chalet heidi 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? Recent

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

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, chalet heidi remote town of Mechuka, close to the Tibetan border. In the past the Mechuka valley, which until recently had no real road connecting chalet heidi 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 Samten Yongcha Monastery and the stunning chalet heidi landscapes surrounding the town, which culminate in a massive hulk of snow- draped chalet heidi mountains running along the border. For the moment tourist facilities (and tourists!) remain virtually chalet heidi non-existent but sumos now ply the 180km from Along ( 300, seven hours, chalet heidi 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 chalet heidi 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

10pm) Best of several closely grouped options. Tripura Tourism (%2225930; www.tripura tourism.in; Swet Mahal, Palace Complex; h10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 3-5pm Sun) Helpful and enthusiastic with many great-value tours.

Noisy and polluted it might be, but Imphal, with its melange of peoples and positioning right on the border lands of India and southeast Asia is undeniably fascinating and travellers who spend any time here are well rewarded. The airport is 9km to the southwest.