Water: Drink only bottled mineral water. Drink boiled water, particularly during the monsoons.

Electricity: 220 volts. You'll require plug adaptors.

Radio: Cochin FM 102.3 MHz. (Timings: 1658 hrs to 2300 hrs (all days)

Banking Hours: (Week Days) 10 a.m. - 2 pm, (Sat) 10 am - 12 noon. Some banks have evening counters. Banks remain closed on Sundays (with a few exceptions), and specified bank holidays. Certain banks also provide 24-hour ATM service.

Dinning: Dinning out becoming rather common place in Kochin, the city and its suberbs have a wide range to offer, from cheap street-side eateries to gourmet restaurants. In upmarket restaurant it's a good idea to book in advance, particularly on weekends. A booming fast food and cage life provides a cheap and fast alternative to restaurants.

Bars and Restaurants: Open at 8 a.m., Closing at 11 p.m.

Entertainment: Cinema house with daily shows in Malayalam, Hindi, English, or Tamil are frequented by movie buffs. Music and Dance, architecture, Painting, and Sculpture, patronised for centuries, have also left visitors with a variety of auctions to choose from. Daily Kathakali shows at select cultural centres.

Timings: 6.45 p.m. to 8 p.m.Classical dance forms such as Bharaanatyam, Mohiniyattam, and Kuchipudi, and Karnatic Music recitals at the Kerala Fine Arts Hall at foreshore road; and a range of art galleries, reflecting the achievements of visual artist through paintings, murals, and sculpture are increasingly popular venues. There is very little of Western style nightlife. Anual events like the Tourism Week (Dec to Jan). Featuring Boat races, Food festivals, Flowershows, and a variety of entertainment's programme, are all well worth seeing. If you are in any doubt, heck the local newspapers for venues and timings.

Major Exports: Tea, Cashew, Rubber, Spices, Coir products, betelnuts, coconuts and copra, lemongrass oil, coffee, fish and prawns.