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Hyderabad, India

Safety

  • Generally safe area
  • Don’t leave without someone who speaks Indian

Safety in Hyderabad, India
What do other Racers need to know in order to be safe? Current safety protocols/precautions in place? Any relevant issues/concerns? Any precautionary suggestions?

People’s Opinions

  1. We were in Valala. For the safety of their ministries, we stayed in the church for most of the time. We weren’t allowed to go around the neighborhood on our own so to avoid unnecessary attention drawn to us. We had heard from our neighboring team that the police were investigating why we were here. The biggest safety requirement is to make sure you don’t share in public social media why we are in India, To protect yourself as well as the ministries and the christians in the area.
  2. We were in Nalgona. We stayed at the church and were not allowed out of the area without our hosts. The police have tried to extort our host for money, so it is important to stay inside and listen to your host’s instructions so you are not seen out and about. At night we went to the villages. We never felt unsafe.
  3. We were safe in Prasashan Nagar (SCH’s volunteer house). Some of my teammates exercised early in the morning and had no trouble. Others went out after dark with a buddy and also had no trouble. Always be aware of your surroundings, but don’t feel worried to walk around freely.
  4. We were very safe in our neighborhood of Prasashan Nagar (where Sarah’s Covenant Homes is located). If you go outside the neighborhood at night, you should take a buddy. During the day, you can go anywhere in the area alone.
  5. We were staying at the Hotel Mandakini Jaya International for debrief. Be careful with the Rickshaw drivers, they were increasing aggressiveness as the week went on with a large number of Christians staying at the Hotel. Also, girls should not ride on the front seat in a rickshaw, one its not appropriate for the culture, and one of the drivers got handsy with one of the girls. Better to be safe and all squished in the back of the rickshaw than to put any of your girls in a tough situation!
  6. We were extremely safe in our neighborhood. The neighborhood is full of movie stars and political leaders, so there are many armed guards. We walked around during the day and night in groups of 2 or three and were extremely comfortable.
  7. We are an all girls team and it was safe during the day for 2 or 3 girls to walk to the grocery store etc. Once it was dark it was not safe for us to walk around unless there was a male with us that was a local.
  8. Things are relatively safe in Medak district. Be sure to have your contact with you when you go into the local city, crowds will begin to form where ever you go. Also, keep your belongings close and everything should be safe :).

Ministry Summary

Ministry Summary in Hyderabad, India
Breakthroughs? Suggestions? Concerns? On a scale of 1-4 (1 being not at all, 4 being absolutely) how strongly would you recommend another World Race team go to this ministry location & why?

People’s Opinions

  1. RESCUE PINK in KURNOOL This month may stretch you if you’re working in Kurnool (one of four locations). India is hard as it is but were the first team at this new location for this organization. Our AIM base leaders in India didn’t even know what to tell us about this location so we had to go in with open minds. Our hosts were Madhavi and Suseel. They are awesome ladies. Prep yourself for rice and curry for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Because this was a new location, our team struggled with a sense of “freedom.” You’re gonna have to let it go for then next few weeks. We couldn’t go outside the house during free time. We could go on the roof top for alone time but you won’t be going anywhere by yourself. Suseel might take you to the Kurnool Fort or the City Forest to help get you out of the house. You’ll be going everywhere via auto (tuk tuk). There are no ubers, and nothing delivers (food wise) to our house. For safety reasons, they will lock you inside the house at night (we tried fighting it, but just let it go if you can). You will be in a room with your team (it has shelves to store your clothes and bags), a/c, a fan, bucket shower (you can heat it up with a meal wand thing), and you’ll have WiFi. As far as ministry, there isn’t too much. Get used to choosing in to your team during the free time. We did house visits to women who are a part of the Rescue Pink Program which was awesome! Every day (except Sunday) you’ll have about 50 crazy but awesome young girls who come to the house and you’ll get to help them with homework. They will want to do “missing letters” and they want you to write a word from one of the posters from the wall. Obviously, it’s is not helping them at all. Maybe brainstorm a way you can help them expand their vocabulary besides the posters. Most of my team struggled this month with being “stuck in a room all day.” Just try and keep a positive mindset and get to know Suseel and Madhavi and hear their stories. Have questions prepared ready to get to know the ladies you visit when you visit their homes. Rescue Pink has a program for women who are pregnant so you’ll see lots of babies, and they focus on getting young girls to stay out of child marriages.
  2. We were in Vallala.Most of our ministry days started at 6pm and ended around 10pm. We had the day to really prepare spiritually for what we did in the evening. Make sure you make good use of time during the day. Do your team times, your devotional times, 1 on 1s, blogs and other ministry related things. You can also pour into the kids that are there when they aren’t in school. Spiritual warfare is a big one here! Make sure you are equipped spiritually (Ephesians 6). You will be doing miracles! you will be sharing testimonies and preaching. So walk in there with confidence of God and the power of His word! Here’s a video explaining our month: https://youtu.be/Q98jdM5Olpk
  3. My team was at Sarah’s Covenant Homes in Hyderabad. We LOVED it. They do things differently now than they used to-they are much more strict about affection toward the children. Many of the kids have attachment disorders and cling quickly to new people. When new people suddenly leave after a month, the kids become very upset. The infrastructure of the organization is also better established now, so the fosters and Indian caretakers do all of the “mommy” type duties. We got to basically just play with the kids.We had so much fun doing VBS with the kids, and doing administrative/manual labor during our time at SCH. The schedule was predictable (10am-1pm, and 4pm-6pm) and we always knew what we were doing the next day. Expect to absolutely fall in love with the kids, and be wrecked when you leave, but know that you will experience so many emotions this month. Special needs kids will teach you so much about life, love, and even Jesus. On a scale from 1-4, I rate SCH at solid 4.
  4. This has been my favorite ministry BY far on this race. My team worked with Sarahs Covenant home in Hyderabad. We were told when we got there that we would be mommies for the month to one of 10 special needs children there in the home…and that “they would choose us”. And they did. Three days after arriving, we had our babies. Mine, a 4lb three month old named Prevalika. We split our days, just as the post below states, and were so in love with our kids that we spent as much time as possible outside of our “ministry times” with them. This month will be all about love. It will be all about tears, and joy, and freedom. It was extremely hard to leave. Don’t let the thought of saying goodbye hinder from loving these kids well. I promise you this will be a month you will never forget.
  5. Ministry is perfect here. The hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with two shifts of administration work and childcare. What we found to work best is to split the team up into two groups and have half the group do admin work from 10-1 and the other do childcare from 10-1 and then after lunch switch.Also, you will have your own child when you come. You are responsible for loving and taking care of and advocating for your child. Except you don’t have to ever change their diapers, so thats awesome.
  6. Our Ministry was going door to door to believers homes and encouraging them. Then after we would have a program where 3 of us would preach and one would share a testimony. This happens every night and it never gets old.Since India is so spiritual they love when you talk about a God like Jesus. I would highly recommend another World Race team here.

Lodging

Lodging in Hyderabad, India
Where did you stay? What were the accommodations (sleeping arrangements, toilets, showers, etc.)? Cost (per person per night in USD), Contact info.

People’s Opinions

  1. Thank you for this!
  2. Super helpful, thank you! 🙂
  3. We stayed at the volunteer home at Sarah’s Covenant. 7 of us stayed in one room, and we had 5 beds. We had no trouble rotating so everyone got a chance to sleep on a bed. We also had our own bathroom (cold bucket showers, and a western toilet!) with fans and space to pull our stuff out of our bags…almost like an armoire. We had access to a kitchen and we had our own fridge. The neighborhood is quiet and we often had a/c and wifi. Sometimes the power goes out, or you run out of water so there is lag time until everything gets switched back on/water tank refills. Lodging was $5 USD per day, per person.
  4. We stayed in Joy Home at Sarah’s Covenant Homes. The five of us stayed in one room. There were four beds, but one of us was excited about sleeping on the windowsill ledge, so it worked out. We had hot showers and awesome Wifi. We bought our own food and cooked it in their kitchen. Be prepared to be woken up earlier than you might like to to little girls loudly praying over their breakfast!
  5. Our debrief was moved to Hyderabad the day following the earthquake in Nepal. Originally one of the WR contacts helped us get lodging at a catholic retreat center- this had been a place the WR had stayed many times of the past few years. This time they had increased the cost of the rooms to double the cost, the rooms did not have ac , wifi, or fans. We were in India in April and it was extremely hot, which made for an uncomfortable start to debrief. We moved to the Hotel Mandakini Jaya International, which was nice, they were very accommodating,had Chai and coffee at every meeting. We had 3 people in each room for 1400R per room! It was also in a more accessible area of Hyderabad for going sightseeing during open times in your days.
  6. We stayed at Hotel Mandakini Jaya International. They were very accommodating upon negotiating. It was 550Rs per person and we put 4 people in executive rooms with two beds and could get extra beds for free if needed. All rooms should have AC as long as you avoid 2nd floor rooms. They added complimentary breakfast for us and they have a free pickup from the airport or wherever you arrive in hyderabad. I told them we are with tangerine Tours and AIMWR (I didn’t go into detail). One of our members forgot there passport and they had someone bring it to us for the right price of course. It’s in a good location from Mcdonalds and some shops.Phone: 040-6733-6733Email: hyd@mvplhotels.com(Possible debrief, but great for entering Hyderabad with free pick up)
  7. For Sarah’s Covenant Home you stay in the actual home in the basement level. There are showers (sometimes they’re hot, it’s a toss up), there is a HUGE kitchen where you can cook (or you can choose to have your meals prepared), there are not beds so we slept on our sleeping pads (but they said beds should be coming soon), the toilets are western toilets. The cost for lodging is $5 per person per night. They also have a set-up where you can pay $9 per person per day and that includes lodging, meals, washer and dryer, etc. However, we were told by a previous team that everyone got extremely sick from the food so we opted for the $5 a day budget. With that you have to hand wash your laundry, but it’s no biggie.
  8. We lived at the Covenant School of Worship in one room for all 6 of our team members. There are 2 beds that 2 people can share and cots for 2 people. There are showers but you pay extra for hot showers. Clean water is provided for you. There is also wifi. It is a three story house where the bottom floor is the worship school and also where church is, the second floor is the staff housing and kitchen and the third floor is your room, a living room and the offices.
  9. Debrief coaching locationHotel Pearl Regency11-5-431, Red Hills Lakdi-Ka-Pul,, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500004, India
    +91 40 6666 6555Speak with Vishal. Tell him that Jordan Treuter sent you. Literally, say it. He appreciates business and long term relationships.He’s also willing to work this as a squad lodging location as well. He knows what we paid for Hotel Grand Kahna and said he’s willing to meet or beat their offer for future groups that come through. Use that to your advantage.DO NOT BE FORWARD WITH WHAT YOU’RE DOING IN INDIA.This was directly down the road from hotel Grand Kahna, probably a quarter mile or so. Good accommodations, just like the squad location. Warm showers, western toilet. You have a wide assortment of room types. We worked in junction with their events department, which provided discounts to both our coaches’ rooms and our food pricing. They comped our first night debriefing meeting night when we arranged to have a buffet as well. They’re willing to negotiate, just be persistent again but also give them a fair deal with what you can offer.They waived taxes when we paid in cash.
  10. Some additional information for Hotel Grand Kahna…Devi Bagh Rd, Red Hills, LakdikapulHyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India+91 40 2330 0588
  11. Debrief lodging:Hotel Grand Khana. We housed our whole squad plus alumni squad leaders (53 people) in 19 rooms for 4 nights for 25,000 rupees a night, which came out to about $7.50 per person. We at one point in time had it negotiated for 20,000 for 50 people. Just be willing to talk through your stay, and stay committed to your offer. Send an email to this address, it’s the owner’s email address and his name escapes me right now. But he’s the one who’s willing to make legitimate deals.kanhagrouphyd@yahoo.com
  12. We are staying in the Nalgonda District with a Pastor and His family. We are in an awesome apartment with fans and windows to let the breeze in. There are squattys and bucket showers. It is very nice.

Food / Meals

Food / Meals in Hyderabad, India
What did you eat? Where did you get the food? Cost (per person per day in USD)? Contact info (if applicable).

People’s Opinions

  1. Highly recommend Mehfil! Cheap and great food and good service! There is a couple locations in Hyderabad. Not the best for people who can’t tolerate spicy food though!
  2. GVK One (mall): Hard Rock Cafe, Papa Johns and Subway. Open min-Friday 11:00am to 9:30pm, Saturday and Sunday 11:00am to 10:00pm. Directions: road number 1, banjara hills, balapur basthi, banjara Hills, Hyderabad, telengana, 5””034Uber cost: 110 Rs.Inorbit mall: chili’s, KFC, Starbucks, baskin robins11:00am- 9:30pmDirections: inorbit malls road, Hyderabad, telengana 500081Uber cost: 120 Rs.Prost: western food, western prices, brewery, appropriate for both small and big groups.Buffalo Wild Wings: same same but different. Did not have their alcohol license when we went, so don’t expect to buy a beer.Open 11am-12amDirections: road number 36, CBI colony, jubilee hills, Hyderabad, telengana 500033Starbucks: near Apollo hospital, WiFi available with a local numberOpen: 7am-10:30pm.Directions: road number 92, near Apollo hospital, jubilee hills, Hyderabad, telengana 500034Uber cost: 50 Rs.Guilt trip: best cupcakes in HyderabadOpen 11am-11pmDirections: 5-2-585/A/1, road number 9, gaffer khan colony, banjara hills, Hyderabad, telengana 500034Uber cost: 100Rs.Beyond Coffee: open 7am-11pmDirections: plot number 237/A, road number 36, jubilee hills, Hyderabad, telengana 500034Uber cost: 75 Rs.Chef Inams Steak House: western food, western pricesOpen 11am-12pmDirections: opposite kamaan, fortune enclave, Sri ram nagar colony, road 12, banjara hills, HyderabadUber cost: 90 Rs.Paradise: indian/ biryani $$Open 11am-11pmDirections: shilpakalavedika compound, hitec city, Hyderabad, telengana 500081, bear shiparamamUber cost: 120 Rs.Flying Spaghetti Monster: Italian $$$Open: noon-11pmDirections: plot 624-B, lane beside neerus emporio, road 35, jubilee hills, HyderabadUber cost: 90 Rs.Mehfil: indian/biryani $Open: noon-1amDirections: whisper valley road, oppJRC, conventional center, shaikpet, ambedkar nagar, film nagar, Hyderabad, telengana 500033Uber cost: 90 Rs.Delizie baking company: GREAT DESSERT!Open 8am-11pm Directions: MLA colony, film nagar, Hyderabad, telengana 500096Down the road from StarbucksUber cost: 50 Rs.
  3. We were on our own for food (at SCH volunteer house). I believe we had $3 USD per day per person. We mostly shopped at the grocery store about a mile from our house, but we found a few good restaurants and street vendors. You can ask the foster moms about the grocery store and the restaurants that are safe to eat at. There is a small corner store about a block away from the house that has bread, peanut butter, shampoo, coke, ice cream, and eggs. There is also a small street vendor downstairs from the corner store that has samosas, chai (drink it!), fried dough balls, and fried peppers. We never got sick from the food.
  4. We ate at Thalis and More at least once or twice a week. It was great, cheap, and had something for everyone. It is located near Apollo Hospital. Also try Bake Away Bakery, the choco lava cakes are amazing. Heritage Fresh is probably the best grocery store you are gonna find close to CSOW and SCH.
  5. There is good, inexpensive street food available about a 20 minute walk from Sarah’s Covenant Homes. Ask the foster moms which ones are good. We ate at the same one almost every time and didn’t get sick. If you don’t like spicy food, say “no spice.” It will still be somewhat spicy, but manageable.There are two grocery stores near the street food if you have the option of cooking your own food. They have a lot of familiar food, but don’t expect to find much meat.We celebrated Christmas Eve at a very nice, inexpensive Italian restaurant called Pasta Bar Veneto, about a 20 minute auto ride from SCH.
  6. We stayed at Covenant Worship. They no longer have you buy in to have their cook prepare food for you. We tried to grocery shop as a team and use the kitchen, but we had to work around the hours that the cook was there, and it did not work out very well. We ended up giving individuals their food budget and bought street food. We found it pretty good. There is a small grocery store where you can buy some basics. There are a few small restaurants that are a bit hole-in-the-wall, but good. So far no one has gotten sick from the street food. There is also a Starbucks nearby. Also on that street are some good bakeries. One makes little pizzas, it is a quick way to blow your food budget but it is a nice change after rice, noodles, and chicken all the time.
  7. Covenant School of Worship – highly recommended not to cook your own food, reason is because the cook has to cook for 50 other people and she cooks all day and you would never have time to cook proper meals. Yes its rice and curry everyday, once a week you get egg and chicken. It does get old fast, but our team only gave have half of our food budget to Julie($2) and used the other half ($2) to buy supplemental food like cereal, granola, fruits, eggs, and etc things that would just help us when we would get tired of rice and curry. We only paid for six days of food so that on our off day we could go out as a team and get a meal using our budget to supplement part of the cost.Local eats, Garden Cafe, brand new place right next to Apollo hospital has great fresh American food.
  8. If you choose to make all of your own meals there are tons of western style grocery stores where you can buy food to make. There is also an AMAZING Indian restaurant at the end of the street called “Jalsa.” Get the chicken curry and chapati, please. There is also a Hard Rock Cafe in town, and a Chili’s at Inorbit Mall. Our team made a volunteer manual this month for new teams coming in with all of this information too.
  9. Our squad met up for a few days in Hyderabad at the Chokoti Garden Resort. My squadmate, Michelle, and I ate at Lakshmi Chinese fast food right near the resort. We chatted with the owner, Anin, about Jesus. He has met other WRacers. I would love if other racers would go visit and love on him!There is also yummy sugar cane juice next to his stand.P.S. I left my journal in one of the rooms on the first floor if anyone happens to find it and wants to mail it to me =)
  10. We had to eat street food, and it made our entire team sick, excluding one person. After having diarrhea, nausea, etc. for more than 3 days one of our guys went to the hospital and was diagnosed with an infection that the Dr. said was from street food. Probiotics, cipro, and antacid for 5 days is what was prescribed. The rest of us followed this regimen as well, and we’re all doing better. Still eating street food because we don’t really have any other options! Just be careful and get to the dr. if you’re sick for longer than 3 days 🙂
  11. You will eat lots of curry and white rice. Where we stayed we had very little meat if any at all throughout the month. The curry is rather spicy. If you don’t do well with spice, mix yogurt in with your curry and it will calm down the spice.
  12. Eat at Fusion 9, Deli 9!1st Avenue. Below Fusion 9, Road Number 1, Mada Manzil, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500034, IndiaSpeak with Roshni.It’s realllly good. It’s food specifically for X-Pats and they fly the food from the states (I believe). There’s a coffee shop/bistro on the first floor and a nicer, ritzier, more expensive restaurant above. We fed 33 people, after taxes, for less than $150 at the Deli. Yeah, sweet right?! They gave us a 10% discount and asked us to submit the food order the day before. Management was really nice and willing to talk. They appreciated why we were there.http://www.fusion9.in/deli9.html
  13. CURRY, CURRY, and CURRY. Also, RICE.We ate meat here as well and noone has gotten sick from it. However, Since the foods are so spicy I recommend TUMS or something to keep heartburn at a minumum. Also, take your probiotics when you are here that will keep everything running as it should.

Transportation

Transportation in Hyderabad, India
What transportation did you use to enter the country? Where were you coming from? What transportation was used to move throughout the country? Be sure to include the cost per person in USD and contact info if applicable.

People’s Opinions

  1. Get a data plan (if you are able to, its getting harder with foreigners), and use Uber! You can even call Uber Tuk Tuks! (autos). We got around town mostly with ubers!
  2. India was our first country, so we flew into Hyderabad and took busses to CSOW (where we stayed for month 1 prep). We took ubers to our house at Sarah’s Covenant Homes. During our time in Hyderabad, we walked daily to ministry and the grocery store, but we took ubers and autos (tuk tuks) to church, the mall, restaurants, etc. I don’t know the cost of our busses (I am not on logistics) but ubers were usually around 100Rs, and tuk tuks were a little more expensive. Refuse to pay more than 300Rs for an auto though…they are trying to rip you off. It’s okay to say “too expensive” and walk away. Usually they will work with you and give you a better price. Try not to put girls in the front seat of an uber, unless you have to, and never in the front seat of an auto. Take two, if you have to. (And download the uber app…it was an awesome way to travel in Hyderabad!)
  3. We were at the Covenant School of Worship, advice, make sure you over communicate the transportation with Julie before leaving and what you will be doing, it will save you time and headaches. Second when you get in the cab always verify the cost before leaving and make sure they are charging you according to the price sheet on the dash.With the autos never just be satisfied with the first price you hear go to the next auto and double check. If you believe it is to high tell them and go to another one and they will lower the price, on average its about 150 rupees one way anywhere you go after 9:30 pm the prices double.
  4. We worked with a man named Khan at Hotel Pearl Regency, but he was unaffiliated with the hotel. Staying at the hotel won’t necessarily translate but you can use them if you don’t stay at the hotel.Hotel Pearl Regency11-5-431, Red Hills Lakdi-Ka-Pul,, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500004, IndiaBut speak with Khan. Good guy, but you will need to press him a little bit to get deals. He’ll give you a better all-day bus deal than you’ll find anywhere else. It should cost you 14,000 for anything beyond 8 hours. He gave it to us for 8500. For shorter trips, though, he’ll try to high ball you.
  5. We used buses and a safari van to get from the airport to our contact house. During the day we have an awesome safari van.

Medical

Medical in Hyderabad, India
Information on local hospitals / doctors / pharmacies. Where would someone go in a medical emergency? (addresses and contact info).

People’s Opinions

  1. Our ministry host brought me into Nekrekal to see a doctor. The hospital didn’t have a doctor because the doctor went out to the village. So we went to a clinic right beside it. A quick diagnosis and I was given a bunch of medication. Total cost was $8 USD for diagnosis and medication!
  2. We were at SCH and a teammate got sick and we had to take her to Apollo (twice actually). Since ubers are so cheap, we just took one to and from the hospital. Know that Indian hospitals are VERY different from western hospitals and you won’t receive the same treatment you would in America. But the hospital served the needs we had, and my teammate got treatment and medicine. You’re best off asking your host which hospital is closest and best to use.
  3. Apollo Hospital is 15 minutes walking distance from Covenant School of Worship
  4. There is a hospital across the street from Sarah’s Covenant Home called Apollo Hospital.

Communication

Communication in Hyderabad, India
Did you have cell reception / Internet service? Where? Carrier / Provider, where did you get phones / SIM cards, cost? Country code?

People’s Opinions

  1. Getting a simcard wasn’t easy, but doable! We went to Air-tel. If you go into one of the small side shops, you might be able to get a simcard without asking for passport info (turns out that they were selling old sim cards under other peoples name. Not recommended!) If you go to the an airtel store, bring your visa and your passport and your information of where you are staying. They’ll ask you as many questions as immigration! It was pretty cheap though. $7 USD for 28GB / 28 Days!
  2. We were not able to get SIM cards. In India, they require that you have an Indian number, or an Indian national to basically “co-sign.” We got a volunteer phone with SIM from SCH but it usually didn’t work. We didn’t really need to call anyone and since our entire squad was unable to get SIMs, it really wasn’t a problem. We had reliable wifi at our house, so we were able to order ubers, find food, etc.
  3. Also the Airtel SIM prepaid package they offered during our time in India costs 300 rupees, with 100 rupees of that being airtime.
  4. ICM provided SOME SIM cards for E Squad. They promised more that never came. After you see how many they initially have for you, go ahead and get more for the other phones.The process at Airtel is relatively simple. You need:-Passport-Passport photo-Local address-Permanent address-Name and phone number of someone local (can be another Racer and is best NOT to use international ministry contacts)-Father’s nameYou will hear that getting a SIM is difficult…but it’s not so bad at Airtel. After they install the SIM, wait 4 hours for a text to go to the local phone number you provided, call Airtel (they provide the number), verify the info you provided and ta-da! Your phone works 🙂
  5. At SCH there is wifi and your contact will provide you with a SIM card.
  6. Great cell reception with airtel sim card. We also have airtel internet sticks that we purchased here in town (Nalgonda town). From the looks of it, nearly every village has some sort of shop to purchase these things.Airtel works well – the pastor and our translator organized these for us. They have to be registered to someone’s address, so it is not necessarily something you can take with you or that you can take care of before arriving to ministry. This might be soemthing to look into.My sim card has lasted all month easily. As for the internet stick, my team burned through the first one within a few days because some didn’t realize that it counted data transfer. A 2 gb stick would be more than plenty to get through the month for purposes of team leader/finance use.

Financial

Financial in Hyderabad, India
Location of banks or ATMs, notes about transaction fees, best places to exchange money, and other money related advice.

People’s Opinions

  1. There were about 5 ATMs near the volunteer house at SCH. They were always hit or miss on if they actually had cash. Transaction fees were a thing, but I didn’t pay super close attention because I have a Charles Schwab card, and they refund all transactions fees. One of my teammates was able to exchange USD inside one of the banks, but they have super weird hours, so just be aware before you try to go. Just be cautious when you’re at ATMs. Other cultures don’t have the same norms that Americans do about personal space, so people will come and stand RIGHT behind you as you withdraw cash, or will cut the line if you aren’t standing close enough to the person in front of you. Nothing negative ever came out of our experiences at ATMs but it doesn’t hurt to be aware.
  2. There is an Andra Bank ATM located in the same neighborhood as Sarah’s Covenant Homes.
  3. There is an ATM near Apollo Hospital Gate close to the nursing students hostels. I haven’t had any problems with it.

Translators

Translators in Hyderabad, India
List any local translators – name and contact information, languages spoken

People’s Opinions

  1. Here are some helpful Telugu words brought to you by Adventures India! Hello: namasthe/ wandanaalu Yes: ow-nu No: lay-doo Please: dayacheysee Thank you: thank you/ wandanaalu Good: munchi Beautiful: andamga When? Yepudu? Can you please help me? Meeru naku sahayam cheyyandi? Come in: Lopaliki randi Sit down: kurchondi Shall we go? Memu veldhama? Next stop: tharuvatha stop Stop here! Ikkada appandi! Go forward: munduku velandi Go back: vennaki pondi Zero: sunna One: okati Two: rendu Three: moodu Four: naalugu Five: aidhu Six: aaru Seven: yedu Eight: yenmedi Nine: thomedi Ten: padh 
  2. We were with SCH and didn’t really need a translator because the foster moms spoke enough Telugu to help us communicate with the Indian caretakers. We also weren’t ever required to interact with people who didn’t speak English, and we were able to get ourselves around with the little English that transportation workers spoke.
  3. We always went out to ministry with staff from CW. They translated for us when we needed it. On off days or free time we wlked around by ourselves. There are enough english speaking people here to get around and communicate.

Off Days / Fun Activities

Off Days / Fun Activities in Hyderabad, India
What activities did your team experience? Recommendations? List locations/contact info. Any locations to be avoided? Any extra safety tips for off days?

People’s Opinions

    1. Qutb Shahi Tombs was our favorite! It was 50rupees to enter, and another 50rupees to take pictures. They didn’t seem too strict on the rules here, but consider what you want to pay! Also this place is huge, so bring sunscreen and water! Take a quick peak of what it looks like here: https://youtu.be/5H1Y-vn0ft0 The Galgonda Fort is super cool too! Also really really big! so bring water and sunscreen! https://youtu.be/mX_eB1nimKU
    2. This is the information sheet Adventures India gave us! THEY ARE THE BOMB!Our team also took a 24 hour train ride to the Taj Mahal!About $10 for a sleeper class train to Agra.About $16 to enter the Taj.After, we walked to Moustache Hostel- they helped us book a shuttle/bus to Delhi (about 345 Rs?)Stayed 2 nights at Zostel Delhi ($7 a night)Took the over night/sleeper train back to Hyderabad for a little less than $10

               

  1. My team and I stayed in Hyderabad, India for ministry but decided we wanted to go to the Taj Mahal over Christmas. We booked a domestic flight through spicejet airlines and stayed in New Delhi for 2 nights. We had 3 days off but it’s possible to go with only two off days and fly back earlier. We took a cab to the airport, around 150 Rs per person, a domestic flight at around 170$ USD (we booked late so the price was high), and we also booked a late tour agency for around 35$ USD per person. We booked a very cheap air B&B in Delhi close to the airport for around 8$ USD per person. The agency we went through was zip trips! They were incredible. Picked us up (there were 10 of us) promptly at 6 AM and drove us to Agra for the Taj. They stopped for breakfast and toilet breaks along the way. This trip also included a tour guide which was SO great and helpful! Zip trips also drove us the 3 hours back to Delhi afterwards right to our hostel. The taj was 750 Rs! We had a late flight back on Sunday (we flew in Friday night) and went to the Lotus temple and a few others during the day. – used autos for transportation.
  2. Shilparama is an awesome craft market located near Inorbit Mall.
  3. Best secret of the race:
    Go to the Westin hotel at in Hi-Tech. Mindspace. Survery No 64. Hi-Tech City Road, HUDA Techno Enclave, HITEC City, Hyderabad
    Phone: 040 6767 6767
    It is around American prices, but if you need a detox day, do it here. You can get a pool pass for $800 rupees, massage for $3,000 rupees and if you do either of those, you get access to the dressing room which includes a sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and hot waterfall showers!You can order food by the pool or in the lobby for there or to go. They have the best macaroons for 48 rupees.It costs from free-450 rupees for an internet day pass, depending on who is at the front desk.
  4. Recommend Inorbit mall over all the other ones. It is with out question the best, very, clean, new, lots of good shops, HyperCITY (like a Walmart), Chilies (just like home) and a move theater. We paid 100 rupees there and 150 back. We went to the Charminar since all the locals said its a must see, it cost 100 rupees to go up in it but really its not a highly recommended.
  5. There is a place called “Big Bazaar” in town that has EVERYTHING. It has a grocery store on the bottom floor, so many indian clothes, perfume, electronics, EVERYTHING.Also, there is a HUGE outdoor market called Shilpa Ramam that is fun to go to. It cost 40 rupees to get in.
  6. If you are looking for good, cheap indian clothing go to reliance trends. There is a frozen yogurt place called Menchie’s that is also great. Hard Rock Cafe is pricy but great if you are craving western food. Go to markets they are so fun and have great things (the night market is the best).
  7. SVM Mall in Jubilee Hills has bowling, lazer tag, food, and pool. It’s on the top floor of an abandoned building.Road Number 36, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500031, India ‎+91 40 6622 9999They’ll give you a deal if you bring 15-20+ people. We got a 25% discount for bowling and lazer tag separately (they’re unaffiliated) when we took the whole squad there.
  8. In Hyderabad – Inorbit Mall (Chilis, food court, walmart type store, movie theater)
    GVK Mall (Hardrock cafe, movie theater)
    City Center mall (McDs, KFC, Bowling)

Other Important Contacts

Other Important Contacts in Hyderabad, India
Additional ministry opportunities, local pastors, etc. Relationship & follow up suggestions

People’s Opinions

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Tips

People’s Opinions

  1. If you’re out in the villages, prepare a sermon! Learn to lead worship! There is going to be plenty of opportunity for that here! We all each preached about 3 times over the month!
  2. In India, it is so very important for women to dress modestly. And unfortunately, leggins and a long t-shirt doesn’t cut it 😉 We had to buy new, modest Indian style clothes and with our own personal spending money. In the future if more women teams are sent here, we advise setting aside some extra spending money because you will NEED to buy appropriate, extremely modest Indian clothing for the month. Your ankles, calves, shoulders, and bra straps are not to show.Our host took us to the mall to buy clothes, and it wasn’t the most expensive thing, but just to keep in mind if you’re not a spender.It was a lot of fun to be able to dress with the culture! So enjoy it and have fun 🙂
  3. Be open to any and all ministry that you do here. Even if that ministry is getting to know the pastors wife better.Be open and willing to share anything at any moment. ALWAYS have something prepared to share with a crowd.

Additional Info

Additional Info in Hyderabad, India
Anything we’ve left out? Any additional suggestions to make travel easier for others?

People’s Opinions

  1. Pearl City Church is a great Western-style church where a lot of the American foster moms at Sarah’s Covenant Homes go. The worship is awesome! The have two morning services and an evening service.