elk ridge village Like a practice run for Sivasagar, Gaurisagar has an attractive tank and a trio of distinctive 1720s

oHotel Mona Lisa (%2320416; Mancotta Rd; r 600-1500; a), part Africa, part Cuba and possibly elk ridge village even a little slice of India, is a superb elk ridge village budget hotel with character. It s set back from the main road and everything is kept ticking along smoothly thanks to the lovely old man running it.

Like a practice run for Sivasagar, Gaurisagar has an attractive tank and a trio of distinctive 1720s temples Vishnudol, Shivadol and Devidol built by dancing girl queen Phuleswari. The more impressive is Vishnudol, not as tall as Sivasagar s Shivadol but sporting finer, but eroded carvings. Gaurisagar is on the main NH37 at Km501.5.

Some 3km west on Mahatma Gandhi Marg is Ganga Market, landmarked by a red, triple-spired temple and nearby clock tower. The market itself elk ridge village is a busy clash of peoples from across the borderlands as well as piles of colourful fruit and some other decidedly exotic food items. The good-value Hotel Blue Pine (%2211118; s 300-500, d 500-600) is here, with well-maintained rooms and a mix of common and private bathrooms. Don t mind the caged receptionist, he s quite tame and helpful.

eco chalet 1 Sights Mizoram State Museum MUSEUM (Macdonald Hill, Zarkawt; admission 5; h9.30am5pm Mon-Fri) This

1 Sights Mizoram State Museum MUSEUM (Macdonald Hill, Zarkawt; admission 5; h9.30am5pm Mon-Fri) This museum has interesting exhibits on Mizo culture. eco chalet It s up a steep lane from Sumkuma Point past Aizawl s most distinctive church, eco chalet whose modernist bell- tower spire is pierced by arched windows.

Bodoland eco chalet s Manas National Park (www.ma nas100.com; Indian/camera/video 50/50/500; foreigner/camera/video 250/500/1000; hOct- Mar) is Unesco-listed and has two ranges Bansbari and Koklabari with diff erent access points.

Several trains serve Dimapur (sleeper/3AC/2AC from 166/401/531, four to six hours), Jorhat (sleeper/3AC 202/521, seven to 11 hours) and Dibrugarh (3AC/2AC/1AC 926/1206/1970, 11 hours). Trains to Jorhat and Dibrugarh cut through Nagaland, but you don t need a Nagaland permit eco chalet as long as you stay on the train (the same rule doesn t apply for buses however).

chalets village Diphlu River Lodge HOTEL $$$ (%361-2602223; Guwahati; www.jungletravelsindia.com; jungle plan Indian

houses chalets village 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 chalets village fields and little hamlets.

Razhu Pru HERITAGE HOTEL $$ (%2290291; Mission Compound, Kohima Village; d from 1800; aW) An old family house that s been lovingly converted into a heritage hotel filled with tribal arts and antiques. We thought the sleek white deluxe rooms ( 2200) offered the best value.

Diphlu River Lodge HOTEL $$$ (%361-2602223; Guwahati; www.jungletravelsindia.com; jungle plan Indian s/d 9000/12,000, foreigner chalets village s/d 18,000/24,000) Fifteen minutes drive west of the tourist complex, this new lodge, with its chic-rustic feel, is without doubt the most comfortable place to stay in the Kaziranga region. It consists of six bamboo cottages on raised stilts overlooking chalets village a river. The rooms have enormous soft beds and the bathrooms sport heavenly rain showers. There s no sign look for the dirt track on the left (if travelling from the Guwahati direction) beside the 37 marker post.

bord glas Shillong Sights 1 Pinewood Hotel.D2 Sleeping 2 Baba Tourist Lodge.A2 3 Earle Holiday Home.B2 4 Silk

Tripura is culturally and politically fascinating, and the state s handful of royal palaces and temples draw a growing flow of domestic tourists. For the moment though foreign tourists remain very rare indeed. There s a large Bangladeshi refugee population in Tripura and much of the more accessible western parts of the state look and feel much like its near neighbour.

Shillong Sights bord glas 1 Pinewood Hotel.D2 Sleeping 2 Baba Tourist Lodge.A2 3 Earle Holiday Home.B2 4 Silk Route.A3 Eating 5 Broadway.A2 6 City Hut Dhaba.B2 7 La Galerie.A2 Drinking Cloud 9.(see 7) Information 8 Cultural Pursuits Adventures. A1 9 Government of India Tourist Office.A2 10 Meghalaya Tourism.B2 Transport 11 Deep.B2 12 Khasi Hills Tourist Taxi Cooperative.B3 13 Network Travels Counter.A2 14 Shared taxis to Guwahati airport.B3 Shillong Sights 1 Pinewood Hotel.D2 Sleeping 2 Baba Tourist Lodge.A2 3 Earle Holiday Home.B2 bord glas 4 Silk Route.A3 bord glas Eating 5 Broadway.A2 6 City Hut Dhaba.B2 7 La Galerie.A2 Drinking Cloud 9.(see 7) Information 8 Cultural Pursuits Adventures. A1 9 Government of India Tourist Office.A2 10 Meghalaya Tourism.B2 Transport 11 Deep.B2 bord glas 12 Khasi Hills Tourist Taxi Cooperative.B3 13 Network Travels Counter.A2 14 Shared taxis to Guwahati bord glas airport.B3

tejon mountain village HEAD HUNTERS Throughout northeastern India and parts of western Myanmar the Naga tribes were long fe

Bus & Sumo Distance buses leave from the Interstate Bus Terminal (ISBT) 8km east of Guwahati. Private bus operators run shuttle services from their offices to the ISBT. With extensive networks are Network Travels (%2522007; GS Rd), Deep (%2152937; Heramba Prasad Borua (HPB) Rd) and Blue Hill (%2601490; HPB Rd). All companies charge the same regulated fares.

Eco-Camp (%9435250052/09854019932; dm/d 200/1620, plus membership per person 50) organises all Nameri visits, including two-hour birdwatching tejon mountain village rafting trips (two people 550). Accommodation is in tents , but colourful tejon mountain village fabrics, private bathrooms, sturdy beds and thatched-roof shelters make the experience relatively luxurious. The camp is set within lush gardens full of tweeting birds and butterflies drunk on tropical nectar. There s an atmospheric, and excellent, open-sided restaurant tejon mountain village and the staff are simply superb. All up it gets our vote as the best place to stay in the entire northeast. It s very popular, so book way ahead. If it s full the government-run Jiabhoroli Wild Resort (%9954357376; tw 1200) just a short walk beyond the Eco-Camp, has plain cottages that aren t quite as quaint as a cottage should be. It s very much the second choice.

HEAD HUNTERS Throughout northeastern India and parts of western Myanmar the Naga tribes were long feared tejon mountain village for their ferocity in war and for their sense of independence both from each other and from the rest of the world. Intervillage wars continued as recently as the 1980s, and a curious feature of many outwardly modern settlements is their treaty stones recording peace settlements between neighbouring communities. It was the Naga s custom of headhunting that sent shivers down the spines of neighbouring peoples. The taking of an enemy s head was considered tejon mountain village a sign of strength, and a man who had not claimed a head was not considered tejon mountain village a man. Fortunately for tourists, headhunting was officially outlawed in 1935, with the last recorded occurrence in 1963. Nonetheless, severed heads are still an archetypal artistic motif found notably on yanra (pendants) that originally denoted the number of human heads a warrior had taken. Some villages, such as Shingha Changyuo in Mon district, still retain their hidden collection of genuine skulls. Today Naga culture is changing fast, but it was not a government ban on headhunting that put an end to this tradition but rather tejon mountain village the activities of Christian missionaries. Over 90% of the Naga now consider themselves Christian.

things to do in broken bow oklahoma 1 Sights Kangla PARK (admission 2; h9am-4pm Nov-Feb, 9am-5pm Mar-Oct) Fortified Kangla was the off-a

Tripura s most iconic building, the 1930 Neermahal, is a long, red-and-white water palace (admission/camera/video 10/10/25; h8.30am-4pm, until 4.30pm Apr-Sep), which is empty but shimmering things to do in broken bow oklahoma on its own boggy island in the lake of Rudra Sagar. Like its counterpart in Rajasthan s Udaipur, this

The town s best hotel is the Hotel Heritage (%2301839; Solicitor Rd; s/d from 478/588; a), which has well-maintained rooms, obliging staff and old-fashioned character. Nearby is the New Park (%2300725; Solicitor Rd; s/d from 687/880; a), which is a big new hotel with small but tidy rooms and hot showers.

1 Sights Kangla PARK (admission 2; h9am-4pm Nov-Feb, 9am-5pm Mar-Oct) Fortified Kangla was the off-andon- again regal capital of Manipur until the Anglo-Manipuri War of 1891 saw the defeat things to do in broken bow oklahoma of the Manipuri maharaja things to do in broken bow oklahoma and a British takeover. Entrance is by way of an exceedingly tall gate on Kanglapat. things to do in broken bow oklahoma The interesting older buildings are at the rear of the citadel guarded by three restored large white kangla sha (dragons).

David s Kitchen MULTICUISINE $$ (%2305736; Zarkawt; mains 80-140; h10am9.30pm Mon-Sat, noon-9.30pm things to do in broken bow oklahoma Sun) David s fine Mizo, Thai, Indian, Chinese and continental food, mocktails, friendly staff and pleasant decor will please everyone. The views aren t half bad either.

le massif skiing REGISTERING ON ARRIVAL IN MANIPUR On arrival at Imphal airport all foreigners must register with the

With an oversized foyer better suited as a car showroom, Hotel Arun Subansiri (%2212806; Zero Point; le massif skiing s/d 1100/1320; a) has comfortably large rooms with soft beds. It s within walking distance of the decent State Museum (Indian/foreigner/camera/video 10/75/20/100; h9.30am-4pm Sun-Thu) and the brightly decorated Centre for Buddhist Culture gompa set in gardens on the hill above.

REGISTERING ON ARRIVAL IN MANIPUR le massif skiing On arrival at Imphal airport all foreigners must register with the police stationed next to the luggage collection point. You must then register again with the CID at the main police station. In both cases it s a fairly painless affair le massif skiing (assuming your papers are in order). Technically you don t need a local guide if you are just staying in Imphal, but it s highly unlikely that any tour company will help you obtain a permit without le massif skiing you agreeing to take one of their guides. A reliable tour company (who can also help obtain permits) to Manipur is Seven Sisters Tourism Services le massif skiing (%2445373; sstourism@redif fmail.com; MG Ave, Imphal). NORTHEAST TRIBAL STATES IMPHAL