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A good place to stay in Delhi is our Sri Raman Vihari Gaudiya Math, where you can rest after your flight and get your bearings. The temple is located about 35 minutes by car from the airport and is only 10 minutes by bicycle rickshaw from the metro station. A taxi should cost you no more than Rs 350. The devotees at the Matha are very hospitable and the rooms very neat and clean. There you will get pure vegetarian prasadam meals and a beautiful darsana of Sri Sri Radha-Raman Bihariji.
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We recommend to have a Vrindavan based taxi pick you up from the airport or your hotel in Delhi and bring you to Vrindavan or Govardhan. If you need a taxi to go from Vrindavan to Govardhan or for parikrama, you can also phone the taxi companies directly, which are listed directly underneath this notice.
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In this article updated for 2013, we have listed places to stay along with phone numbers and addresses.
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If you're not being met, and are headed for the train or a hotel (see below) then your first stop is the Delhi Traffic Police Prepaid Taxi Booth, which is located just outside the customs on the far left side of the arrival hall. Taxis are available 24 hours a day. There used to be a huge crush of taxi wallahs to pounce on you immediately outside the arrivals door. Since then, they have instituted a different system and no one should approach you before you get to the DTP booth.Still it may happen, so be prepared.
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There is an infrequent commuter-rail train to Vrindavan. It leaves Mathura Junction from Platform 8 (which is on the side nearest the car park (parking lot) to the extreme left of the arrivals hall and ticket counter as you enter the station. There may be a booth on the platform where you can buy a ticket prior to boarding, otherwise you can also buy a ticket from the conductor on the train. The fare is Rs 6. From Mathura the trains depart at 6:20 AM, 8:55 AM, 2:55 PM, 4:55 PM and 7:25 PM, arriving at the Vrindavan railway station about 40 minutes later.
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There are some good trains that go from New Delhi to Mathura everyday (see schedule below). This list was compiled in 2010 from the official Indian Railways web site www.indianrail.gov.in. In the station itself there is a huge board that shows the estimated time of arrival of all trains by the train number. Compare the times listed below with the time on the board and make your selection. If a train is late, it might be better to take a different train (even if you have to go to Nizamuddin station instead) since it may become more late as time goes by.
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If you want to go to Navadvipa or Puri or any other long destination in India you can take the train. There are some good trains that go from New Delhi or Nizammudim to Kolkatta or Puri everyday. For the updated schedule, fees and online booking you can check on the official Indian Railways web site. Info about the Rajdhani superfast express is available at: http://www.indianrail.gov.in/rajdhani_trn_list.html.
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Some Western devotees in Vrindavan have been going to Dr. Munish Bhagirath, DDS, in Delhi for their dental care. I heard that he was Gurudeva's dentist and so also went myself. Dr. Bhagirath has much affection for Gurudeva and has been visiting him regularly at the math in Delhi. He also came to Govardhan during Kartik 2010 to take care of his dental needs.
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There are some good internet places in New Delhi. The paharganj area is now loaded with cable-modem equipped internet cafes charging Rs. 20/hr. for a fast connection.
Good Internet places exist in Vrindaban and Mathura for about Rs. 30 per hour.
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If you stay at Sri Raman Bihari Gaudiya Math, prasad is abundant. Otherwise, after a while you will probably want to venture out to get something to eat. While there are a lot of pure veggie places around, most of them use onions and garlic in some of their preparations. The Light Restaurant is one such place. You can steer clear of the onion and garlic problem by ordering items that aren't made with onion and garlic (chappatis, any paratha and most of the sabjis). It's not difficult to make a filling meal of a few parathas and a sabji, and the total cost will be less than Rs. 50. They are open from 10:30 AM until 11:00 PM. From the Namaskar Hotel, walk to the main bazaar, take a right, it's down on the left about ten minutes walk.
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OK, you've stashed your cash. Next it's time to make your way out of the airport. This used to be a positively perilous experience, as you are perceived to be a hapless rich tourist ripe for the picking. Now, since the airport has been modernized for the Olympic Games 2010, it's much more organized. There are no more long lines before the immigration, even the luggage takes less time to arrive. Also it's quite easy to avoid any hassling if they know that you are not easy picking.
