ski chalet ski swap Some 3km west on Mahatma Gandhi Marg is Ganga Market, landmarked by a red, triple-spired temple and

Some 3km west on Mahatma Gandhi Marg is Ganga Market, landmarked by a red, triple-spired temple and nearby clock tower. The market itself 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.

La Villa GUESTHOUSE ski chalet ski swap $ (%9435657282; jyoti24365@gmail.com; r from 300) Run by knowledgeable and keen-toplease Jyoti Naryan Sarma (who also acts as a guide), this Garamur guesthouse has three brightly painted but uninspiring rooms overlooking an open-billed stork roosting site (whose dawn chorus will do away with any need for an alarm clock).

Pawan Hans Helicopters (%2842174; www.pawahans.co.in) shuttles to Shillong ( 1200, 45 minutes, 9am & 1pm Mon-Sat), ski chalet ski swap Naharlagun near Itanagar and Lumla for Tawang ( 3000, 1 hours, 10am Mon-Sat). Phone through your booking then pay at the airport if the service flies (weather and passenger numbers permitting).

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 ski chalet ski swap up a couple of new areas to foreign tourists. Possibly the most exciting of these is the road from Along to the small, ski chalet ski swap 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, lives up to its Last Shangri La status and is notable for both the 400-year-old ski chalet ski swap Samten ski chalet ski swap Yongcha Monastery and the stunning landscapes surrounding the town, which culminate in a massive hulk of snow- draped mountains 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 ski chalet ski swap thought for many hotels in the northeast. Otherwise try the plusher