Need to Know
When to arrive It is recommended to arrive 2-3 days before the start of the course (January 7th) to have time to adjust to India, arrange your room and get to know other students... A Visa is needed for India, people coming to the country must at least have a tourist visa.
How to get to K.I.B.I. If you arrive at New Delhi Indira Gandhi airport you can get to K.I.B.I. by taxi. The easiest is to use the prepaid taxies, but be aware that at the counter inside the airport charge double the normal price. Instead, go out of the building, go straight and then on your right you will find the only official prepaid counter. You pay at the counter and get a receipt which you hand over to the driver only when you have arrived at the desired destination. They won't know the address, so ask them to take you to “Qutab Hotel, backside” or “K.I.B.I. Mehrauli Institutional Area (B 19-20)”, where you cannot miss the characteristic building of K.I.B.I. It's about 30-45 minutes ride and will cost (inclusive a night charge) approx. 200 Indian Rupees (around 3 Euros).
Climate In January it can be quite cold, especially indoors, it feels colder due to lack of insulation. It does get warmer mid February, but consider bringing a warm sleeping bag and warm clothes for the evenings and nights.
Room arrangement It is good to know that the student rooms are furnished with the basics. You will find a bed, shelf, study desk and a chair. You might like to spend some money on framing pictures, buying curtains and carpets.
Medical assistance and health recommendations Please
note that you are solely responsible for your well-being for the whole
duration of your stay at K.I.B.I. Please get health insurance for India
before you come. In case of an emergency there are doctors, dentists and
hospitals approx. 15 min drive away. Bring basic medicines and everything
you have to use frequently. Stomach problems, flu, cough, fever and inflammations
of the throat are very common. When in India , please never drink tap water
but either cooked water or originally bottled mineral water. You may choose
to brush your teeth with cooked water also. It might be better not to eat
fresh salads or drink fresh-pressed juice or drinks with ice cubes in. Do
not eat fruits and vegetable without peeling or cooking it. Remember the
proverb: Peel it, cook it or leave it!
Please be assured that the K.I.B.I.'s kitchen takes utmost care to use
filtered water only and serve hygienically prepared food.
Vaccinations If you restrict your stay in India to New Delhi in the 1st quarter of the year, there should not be any vaccination necessary, although Polio, Tetanus and Hepatitis A+B vaccination is highly recommended. However, please contact your physician or a Tropical Institute in your area to get informed about the latest recommendations and requirements regarding vaccinations etc.
Diet Bring a dietary supplement as the food is probably less nutritious (especially proteins) than you are used to.
Money You can bring your credit card without any
problems as there are functional cash dispensers around in Delhi. Normally
you can get 10.000 Rs. (aprox.180 € or 200 USD) per transaction. At Thomas
Cook in "Hotel Janpath" which is on Janpath Road at Connaugh Place, they
give 50.000 Rs./transaction. Alternatively, cash in Euros, US Dollar or
Traveller Checks work fine. A good place to change - easy, fast and good
rates - is at State Bank of India at the International Airport right after
the customs. At the moment the maximum amount which can be changed at one
time is 2000 US $ or the equivalent in other currency. The exchange rate
is app.
1 Euro = 57 Rs. and 1 US $ = 37 Rs. (approx.)
Shopping There are many shops, shopping centres and bazaars in the area. You can get anything from stationary to clothing and shoes there. Still it might be more comfortable to bring some hygiene articles from your own country.
Entertainment There are some cinemas with movies in English close by. Concerts of traditional Indian music are also recommended. There are many restaurants, pizzerias and fast food places 15-20 min. drive away, some also offering continental food.
Transcribing the classes All lectures should be recorded and typed by the students. Please bring your own recorders and laptops but use them only with a stabilizer (See “Electricity"). The transcripts will be corrected and can be used for future reference and for the examinations.
Electricity Before you plug in your electrical equipment, it is recommended to buy a stabiliser, or you might blow up your equipment because of the fluctuating voltage. You can buy stabilisers locally. The ones used for TVs are sufficient and cost around 700 Rs. (app. 13 Euro). A good brand would be "V-Guard". They also give a 5 year warranty.
Mobile phone You can bring your mobile. It is very easy to buy Indian prepaid cards and there are quite a few companies now in India. To phone to the US or Europe they even sell "World cards", which make phone calls even cheap. You need a passport photo and a copy of your passport to register.
Passport photos Bring some extra passport photos. You might need them for a visa to Nepal or a library card for example.
What not to bring along Please don't bring any pets along. And please notice that alcohol and drugs are not allowed at K.I.B.I.
Other countries – other customs Enjoy! India is different from anything you know. It has a 5000 year old culture with a very strong spiritual background. Please respect local habits and people. As a K.I.B.I. student, you are a guest of H.H. the Gyalwa Karmapa and H.H. Shamar Rinpoche. People will watch you and judge your "Guru" after your behaviour. In India , people will dress very formally when meeting a spiritual master. So please bring some formal clothing and good shoes. Shoulders and legs should always be covered.