Communications

You may want to telephone Woodstock or a hotel from home before you come. To make a call to India from the US or Canada, precede the number with 011 (for an overseas connection) and 91 (the India country code). The connection code will vary in other countries. From the UK you need to dial 00 91 and then the number.

An Indian phone number beginning with 9 is a mobile number and you can enter it following the India country code. For land lines, you need to follow the 011-91 with the area code, which may or may not be included when you get a number (135 for Mussoorie, 011 for Delhi).

All over India you will notice businesses advertising STD, ISD, and PCO (public call office). These are public phone booths where you can make calls within India (STD) and internationally (ISD). They are always staffed and you pay per call; they are quite easy and inexpensive to use. If you have a SIM-unlocked GSM mobile phone (common in Europe, not so much in US), you can purchase a prepaid Indian SIM card. Check with your phone provider if you have an international phone. Visitors who stay for a longer period of time sometimes purchase an inexpensive Indian mobile phone with prepaid SIM. Any SIM-card purchase requires photos and copies of your passport and visa, so bring extra ones if you expect to do this.

Most hotels in Delhi provide Wi-Fi internet access. In all areas, there are internet cafés where you can log onto a PC or, sometimes, use your own laptop. There is a good internet café right on Mullingar Hill and a couple more in Kulri Bazaar (down the road behind Green's restaurant). Alumni visitors to Woodstock can log onto the guest wireless service with their laptops while on school grounds. Skype is accessible on this network.

India’s electricity is 220 volts. If you have electronic devices that accept 110/220 input, all you need is a two-prong plug adapter, readily available here and from overseas travel suppliers. Just check the fine print on your power adaptor.