A few last minute questions...

Traci

First I want to say I am so thankful for this forum. It has been invaluable.

My mom and I will arrive in Delhi at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday the 14th. We are to report directly to Apollo Hosp. (they are arranging a driver for us) I intend to make a withdrawl from an ATM at the airport so I will have $$ for the week. My question is does anyone know if the ATM will give a variety of rupee notes. I worry about having only large bills and no way to tip porters and the driver.
Or I could just give them a U.S dollar.
Or I could bring U.S dollars and change them at the airport if there is a change place open that late on a Saturday.
And can I just ask the money exchange for "small rupee notes"?

I will be staying the entire first week in the hospital room with mom (cozy!) then we move to the Crowne Plaza for another week. She will be on all liquid diet and stay in the room. Will there be restaurants/cafes in walking distance of the hotel and hospital for me? I don't want to go too far away from her for too long in case she needs something. But the prospect of hospital food for an entire week does not excite me. I want to get out a little bit.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Traci

Nick-H

You will not get small notes from an ATM.

Drawing large amounts you will get 500s and 100s.

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Darmabum

Traci, there should be exchange counters open at the airport at that time. I arrived @ 1:30 AM and they were waiting for me. Though I've never used ATM's I assume they will give you mostly big bills; change is a difficult thing to find in India.

I wish you and your mother all the best.

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Traci

So will it be really difficult to get small bills?
Say I go up to the airport money exchange with a $100 U.S, what should I ask for?

Merchant

They are going to give you 1000, 500, and 100 rupee notes. You should try to get as many 100 notes as possible--they'll grumble at the exchange bureau but will still break at least one of your 500s.

A standard tip is 10 rupees. 50 would be a very generous tip. Tipping in dollars, even if it seems like good money in local terms, won't work. Indians cannot exchange the money easily, and if they could the fees would negate the value. There is no parallel dollar economy in India, as there is in some countries. Tip in rupees.

Merchant

It will not be a problem to take a cab or an autorickshaw from the hospital or hotel to a restaurant recommended by someone there.

akt

Most ATMs will give only large (Rs 500 or 1000) bills; some do throw in a few Rs 100 but you don't know which one does and even Rs 100 that is too large for many purposes.

While you can give a dollar bill to someone at the airport, that is really not the solution: you do need small bills to start conducting yourselves in India.

My sense is that money-exchange couners should break one or two large bills, but who knows.

And what if the ATMs are out of order?

Therefore, in your shoes, I would carry at least five $20 bills for arrival. If the ATM works and the counters break large bills, fine, save your dollars for later. If necessary change one $20 bill (about Rupees 900) and ask Rs for 10 and 20 notes (that's what bills are called in India). If the ATMS are dysfunctional or can't communicate with your bank, change the whole $100 into rupees, some mix of large and small bills.

This will cover all situations upon arrival until you are comfortably settled in Apollo.

Assorted comments:

Don't think in dollars. Except for herculian service, Rs 10 is a good tip, 20 very good per server.

Indian currency is denoted INR (Indian Rupees) outside India. Within India, there is no need to specify "Indian" and the most used abbreviation is Rs for Rupees. There is also Re for Rupee, when you you need to mention one rupee, but like everywhere inflation has robbed the term or the amount of any useful meanig.

If you plan use ATMs in India, let your bank know. Once in a rare while, their security will get paranoid when they detect an "unusual" activity and freeze your account until you call them and explain that it really was you. Happened to me in Canada of all places, although never in India.

Traci

Thank you so much. I found a great currency converter cheat sheet to print out for reference.
And I will get as many 100 notes as I can charm out of the money exchange man.
I do hope mom will be well enough for me to leave for a few short excursions. I have this feeling that I will be trapped in the gilded prison that is the Crowne Plaza Delhi!

Again thanks for your help.

Traci

Traci

Thank you, I will bring the U.S $20 and $10 to exchange right away. I've alerted my bank and credit card companies that I will be using them in India. My bank only charges $2.00 for transactions and the darn credit card 3% for any foreign transaction after it is converted to U.S dollars.

Noodle

Happened to me last year here in India about 3 or 4 times, each time I had to call my (UK) bank and have my card unlocked. It's nuisance, but finally they agreed not to lock it anymore.

Traci, can you change $ into Rs while you're still in America? They might give you small notes or even coins.

I don't know about the hospital you're going to, but many Indian hospitals don't provide food, or only very very basic stuff (rice, dhal, chapati) for patients. Most don't have a canteen. So you have to go out and eat in any case.

All the best!

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the opoponax

do you have any friends who've traveled to india recently, who can maybe hook you up with extra rupees lying around the house? my roommate has ALREADY given me his stash, of maybe 50-100 rupees. will definitely be enough to get me sorted with tips and such for till i have time to break big bills.

Traci

Thanks, I will call my bank and ask if there are any international money exchanges around here. Cleveland, Ohio is the closest City to me so maybe there is something. But mom lives in Vegas and they have a large Indian population so maybe she could find an exchange easier.

Mom's surgery is at the Apollo Hospital in Delhi. The "International Patient" info on their website promises, "cuisine to suit your palate" but to me hospital food is hospital food. I want real Indian food!

Opoponax, unfortunately I don't know anyone who has ever traveled in India. So no chance of spare rupees around.

the opoponax

not sure about rupees, but most large banks will do exchanges in a variety of rather exotic currencies. the first time i traveled abroad, my travel partner managed to get Italian Lire right in our podunk hometown bank.

ba9rn

Would be even easier now (Euros)! However, rupees are likely to be very difficult to obtain, outside India. Mainly because it is frowned upon to transport rupees in or out of the country.

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akt

Getting 100 notes is little girl stuff; your charms will only be tested when you try to get 10's and 20's out of them.

Another trick, of course, is to resist spending small bills just because you have a few. Whenever you can, but especially at restaurants and stores, pay with a large bill and get the change.

My best wishes for your Mom's health. If nothing else hire 1/2 day tours from the hotel's travel desk. (Or negotiate a full day tour in which you can drop in at your hotel a couple times to check on your mom.) Maybe your mom could go just for the ride in one of these, even if she doesn't get out. At the very least I hope you are able to do the basics: Connaught Place; Qutab Minar; a drive by view of India Gate, Parliament, President's House. Maybe Gandhi Memorial and Lotus Temple.

BTW, there are probably a few places in Delhi with names like Crowne or Crown Plaza, so if you leave on your own (w/o the hotel car), make sure you have the street address as well as the front desk's phone number.

Is Crowne Plaza part of some package deal with Apollo? If not, your tourism might be helped a little if you could switch to Imperial Hotel for 1-2 days. It is very centrally located and, w/o taxi etc, you could take short walking excursions to Connaught Place, Central Cottage Industires Emporium (best 1-stop shopping), or state emporia (good, but there 15+ so need more time).

Connaught Place is very accessible and you will have no trouble getting cabs from/to Crowne Plaza. The advantage of Imperial is the possibility of useful 1 hour excusrions on foot. Since both are expensive hotels, not sure how the prices compare.

Will your cell phones work in India? If the are gsm and quad-band, you might be able to arrange that. Otherwise consider buying/renting a cheap one in Delhi. This will give both of you peace of mind when you are out and your mom is alone in the hotel.