India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (405 page)

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Authors: Keith Bain

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TOILETS
Use only toilets in your hotel, in reputable restaurants, shopping malls, airports, and other modern-looking institutional buildings. Tales of toilet horror stories may be exaggerated to some extent, but there’s no point exposing yourself to potential shock. If you do feel compelled to use a “local” or traditional toilet, be prepared by carrying toilet paper, as its use is not the norm among the vast majority of the population. However, toilet paper is a major contribution to environmental devastation and, by all accounts, the use of water rather than paper (which often cannot be flushed down the system) is more hygienic and environmentally friendly. If you’re unsure of toilet etiquette in any place, simply ask.

VISAS
See the planning chapter.

VISITOR INFORMATION
India
Tourism
is going all out to seduce international visitors, and has fairly extensive representation around the globe. Access its
website
(
www.incredibleindia.org
) for general information, but be aware that some pages may be out of date or permanently under construction. The websites do offer links to all of India’s regional tourism departments, some of which provide fantastic coverage of what’s on offer.

India Tourism
offices may be found worldwide as follows. In the
U.S.:
3550 Wilshire Blvd., Room 204, Los Angeles, CA 90010,
213/380-8855;
and Suite 1808, 1270 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020,
212/586-4901.
In the
U.K.:
7 Cork St., London W1X 3LN;
020/7437-3677.
In
Canada:
60 Bloor St. (W), Suite 1003, Toronto, Ontario M4W 3B8;
416/962-3787.
In
Australia:
Level 5, 135 King St., Glasshouse Shopping Complex, Sydney, NSW 2000;
2/9221-9555.

You can access up-to-the-minute news and stories through the websites of some of the country’s largest English dailies, including
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
,
www.hindustantimes.com
,
www.expressindia.com
, and
www.hindu.com
, as well as Mumbai-based
www.dnaindia.com
. For up-to-date news from the two premier English-language 24/7 news channels, and updates on Bollywood movies, visit
www.ndtv.com
or
http://ibnlive.in.com
; for travel-related information and features, visit
www.outlooktraveller.com
.