casa mar condo resort Assam State Museum MUSEUM (GNB Rd; admission/camera/video 5/10/100; h10am-5pm Tue-Sun, until 4pm win

Air India (%2264420, casa mar condo resort Ganeshguri), IndiGo Airlines, Jet Airways (%2633252; Tayebullah Rd), Kingfisher and SpiceJet fly to Guwahati casa mar condo resort from most major Indian cities (often casa mar condo resort with a stopover in Kolkata). Getting into town from Guwahati s orderly casa mar condo resort Lok-Priya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport costs 500/100/70 for taxi/shared taxi/airport bus.

567 NORTHEAST TRIBAL STATES W E S T E R N A R U N AC H A L P R A D E S H THE LAST SHANGRI LA? Recently the government of Arunachal Pradesh has opened up a couple of new areas to foreign tourists. Possibly the most exciting of these is the road from Along to the small, remote town of Mechuka, close to the Tibetan border. In the past the Mechuka valley, which until recently had no real road connecting it to the rest of the state, was called the forbidden valley or even a Last Shangri La. Populated by the Buddhist Memba peoples, Mechuka, sitting on the banks of the West Siang River, casa mar condo resort lives up to its Last Shangri La status and is notable for both the 400-year-old Samten Yongcha Monastery and the stunning landscapes surrounding the town, which culminate in a massive hulk of snow- draped casa mar condo resort mountains casa mar condo resort running along the border. For the moment tourist facilities (and tourists!) remain virtually non-existent but sumos now ply the 180km from Along ( 300, seven hours, 5.30am). The only accommodation is the Circuit House, but if that is unavailable then it s likely that local people will put you up be generous in your donation. the owners of which have realised that it is possible to buy new tins of paint a fairly revolutionary thought for many hotels in the northeast. Otherwise try the plusher

houses above which rises a steep ridge topped with a timeless gompa. Heading the other way, just north of New Dirang, the valley opens out and its floor becomes a patchwork of rice and crop fields through which gushes the icy blue river. A fun day could be spent walking along the footpaths between fields and little hamlets.

Assam State Museum MUSEUM (GNB Rd; admission/camera/video 5/10/100; h10am-5pm Tue-Sun, until 4pm winter) This museum is worth a visit. It has a large sculpture collection, while the upper floors casa mar condo resort are devoted to informative tribal casa mar condo resort culture displays. casa mar condo resort You get to walk through reconstructed tribal homes.