Summer Camps
Adventure Hills Have camps in Shogi, near Shimla, at Hatu peak near Narkanda and at Lakhawati below Churdhar peak. Cost: Rs 4,999 per couple for 5 days/4 nights. Includes board, lodging, activities with equipment, guides. Contact: 011-6805018; e-mail: adventurehills@adventurehills.com; website: www.adventurehills.com
Adventure Zone Conduct flexible camps (you decide how long) in Munnar and Coorg. Activities: rafting, hiking, trekking, paragliding, nature walks. Cost: Rs 1,000-1,500 per person per day. Includes board, lodging, all activities. Contact: 044-4424580; e-mail: adventure@eth.net
Aqua Terra Adventures Try the Rapid Tons camp in the Jaunsar Bawar region of Uttaranchal. The dense forest area promises camping, walks, angling, and whitewater rafting. On till July 10. Cost: Rs 5,500 per person for 5 days/4 nights. Includes board, lodging, adventure activities, guide. Contact: 011-6232641, 6292760; e-mail: aquatera@vsnl.com; website: www.treknraft.com
Banjara Camps Their Chail camp is accessed fastest, but check out Banjara’s Sangla and Tabo camps, higher in Himachal too. The country is lovely enough to keep you occupied, but you can also paraglide, angle, and trek. Cost: Rs 1,100-1,500 per person per day. Includes board and lodging; activities extra. Contact: 011-6861397, 6855153; email: banjara@vsnl.com; website: www.banjaracamp.com
Wildrift Adventures Run two camps: at Sattal, outside Nainital, and at Mukteshwar, a little further up. Activities include rock-climbing, kayaking, trekking, river crossing, rowing, wildlife tracking, bird-spotting. Also, hammock-based lazing, stargazing. Cost: Rs 1,250 per person per day. Includes board, lodging, activities with equipment, guides. Contact: 011-6850492, 6963342; e-mail: wildrift@vsnKl.com; website: www.wildrift.com
Experience
Twelve-year-old city kids are used to living in a competitive world. But the camp activities brought revelations—about us as parents and them as children.
We ventured through prickly thicket and steep slopes to reach what seemed to be a climb-defying cliff. Strapped up at various ends, suspended halfway between sky and ground, one boy cribbed, "Do I have to do this?" Another said, "I felt I was going to die but my pals were watching." The insensitivity of 12-year-olds! But the flipside was that they counselled each other, cheered each other on, and pulled each other through. My son’s friend still recalls the thrill of a nosey fish brushing past his face in the forest lake.
We had come a long way, by the end of our stay.
Charu Rekha
Food And Mouth
Time was you could win friends and influence relatives by bringing back a six pack of Camay from phoren. Then came Liberalisation, then came the Grey Market, then WTO. One way to keep ahead of this revolution of rising expectations is to hit the delicatessens in search of the more obscure culinary delights of the Occident. It can be expensive but good friends don’t come cheap. Not mine anyway.
But now a new peril faces the best intentioned of shoppers: On certain routes exiting the UK, groceries will be confiscated. It could happen to you. It happened to me. And it happened like this: Stansted airport 5.30 a.m. ‘I have to ask you a few questions, sir. Did you pack your bag yourself?’ ‘Yes’ ‘Did anyone give you any parcels to carry?’ ‘No’ ‘Are you carrying any food items?’
As it happened I was carrying £35 worth of food items including: Parma ham, and a bottle of Heavy Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Camisa & Sons in Soho), Oude Gouda, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, Scarmoza and a huge wedge of fresh Parmesan (The Cheese Shop, Goodge St.), Schwarzwälder Schinken, stuffed tortellini, Cote D’or dark chocolate, and a big stick of Toblerone (Tesco).
‘I’m sorry sir you’ll have to leave these behind because you’re transiting Amsterdam.’ ‘But why?’ ‘Foot and Mouth.’
She seized my hoard greedily. ‘Regulations. We’ll be giving the chocolates to children.’ Hers no doubt. As for me, at least I know who my real friend is.
Travel Insurance
A 1998 survey on global travel safety found that only 29 per cent of Indians travelling abroad buy travel insurance. Most good tour operators offer insurance as part of their packages; but individual travellers should buy insurance too.
There are two types of policies applicable to Indians travelling abroad—the Overseas Mediclaim Policy (OMP) and the Videsh Yatra Mitra (VYM) policy. Both are medi-claim polices, but they also offer cover for other, specified situations as well.
The OMP covers medical expenses overseas; inflight death; and loss of passport during the insured period of travel. In addition to these, the VYM covers ‘personal accidents’, loss of baggage, and ‘personal liability’.
Depending on the type of traveller you are (leisure, business, etc.), your age, the period of travel, and the countries you’re travelling to, the premium differs. Premium wise, there isn’t much to choose from between the two. So if you’re under 40 and are travelling for 15 to 21 days, the OMP premium is Rs 1,061 and Rs 1,190 for VYM. That makes the VYM policy more expensive by a marginal
Rs 129 in this instance. Given the wider cover and greater sum insured, VYM sounds like the better proposition.
The policies can be bought from any of the General Insurance Company’s four subsidiaries: National Insurance, New India Assurance, United India or Oriental Insurance. To make emergency claims while abroad, contact GIC’s tie-up partner, Mercury International Assistance and Claims (24-hours service: 1273-749222).
Benefits OMP (plan B) VYM (plan G) Medical expenses 1,00,000 5,00,000Loss of passport 150 250In-flight death Up to 10,000 NilAccident Nil 25,000Loss of baggage Nil 1,000Personal liability Nil 2,00,000Figures in US dollars
Prachi Bhuchar
Where There’s Smoke
El Fumar Permitido! Fumar Permitido Tabagisme Autorisé Fumare Consentito Rauchen Erlaubt Roken Toegestaan
Smoking may be a dying art, particularly in the rarefied air of international travel, where most US and European carriers and even entire airports such as Schipol are smoke-free zones (although they will cheerfully sell you a duty-free carton). Until recently many carriers including even Singapore Airlines tolerated cigarettes (though not gum, presumably) on the Japan sector.
No longer—today even All Nippon Airways has extinguished its ‘smoking’ lights forever. But if you must smoke, there is hope: Aeroflot, Royal Jordanian and Air India allow smoking on international flights. Egypt Air welcomes smokers including cigar and pipe smokers. PIA too keeps the flame alight. The choice is yours, but as any Singapore Girl would tell you: It’s a great way to die!
