Delhi Airport matters
*********************
Indo Canadian Travel House, Sec 22, SCO No 6xxx on Himalaya
Marg, at the very end towards ISBT.
0172-5095462,
0172-5094303,
0172-5090758 and
mobile is 9876011700
They offer Airport shuttle with home pickup service for 650 Rs.
maybe four or five times a day. 10am, 12am, 2pm, 4pm, 7pm maybe.
After some 20km or so somewhere (forgot the place's name) you
change to a Minibus with max 12 passengers. With lots of luggage or
for circumgoing auto rikshaws in Delhi that's ok. But India-feeling not
included ;-)
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Getting away for less money from Delhi Airport: upstairs is Departure
area, downstairs is Arrival area. From Arrival area I don't know the
way upstairs to Departure area, but anyway from Departure area go
round the corner where all vehicles, which drop passengers, leave to.
There autos often wait, because there no policemen observe them that
much. Prices are 150 Rs. to ISBT at night, day should be less, maybe
120-130. I think official meter-price is something like 8 Rs. for 1st
kilometer and between 3 to 5 for each proceeding kilometer- I think...
Distance Airport ISBT is 24km or so, just if Rikshaw drivers tell you
something about 50 or 60km...
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Another way is prepaid taxi, round 300 Rs. to ISBT or the half hourly
leaving bus, also to ISBT. Ask policemen at Arrival area.
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For maximum auto rikshaw fun, generally in Delhi: look out for tall
Sikh guys ;-)
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At ISBT Delhi, somewhere inside there must be a Prepaid Auto
rikshaw stand. Never saw it, but it IS there, try asking bus conductors
or shop keepers for it. Other guys too often are the long arms of
private tricksters and other crooks.
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When you are in a hurry it's always worth scanning the busses outside
the busstand just before they leave... They shout out their destinations
or you ask the driver/conductor.
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Post
*****
Give your parcels GOOD a padding inside! I mean GOOD padding! I
saw my own parcels, they looked raped, some contents broken...
Moreover the Indian customs open the thing and have a look, so if you
packed it tooooooo tight and chaotic, they cannot repack it properly
and put the whole thing in a plastic bag, some rope, some sticky tape,
done. Hurts...
------------------------------
If you use those metal boxes with lock (very cheap available e.g. near
Fun Republic, on the way to Manimajra TraineeHouse, at the
intersection where those two shoe vendors are, on the right of them,
200 Rs. ONLY a big metal box)... if you do so, don't lock it :-)
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Example Prices:
round 5kg - 2000 Rs. to New Zealand
Speedpost to Europe/Germany:
10,9kg - 3950 Rs. (marked as merchandise)
0,750kg - 875 Rs. (marked as merchandise)
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Speedpost took only 6 days to Germany. Within Germany DHL took
over and delivered. Normal airmail, registered parcel (no speedpost)
seems to be delivered by government post and takes 4 weeks. (at least
to Germany)
------------------------------
I copied a price list for all weights and destinations (and forgot to
leave it in MHA), but my scanner is not installed yet. Later...
Administration matters
*************************
This info is almost redundant, but anyway: Always always always
make xerox copies/scans of documents, you might need them! A scan
in an online file repository or so might also me helpful. A copy/scan of
credit cards is also helpful, how do you want to block that thing if you
don't know the number/exp- date?
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If you have an Residential Permit (stay longer than 180 days), get your
Exit Permit stamp from the FRO (Foreigner Registration Office) in
Sec. 9, Chandigarh Police Headquarters building, right entrance.
("Police Headquarters" is written on that building, so don't get off the
rikshaw before you see that... like I did...) Have your flight confirmed
at that time when you sign-off India :-) Maybe the customs at airport
just got suspicious because of my copy instead of original, but if not...
I say better get that silly stamp.
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If you lose something or get something stolen (e.g. a Residential
Permit ;-) ): try to get at least a missing report from the nearest police,
even it can be tedious (more later)! Another option is a FIR (dunno
what that means), which is more to report that incident (in case of
theft), so investigations will follow. That thing is hard to get, because
as officers are lazy, they say it's not possible or only tomorrow or the
day after tomorrow... Investigations mean work, that's why. But a
missing report just confirms the loss. No investigation, no work.
Kindly ask again and again and again and.....No pushing or cursing,
they will ignore you!
When filling in that form for FIR or missing report (or ANYthing
administrative in India), and precisely spoken it's a blank sheet of
paper, you have to create that on your own! I was once given that
sheet, command: "Write!" So I wrote. Four times in the end, two hours
time, because each time, some tiny little thing was missing, which they
only told me, when I finished one version! And officials are stubborn,
so always smile and friendly ask, otherwise you end up with nothing!
So when filling in that form, kindly ask what to write. It mostly begins
with "TO: some superimportant person" and "REGARDING: blah"
They will tell you what to write. Don't write anything they don't say,
concerning outer form of that document.
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Have enough passportphotos with you, sometimes... :-)
Flying matters
***************
All this refers to Turkish Airlines, which I came with.
23,3 kg seem to me NO problem at all as check-in luggage-weight.
Maybe ask other trainees to find out BEFORE packing, from which
weight on they begin to complain on average...
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Cabin luggage they don't weight, as long as you don't ask stupid
questions (like I did once). So 11 kg is possible. Turkish Airlines
official limit seems to be 9 kg, but I think 6 or so is more common.
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The Turkish Airlines office is in Sec. 9 at Madya Marg, SCO 12,
called "Interglobe Airtransport". 0172-2742180. Rebookings for the
following flight were no problem in my case (when I was refused to
board), without any penalty fee.
Turkish Airlines Delhi:
011-515 20 7-90, -91, -92, -93
Turkish City Office
Ambadeep Building
Barakhamba Rd., Connaugh Place
New Delhi
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I felt better with weighted luggage (against bad surprises), so for
weighting go to next medical store and ask for weight machine
("scales" nobody understood) or ask the local veggie man with scales
or neighbour... By the way whole Manimajra neighbourhood doesn't
have a weight machine...
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By Hennes
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