chalet cafe Just beyond, a left turning passes the Golaghar or Ahom ammunition store, the stonework of which is

The biggest, most cosmopolitan and, some might say, the most Indian city in the northeast, Guwahati is an essential stop on any northeastern tour. A casual glance might place Guwahati alongside any other Indian city but wander the back alleys around Jorpulkuri Ponds, away from the concrete jungle of the central business district, and you could almost imagine yourself in a village made up of ponds, palm trees, chalet cafe small single-storey traditional houses and old colonial-era mansions.

H2O (Mancotta Rd; mains 80-120, beers from 80) is an upstairs chalet cafe bar-restaurant with elements of spaceship decor. For a break from the rigours of the Indian road you ll fi nd a branch of Caf Coffee Day on HS Rd.

Just beyond, a left turning passes the Golaghar chalet cafe or Ahom ammunition store, the stonework of which is held together with a mix of dhal, lime and egg. Beyond are the two-storey chalet cafe ruins of Talatalghar (Indian/ foreigner 5/100; hdawn-dusk), the extensive, two-storey Ahom palace built by Ahom King Rajeswar Singha in the mid-18th century.