melvern lake cabins La Villa GUESTHOUSE $ (%9435657282; jyoti24365@gmail.com; r from 300) Run by knowledgeable and keen-

La Villa GUESTHOUSE $ (%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). melvern lake cabins

Tripura s low-key capital, with its small- town atmosphere, feels like an India of yesteryear. The pace of life is much slower than in the towns and cities of the Indian heartlands and people are much more likely to swerve across the street to wish you a good day than to try and sell you something. The old quarter, which centres on the Ujjayanta Palace, has some impressive town gates and pretty tanks and gardens. Durga puja is celebrated with huge pandals (temporary temples built from wood and cloth).

PERMIT PAINS Permits Permits melvern lake cabins for this region are a pain, being too bureaucratically involved for many foreigners, but those who take the trouble will be rewarded. Permits are mandatory for Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Manipur, and entry without one is a serious melvern lake cabins matter. Indian citizens just need an inner line permit, issued with little fuss in Guwahati or Kolkata (see p 469 ). The rest of this box applies to foreigners who ll require a Restricted melvern lake cabins Area Permit (RAP). Minimum Group Size Permit applications need a four-person minimum melvern lake cabins group. Exceptions are Nagaland, for a legally married couple with marriage certifi cate; and Arunachal Pradesh for a minimum of two people. In reality though, it s now possible melvern lake cabins for single travellers to get permits to all the states, but only if you use a tour company melvern lake cabins (and even then you need a lot of patience). In Nagaland and Manipur, authorities may refuse you entry if some people listed on your permit are missing ; Mizoram doesn t seem bothered and Arunachal Pradesh is now much more relaxed. Validity & Registration Permits are valid for 10 days from a specified starting date, but Arunachal allows 30 days. You might be able to extend your permit, but only in state capitals at the Secretariat, Home Department. Be aware that permits only allow you to visit specified melvern lake cabins districts between specified dates, so plan carefully as changing routes might be problematic. Be sure to make multiple photocopies of your permit to hand in at each checkpoint, police station and hotel. Where to Apply Applications made independently through the Ministry of Home Aff airs (%011-23385748; Jaisalmer House, 26 Man Singh Rd, Delhi; hinquiries 9-11am Mon-Fri) or the appropriate State House in Delhi can take weeks and will normally end in frustration. Kolkata s Foreigners melvern lake cabins Registration Offi ce (FRO; %22837034; 237 AJC Bose Rd; h11am-5pm Mon-Fri) can issue permits but it seems to want to exclude melvern lake cabins Tawang from Arunachal, restrict access to Nagaland and not allow you into Mizoram. The easiest and most reliable way to get permits melvern lake cabins is through a reputable travel agency; see the Information section for each state.

Khasi villagers have trained across streams to form natural pathways. Three of these root bridges (including melvern lake cabins an amazing double- decker ) are near Nongriat. melvern lake cabins Access involves a two-hour very steep trek down from Tyrna, a pretty, palm-clad village that s 2km from Mawshamok. From Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort the entire roundtrip hike takes eight hours, is highly strenuous and involves descending and ascending some 2000-odd steps (this particular author couldn t walk for two days afterwards!). The Cherrapunjee Holiday melvern lake cabins Resort provides maps.