevashram
(
98/1132-8067;
www.yogayogini.com
),
Studio Abhyas
(
011/2696-2757;
http://abhyastrust.org
),
Sri Aurobindo Ashram
(
011/2652-4807
),
Tushita Meditation Centre
(
011/2651-3400;
www.tushita.info
)—all offer short- and long-term classes.