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Exchange bureaus, airlines, banks and car rental offices are located both in Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Though Secunderabad is the seat of government, both twin cities are commerical centres in their own right and the listings below reflect this:
Harsha Bhogle's Hyderabad     Landmarks     Where to eat     Where to shop
Where the fun is     Quick getaways    

Foreigners' Regional Registration Office
Commissioner of Police, Purani Haveli, Hyderabad, tel # 230191 for visa extensions and registration.

Car rentals

Car rental agencies generally charge Rs 750 for renting an air conditioned car for eight hours. Or Rs 500 for 80 kilometres. Some of the reliable agencies are:

  • Airtravel, 1005, Babukhan Estate, 10th floor, Basheerbagh, tel # 242024, 242025, 236004. Also at Panjaguptta, tel # 3320088, 3320099, fax # 7712000.
  • Alpha Motors Rent-a-car, 17 Abid's Shopping Centre, opposite Hotel Emerald, Chirag Ali Lane, tel # 201306, 202089. Also at 301-A, Mount Banjara, Road No 12, Banjara Hills, tel # 390 697.
  • Banjara Travels, cellar no 6, 12, Hiline Complex road, BanjaraHills, Hyderabad, tel # 3391606, 3394368.
  • Cosy Cabs, Karan Apartments, Begumpet, tel # 847146, 842023, 849409, 819686, fax: (040) 847146.
  • Hertz Autoriders International, Swetha Apartments, Himayatnagar, tel # 7644002.

Where to hire a bicycle

There are shops all over Hyderabad which rent cycles on hire on hourly, half-day and 24 hour basis. The rent charged per hour is Rs 1.50 paise. Half day: Rs 15, Full day Rs 25.

Changing money

You can do so at your hotel or at the airport. There are no facilities for receiving cash against an international card at ATM machines. It is advisable to bring in currency in American Express or Thomas Cook travellers' cheques or to draw against your Visa, Amex or Mastercard. For changing money against cards or cheques, try the following addresses:
  • Thomas Cook (India) Ltd, 6-1-57. Nasir Archadi, Saifabad, tel # 231 988. Open 10.00 to 17.00.
  • Synergy Forexpress, Synergy Financial Exchange Limited, 510, 5th floor, Navketan No 62, S D Road, Near Clock Tower, Secunderabad, tel # 7806552. Open 09.30 to 19.30, seven days a week.

Banking hours

09.30 to 14.30; till noon on Saturdays.

Business hours

09.30 am to 20.30.

Tourist offices

  • Government of India Tourist Office, Sandozi Building, Street No 1, Himayatnagar, Hyderabad, tel # 7630037.
  • State Tourism Information Bureau, Gagan Vihar, Mozamjahi Road, Hyderabad, tel # 47732554, 4732555.
  • Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation Ltd, Yatri Nivas, Sardar Patel Road, Secunderabad, tel # 843931/816375/843932.

Tipping

One to five per cent of the bill.

Sending faxes

Hotels, by and large, charge a steep surcharge for faxes sent from a hotel room through your modem. Equivalent, in fact, and not coincidentally, to the service charge levied on faxes sent from hotel business centres.

Calling abroad

When you use your telephone card from your hotel room, be warned that most hotels charge a steep surcharge per call.

Computer facts

Many hotels do not supply a separate outlet for plugging your computer in. And the voltage in the phone outlet is unusually high. Hence, you will require a current adaptor. Additionally, you will need a plug adaptor for your modem jack.

Taxes

Shops levy a sales tax, depending on the type of item purchased. However if sales tax is charged, a bill must be issued. The starred hotels levy steep government expenditure taxes on food. Indian liquor and international brands of scotch are available in restaurants and bars, but with difficulty, for consumption by foreign passport holders only. Additional taxes are levied.

Videos

India follows the PAL system.

Electricity

220 volts. You will require plug adaptors. Commercial establishments - hotels, offices, cinemas and the like - have generators and UPS systems. Power cuts are common in Hyderabad in summer.

What newspaper to buy

Deccan Chronicle, the top selling English daily in Hyderabad, captures local and regional developments best. Indian Express and The Hindu, are the national newspapers available. Economic Times, is India's largest selling business newpaper. Citizen's Evening, is a city tabloid.

Magazines

Business India, Business World and Business Today are good business magazines. India Today, Outlook, Sunday and The Week provide interesting information on events and personalities in the country. Newsweek and Time are available at most hotel bookstores.

Where to jog

  • At the Parade Grounds, Secunderabad.
  • Inside the cantonment area in Secunderabad.
  • Fateh Maidan, Lal Bahadur Stadium, Basheerbagh, Hyderabad.
  • At RRC grounds behind Rail Nilayam, Secunderabad.
  • Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad.

Bookstores

Every five-star hotel has one where film, maps, postcards and greeting cards are available. Also check out:
  • A A Hussain, 5-8-551, Abid Road, Hyderabad, tel # 203724.
  • The Bookpoint, 3-6-272, Himayatnagar, Hyderabad, tel # 232138.
  • Gangarams, 62-D, S D Road, near Garden Restaurant, Secunderabad, tel # 7800 691, 7805117.
  • Walden, 6-3-871, Greenlands Road, Begumpet, Hyderabad, tel # 3313434. Open on SUnday and closed on Tuesday.

How to ...

  • How to see an Andhra wedding: January, February, May, June, November and December are considered auspicious months for marriages in Hyderabad. Large weddings are advertised in local newspapers and people have been known to wangle an invitation to such an event with some persuasion.
  • How to go to the races: The Hyderabad Race Club (HRC) is considered one of the most modern turf clubs in India. Contact the HRC at tel # 552491 to find out more about the winter races.
  • How to see a kitty party: The "kitty party" is an Indian invention and involves a group of women, mostly from the upper classes, playing their version of poker. Contact the Ladies Hydri Club (tel # 235192), the Secunderabad Club (tel # 804840) or the South Central Railway Women's Organisation (tel # 830438) should you like to see such an event from close quarters.
  • How to go to a political rally: Even though the great showman of local politics, the actor-turned-leader, N T Rama Rao, is dead, politics in Telugu country is an interesting affair. Call up the offices of the Telugu Desam Party which rules Andhra Pradesh (tel # 392262/230111); the Congress (tel # 503718) or the Bharatiya Janata Party (tel # 241100, 234462, 240034) if you'd like to watch Indian politics in action. From a safe distance please - the crowds can be daunting.


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